"Ghost of You" By Katherine Vu
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The dimmed sunlight filtered in through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the small book cafe. A golden blonde-haired woman sat at one of the square wooden tables, playing with the wedding band on her ring finger, an emerald cut emerald stone with a thin gold band. She looked through the window next to her table and watched as people milled about the corner street, some talking on the phone and others talking to their companions.
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“Eliora!” one of the cafe workers shouted from behind the counter. The woman looked up with her solemn turquoise eyes and went to receive her small drink from the counter. As Eliora sat back down at her seat and sipped her tea, she started to dwell on the bright memories of the past.
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Across from Eliora sat one of her best friends from high school. They were the only two that had chosen to go to the same university in the same town they grew up in, making them the only two from their friend group to continue meeting up at the book cafe down the street from their old high school.
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With pine green eyes and a nice smile, paired the cutest pair of dimples, Micah was easily attracting attention everywhere he went. It didn’t help that he had a nice physique and the largest tattoo wrapping around the whole of his left arm and left side of his chest. Eliora watched as he irritably flicked strands of his black hair over his shoulder, which was only growing longer by the day due to his laziness to go to his regular barber.
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“You should cut your hair,” Those pine green eyes flicked up from his textbook and settled on her, piercing her with his stare. His brows flew up, waiting for her reasoning. “I mean, it is getting a bit long and it seems to be bothering you a lot,” Eliora shrugged.
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Micah rolled his eyes, “As if my irritation is what’s concerning you. You just don’t like it when I start to get long hair.”
“Pft, that’s not true,” Eliora waved a hand in dismissal, “I think you look nice with long hair. It’s just that I prefer you with short hair,” she giggled as he narrowed his eyes at her.
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The next day, Micah showed up to the cafe with much shorter black hair than the day before. When Eliora had commented on it, a pink blush spread on his cheeks as he’d scowled and told her to “shut up,” before looking back at his laptop. He barely survived her teasing and laughter from the rest of the day.
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Finishing up her tea, Eliora thanked the workers before leaving the small book cafe nestled on the corner street. As she stalked past her old high school, she started reminiscing about her high school days.
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“Eliora! DON’T YOU DARE!” Luna’s shrill scream splintered through the humid air. Heads turned to see Eliora with her hands high in the air, looking through a phone, using her height to her advantage against her shorter best friend. Luna’s hands reached as high as Eliora’s elbows, not even the slightest bit close to her phone. “DO NOT LOOK THROUGH MY MESSAGES!”
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Despite the obvious height difference between the two, Luna’s ear-splitting scream still managed to shatter Eliora’s eardrums. Wincing, Eliora powered through and calmly said back, “You’re hiding something from me. I can tell that you want to tell me something but you’re holding yourself back.”
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“No, I’m not,” Luna frantically shook her head, hoping that Eliora would believe her, “NOW GIVE ME BACK MY DAMN PHONE!”
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Not wanting to cross any more boundaries than she already had, Eliora reluctantly handed Luna her phone back, with the promise to find out the secret later. With her arms crossed over her chest, Eliora settled her gaze on Luna, who seemed to find the ground super interesting.
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Suddenly, there were hands over her eyes and a warm body behind her. “Guess who?”
Micah. She’d recognize his voice from anywhere. Quickly turning around, Eliora only caught a glimpse of his grinning face before she threw her arms around him, throwing him back a few steps. She heard him let out a chuckle before hugging her tightly to his chest.
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Pulling back a bit, Eliora muttered, “I thought you were supposed to stay for another two weeks?” Her brows furrowed as she questioned him. He’d been at an intensive basketball camp program for a whole month with no contact with anyone. Micah tucked a strand of her golden hair behind her ear and looked off to the side to find a giddy Luna, no longer nervous and distant.
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“Surprise?” Eliora laughed before throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him again. “They let us leave earlier than intended because we finished quickly. As soon as I got service, I texted Luna to help me surprise you.” Eliora only stood there and held him tighter.
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Crossing the street, Eliora continued her stroll towards the flower shop, enjoying the gloomy weather despite the summer season. A small dog kept barking at her as she walked past a pole, reminding her of her own golden retriever back at home. Upon entering the large flower shop, Eliora already had her order down: a bouquet of gardenias, rues, and forget-me-nots along with another bouquet of crimson roses, red roses, and baby’s breath. Breathing in the smell of the shop, she was brought back to the first time she’d been here.
