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“What, Austin?”
“Will we stay together? Do you think? After you get used to all of it?”
“Yes. I want nothing more right now than to lean over and put my head on your shoulder. To kiss your cheek. And maybe swipe a bite of that sandwich.”
Austin laughed, which is what I had intended, and he held up the last of his food. “Eating.”
“Good.” I stretched out my legs in front of me. “Austin, I know we haven’t been together long. Only a few days. But I like you a lot. I’ve come to care about you deeply.”
He finished his sandwich and wiped his hands and face with the little paper napkin they’d given him. Then he leaned back against the tree we sat under and closed his tired eyes. “I care about you a lot too. I don’t want to split up. I want you to be my boyfriend, Luc.”
I tapped his foot with mine, though it went right through him, and he didn’t feel it. He didn’t even flinch. It made me sad and excited. “I can’t wait to get a body so I can be that boyfriend, Austin.”
He dozed off, and I let him sleep. I didn’t need the rest like he did, so I waited, imagining what life would be like afterward. I’d seen the gay nightclubs. That had been another thing that had changed dramatically since my day. Those young men would have been arrested back when I was alive. Now, they were celebrated, worshiped. I’d seen Austin naked and touched him. And it still felt risky to me, though he didn’t seem to have any issue at all. Being gay had been dangerous. Could have even meant your life. I surrounded myself with women friends, so I could never be accused of it. But now? So, so many years later, I would be able to be myself. I’d be able to love Austin out in the open. It felt liberating. And scary.
I hoped I could still be a musician. I needed music in my life. I think that was something that would never change, no matter what else I did. If I could keep that, I could adjust.
As the night wore on, eventually, I needed to wake Austin up. We had to walk to the cemetery, and we didn’t want to be late. “Austin.” He didn’t move. I called his name louder. His body needed the rest, and I promised myself that once this was over, he would get it. “Austin!”
“What? I’m up. What?” He looked around, adorable, with sleepy eyes.
“I think it’s time to go.”
“Ugh, yeah.” He stood and stretched, popping his back. “Not the best place to sleep, but I needed that.”
“I know.”
“Okay, let’s go.”
We made our way to the cemetery—but it was actually two cemeteries—and we stood in the road between them. I looked from side to side. “She didn’t say which one?”
“No. And I should have known better. There are so many graveyards in this town that they give them the same name and a new number. But I should have asked where within too. Like which tombstone or by the gates or what?” He threw his hands in the air. “I don’t know. We wait here, I guess.” Austin walked over and leaned against the brick wall of the gatehouse on the number two cemetery. The gate had private property signs hung along with warnings about no tours.
“They’ll probably come to the gate right. What time is it?”
Austin looked at his watch. “Not quite three.”
I paced up and down the street.
Finally, a car turned down, the lights nearly blinding me. I moved to the side, near Austin. Even though they couldn’t hurt me, I didn’t like the thought of being run over. It stopped beside us, and both Lady Geneviève and her younger helper got out ofthe car. The back end popped open. “I have some things we need. Come help.”
Austin walked over to the car, pulled out a canvas bag, and slung it over his shoulder then picked up a second one as well. “Where are we going?”
Geneviève pointed at graveyard number one. “I actually have a key to the gate, so we don’t have to climb the fence or nothing.”
“How…never mind.” Austin was discovering there were things he didn’t need to know.
I smiled serenely at him, wishing I could pat his head. But no matter. I followed them through the bigger of the two gates, providing enough light that they didn’t need a lantern. There were legends about which gates you went in and out of so the spirits wouldn’t follow you, but as a spirit, I didn’t think the living gave us much credit.
Austin glanced around as we made our way through. “Any spirits around?”
Geneviève shook her head, and I didn’t feel anything either. “No, Aus, don’t worry.”
“Okay, then.” Austin relaxed a little, shoulders dropping away from his ears. I suspected he was actually afraid of the spirits rather than concerned for me, as he said.
We walked nearly to the back gate before we turned. We stopped in front of a huge monument close to the fence. It was almost in the corner. “Here then.” Lady Geneviève looked around, then at Austin. “I hope you don’t waste my time. You have the payments?”
“I hope this is enough. Luc says he has the sacrifice, but I don’t know what that is.”
