Love's Ghost (Chapter 1) (standard:romance, 729 words)
Author: Anonymous	Added: Oct 26 2000	Views/Reads: 3794/1	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Eve finds herself in torment over the loss of Justin.  While trying to move on with her life she is at the verge of losing JC forever.

The last time she saw her husband was when he kissed her goodbye that
morning. She couldn’t even remember if she kissed him back. It was just 
an ordinary day. How could she have known? 

She was glad she didn’t see his body. She would rather remember him the
way he was. She was also glad that she hadn’t seen the accident happen 
because surely the image would have never left her mind. One part of 
her, though, thought it might have been better if she had witnessed it 
or at least seen his body. Maybe then she could accept that he was 
really gone. 

As she got closer to the cottage, memories filled her mind. Justin had
brought her here for the first time one week before their wedding. It 
was his wedding present to her, their very own cottage on a lake. She 
felt as if he had given her the moon and stars themselves. She loved 
it. It was theirs to share and fill with memories. The lake was deep in 
the country and only a handful of cottages surrounded it. Eve didn’t 
mind the seclusion; she loved being alone with Justin. 

The summer after the wedding, the only married summer they had together,
they spent every weekend at the cottage. They spent that Christmas 
there, too, in seclusion just the two of them, the snow, the cottage, 
and the lake. They even chopped down their own Christmas tree from the 
woods. 

After Christmas, the accident happened. Eve hadn’t been back there
since. She was 28 now. After Justin died, she spent four years alone 
and the next four with JC. JC wasn’t on her mind now, though as the 
paved road turned into dirt. 

The cottage was just as they’d left it. She half-expected to find it
vandalized and ravaged when she turned the key. It wasn’t. Even vandals 
and thieves wouldn’t touch their sacred place. She gave a nod of 
appreciation to all of them, wherever they were. All the furniture was 
draped in white sheets, as she and Justin left it that Christmas many 
years ago. Cobwebs were spread in the corners and a thick layer of dust 
had settled throughout, but she didn’t mind. She didn’t even notice. 

Memories flooding her senses, Eve stood motionless in the middle of the
living room. She looked at the couch they used to cuddle on, and she 
could hear their laughter. The smells of Justin’s cooking rushed to her 
from the kitchen, which contained no food. She gazed from her spot into 
the bedroom they shared and was overcome. 

A mix of emotion washed over her and broke her down. She tore the sheet
off the couch and collapsed in a heap. Tears streamed from her eyes 
until she fell asleep. 

When she woke a few hours later that afternoon, a blanket was covering
her body. 

Eve tossed the blanket aside and assumed she'd managed to cover herself
in the midst of her fit. Her head was pounding. Her eyes were swollen 
and sore. She had started crying the previous night at the sight of the 
ring in JC's hand, and it seemed as if she'd never stopped. She forced 
her body to sit upright on the couch and thought about the night 
before. JC had proposed perfectly. He promised his everlasting love, 
got down on one knee, held the ring in his outstretched hand, and 
asked. 

She had been shocked. She shouldn't have been, but she was. She
remembered the hurt look in his eyes when she said, "I need time to 
think." 

A nightlong argument ensued. The voices still rang through her head. 

"I'm just not ready." 

"Not ready? Not ready! Eve, Justin died eight years ago! We've been
together for four years. You know what that means? We've been together 
longer than you and Justin ever were!" 

The argument continued throughout the night until, exhausted, they fell
asleep. The next morning JC woke to find Eve sneaking out of the house 
with suitcase in hand. She explained that she needed to go to the 
cottage and spend some time there...Justin's cottage. JC was 
infuriated. His last words to her were, "Go ahead. Go back to the 
cottage. Live with your ghost. Love your ghost. But I won't be here 
when you get back." 

The words still stung her ears. (To be Continued.....)


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