The pen hovered over the blank page. The ink had made little dots on the paper where Alfie almost started writing but lost the train of thought like it was plucked right out of his head. Alfie had a journal for the ghosts he helped. He started an entry for Mister Dorinto, talking about how his connection made Alfie feel, how much energy he drained, how vivid his apparition was, and how long it was taking for him to cross over.

The medium got in touch with Dorinto's wife because he wouldn't cross over until loose threads were tied in their relationship. Alfie waited for an email back, but he wasn't hopeful.

Now, he wanted to start an entry for Koda's mother. Her connection to him was vigorous. Usually, the spirits who died suddenly or tragically were the ones who made him dream about them and subconsciously do things that relate to them. The dream Alfie had was a sign that her death was a struggle. He felt fear when surrounded by the pills. He was scared, and genuinely concerned for his life, mainly when the pills consumed him and he struggled through the last breaths. Spirits who take their own lives don't feel so terrified to die.

A light knock on his door distracted him from the empty page. Alfie turned on his swivel chair to see his dad standing in the doorway. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Just because I don't live here doesn't mean that I won't pop round to see you. I'm still your father," he chuckled.

Alfie sat back in his chair, inspecting the differences with his appearance since moving out. Tom looked fresh. His hair had been trimmed, there was no awkward stubble around his chin, his eyes seemed more awake, and his smile was brighter. As hard as it was for Alfie to accept, his father was happier somewhere else.

"I just assumed you'd be busy with your own stuff." Alfie tapped the pen against his finger. He had to summon Koda's mother soon.

"I am, but that doesn't mean I won't make time for you." Tom looked around his son's room. Little piles of clutter stacked up in the corners. Drawers were open with items pouring out of them, and clothes scattered around the floor. "A clean room, a clean mind. I think that's how the saying goes. Maybe that's why you can't write in that journal."

Alfie didn't bother to look at what his dad was seeing. He knew how messy his room was. "It's not that. This spirit is putting a lot of strain on me."

Tom sat on the edge of Alfie's bed, just as Molly stopped at the doorway with a paintbrush in her mouth and a box of acrylic paints in her hands.

"Are you sure you can handle this one? You could always pass the spirit onto Connor who's more experienced with-"

"No," Alfie interrupted his mother. His eyes had returned to the blank page. "I want to help her. It wouldn't be fair to send Koda to another medium either."

"Koda?"

"The boy in Alfie's art class," Molly informed Tom, dropping the brush into the box. "I'm sure Koda would understand if it's too much for you."

Alfie shook his head and eventually put the pen down. He turned around and crossed his legs, making himself look smaller in the chair. "I'm finding a friendship out of this." He wanted to tell his parents about his crush on another guy, but he wasn't ready for the possibility of rejection, even though he was almost certain they would be okay with him being gay. "He believes in ghosts now, he goes to my college, and he's in my art class. I haven't had a friend who believed in what I do."

Molly nodded, seeming to understand. "We know you always have company with the spirits, but it's good for you to be in the world of the living every now and again." She smiled at him, then at Tom before moving down the hall towards her little art studio. Creativity ran through the family. Well, on Molly's side of the tree.

"She's right, and you've been working hard recently. You have a gift I don't understand, but I know that it takes a toll on your health and you're a teenager, you have to give yourself days off."

"I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me."

Tom watched his son turn to his journal. He stared at the back of his head for a moment, wondering if he should ask more about the ghost who caused him so much trouble, but Alfie looked like he wanted to be left alone. "Remember, it's okay to take breaks." Tom squeezed his shoulder and went to inspect Molly's new painting.

Alfie listened to his father's footsteps, the light shuffling of socks against wood until they faded and he was left to his own comfortable silence.

Quickly, he closed his door and shut his curtains, lighting candles to calm the atmosphere. He pulled a big beanbag into the middle of the room and sank into it. There he went to the very depth of his mind, falling as far as his thoughts would go, inhaling larger and deeper breaths, letting his head droop while calling out Enya's name. He pictured her brown eyes, so dark they looked like little black holes that would suck up his soul if he stared for long enough.

"I'm calling you," he whispered and held out a hand. His eyes were still closed. "Find me. My voice is your line. Hold it, and I will guide you." Alfie spoke in a certain tone, one that was gentle and low, a smooth sound of serenity.

After planting his mind in the spirit world and rooting his thoughts, he was careful not to bring anything back that didn't belong. When Alfie meditated, it was different from the average human. His spirit drifted through the atmosphere and into the land of the dead. When he was younger, a sinister presence latched onto him when he resurfaced. It tortured his mind for weeks before his mother reached out to another medium, Connor. The more experienced medium knew how to help, and he had coached Alfie ever since.

"I feel you," Alfie whispered. "My voice, follow it." He felt a pressure against his chest. "You're almost here. Keep going, follow my voice." The air around him was getting thicker. He paid no attention to it and focused on reaching out until something touched his fingers. "You're here," he whispered and opened his eyes when the connection began.

Enya sat on the floor in front of him, holding his hand. She was freezing, just like all spirits. They brought no warmth to his world.

"Hey," he sighed, knowing their conversation wasn't going to be lighthearted.

"Koda's not with you. Why am I here?" The ghost asked.

