Falling Over You Read online

  Lara nodded, a smile touching her face. "I always hear one celebrity or another doing that," she told him in a soft voice. "I've always wanted to go to a show, even before moving out here. I love Shakespeare. I love his work."

  "We should go some time," Mike mentioned breezily before he coiled his long fingers around Lara's forearm and led her deeper into the Park. "But that's not what I wanted to show you. It's kind of secluded and well- hidden, but not too hard to find."

  Ten minutes later, Mike was showing Lara exactly what he had wanted to. Lara's mouth dropped open in complete shock. It looked like some sort of crumbled castle, with stone bricks piled up while others had fallen away, a way to get inside though it was mainly outdoors; there was no roof. She didn't think a thing like this could actually exist in New York, but then she was beginning to find out that New York was full of pleasant surprises.

  "What is this place?" she asked with wonder, throwing her head up to glance over at him.

  The smile on her face actually caused Mike to pause a long moment, studying it, taken aback by it. He had seen a lot of them in his life—he was sure everyone had—but there was something different about this one. And for the life of him, he couldn't explain just what that was.

  "Well, whenever I need to sort something out, I come here," he explained to her slowly, trying to get his mind back on track. "It inspires me to get happy or to figure out a problem or something. So I figured that it might help inspire you too, with your writing."

  Lara shook her head, not in a gesture indicating that she was disagreeing with him, but one that spoke of disbelief. "No one's ever done something like that for me before," she said, more to herself than to him. However, Mike still heard it, and something warm spread through his body just knowing that he was the cause of her current state of happiness. "How long can we stay here?" she asked him, her green eyes locking with his black ones.

  "As long as you want," Mike said, shrugging his shoulders. His lips curled up into a smile, one he couldn't control. "We have all the time in the world."

  10

  Lara was staring at the empty inbox of her Yahoo e-mail account. It was a couple of days after Mike had taken her to Central Park, and though she’d had a wonderful day, she still hadn't heard back from any of her prospective job interviews. She had woken up early again, something like six o'clock, maybe a little earlier, just so she could check to make sure interviewers didn't schedule an interview the same day they got back to her. Lara had learned that there were occasions they did that, and she had learned the hard way.

  At six thirty, Brett bounded down the stairs, his bag strapped across his body, and grabbed a cup of hot coffee before he realized that Lara was downstairs, still in her pajamas, but awake nonetheless.

  He furrowed his brow. "I thought you were still sleeping," he said to her, leaning down and kissing her on the cheek.

  "I know," Lara said, trying to contain her yawn. "But I wanted to check my e-mail, see if anybody responded, that sort of thing."

  "So dinner tonight, right?" he asked her, perking his brow up slightly. "I mean, the past couple of days when I got home, it wasn't ready, and now I find you up and there's no breakfast. I understand where you're coming from, honey, really I do, but since you don't have a job, you have plenty of time to cook." Before Lara had a chance to respond, Brett kissed her cheek and started leave. "Bye, Lara. See you tonight. With dinner, yeah?"

  When Lara heard the front door close, followed by the opening of the garage door, she furrowed her brow. "I hate cooking," she snapped to no one in particular.

  "Then why do you do it?" a voice asked, popping up from behind her.

  "Before I answer that question," Lara said, choosing to avoid looking at Mike in that moment, "let me ask you how many times have I told you not to scare me like this. It's really sad how I'm practically used to it now."

  "I've taught you well," Mike said with a smirk, resuming his usual position, leaning against the computer desk so he could look at Lara's face. It was a wonder she looked as good as she did in merely her pajamas, messy hair, and bare face. Though he would never admit it, he felt that he could stare at her face for a long while. He was always finding something new about it, and it dazzled him to no end. "But seriously." He forced his mind to focus not on how particularly attractive Lara looked but what came out of her mouth. "I want to know. Why do girls sacrifice so much for boyfriends? They're clearly not sacrificing as much as you are, so why do you put up with it?"

