A sky full of stars and he was staring at her.

-Atticus.

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'I have an idea.' I announced.

'Is it going to get me killed?' Gavin replied, taking his eyes off the road long enough to glance at me.

We were on the way back to his house after football practice. Coach was really impressed with Louis who turned out to be an exceptional footballer. He's going to be second string quarterback as soon as he learns all the plays.

Gavin is his hero now. Louis wouldn't shut up about how grateful he was to Gavin. He practically hero-worships him now. And Gavin was really nice about the whole thing. He even defended Louis when some of the other teammates were ribbing him. I didn't even get any credit for my part and I was the mastermind behind all of it.

'No. Of course it isn't going to get anyone killed. Why would you think that?' I asked.

'Murder is on my my agenda. But not until Friday.' He did his best impression of a shrill girly voice.

'I talk nothing like that!' I hissed.

'Do I talk like that?' I asked, listening to the sound of my voice. 'No I don't talk like that.'

'Whatever. My point is you're a potential murderer.'

'Well, today isn't Friday so you're safe Mr-I-love-my-life-so-damn-much.' I rolled my eyes.

'Everyone loves their life.' He stated.

'Not suicidal people.' I countered. He just rolled his eyes.

'You had an idea?' He prompted.

'I did?'

'You have the attention span of a tortoise.' He declared.

'And you have the attitude of a blobfish. And the face of one too.' I retorted.

'What the hell is a blobfish?' Gavin asked.

'It's officially the ugliest animal on the planet.'

'Why am I not surprised?' He said drily. 'Anyway this plan of yours.'

'Right! My idea. I was thinking we should go shopping.'

'And this is a good deed how?' He asked sardonically.

'Just drive.' I rolled my eyes. 'I'll explain later.'

'Fine. The faster I break your curse, the sooner you leave me alone.'

'That's the spirit!' I smiled.

'So what are we shopping for?' Gavin asked, pulling up at grocery store.

'Stuff.' I shrugged.

'Like?' He urged.

'Anything really.'

'You know what I like most about you?' He didn't wait for my reply. 'It's that you're not strange and/or cryptic at all.'

I decided to overlook his sarcastic tone. 'Thank you. I do try.' I curtsied.

He rolled his eyes to heaven and back.

He nodded by way of greeting to the cashier and took a shopping cart.

'Now will you tell me what we're shopping for?' He asked.

'Sure. There's this charity organization called FeedAll. It distributes food to homeless and less privileged people so you are going to buy them some supplies.'

'You're joking.' He replied. I shot him a pointed look.

'Do I look like I am?'

'You are if you think I'm going to spend my money on a bunch of people I don't even know.' He scoffed.

'You know that just because we pretend you're doing this out of the kindness of your heart doesn't mean I'm not still blackmailing you.' I said, examining my nails. He glared at me.

'That can also be interpreted as, I'm in charge and you have to do what I say.'

'I hate you.'

'Good. You haven't said it all day. I was starting to feel amiss.'

'Glad I could help.' He grunted, clearly displeased.

'And before you start feeling like I'm being unfair and unreasonable or I'm taking this too far, do you know how I found out about the organization?'

'You're a ghost. I'm not sure I want to know.'

'I found out from your sister.' I revealed.

'Kelsey?' He gaped. 'What does she have to do with it?'

'Every two weeks she goes there and helps them cook the meals. Sometimes she takes whatever food item she can afford as well.'

'I want to be surprised but that sounds exactly like something Kesley would do.' He smiled fondly.

'Exactly. So this is me coercing you into doing your own part. If your younger sister can do it, I don't see what's stopping you.'

'My wallet. My credit card. My love for money. My aversion to being broke. Take your pick.' He stated.

He picked a bag of flour off the shelf. I nodded my consent before he dumped it into the cart and that's how it continued. He'd pick up something, I would approve or disapprove.

'You're selfish you know that?' He began.

'I've always been a little selfish but pray tell, why do you say so?'

'Isn't one good deed a day enough for you?'

'If we go at that rate, we won't break the curse till next year.'

'You're a ghost. You don't age and it's not like you have a time limit or anywhere else to be. In fact I'm the one who's meant to have problems with that arrangement.'

'You're lazy bordering on being slothful. If I leave it up to you, we'll never finish breaking the curse so it's up to me to keep us on schedule.'

'There is no schedule.' He replied, drily.

'Sure there is. The one I just invented. Break-the-curse-and-free-the-ghost schedule.'

'That's not an actual thing.' He countered.

'It most definitely is a thing. I invented it so I of all people should know.' I stated. 'Oh grab that.'

'What would they need with a bottle of fake blood?' Gavin asked skeptically.