"I'm here to get your death story. I have reasons to believe that you were murdered. Is that true?" Alfie liked getting straight to the point with spirits.

Enya nodded, looking relieved that someone was going to believe her. "I was framed. My addiction was used against me."

"Why?" Alfie didn't let go of her hand. It was easier to keep her connection.

"Because I was getting close to the truth."

Alfie wished he had written down questions. "The truth about what?"

Enya stared right into his eyes like she was trying to remember every feature. "Knowing will put you in danger. My boy needs you right now. I will tell you when his grieving no longer relies on you to make it better."

"Enya, what did you do to get yourself killed?" Alfie ignored her refusal.

"I won't tell you until I know that you won't do what I did. I was vocal about what they were doing, and it killed me."

Alfie thought for a moment, looking down to their connected hands, at Enya's lifeless skin touching his own. "You want to build trust. I take it you're not going to cross over anytime soon."

"I was murdered. I'm not going until I know Koda is safe and those who did this to me are behind bars or meet the same fate. You can understand that, can't you?"

The medium nodded. "So you're not going to tell me what happened to you until you can trust me? That's fair because you want to protect Koda, and you don't know if I want that too." Alfie let go of her hand. "But I do. Your son is special to me, and you know that."

"I see it in your eyes, the way you look at him like he's the only thing you have ever been able to see." Enya's apparition was fading. "My son has a loving soul. Don't take advantage of it."

Alfie stared until she was gone. Summoning her hadn't been helpful at all. "Ghosts are so problematic," he muttered and yanked his phone from his pocket, texting Koda, telling him to come over anytime he wanted.

Their conversation from this morning still shocked him every time he thought about it. Koda Oaks was gay, and they had both been checking each other out. Alfie rolled off his beanbag and pushed his face into the rug, cringing every time he thought of Koda noticing his eyes tracing his body. Though, he didn't want to get his hopes up. Just because Koda was gay didn't mean that Alfie was his type.

He stayed like that until his phone vibrated.

"I'll set off now. See you soon :)" Koda replied, and Alfie had to hold his chest to calm his frantic heart.

* * * * *

When Koda eventually arrived, Alfie had been bouncing around on the other side of the door for at least five minutes. Hearing the doorbell made him jump.

He opened it immediately and wished he waited ten seconds, so Koda didn't think he was eager.

"Hello," Koda muffled through a soaking wet raincoat that was zipped up to his nose. A tight hood hugged his face, and his eyes were squinting to see through the raindrops.

Alfie grabbed his arm and yanked him inside. "I didn't know it was raining that hard!" he said with a guilty smile. "You didn't have to come in this weather."

"It's just a little rain." Koda peeled off his Jacket and hung it up, thankful that the waterproof material had worked in keeping him dry.

Alfie heard thunder in the distance and knew it wasn't 'just a little rain'. He was so excited to see his crush again that he hadn't felt the tension from the storm.

"I'll make you some tea," he said and waited for Koda to take off his shoes before guiding him to his office. He had his own little kettle and tea set. Usually, his clients were very emotional, and tea always helped to cheer them up.

He heard Koda sit as he flicked on the kettle. "So, your dad isn't here with you," Alfie pointed out.

"He wasn't in."

Alfie noticed the tone in his voice hardening. Koda had said that his father wasn't coping well and Alfie wondered if it affected him too. "That's okay, maybe next time." He placed the mugs of tea on his table, positioning his own on top of an old cup stain. "Did you want to-" warm fingers against his stopped him mid-sentence.

Koda picked up Alfie's hand and rested it on top of his own, inspecting the many rings on his fingers. Alfie's entire body tingled. He never felt self-conscious of his rings, but for some reason, he wanted to justify why he was wearing them like it wasn't normal for guys to wear so many.

"You wear a lot of rings," Koda said, studying Alfie's other hand, then the chipped black nail varnish on each finger.

"They were my grandmothers." Alfie eyed Koda to figure out what he was thinking. His crush seemed curious and fascinated by the thickest silver ring on his index finger.

"All of them?" he asked, twisting the ring around to appreciate the beautiful flower pattern.

"Yes. This one has my grandmothers ashes in it." He pointed to the red resin circle at the top of the ring. Koda looked close enough for Alfie to feel his breath against his finger.

"Oh yeah, I can see it. That's nice." He then moved onto the rest of the rings, and Alfie enjoyed his touch. His fingers were a little rougher on the tips. Maybe from playing the guitar, or from years of being creative with wood and other hard materials. Koda was more of a sculpture kind of artist, while Alfie liked to paint. "What about the rest?" Each ring had some sort of colourful stone on the top.

"They all have crystals or stones that I find useful. I don't tend to fill my pockets with crystals, and sometimes I need them when I'm not at home. It's convenient to have them in rings."

"Clever." Koda glanced up, meeting his gaze and noticing Alfie's flushed cheeks. "Was your grandmother a medium? Did she use these too?"

Alfie nodded. They were very special to him, and they gave his hands character. "Most of the crystals on the shelves were hers too."

Koda seemed to lean closer from across the table. His fingers still held onto Alfie's hands as he stared into his eyes, looking intently and making Alfie feel very exposed. "You really suit them," he said softly.

Alfie would have fallen to Koda's feet and kissed the ground he walked on. People complimented his rings, but nobody complimented how the rings looked on him, until now.