  "It's called compromising," Lara said, glancing back at the computer screen so she could have a clear view of Mike in the corner of her eyes. "You've been in a relationship before, right? Well, I guarantee you that in some way a woman has sacrificed a lot for you without you knowing it."

  "I agree," he said, managing to lock eyes with her. "I do agree and while I didn't know it when I was in the relationship, I found out afterward and I want to know why you do it. It's something that's baffled me for a while. I just don't get it. I was a horrible boyfriend and didn't deserve her. And she found that out too, hence the reason we broke up. But I just couldn't understand why she continued to do stuff for me while we were together, stuff I knew I didn't deserve. Are you women masochists? I really don't understand. Brett is never going to realize that you don't like to cook until you guys break up."

  "Who says we're breaking up?" Lara asked defensively, crossing her arms over her chest and narrowing her eyes in Mike's direction.

  "Well, don't take this the wrong way, although I'm sure you will," Mike began, "but I've learned that if you keep secrets from each other, if you start doing things for him that he doesn't notice, you'll start to resent him. When you resent someone, someone you live with, your happiness level decreases. When your happiness level decreases, you start to question why you're in the relationship in the first place, if this person's not even making you happy."

  "Okay, first of all, my happiness hasn't decreased," Lara explained, shaking her head so stray strands of hair fell into her face. "Just so you know. It's...." She made a face, trying to think of the right word to describe what she was trying to say. "It's just kind of shifted. I'm happy about things I wasn't happy about before, and I'm not happy about things that I used to be happy about." She furrowed her brow; well, that surely didn't sound as intelligent as she had originally intended.

  Mike's eyes sculpted the contours of her face, taking in the confused look on her face, and he felt the corner of his lips twitch up in amusement. She could be adorable when she wanted to be, he was starting to realize. "But shouldn't you be happy in all places?" he asked her when he was certain that she was finished explaining whatever she wanted to get across. "I mean, think about it. A compatible partner should make you happy in all aspects of your life."

  "How can a partner make you happy in your career when you don't work together?" Lara challenged, arching a brow.

  "Well, they can't," Mike allowed, "but when you come home from a hard day, they should draw a hot bath or offer a foot massage."

  Lara chuckled, looking at Mike with obvious disbelief. "You actually did that?" she asked. "In any of your handful of serious relationships, when your girlfriend came home after a long day of work, did you draw her a hot bath, did you give her a foot massage, did you actually abstain from asking for sex that night?"

  "Whoa," Mike said, his black eyes flashing with mock seriousness. "Whoa. Let's not go that far. But, I mean, yeah, once in a while, if I saw one of my exes had a hard day, I would take care of them. That's what women want, right? They want to be taken care of?"

  Lara thought long and hard about what should have been a simple question, trying to figure out if there was something she should read between the lines before answering. When she came to the conclusion that the question was safe enough for her to answer, she nodded. "Well, of course," she said. "I mean, don't get me wrong. I think no matter how much a lot of women complain about it, we like to take care of our husbands and boyfriends and partners up to a certain extent. But there are definitely those days when we want to be taken care of. For sure."

  "And Brett does that?" Mike asked, though oddly enough, there was no sort of judgment in his tone. "Does Brett take care of you?"

  "Of course he takes care of me," Lara said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

  "Okay," Mike interrupted before she could explain. "When was the last time he cooked dinner for you?" Lara opened her mouth to respond, but Mike could clearly see that she was going to argue with him rather than answer the question, and as a result, stopped her by asking another question. "When was the last time he drew a bath for you? Just because you're not working doesn't mean you don't have long days just as much as he does. At least he has friends he can shoot the shit with after work. At least he can go to a bar, drink a brewsky after work. You don't have anyone here. You only have Brett, and how are you supposed to talk about your day when he doesn't believe you guys are equal?"

  "Well, if I have a shitty day, I'll make sure to talk to you about it," Lara snapped, and suddenly, her words sank in to her consciousness. "I have you."

