Dead Flowers - Chapter Ten

Leena wants Robert to be her boyfriend but the second a title is placed on their odd relationship Robert begins to realize letting her go may be harder than he thought.

I was pretty sure that Robert had had more than one female companion in his past life.

 It was quick clear by the way he kissed me, said little nothings into my ear or held me at night that Robert had once had some form of practice.

I wasn't complaining because he was still quite the gentleman, one who I trusted beyond belief, but it was hard not to think off all the girls he had once courted.

So I decided to ask him. He had told me about his death, had explained his father had messed up on one of his many inventions when he had been intoxicated and set the house on fire. Robert, who had come to help, had gotten trapped inside with his inebriated Dad. Their bodies had been completely destroyed.

“Rob?” I called as I hurried around the side of the house. Robert, as usual, was tending his garden.

It had been moved, carefully replanted to make way for a gazebo I thought would’ve been nice to create one day.

The pool had been cleaned and reshaped while all the dead and dying trees had been removed from the grounds.

The only things left in this house were the old wooden siding, the roof and a few rooms left on the upstairs, Robert’s included. I planned to tackle the front yard today, the pretty garden Robert said I had to plant.

He didn’t want to risk being spot. He had already been seen by Lucas and though nothing bad had seemed to come from it, Robert didn’t want to risk it.

Speaking of Luke, I hadn't spoken to him since the incident about two months ago. When I texted him, he ignored it. When I spotted him in town, he walked right on by.

I had asked Cassandra about it, asked her after I had apologised tremendously about my behaviour weeks before and all she could do was shrug.

 “He’s been odd since that night,” Cassie muttered, “You guys didn't do it, did you?”

I scoffed, “No. I’m not easy, Cass. I don’t know what happened.”

So that was a lie but I couldn’t really tell her that Luke was basically chased out by my ghost roommate.

With nothing to go on Cassandra told me not to worry about it. She said Luke would come around and things would be back to normal. I just smiled and nodded, agreeing with a fake ‘of course!’ until she quickly turned the subject to Bridgeport and how she planned to take a vacation there soon.

She asked if I would go but I turned her down.

I turned her down because I wanted to spend every minute with Robert.

My life seemed like a dream. The fact that ghosts existed was one thing but the fact I was basically being kissed and wooed by one every day made things a little bit more surreal.

Robert, in his fiery translucent self, was bent down calmly in his new, weeded garden next to the high fence I had installed a few days ago.

He was smiling, beaming because I had found when he gardened he thought of his lost mother and how she’d always praise his glorious plants.

“Robert? Are you sure you don’t want me to get a sprinkler system installed? It wouldn’t be that much and it’d save you time -”

He chuckled, “I’ve told you, Love, I enjoy the labour. It gives me something to do throughout the day.

“You’re sure?” I muttered as I picked at my lip, “I mean -”

The ghost could only laugh, “What did you wish to ask me, Leena? You came barrelling out here. I’m sure you have something on your mind. You always seem too.”

“It’s not -” I sighed, “You’re just... really smooth.”

“Smooth?” He stood, apparently my mumbling had intrigued him.

“Well yeah.”

“Smooth how, my dear?”

“You’re just really good... like you’ve had lots of practice.”

His eyebrow rose, “What are you instigating, Leena?”

I released a huff, “How many girls have you... courted? I mean you don’t have to tell me. I was just curious is all because you always seem to know what to say or do and I don’t mind, don’t get me wrong but it just makes me wonder -”

He burst out laughing, “That is what is troubling you, love?”

“I’m not troubled... just curious.”

His body floated towards me and that hand, that gentle hand that seemed to glow with a soothing heat slipped upon my cheek, “If you wish to know I courted only two girls in my life. You would be my third.”

“Just two? I find that hard to believe.”

“Just two. A girl named Catherine when I was a teenager and a girl named Rose when I turned twenty,” His hands slipped into mine, “Though I must say you are by far my favourite.”

I giggled like a schoolgirl, “I bet you say that to all your girlfriends -”

Robert was staring me in the eye, “Girlfriend? Is that what you wish to be?”

“I...” I wasn’t sure what to say. 

