𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 28
3𝐫𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐨𝐯

— THE THING ABOUT GHOSTS is that they could go anywhere they wanted in the world, and yet they were always drawn back to two places — their home and the place where they died. Julian would like to add another to the list; family.

Mindlessly, Julian followed the trio out of the Briar manor and into the car, all the way to the coffee shop.

The farther he got from the manor, he felt as though he was underwater. He could hear and see everything, but it was all sort of far away. Still, he relaxed as he watched as the shadows behind them faded and the light in his great nephew's eyes returned.

He watched as the man in dark clothing voiced the concerns that weighed heavy on Julian's mind too. The concern is that even if Jasper left the manor, he wouldn't be the same. A part of him would always be trapped inside of the manor.

The Manor was not like a normal haunted building. During his research, Julian found history dating back to the witch trials that would scare even the nonbelievers, and it was all backed up with evidence. The amount of evidence the house had should've made it a hot spot for investigation, but somehow the evidence found at the house never left the small town it resided in. The only time it had was now — with Sam and Colby.

The house hadn't been stepped in by a living person in five years, since some poor soul tried to buy up the manor and was soon ran out. The ghosts in the house were very territorial and believed the house to be theirs.

The house had a long history, but the land had an even longer history. The forest had such a dark past that it still made Julian's stomach twist in knots even after spending his afterlife surrounded by mangled and dark spirits.

Truthfully, Julian wasn't sure how he was still sane. Many spirits in the manor weren't inherently evil but had been... corrupted of a sort. They'd lost control over the years, and become shadows merely lurking in the dark. All they knew was the manor after a while, as their memories faded, and as such they'd do anything to make sure nobody took it.

Julian had one friend in the whole manor and even she was mostly an ally.

Amora Quinzel used to own the house many years ago and had been one of the few people the spirits had accepted into the manor, back when the resident spirits had some sanity left. She was still dressed in her large gown, though her skin was mangled and her eyes dark.

That was mainly why Julian called her an ally rather than a friend. She was kind and sane enough, but Julian didn't have enough tolerance to spend much time with her when she was stuck appearing as she had when she'd been brutally murdered.

Julian snapped back to reality, eyeing his grand-nephew who sat at a table talking quietly with his friends.

He has to find a way to make Jasper leave the Briar Manor. Before it took him too.

✧˖*°࿐

THE trio made their way back to the house several hours later once the sky was starting to darken. Colby was staying close to Jasper, and if either Sam or Jasper noticed neither said a word.

One hand drifted to Jasper's, barely resisting the urge to grab his hand, or perhaps preparing to catch him again, while his other hand toyed with his keys as if preparing to leave again. While Colby was ready and willing (read: barely holding back leaving now) to leave, Jasper was set on staying here, and so they were all preparing to head up to their rooms for the night.

"I don't think you should be alone." Colby blurted out when Jasper started heading upstairs to his room.

Jasper and Sam both paused, turning back to Colby with confused looks though there was an inkling of knowing in Sam's eyes as he met his best friend's gaze, "I mean the spirits have been targeting you a lot especially when you're alone so, it would make sense for you to... not be alone." Colby continued not meeting Jasper's gaze.

"So should we all set up down here for the night?" Sam suggested, "I'm sure I've got a few air mattresses from our last trip somewhere."

"It's too late for that." Colby said quickly, a little too quickly, "I mean I can just bunk with Jasper, no need to dig in the car."

Jasper didn't respond seeming surprised by the answer but Sam wasn't, that was clear by the hint of a smirk on his face as he teased, "Oh only you?"

"Well there wouldn't exactly be enough room for both of us to bunk with him unless you wanna cuddle up," he joked in response, really hoping his friend would drop it and that Jasper would agree without much trouble.

"No you kick in your sleep," Sam said without hesitation, familiar banter they'd often used in videos.

"No, he doesn't," Jasper replied instantly without a hint of doubt in his voice, causing both Sam and Colby to look at him, Sam with a knowing look and Colby with a mix of amusement and awe, because he was always in awe of Jasper. Always.

"Okay then, you'll bunk with Jasper and I'll... start going through the footage?" Sam suggested, "None of the spirits have targeted me yet, and my room is next to both of yours if anything happens."

