The sun streaming through gaps in the moth-eaten curtains woke Nick from his sleep far too early. His body was exhausted from all the travelling. He wanted to stay in bed, but the grumbling of his stomach had other ideas. He hadn’t eaten since they stopped for lunch yesterday afternoon.

Reluctantly, Nick got out of bed and headed down to the kitchen in just his boxers. He didn’t know how long he’d be here but he knew his Dad would have had someone fill the pantry and fridge with food so he wouldn’t have to worry about going hungry.

As he walked barefoot along the maroon carpets of the dimly lit halls, Nick thought he saw something move out of the corner of his eye. He assumed it must be rats; he knew his Dad had sent him here alone to avoid any sexual temptation, so Nick knew it couldn’t be a person. He’d worry about that later on though, right now he needed to find food and work out how he was going to stop himself from going crazy cooped up on his own.

The kitchen was modest for the size of the building, wooden cabinets along the walls, a cast-iron aga sat under a stone chimney breast. In the centre of the room a large wooden table with a couple of basic chairs around it filled the space leaving very little room to move around. He assumed this once would have been used by the servants for preparing meals and having their own, while the owners ate elsewhere in more opulent surroundings.

He pulled open a cabinet door to look inside but it shut itself straight away. Pulling again, harder this time, the door slammed shut again. Puzzled by this, Nick tried again, this time the whole row of cabinet doors in front of him started rattling, opening and closing themselves seemingly untouched.

Nick backed away until the back of his legs hit the wooden table. He felt the air around him grow cold and he heard a deep disembodied moan, “Get out! Get out!”

Terrified, Nick ran out of the kitchen and up the stairs, taking them two at a time. He didn’t believe in ghosts, but there was no denying that someone wanted him gone. His Dad had recently purchased the house, that much he knew but he didn’t really know its history. Could it be true, were ghosts real? Was this house really haunted?

Dressing quickly, Nick slung the rest of his stuff haphazardly into his case. Zipping it up and hauling it off the bed, he went to open the door when it dawned on him – he was stuck. He had no way to leave, his father had abandoned him here and he certainly wouldn’t believe him if he told him the house was haunted.

Nick slumped on the bed and screamed into the pillow. What was he going to do?

“Get out!” The voice called again in the bedroom this time. The doors and drawers of the antique armoire rattled just as the cabinets had down in the kitchen.

Sobbing now, Nick cried out into the air, “I can’t!”

“Getout!” The voice yelled insistently.

“I can’t okay! My dad abandoned me here as a punishment for enjoying sex too much. He bought this house and dumped me here, so unless you can fuck me senseless, you can just fuck off, okay!”

A softer voice came from behind him, “What did you say?”

Nick turned and jumped backwards up the bed. He stammered, “You’re a… you’re a ghost.”

The ghost giggled, “Am I? So that’s why I can walk through walls,” he teased.

Nick stared, stunned by the sight before him. It wasn’t just that he was seeing a ghost for the first time, but it was the ghost of the most beautiful boy he had ever seen.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” the ghost said softly, placing a comforting hand on Nick’s shoulder.

“I can, I can feel you,” Nick said, shocked at the revelation.

“Of course you can,” the ghost stated matter of fact, “We’re not all the stereotypes you see on Scooby-Doo, you know.”

“Sorry,” Nick said, rubbing the back of his neck. Scooby-Doo was his only reference for basing ghosts off.

“I’m Charlie,” the ghost said, holding out his hand to shake.

“Nick,” he replied, but when he went to shake the hand, his passed right through, causing Charlie to giggle again. Nick was quickly starting to enjoy that sound.

“Hey, how come I can’t touch you,” Nick said, confused as Charlie was still laughing at him.

“I was only teasing, I can choose whether to have a corporeal form or not,” Charlie said, but when he could see the confused look on Nick’s face he added, “It’s up to me whether I’m solid or not.”

“Oh,” Nick said, still a little confused.

“Here,” Charlie moved his hand to Nick’s and brushed it over Nick’s knuckles.

“Wow,” Nick gasped, “I can feel you but it’s also like you’re not quite there.”

“It’s not easy to control when I get excited,” Charlie would have blushed if he could have.

“Excited?” Nick asked.

“Did you mean it?” Charlie asked.

“Mean what? Charlie you’re not making a lot of sense.”

“Sorry,” Charlie ducked his head down and started to fade out.

“No!” Nick reached forward to try and stop him, “No sorrys, I just – one minute you’re screaming at me to leave and the next, you’re saying you’re excited. It’s… it’s a lot, that’s all.”

Reappearing in his glowing, translucent form, Charlie took a breath that he didn’t need to, in order to pluck up the courage to answer Nick. “Did you mean it, when you said you wanted me to fuck you?” As quickly as he’d asked, Charlie was apologising again, “Sorry. Never mind, ignore me, I’m just going to go.”

Charlie started rushing towards the door to leave and Nick knew he needed to do something quick to stop this beautiful man leaving. “Yes!” Nick shouted, stopping Charlie in his tracks. Seeing him turn slowly back towards him, Nick continued, “I don’t know how it would work, but I need to get laid so badly. So, can you?” Charlie looked like he was thinking it over, Nick added, “Please Char, if you can, if we can, I’m begging you. I need you!”

“Char?”

Nick blushed, “Sorry, that er, that just slipped out.”

“It’s okay, I liked it. It’s cute,” Charlie smiled fondly.

“Now I’m never calling you it again,” Nick teased.

Getting serious again, Charlie’s face turned to worry, “I’ve, erm, I’ve never done this before. Not since I… since I died.”

Stepping forward and placing a hand on Charlie’s cheek, “It’s ok Char, neither have I.” Charlie leaned into Nick’s touch, “You feel so cold.”

“Well, I am dead,” Charlie said with a teasing smile.

Feeling far too many feelings in the moment, Nick reverted to what he knew best, “Fuck me, please. I need to feel you inside me so badly right now. I’ll do anything Char, I’m begging you.”

Pretending to think about it for a moment, Charlie got a wicked look on his face as he said, “Okay!” Then with a wave of his hand in the air, he caused Nick’s jeans and boxers to drop to the floor.
“Yes!” Nick exclaimed, hurriedly stepping out of them and whipping off his t-shirt. He climbed up on the bed on all fours and stuck his arse in the air. He really wanted to face Charlie, to see his face as he entered him but Nick thought that was far too intimate. That wasn’t what this was, it couldn’t be… could it?