  "Yes," Mike said, his voice suddenly dropping so it was softer, almost huskier. "Yes, you have me, but the difference is you're not in a romantic relationship with me. We are friends. And what I'm saying is the best sort of romantic relationship is one when you're best friends with your lover." He leaned in towards her, suddenly close to her, mere centimeters away from her. "Why are you marrying this guy, Lara?"

  He tried to hold her eyes with his, but she blinked once and glanced away.

  Lara, for whatever reason, felt as though a sudden realization hit her, but she wasn't exactly sure what it was she should be realizing. It seemed like an hour had passed between them when it had only been seconds. Finally, she forced herself to look at him and Mike could swear that the green had dampened, as though now they were misty rather than the usual bright color they were.

  "I don't want to talk about this anymore," she murmured and then stood up and headed up the stairs, leaving Mike to himself.

  11

  Luckily, Lara Darling didn't have to worry about avoiding Mike all day. She had already made plans with her close friend Jane. Currently, she was throwing together an outfit, warily glancing around at different moments to ensure that Mike wasn't peeping on her or anything perverted like that. Actually, the more Lara thought about it, the more she started realizing that she had carried a misconception about him because he was male, and being one, she expected that he would engage in certain things. Like peeping on girls who were none the wiser simply because he could, because he was a ghost. She was sure that if it were Brett, he would definitely do it and not think twice about it. But something about Mike was different, and she was starting to feel slightly guilty about getting into a fight with him.

  Oh well. She would make up with him later. Lara had a date to keep.

  The last thing she did before she left the house was toss her hair into a loose ponytail, put on an Angels baseball cap, and grab her keys almost all at once. Then she slipped into her car and headed for a local café she and Jane had found while driving around mindlessly, trying to locate some sort of food.

  Lara had met Jane at one of her first interviews upon coming to the City. Lara noticed the book Jane was reading and realized it was the same one she had been reading, so she struck up a conversation about it. Jane ended up getting the job, but Lara wouldn't let something like that get in the way of a potential friendship, so she took Jane out to celebrate, and soon, Jane became the first friend she had made in the city. Sure, they didn't really talk all that much, but Jane's work could be very stressful, and Lara understood. As a result, every few weeks or so, they would meet up at this particular diner and catch up.

  As usual, Lara got to the place first and requested two for a booth. Jane was notorious for running late unless it had to do with her job. But that was just one of the qualities Lara found endearing about her friend, and since she had nowhere else to be, had no qualms about waiting. When the waitress asked about drinks, Lara ordered herself milk and Jane some hot tea because Jane had apparently given up coffee in hopes of calming her nerves, but Lara wasn't exactly sure how her friend was handling it. Though Lara really didn't drink too much coffee, she highly doubted she could quit the drink cold turkey.

  Once the drinks were brought to the table, Jane walked in, looking as frazzled as ever. She was wearing a black, French-style chapeau; her dark auburn hair was worn as a bob, as she normally wore it. Her eyes were a midnight blue color, and she was addicted to Crest whitening strips, so her smile was a bleached white. She was wearing a black overcoat, a white blouse underneath, dark, fitted blue jeans, and knee-high black boots. Casual, but formally so. That was what Jane called it, and Lara knew better than to argue with it.

  "Hey!" Jane exclaimed, pulling Lara, who had stood up, into a tight hug. "How are you? I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting, but I had to finish filing everything, and...." She waved her hand dismissively as she glanced at the table. "Oh, and you ordered tea for me! How thoughtful!" She took a seat, and Lara followed suit, an amused smile touching her face at Jane's usual antics.

  The waitress came back, and after she took the friends' orders, she left the two women alone. "So," Jane said, locking eyes with Lara. "What's up? How is everything?"

  "Can I ask you a random question?" Lara asked, deciding to just get this part over with.

  "Of course!" Jane exclaimed as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

  "Okay." Here it goes. "Do you believe in ghosts?" Lara winced, preparing for Jane to laugh in her face, but surprisingly enough, Jane seemed to be taking the question seriously.

