Alfie stared at the number on his phone screen. Koda had said yes after asking him why he needed it. Alfie said that if his mother visited when Koda wasn't there, he would call. That wasn't a lie, but he also wanted to try and make a friendship now that he had the opportunity. Alfie had been crushing on Koda for so long; he never thought about them just being friends. He wasn't sure if Koda was gay; he didn't get the vibe, but he was a nice person, and someone Alfie would gladly have in his life.

He thought about texting Koda all morning. What could he say? A simple hello, or plans about their date with a ghost this evening? Alfie eventually put his phone away. He didn't want to feel needy.

"Alright, let's go!" Molly yelled down the hall, and Alfie hurried after her. His bag was twisted around his arm, things were falling out of his sketchbook, and he had half a slice of toast in his mouth. "If you don't get yourself together, I'm going to start waking you up in the morning because you're clearly not setting an alarm."

"Please don't," he muffled through his breakfast. "I'm a responsible eighteen-year-old."

"That's the funniest thing you've said all morning." Molly joked and guided him to the car. "Come on; we don't want to give your art teacher more reasons to drop you from college."

Alfie remembered that his mother had told Miss Pecan about his abilities to see ghosts. His stomach churned. He didn't know how she would react, or if she would react at all. "What if I do get kicked out?"

Molly reversed from their driveway, scowling because the sun was in her eyes. "Honestly, I'll be surprised if you do. Miss Pecan has given you plenty of chances when she could've kicked you out last year."

"True." Alfie twisted the ring around his index finger. He wondered if he ever disappointed his parents by not being very academic. He barely made it through secondary school, but they understood that his mind was busier than the average teenager.

When they reached college, Alfie was on time, and his art teacher didn't even look his way when he entered. Usually, she glared until he sat down. Today, he felt another pair of eyes on him, Koda's eyes.

Alfie glanced at his table full of friends and Koda looked away before their gaze could connect. Alfie sighed and spread his work out around his empty desk, just the way he liked it. Nobody ever sat next to him, and he was glad.

Alfie had his sketchpad, a drink, headphones, and a surprising amount of motivation to be productive. He rummaged through his bag until he realised that he forgot his pencils. Usually, he would sneak to Miss Pecan's desk and steal some, but she seemed like she wouldn't be moving for a while and already noticed that he hadn't started to do anything.

Getting kicked out of college would mean no daily dose of Koda Oaks, no staring at him from across the classroom, no drooling over his beautiful smile, no opportunity to talk to him. Though, Alfie had his phone number. Quickly he went straight to his contact list and scrolled until he found his name.

"Give me a pencil." Alfie text Koda and stared until his phone buzzed from across the room. He watched the frown appear and the tilt of his head that he loved so much.

"Who is this?" Koda text back.

"Ya ghost boy."

Koda then looked up, and Alfie smirked, receiving an incredibly attractive eye roll. Koda sat back in his chair, made sure his friends were not watching his phone, and replied with, "I'm naming you that in my contacts."

"Just give me a pencil." Alfie tried not to grin too hard.

"Why?"

"Because I have a full stack of them right next to me. Why'd you think?"

"I can hear your sarcasm, even through text ;)"

The winking face almost gave Alfie heart failure. It was already beating stupidly fast. "Hurry up." Alfie wondered if Koda was going to throw the pencil at him. It was already a surprise to his friends that they were talking before class yesterday. Koda had a reputation, and being cool with Alfie wouldn't give him a good image. Maybe they'd start to call him a weirdo too.

To Alfie's surprise, Koda got up and walked over to his table with bright eyes. "Do you have clients or something in the morning? You're always really unorganised."

"No," Alfie shrugged, "but I do feel a lot of spirits who stack up when I'm sleeping." A few people looked at him. As usual, Alfie didn't care.

Koda sat on the stool next to him, and Alfie convinced himself that he could feel his heat. "Am I coming over tonight?" he asked, loud enough for his group of friend to glance at one another.

"Um." Alfie was shocked. He thought he wouldn't want anyone to know. "Yes, but is eight okay? I have a few clients."

"Sure." Koda dropped the pencils on the table. "I know it's not as good, but you can keep these as payment for tonight?"

"I told you, I'd never charge-"

"I know," Koda interrupted, leaning closer so he could talk quieter. Alfie caught himself staring at his mouth and stopped immediately, "but I saw yesterday how much strain it puts on you."

"I've dealt with that my whole life, but I appreciate your concern and the pencils."

