Unexpected Company Pt. 01

This is one of my earlier stories, but I hope it's still enjoyable. It was written for the following prompt: You scoffed when you heard the rumors that your new house was haunted. That is, until you jump into bed one night and a female voice protests, "Watch it, cutie."

This part doesn't contain any sex, though future chapters may eventually have some.

I hung up my towel and put on a loose t-shirt and my comfy as fuck pajama pants, ready for my first night in the old house. The water heater was a little iffy, but I tended to boil myself in my showers anyway and it had worked just fine for melting me into a relaxed puddle. I oozed down the hall, my face still flushed after the overload of hot water. Boxes dominated the master bedroom, holding all of the crap I had collected in my last apartment, and the pair of suitcases I was actually living out of at the moment were corralling the bed. I grabbed the paperback I was reading before making a leap over the luggage, landing on the huge mattress and suddenly feeling like I was dunking my limbs in ice water.

Watch it, cutie.

As unexpected things to hear went, it wasn't that bad. 'Don't bother screaming,' for example, would be far worse, but when you thought you were alone, anything was terrifying. I let out a little shriek, backpedaling on my hands and knees until I fell over the suitcases and the sensation of cold around my arms and legs disappeared. I scrambled to my feet, looking around wildly.

"Who- Who's there?" I managed after a few moments, my voice an octave too high. I felt like a stupid victim in a horror movie once I said it, but I couldn't think of anything better.

You can hear me? The voice - if it even was a voice - seemed to reach my brain without going through my ears, the sound directionless and creepy as all hell.

"Yes," I squeaked, my heart thrumming in my chest. What else could I say?

Huh. That's new. The invisible speaker paused. Uh, hi, I guess.

"Hi...?" They sounded female, for a given value of 'sounded', and didn't seem to want to hurt me. The fear started to ebb away, replaced by a confused nervousness. "Who... Who are you...?"

Straight to the hard questions. They - she? - seemed to sigh. I guess you can call me Mel.

Probably female, then, unless that was short for Melvin. "Um. I'm Gwen."

Hi, Gwen. I got the sense that if I could see her, she would be giving me a tiny, sarcastic wave. Speaking of...

"Um... where are you, Mel?"

You really don't let up with the toughies, do you? Don't want to ask me what my favorite color is? When I didn't say anything, she sighed again. It's blue, if you care. Alright. Don't freak out, okay?

She seemed to be expecting me to answer. I nodded.

Like, seriously, don't run away.

I nodded, much more hesitantly.

Alright. Look at the bed. I'm, um, there.

I barely stifled a scream, my eyes going wide. There was a visible impression of a hand pushing down on the covers with nothing causing it.

Yeah.

"You- You-" I raised a shaking finger, pointing at what my eyes couldn't believe.

Yeah. Yeah. Get it out of your system. I'm a ghost. A specter. A spirit. A spooky-wooky. Whatever you want to call it.

Hearing her describe herself as a 'spooky-wooky' was a surprisingly effective way of defusing my terror. Something that was going to kill me wouldn't call itself that. I took a few deep breaths, trying to compose myself as the handprint disappeared from my bed.

Not running away is promising. I guess being able to talk to you helps.

"Yeah," I managed faintly. I tried to think of anything to say besides 'so you're a ghost, huh?' "Why- Why are you in my bed...?"

Technically this is my bed, but for some reason they refuse to give the deed to a poltergeist. As for why I'm in it... short answer, because it's comfy. Long answer... Mel seemed to hesitate. Long answer is also because it's comfy.

"Um. Alright." My bare feet were losing the heat of the shower and starting to feel frozen on the wood floor. "Can I still sleep there...?"

Oh yeah, sure. Just hold on before you jump in, I don't want you to land on top of me again. There was a pause. Alright, I scooted over.

I hesitated, but the bed looked very cozy. I carefully clambered over the suitcases instead of jumping and tucked the little blocks of ice I called toes under the covers, arranging my damp hair over the pillow and letting out a breath as I started to warm up. Something she had said was poking at my brain, and I looked over at where she supposedly was on the bed when it struck me.

"Did I land... in you?"

I wasn't expecting you to do a Tarzan leap, so yeah, you went straight through my stomach. That did not do me a load of good, let me tell you.

"Sorry," I said, aware of the ridiculousness in saying that to someone I couldn't see. Mel didn't respond, and I started to worry.

You're the first person to apologize to me, you know that? she said finally. It feels weird. But... good. Thanks.

"No... problem," I said slowly, then just kind of stared at the wall, entirely unsure what to do. After a while, I reached over the side of the bed and picked up my book. "Um. Do you mind if I just read? I wasn't really prepared for all... this."

I'm just a ghost, don't worry about me.

"A-Alright..." I opened to the page marked by the scrap of paper I used as a bookmark, attempting to distract myself from the sudden insanity my life had become. Maybe if I read until I passed out, I would wake up and find that this was all a dream.

So who's this Dresden guy? Mel said, her voice somehow sounding closer to me. I sucked in a sharp breath, then slowly let it out, forcing myself to relax.

"U-Um... he's a wizard detective, apparently."

Weird.

"Yeah... I'm not really into it so far, but my friend said it was good. Are you... reading over my shoulder?"

Yup. Is that okay? It's hard for me to read on my own.

"Um. Sure." Despite how creepy it felt knowing there was an invisible presence right next to me, I didn't have the heart or composure to say no. If I didn't look to the side or pay too much attention to her voice, I could just pretend there was someone sitting there, reading along. It was kind of nice, in a really weird way. I went to turn the page, but goosebumps raised on my arms as a chilly touch brushed over my finger, making my hand flinch away.

Sorry, I'm not as fast as you. There was a brief pause. Okay.

Tentatively, I turned the page, trying to suppress a shiver. As I- no, we continued to read, I waited a bit after finishing each section, allowing her to catch up. After a chapter or two, a similar feeling of cold pressed against my side and over my shoulders, making me freeze up.

"What- What are you doing?"

Sorry. Is that weird? The feeling faded. You're just... warm. Like, super, super warm. I'm kind of freezing my tits off in the spirit world and my etiquette is, uh, rusty, to say the least.

She was... cuddling with me? I didn't know how to respond to that, but even without a visual Mel was sending all kinds of kicked-puppy feelings my way. Reluctantly, I said, "It's... okay... I mean, if you need to warm up..."

Oh sweet, thanks! Frigid air crushed around my chest in what I guessed was a hug, but the happiness in her voice was enough to stop me from changing my mind. After a moment, she returned to the previous embrace, and the cold faded into a sense of gentle pressure against my side as we worked through few dozen more pages. After another chapter, she even felt a bit warm.

"Are you... do you feel better?" I asked cautiously.

Mmm, yeah, lots, Mel mumbled, sounding sleepy. Something that felt for all in the world like an arm draped over my stomach. Thanks. You're a lifesaver, Gwen. Seriously. I dunno... what I woulda... I dunno... I...

I waited for her to finish her sentence, tense and nervous as the silence stretched on, then realized what had happened. I... was cuddling with a sleeping ghost. What the fuck.