  "I'm not sure," she finally said. "I caught Paranormal Activity with Luke, and let me tell you, that was the scariest movie I have ever seen in my entire life. But I've never had a personal experience with something like that." She furrowed her brow. "Have you?"

  Lara opened her mouth, but in all honesty, she had no idea what to say. "Maybe," she finally said, shrugging her shoulders dismissively. "You know a lot of my neighbors love to gossip, and they think that my house is haunted. I did some research and apparently the couple who lived in the house before me and Brett sold it so cheaply because they truly thought they were being haunted by the previous owner, who died suddenly by being hit by a taxi." Lara realized that her words had come out in such a rush they probably weren't making much sense. "Sorry."

  "No, don't be sorry," Jane assured her. "It's not what I believe that's so important, though, sweetie. What you need to ask yourself about the entire situation is if you believe it."

  How could I not? Lara thought dryly, but she nodded, keeping her mouth closed. "So," Jane asked, a mischievous smile touching her face. "How are you and Brett?"

  "Do you like Brett?" Lara asked before she could stop herself, but now that the question was out there, she wasn't about to take it back.

  "Of course!" Jane exclaimed, too quickly and too happily.

  Lara saw right through it, and Jane knew it. "Come on," Lara said, slightly offended that her close friend would lie only to appease her. "I've told you all about Brett, how we met in college, what our relationship is like. You've met him a couple of times, Jane. Tell me what you honestly think of him."

  Jane pressed her lips together and nodded, understanding Lara's desire for honesty. "Okay, Lara," she murmured. "I mean, the whole college sweetheart thing is cute, don't get me wrong. But to be honest, I always thought that out of all the people I knew, you would be the one exploring before you settled down. Take a break from Brett, date different guys, go travel the world. Who knows what you might find? I mean, I remember all of our conversations, Lara, and I can tell that you want to travel badly. But because you're engaged to a guy who's kind of a traditional asshole, you can't. And because you don't have a job, this time would be perfect for you."

  "Well, what if Brett is the love of my life?" Lara asked, doing her best to keep the doubt and defense out of her voice. "I mean, I've heard of stuff where people start traveling and then cut it short when they meet the man they want to marry." She shrugged her shoulders. "Why should I even start traveling when I've found mine?"

  "Sweetie, I think you're supposed to know if someone is the love of your life or not," Jane pointed gently, knowing that her friend was making excuses.

  "It's not fun if you know," Lara murmured, and despite the fact that she knew that that excuse was weak, she didn't take it back.

  Jane decided to change the subject, albeit slightly. "Lara, let me ask you a question," she began. "Is the reason you're asking me about Brett and whether I like him or not because you have found another man you may or may not be interested in? You can tell me. You know I won't tell anyone."

  That was true. Lara trusted Jane immensely, and she knew she could probably tell Jane about Mike, except for the fact that he was a ghost. That might be too much to take in.

  "I—" Lara began, but cut herself short, which, to Jane, could only mean that she had. Jane's face contorted into obvious excitement, but she bit her lip to keep from saying anything, only to ensure that she didn't interrupt her friend's juicy confession. "I might have met another man, but I'm not in love with this guy. I mean, I'm in love with Brett and I know that I'm in love with Brett. But," she forced herself to add, "I can't help but like the time me and this guy spend together, but sometimes we'll talk about relationships and he'll bring up the fact that he doesn't like Brett and we'll get into a fight and...." She sighed. "It can get frustrating."

  "Is he cute?" Jane asked, the edges of her lips quirking up.

  "He is," Lara said after a moment, feeling her smile in return. "Very cute."

  "And you say he's criticizing Brett?" Jane asked. "Then it's obvious, he's jealous. But Lara, listen, I'm going to be honest with you now. I can't tell you what to decide when it comes to love and marriage and stuff, but let me just point out that it's not every day a woman getting married meets another man and is suddenly questioning her union. You need to make sure that Brett is the man you really want to marry. Who knows? Maybe this guy is your soulmate!"