'Oh.' I blushed lightly. 'I thought it was ketchup.'

Wait! Wait! I blushed lightly! I blushed! I didn't even know I could still blush. I can blush! I'm blushing! Blushing is possible for me! I can't believe it!

'Hey!' Gavin snapped his fingers in front of my face.

'Yeah?' I replied, distractedly.

'You zoned out for a second there. You okay?' He asked. I nodded emphatically.

'What were you thinking of?' He asked.

'What makes you think I was thinking of anything?' I replied.

'You had your daydreaming face on.' He replied nonchalantly. I skidded to a stop.

'My what?'

He stopped walking as well and shot me a confused look. 'Your day dreaming face. I thought you knew. You make faces when you're day dreaming. Your eyes just sort of glaze over and there's this single crease on your forehead.'

'I'm just shocked you noticed.' I replied, frowning. I didn't even know I had a daydreaming face but considering how much I daydream, I'm not surprised I have one.

'I'm not completely oblivious.' He scowled. 'Besides you've been stalking for the past five months. I had to notice. You're everywhere.'

'We're back to the whole stalker thing?' I raised my eyebrow.

'We never left.' He grinned. 'So what were you day dreaming about?'

I shook my head slightly. Of course he won't forget.

'Nothing important really. It's just that I've been a ghost for so long with no one to talk to, I've forgot what the simplest human reactions feel like. Like...'

'Like blushing.' He completed my statement.

'Yeah. Like blushing. I feel like I haven't done that since forever. It feels nice.' I shrugged. Gavin slipped into a thoughtful silence as we turned into a new aisle.

'The novelty will wear off in a little bit. Most girls I know hate blushing. It always gives away their feelings.' He trailed off. His eyes widened.

My gaze immediately landed on Asia and her two best friends. Of course we run into them. As if I haven't done enough today. Now I have to run interference for Gavin who looses all his flirtatious talents whenever she's around.

'Great.' I muttered under my breath.

'Asia.' He breathed.

'Hi Gavin.' She blushed.

Someone stab me with a pitchfork. Please.

'This is the part where you ask her how she is. But gawking works too.'

He glared at me. 'What's up? What are you doing here?' He asked.

'Oh, you know... Just hunting for dragons and dinosaurs.' I rolled my eyes.

'Grocery shopping.' She smiled.

'Seriously? A billion sarcastic comebacks to that question and
you decide to go with the truth?'

'And you?' She asked.

'Now I get it. You're just as stupid as he is.' I muttered.

'Will you just shut up.' He muttered under his breath.

'I can't. You know I can't hold my tongue when stupidity is staring me straight in the eye.' I replied. He rolled his eyes.

'I'm shopping for groceries for FeedAll Organization.' He shrugged.

'You know FeedAll?' She gaped, awe evident in her voice.

'Yeah. Apparently, Kesley volunteers there twice a month. How do you know about it?' He asked smugly.

The little rat! If I hadn't told him about it, he wouldn't know.

'I volunteer there too.' She beamed. 'I usually see her around. She's really good with people. Everyone likes her.'

'Everyone?' Gavin scowled.

I rolled my eyes. 'Gavin, when she says everyone likes Kelsey, she means platonically. Not everyone is a pervert all the time. Except you, of course. And its a charity organization for heaven sake. Any guy she meets there has a lesser probability of being an idiot.'

'Oh.' Gavin said. 'Well you wanna help me pick out some of the things they might need?'

'Hey! That's my job!'

'I would love to but I can't ditch Macy and Amanda.' She said and shot them a look that clearly said, please-make-up-an-excuse-and-leave.

'No. It's fine. We have to go anyways. We promised my mom we would....' Macy trailed off. She covertly pinched Amanda.

'Walk her dog!' Amanda injected. 'Gotta go walk him before he starts getting restless.'

I rolled my eyes.

How could I not? That has to be the most unbelievable excuse ever. Gavin didn't seem to mind. He nodded goodbye to them before walking away with Asia. He didn't even wait for me to follow! Can you believe the nerve of that guy? Ditching me for an admittedly nicer, perkier and kinder version that has probably never blackmailed him before. Who cares if I'm mean and not so nice? I was here first. That's what counts.

Though I would trade him up for a nicer, more flexible person but that doesn't mean he's allowed to do it too.

'Bye guys. I'll call you later.' Asia called out to her friends.

'I can't believe you!' I gasped theatrically. 'Look how willingly you traded me up for her.'

'So?' He muttered lowly so only I could hear him.

'So?! So I'm better company. I provide better conversation!' I replied lamely. I didn't really have any reason. I just wanted to pull his legs. Any chivalrous guy would be profusely apologizing by now but not Gavin. Pig that he is. He has the manners of a bloated goat.