Koda then moved away, and Alfie smelt his addicting fragrance. It was a mixture of melon and honey. If Alfie could choose to smell something for the rest of his life, he'd pick him.

"If you need anything else, just text, not that I had to tell you that." Koda smiled and turned back to his table, slotting himself between his friends who were uncomfortably silent.

Alfie, trying not to smile to himself, put his headphones on and drowned out the whispers with music. Koda had made his day just by talking to him in public. He wasn't ashamed to be seen with the freak.

* * * * *

Koda was looking forward to seeing Alfie again, but he was nervous about possibly talking to his mother. Over the past few days, her death was getting easier because he had the possibility of saying a final goodbye. Sudden deaths were the worst. Life continued even when one person was suddenly absent. Their belongings became owner-less and pointless; their jobs were given to someone else, love for them diverted to a living person when the time was right.

Koda didn't want his life to be suddenly taken away, only to leave nothing behind like his mother. Material things didn't count. He wanted to make a mark on the world that would be remembered and make a difference. Alfie was doing that by using his gift to help others. Koda felt inspired to be like him. Alfie worked hard to help spirits cross over, and he worked even harder to heal those who grieved for their loved ones.

At precisely 8 pm, Koda knocked on Alfie's door. He only just noticed how big his family home was. It had a wrap around porch with a front garden littered with violets. Everything was clean and well-kept. Even the front door looked posh with a doorknob that had carvings of jewels around the outside.

Alfie's mother answered, and Koda saw where he got his height. She was a short woman, wearing dungarees covered in paint. She even had some in her hair that had been tied up to avoid that issue. "Hello?" she asked politely.

"Oh hi, um, I'm here to see Alfie," Koda smile.

"Are you the boy from his art class?"

Koda nodded and entered when Molly moved aside. "He's still with a client, but we can see if he's almost done."

Koda followed her down the corridor, looking around like he hadn't done previously. Their house was even more beautiful on the inside with big spacious hallways, expensive looking paintings on the walls, long clean rugs sitting on top of lovely dark wood. Koda felt a little scared to touch anything.

When they approached a door he recognised, Molly knocked and opened it gently. A waft of lavender streamed out before Koda saw Alfie sitting close with an elderly woman, holding her hand, and murmuring softly about something that upset her. Koda didn't expect to see him so- sympathetic. Alfie hadn't given him a reason to know he could be tender, other than the fact that he was helping him for free.

"Come again next week. I want to see if you're coping well," Alfie said quietly and helped the old woman to her feet. She kissed his cheek before making her way out of the room. That's when Alfie saw his mother standing with Koda. They both had heartwarming smiles. "Mum, you have to knock."

"I did," Molly said, noticing the blush creeping onto his cheeks.

"Well, you need to wait for me to respond before walking in." Alfie then looked to Koda. As usual, the sun spawned inside of him, glowing through every pore and heating him and pushing nerves up his throat. "I didn't have to fetch you this time. That's progress."

"It is," Koda chuckled. Alfie had noticed a huge increase in his mood. He was acting more like himself. "Come in." Alfie shut the door behind him, so his mother couldn't see the excitement in his eyes. "Are you ready to begin?"

"I think so." Koda now felt nervous. "Are you?"

Alfie nodded and didn't bother to move the chairs apart. He had to be close to Koda to summon his mother. When they sat down, their knee's touched. Koda didn't seem phased, but Alfie's legs pulsed like his knees were the first things he had ever felt. "While you think about your mother, because she isn't here yet, I have to hold your hand to make a deeper connection. Is that okay?"

"Of course." Koda held out a hand like it was no big deal, but it was a big deal to Alfie. "Why?"

Alfie hovered his hand over Koda's. "For me to calm down, I listen to things that have a rhythm, like footsteps or a ticking clock. In this case, your heartbeat." He lowered his hand and rested their palms together, wrapping his fingers around his wrist to feel the pulse. Koda's warmth gave him immediate comfort. It was like receiving a hug from someone he trusted with his life. For a second, Alfie thought Koda's heart sped up, or maybe it was beating fast because they were going to find his dead mother. "Close your eyes and think about her."

Alfie closed his own and focused on searching for her energy. He had felt it before. He'd know if she was close.

While the medium summoned the ghost, Koda was supposed to think about her. Instead, he stared at Alfie, feeling each one of his cold rings against his skin. The short kid was willingly giving up the only spare time in his busy evening, to help him for free. Koda not only realised that he had a big heart, but he also noticed how cute Alfie looked in his oversized jumper.