Chapter 7

~*~Kara's POV~*~

It had been a hard day of recording. Nothing had gone right. Not that it ever does, I thought.

I settled onto the couch in my apartment and turned on the TV. A mindless distraction sounds like a really good idea right about now. It was on MTV, but there was nothing on that I wanted to watch, so I started flipping channels. I got to the movie channel just as the movie Ghost was starting. "Oh I love this movie!"

I shrieked into the empty apartment. AJ and I used to watch it together all the time. He loved it so much-even more than I did. I felt tears starting to rise, and choked them back immediately. "You idiot. Trying to cry again!" I told myself aloud. I pulled my favorite blue and green afghan up to my chin and curled up tightly into a tiny little ball like a turtle pulling into its shell.

~*~AJ's POV~*~

I stood in the doorway of the living room that we had decorated and furnished together, with furniture we bought together. We had planned to get married and live here in another year or so. The whole room was decorated in brushed silver and brushed stainless steel, frosted glass, frosty bold-colored plastic accessories, and funky-shaped furniture. That kind of stuff was the theme throughout the apartment. It had been her idea and I had been kind of wary of it, but I had grown to love it as much as she did. The TV was on, and our favorite movie, Ghost, was playing. I smiled. How ironic. I turned my attention towards the wide, curvy-shaped couch, upholstered in fuzzy cerulean-blue suede. Wait a minute...last I checked, it was upholstered in blue, not blue and green stripes... then I saw her head, surrounded by the afghan. I stopped dead, unable to move. I had been watching her for a long time, but I hadn't been this close...hadn't seen those emerald green eyes, that long dark red hair that I had always loved to play with. I took a few steps forward. She hadn't noticed me. I had to tell her what she was doing wrong before it destroyed her.

I had to tell her...

~*~Kara's POV~*~

I sighed without even realizing it. Suddenly a slight movement by the door caught my eye. I turned to look and saw a man I had never thought I'd see again. AJ.

For a moment I thought I was dreaming, or hallucinating, or had just plain gone around the bend. "AJ?" I whispered, not trusting what my eyes told me. He looked just as I had remembered, only sort of translucent-like if I looked at him from a certain angle he'd no longer be visible.

"Don't worry, I'm real. You haven't gone crazy-at least no crazier than you are normally!"

"What...what are you doing here? Are you...are you here to stay?" The faintest hope was beginning to whisper through me. Oh please, please say you're going to stay here with me, and we'll be just like we used to be!

"That's not possible, Kara. You know that." He replied, sadness tinting his voice.

"Then why are you here?" He's always been a joker, but coming back from the dead to tease me is just cruel!

As though sensing my anger, he quickly reassured me. "This isn't a joke. It's way too serious for that."

"So what is this, if it's not some kind of bizarre joke or hallucination?" Too serious? This is too crazy to be serious!

"Believe it or not, baby, I'm here for a reason. There's something-actually several somethings-I have to tell you."

"So go ahead, tell me. I'm listening."

"You're not going to listen, but I have to at least try. Can't you see what you're doing? People have told you to your face, your best friend has told you exactly what your problem is and yet you refuse to take them seriously! Actually, you're doing exactly what you accused me of doing: pushing people away when they try to help. You've got some of the greatest friends in the world and they're all trying to give you a hand with a rough time, yet you're ignoring them all, even being rude to them! You've been holding your pain inside, drawing away from everyone. You can't do that or it's gonna kill you." Abruptly his frustrated tone softened. "Listen, I can't stay any longer. I've tried to tell you what you're doing wrong, and if you won't listen to me you won't listen to anyone, so there's nothing else I can do. I love you, sweetheart."

"I love you too." I whispered, in shock, my mind busily trying to comprehend what he had told me.

"Bye..."

And then he was gone, and I was left feeling lonelier than ever before.

Chapter 8