Okay, so it's been almost five years since I last updated. The only excuse I have is that I just wasn't into writing. But I've been thinking lately about all my stories that aren't finished and I definitely want to tie up all those loose ends. So I'm going to work on my stories one by one until they're finished.

Anywho, here's the next chapter. It's a bit short, I apologize. I'm trying to get back into the writing groove, so hopefully the next chapter will be longer! Please remember to review (even though I don't deserve it)!

Chapter 15

Okay, I admit it. I was intrigued by what Paul had said and showed me. Moving things with my mind? Moving through time? It seemed ludicrous, but I had seen that magazine levitate with my own eyes. And magazines don't just levitate themselves, you know.

I knew Paul was telling the truth, and maybe that's what scared me the most. I didn't like the guy one bit. He was an arrogant asshole who only thought of himself and what he could gain. I knew he'd be getting something in return if I agreed to let him teach me all that shifter stuff. But besides my company, I couldn't figure out what it was.

Sighing, I rolled over onto my back. I couldn't sleep. All I could think about was how drastically my life had changed in the past few months. First Jesse coming back, then us dating and that whole ridiculous secrecy thing, and now this shifter mumbo-jumbo with Paul?

I didn't want to be one-on-one with Paul. Ever. Okay, so he was easy on the eyes, but I already had a great-looking guy. I didn't need another one, especially such a self-centered asshat like Paul.

Jesse shifted beside me on my bed. I had had my head rested against his chest and my body curved against his side before I rolled over onto my back.

Mom and Andy were away again this weekend. It was odd, since they usually only went out for a date once every weekend, but they never went away the whole weekend, and especially so often. If I didn't enjoy the freedom so much (i.e. having Jesse sleep over without worrying about my mom or Andy walking in), I would have asked what was up.

Seeming to feel my absence, Jesse shifted again and then opened his eyes. He blinked, then turned and looked at me, his brow furrowing in concern when he noticed I was wide awake.

"Susannah?" His voice was gravelly from sleep. "Are you alright?"

The moonlight was shining through the bay windows in my room, so we were able to see each other in the dark room. Meeting his eyes, I said, "Yes, I just have a lot on my mind."

"Is it Jake?" he asked, a tinge of guilt seeping into his voice. He was still upset over the way Jake reacted to finding out about Jesse's and my relationship.

I shook my head. "No, Jake will come around soon. Plus, I'm pretty sure he's got something going on with Gina, so if you ask me he's being a little hypocritical."

I had overheard – okay, I was eavesdropping – Jake on the phone with Gina the other day. He didn't say anything especially incriminating, but I had a feeling. If Jesse and I hadn't been, well, sneaking around, then I might not have picked up on it.

Slipping his arm around my waist, Jesse pulled me closer to him. "I don't like you being so far away from me," he murmured.

A smile crept onto my face. "Jesse, I was like a foot away from you."

"Exactly." The word was uttered against my lips as he kissed me lightly. It was an innocent close-mouthed kiss, but it had me feeling things that were still a bit foreign to me. Okay, so then maybe innocent wasn't the correct word. I don't think any kisses between Jesse and I could be considered innocent, by any means.

Jesse pulled back before the kiss could get any deeper, before we both had the chance to lose control. Jesse was all about control, and I respected him for it, because I barely had an ounce of it. He seemed to really want to wait for us to have sex, and considering we'd only been dating for a few months, that was reasonable to me. However, it didn't mean I agreed with him, exactly. But if he wanted to be Mr. Morality, then I wasn't going to stop him. I knew I was ready for him, but I'd wait until he felt it was right for us to make our relationship more physical.

"Tell me what's wrong, querida," he said softly. We were both lying on our sides at this point, facing each other. We were so close that my breasts were brushing against his chest and our hair was mingling on the pillows. His large hand was splayed across my lower back, and my hand was resting lightly on his bicep.

Sighing, I closed my eyes. I didn't know what to tell him, mostly because I was enjoying the moment and I didn't want him to get mad at me.

"Susannah?" he questioned, and I knew I had hesitated too long.

I didn't want to start with 'Don't get mad,' because that only tells him I have something for him to be mad about. But I also didn't want to start off with Paul's name…. There was no good way to tell him this.

I opened my eyes. "You're not going to like this," I said instead. Starting with this showed that I knew he…well, that he wasn't going to like it.

Jesse stiffened. (No, not that kind of stiffen.) He didn't say anything, so I could only assume that meant he wanted me to continue.

"I talked to Paul, Jesse. I know you don't like it, but it happened." He was just looking at me and not saying anything. I could tell he was mad, but what could I do? He was the one who asked. He was pretty good at catching me in a lie, and it would be a little suspicious if I just didn't answer him.

His hand came away from my back, and I felt the loss of its heat immensely. Feeling dumb, I removed my hand from his arm. If he didn't want to touch me, then that probably meant he didn't want me to touch him.