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Eliora was on a mission. No one seemed to remember to get her mother flowers on her birthday so the task had fallen onto Eliora’s shoulders. She was already incredibly late to her mom’s party and it was just her luck that every store ran out of her mother’s favorite flowers, pink tulips and ivory alstroemerias.
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“This next shop better have what I’m looking for, it’s the last one in town.” Eliora grumbled. Micah, looking over at her for a few seconds before putting his eyes back on the road, chuckled and tightened his grip on her thigh. “I mean, what are the chances that every shop so far has run out of tulips and alstroemerias? I doubt anyone actually likes flowers that much,” she rambled.
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“If it makes you feel any better, we can just tell your mom that we went to every shop in town and every one was out of her favorite flowers.” Micah consoled her as he pulled into a parking space and got out.
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“She’s going to be so disappointed though,” Eliora mumbled as she got out of the car and interlocked her fingers with Micah’s. To everyone’s knowledge, Eliora and Micah were still just friends, not wanting to reveal their private relationship just yet. They’d started dating after their college graduation party, when Micah had drunkenly confessed that he’d had a crush on her for years. “If anything, I’ll just tell my mom that we’re dating. She’d be so happy to know that her dream finally came true,” Eliora told him as she swung their hands back and forth and entered the flower shop.
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“Do you have pink tulips and ivory alstroemerias?” Micah asked upon entering. The cashier nodded as she headed back to put the flowers into a bouquet. “You should head outside, I’ll pay.” Eliora narrowed her eyes as Micah kept looking around the shop as if he was looking for something.
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“Thanks,” she squeezed his hand before going to wait outside. Looking at the flowers displayed outside, Eliora took note of the flowers she found prettiest. As she bent down to sit on the bench in front of the shop, Micah stepped out with two bouquets. “You bought her two? Why?” Her brows scrunched in confusion as Micah smiled at her.
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“Actually, this one’s for you,” he handed her the bouquet of red roses and baby’s breath as he took her hand in his again. Eliora smiled at him before kissing his cheek.
“You know I like forget-me-nots, right?”
Micah squeezed her hand before saying, “Search up the meanings of red roses and baby’s breath.”
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As Eliora kept walking towards the one place that brought her comfort in the past few months, she took in the dark cloudy skies and the damp soil. The air chilling her to her bones, Eliora hugged the bouquets to herself as she kept walking upon the mushy ground. Eventually, she stopped before a gravestone. His gravestone.
Micah Romani, beloved husband, son, and friend, it read.
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She gave him a small smile as she placed the bouquets on his gravestone. He’d suffered through a fatal car accident involving a drunk driver, shortly after their honeymoon.
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“Hi Micah,” tears welled up in Eliora’s eyes as she looked down at his grave. “Father’s Day is coming up in a week or so, which is good because, if you didn’t already know, I’m expecting,” Eliora revealed as she clutched her flat, but firm belly. “I found out that I'm a few months along a couple of days ago. I didn’t want anyone to know before you so I made sure to come here as quickly as I could. My mom offered to drive me, but I didn’t want her listening in and finding out as well so I came here alone.”
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She set her gaze upon the gloomy skies, “It’s a bit saddening today. I was prepared for a hot summer day, but it seems like the weather decided to match my emotions today.” She chuckled to herself before looking down at his grave again. “Remember when you bought me red roses and baby’s breath and had me search up the meanings of them?” She smiled fondly, “Well, I added crimson roses and another bouquet of my own. Search up the meanings of those.”
Eliora calmly stood there while her mind was going haywire. She wondered what life would’ve looked like now if he were still in it. She wondered if he would’ve been as great a dad as he was a husband, even if it was just for a short while. She wondered if they could’ve lived a wonderful life together if they’d just been given more time.
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Everywhere she went and everything she touched reminded her of him, as if his ghost had left a touch on every aspect of her life. She could never seem to forget him, not that she would ever want to, but she wondered if life would be easier to live if she didn’t have this grief weighing her down and dragging her through the motions of living.
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