'And by better conversation you mean ordering me around and arguing within me every time you get the chance. Yeah. It's such a mystery that I chose Asia who actually let's me speak without blackmailing every five minutes. What was I thinking?' He replied sarcastically.

'We would never know. No one knows what crazy thoughts are running around in the coconut you call a head.' I replied sweetly. 'And give me some credit! I blackmail you way more than every five minutes.'

He rolled his eyes and returned his attention to Asia.

'You should get eggs.' She stated. 'Those are always useful. And milk. And cheese.'

'Cool. We'll pick some up.' Gavin replied. 'So, why do you volunteer at FeedAll?'

'I don't know. Its fun.' She shrugged. My jaw fell open.

Of all the answers that could have come out of her mouth, this is the one I least expected.

'Run, Gavin. Run and don't look back.'

'What?'

'You know I always suspected something wasn't right with her. She's an alien.' I declared. Gavin rolled his eyes and shot me an unimpressed look. I chuckled.

'I know it may not seem like it but it's fun. Especially when we're in the kitchen, cooking. It's always crazy and disorganized. I love it and then when we distribute the meals to people, it brings this happiness and sense of accomplishment knowing that you helped someone in need.' She beamed. Gavin was staring at her in awe. He was hanging onto her every word. I smiled.

Thank God he fell for a girl like Asia and not Adriana. That would've been disastrous.

I hung back to give them some privacy. Neither of them even noticed I was gone. Well, Gavin didn't notice since he's the only one who knew I was there to begin with.

***

'Let me see!' I yelled.

'Dude, no. Get out.' Gavin barked.

'Just let me see it!' I insisted.

'I said no! Get out.' Gavin snapped, hugging his clothes to his body as if I was going to go all cave woman on him and rip it off. Geez!

'I'm a ghost, Gavin.' I deadpanned. 'Do you honestly think I haven't seen it before?'

'I don't care. I'm not letting you see me naked.' He declared.

'Don't be ridiculous.' I rolled my eyes. 'I don't want to see you naked. I only want to see you half naked!'

'And that sounds so much better in that messed up translucent head of yours.' He replied sarcastically.

'Okay first, you don't get to make nasty comments about me being a ghost and secondly just take off the damn shirt and let me see how much of a difference the good deeds we've done so far have made?' I growled.

Can you believe how childish he's being?! He's a manwhore for chrissakes! I can't believe he's being prudish about letting me see the tattoo. Its on his chest. HIS CHEST! What's there to be prudish about? He's a guy! I'm a ghost! Geez!

'No.' He declined.

'You've got to be kidding.' I gaped. He glared at me, not at all looking like someone who was in fact, kidding.

'Just to be clear, you won't let me a tattoo on your chest. A tattoo that is crucial to my very existence. One that basically controls my existence. You won't let me see that tattoo to know how much of it has gone off?' I clarified.

'Yes.' He replied.

'You realize that tattoo is question is on your chest.' I stressed.

'Yes.'

'You're joking.'

'No.'

'Gavin it's on your chest!' I yelled in frustration.

'I don't care.'

I didn't want to resort to blackmail but he's leaving me no choice.

Just kidding! I love blackmailing people. Especially Gavin.

'Gavin, it's either you let me see the tattoo now or I waltz in while you're taking a shower naked and see it for myself.' I stated calmly. His ashen face brought a slow sweet smile to my lips. Victory.

Blackmailing and threatening him brings me so much joy. Is it possible to get addicted to this feeling?

'You wouldn't dare.' He glared.

'Wanna bet?' I smirked and wiggled my eyebrows.

'I hate you. I loathe you. I despise you. I abhor you.' He stated.

'Right back at ya, Connor.' I beamed. Why do I love this so much? He's so much fun to threaten. This is slowly becoming one of my hobbies! I should do this more often.

With one last glare in my direction, Gavin pulled off his shirt. My breath caught in my throat and my lips formed a silent 'o'.

Author's Note:

What do you guys think of the blobfish? It's a real existing fish. Crazy right?

And what do you think made Vasilisa speechless?

A. The sight of a shirtless Gavin. ;)

B. The damnable tattoo.

Leave a comment to let me know your thoughts.

Does this constitute a cliffhanger? If yes, sorry for the suspense, readers. (Just kidding!)

Have a lovely day/night and don't forget to vote/comment/share/fan.

*I am so sorry! I thought I published this last night. I didn't realise I hadn't until now. So sorry for the late update. Thanks for reading/voting/commenting. If you haven't done the last two, its not too late to do it now.