Colby could've kissed Sam. If it wasn't for the fact he'd much rather kiss Jasper, who albeit reluctantly agreed, they all headed upstairs, Sam splitting off to his room, while Colby and Jasper went into Jasper's room after Colby grabbed some pajamas from his room.

"You don't have to stay with me. I'll be fine." Jasper said even as he grabbed extra blankets for Colby.

Colby wanted to shoot back some lighthearted response to lift the mood, but alone with Jasper he couldn't manage to put up some easygoing facade. Not when he was utterly terrified of losing Jasper.

"The spirits have only been targeting you, and it's getting worse." Colby pointed out seriously, and sat down on the side of Jasper's bed, meeting his gaze.

He turned to pleading when Jasper still seemed reluctant to agree, "Please, baby blue, I'm just worried about you. Let me keep you safe." And, like Jasper always did when Colby called him baby blue, he gave in, nodding with a soft expression that made Colby forget his worries if only for a moment.

"I can sleep on the couch." Colby offered after a moment when he escaped the allure of Jasper's blue eyes. His eyes went to the luxurious antique couch set up in the room because of course the fancy haunted manor had couches in bedrooms. Despite it being older than he was, it did seem comfortable, though he knew his back would hurt in the morning he'd gladly sleep there every night of his life for Jasper.

Jasper, however, seems to have other plans.

"There's plenty of room on the bed." Jasper pointed out, and looked away when Colby met his gaze, his cheeks growing red, "Easier to keep me safe when you're closer right?"

"Right." Colby agreed unable to help the smile that fell on his lips.

✧˖*°࿐

AND so that was how Jasper and Colby found themselves in bed together, trying desperately to sleep and ignore the tension that filled the room.

Colby pushed down the urge to hold Jasper, who'd pushed himself to the edge of the bed, a distance between them that made Colby's skin crawl. He lay on his side, staring at the door as if a ghost would walk right through, while Jasper stared at the ceiling.

"Colby," Jasper called softly into the dark of the room, startling Colby who'd assumed Jasper had fallen asleep long ago.

"Yeah?"

"Do you... I mean, before all of this, you talked about a second chance... for us. Do you still want that?" Jasper whispered, his words soft, yet Colby hung onto every last one.

"Are you asking me out?" He asked, his voice amused even as his heart raced.

He turned to look at Jasper as the blonde spoke, "Depends." Jasper turned to look at him, "would you say yes?"

Rather than answering, Colby leaned forward and kissed Jasper, softly, passionately, lovingly, hoping his kiss conveyed even some of what he felt for the man.

And really, he thought that was a pretty good answer. Especially when Jasper kissed him back.

"I'll take that as a yes," Jasper said when they pulled away a bit breathlessly.

"Jasper, all I've ever wanted is you, you turned my world upside down in a second, and I... I thought I'd never see you again when I found out your family left." Colby whispered, the words only for the two of them, and perhaps any eavesdropping spirits, "When I found you again, even without realizing who you were, I was drawn to you, and when I found out all I dreamed of was a second chance with you."

"I want to do this right. I want to take you on a date after all this stuff with the Briar Manor is done. I want to love you so loudly you never doubt it." Colby smiled at him, "I want to be with you, for as long as you'll have me."

Jasper stared at him, his expression one of love and awe, almost as much awe as Colby felt for him every day.

Finally, after what felt like forever, Jasper managed a respond, "I want to be with you always, Colby."

A grin split across Colby's face as he spoke, "Good because I'm never letting you go again." And Colby, well he couldn't help himself. He leaned forward again, pressing their lips together once more.

Tomorrow they would face the reality of the Briar Manor and the spirits within that seemed to be obsessed with Jasper, but for now, all that mattered was them as their bodies melted together, embracing each other as if they might just disappear.

This was all that mattered.

✧˖*°࿐
1,720 words

hey there! No I haven't forgotten about this book, yes I know the last update was October — I've been struggling with writers block and also just being more busy than usual but I finally managed to finish up this chapter and I am so excited for what's to come as we reach the final four chapters
of Medium's journey!

I cannot thank yall enough for all the support and patience with this book

Here's to 2025!