Did Robert want that? 

Was I moving this too fast?

Was this even ethical?

I mean, he was dead and yet... I didn’t care. A nervous smile slid over my lips.

“It’s... what you want. I’ll do whatever you want.”

And that was the truth.

Robert kissed me, “Nothing more would make me happier than to call you mine.”

I gripped his shirt as my knees quivered, “So I’m yours and you’re mine?”

“Until you no longer want me.”

A grin lit my face and I pulled away with a joyous bounce to my step, “I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that, Rob. I... I’m going to go fix the garden out front. Do you want to help?”

Robert shook his head, “I would love to, Leena, but I don’t want to be seen. Besides, I still have a few vegetables to water.”

My head nodded and though I knew I shouldn’t be down hearted, it made me sad that I couldn’t do the one thing he loved with him. We had been able to fix up the flowers in the backyard together and I had adored that.

I just wished we could continue it.

He seemed to notice, “Go on, love, I will see you when you are done.”

So I did. I wandered to the front of the house to dig at the dirt and plant the numerous flowers that had been delivered earlier this morning.

Robert had picked most of them out.

As for Robert, he stood silently watching the breeze blow through his remodelled backyard until he turned back to finish tending his garden.

He had been... anxious about Leena’s arrival those many months ago but the way she had moved through his house was enough to allow him to listen to her nervous words. She had been kind to the old place as she treaded carefully.

Leena intrigued him.

She was such an odd girl with an odd story and an odd way of life. He understood times had changed, understood that women were much bolder but Leena just had this odd joy to her that made him curious.

He couldn’t exactly say what it was. Maybe it was because she was the first person he had been able to get close too, maybe it was because she had kissed him first and took a control Robert was used to giving but he, he truly did cherish her.

Which made him nervous as he plucked to his garden. She was young, beautiful and... alive.

Did she want children? He couldn’t give them to her.

Did she want to live a lie, pretending to be alone and hidden from the outside world just so he could hold her in his arms?

Robert released a sigh. Though this had been a lingering thought on his mind, one that had forced him to lock himself in his room until he had been certain of what he wanted, it seemed now that Leena placed a title upon their odd relationship, he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

He was a selfish man because he wanted Leena to himself and even if she did say she wanted to move on from him, he wasn’t sure if he could actually simply break away like he was pretending he would.

Robert found me in the front, his glowing body hovering just before me build.

“Robert? I thought you were scared of -”

“Do you want children?”

I dusted myself off and stood, facing the suddenly serious ghost, “Children? No, I mean I’m young -”

“No, Leena, I mean in the future. Do you wish to have children at one point in your life?”

“Does that really matter?”

“It does.”

 “Well I suppose so, I mean, at one point I did but if I never had kids it wouldn’t be the end of the world -”

Robert only frowned and I found myself confused, pulling him into an embrace. His arms slipped around my waist but they were weak and lacked the usual hold he'd given me each and every day.

“Don’t worry about something like that. I’m happy with you. I want to be with you. If I never have children I won’t mind, Robert.”

“If that’s what you wish, love,” and his lips pecked mine, “I am going to go inside and continue that novel you purchased for me.”

“Alright Rob, I’ll be in later.”

That night I found Rob lying upon my bed with a distort look upon his handsome features. He seemed torn but when I crawled in beside him, he gathered me into a gentle hold.

“You alright?” I yawned, snuggling my head into his build. It was an odd sensation, an odd thought that Robert could make himself solid or not. I had asked him about it but all he said was it was as natural as breathing was to me.

“I am fine, love,” and with a sudden burst of endorphins, he gathered me, pushing me upon the bed with a furious heat.

My mouth was gathered by his.

“Rob -” But I wasn’t allowed to talk. For what seemed like hours we rolled around in the bed, still clothed, as he whispered those sweet nothings and kissed me like it was the last time he’d ever see me.

Robert really did know how to treat a lady.

That night as I slept peacefully under the warm covers of my bed, Robert disappeared into the darkness.

His glowing body slipped from the house.

Where he, in turn,continued down the street.

And when the sun rose, Robert didn’t return.

To be continued...

Comments would be nice and thank you for reading.