"What happened, Susannah?" he asked. It almost sounded like he said this through gritted teeth.

And then I realized he thought something had happened between Paul and me…something physical.

My eyes widening, I went to rush to deny it, but then I stopped myself in time. And then I almost started crying, because it was like Jesse didn't trust me at all, if he thought something had happened between Paul and me.

Willing the tears to stay unformed, I said a little tersely, "Not what you have obviously come to conclude."

Jesse's body seemed to lose some of its rigidity. "Querida, I'm sorry, I – "

"You don't trust me, is that it?" Then it was as if a lightbulb clicked on above my head. "Oh my God. It's not just Paul you don't trust, it's me too. You don't trust me to be around him, do you? Not just because you think he'd make a move on me… but that you think I'd let him."

I scrambled off the bed, because I could hear the ring of truth to my words. They only became truer when I saw the look on Jesse's face. It was guilt and shame.

"Susannah," he pleaded, walking around the bed to come over to me.

I shook my head and said raggedly, "No. If you can't trust me, then what's the point in us being together? There's no love without trust. And you obviously lied to me when you said you loved me, because it's clear to me now that you don't trust me to be around another guy without cheating on you."

"Susannah," he said again, reaching out to grab my hand. I yanked it out of his reach and took a step back.

"Please leave, Jesse. I don't want to deal with this right now." I crossed my arms over my chest – universal body language for go away.

"Querida, please listen to me –"

I set my jaw stubbornly. "Don't querida me right now, Jesse. I want you to leave. You can come back when you can prove that I'm worth you trust."

He opened his mouth to protest again, but then closed it. He met my eyes for a few more moments, and then he turned, grabbed his stuff, and left my room almost soundlessly.

I hoped like hell that wasn't the last time I saw him.

Sighing, I uncrossed my arms and sat down on my windowseat. So much for getting any sleep tonight.

And, as if the night couldn't go any worse, a ghost popped into my bedroom, bawling her otherworldly eyes out.

Swell.

She looked about my age, with long glossy blonde hair and blue eyes. She was maybe 5'4" and thin. Of course she was busty and hippy (not like groovy maaaaan, but like she could easily give birth to a large turkey), and it looked great on her.

When she finally stopped crying, I took the opportunity to snap, "What?" Okay, so I wasn't in the best mood. So sue me.

She looked startled, but then she said, "You can see me?"

If I had a penny for every time I've heard that, I could send Kelly Prescott on a one-way trip to the moon. Hell, I could even send her slutty friend Debbie up there in her own separate shuttle.

"Yes, I can see you," I said on a sigh. "Tell me how you died and what I can do to help you so we can both get on with our lives. Well, in your case your afterlife."

"What do you mean? Why can't anyone else see me? I just woke up one day and no one could see me and it made me really upset and so I started to cry and –"

Seeing the longwinded monologue coming, I cut in with, "You're dead. That's why no one else can see you."

She blinked, then she burst into tears again.

I rolled my eyes to the heavens, then sighed for the millionth time that night. I got up and went over to the girl. She didn't even notice. So I slapped her.

That seemed to knock some sense into her. "Owwwww!" she wailed. "What'd you do that for?"

"Snap out of it, blondie. Can't you see it's the middle of the night? I'd like to get on with my sleepless night, if you don't mind."

She dropped the hand she had held to her nonexistent stinging cheek. Ghosts remembered pain from when they were alive, so when they got "hurt" as a ghost, they reacted like they would have if they were still alive. It took them a while to realize they were actually dead and, technically, couldn't even feel anymore.

"I'm really dead?" she said in a small voice.

I nodded. "Look, I'm sorry. I'm a little grouchy. What is your name?"

"Felicia Holden," she said on a hiccup. "Oops," she said, followed by a giggle. Well, I could tell this woman was either bipolar or crazy. Or both, I suppose.

"Felicia, do you remember how you died?" I asked as patiently as I could.

She shook her head.

"Okay, well, what's the last thing you remember when you were alive?"

Then she burst into tears again. "He was here!" she cried. And then she was gone.

Blinking at the spot she was last standing in, I said to myself, "Whatever that means." At least she was gone. I'd have to do a little research on this girl and find out how she died before she popped in again. Armed with information, I might be able to make her cross over.

I sat back down on the window seat, leaning my head back against the wall, and I stared out at the moonlit landscape. I had the prettiest view in the house, but right then I couldn't even appreciate it. My mind was in chaos, thinking about Jesse and what had just happened between us.

Was I too harsh on him? I should have let him talk. But what could he have possibly said that would have made a difference? I knew without a doubt that I had hit the nail right on the head with him. It hurt so much that he didn't trust me. It's not like I was some random girl he started dating, either. We had known each other since we were kids. I never once doubted the trust between us until tonight. What could I have possibly done to make him not trust me?

So many of these questions and what-ifs were running through my mind. I guess I must have eventually fallen asleep, because I woke up with the sun blinding me and a crick in my neck.