18. Owen

Chapter eighteen

Owen

I was all up in my head. I hadn't meant to move in. I'm not even sure Damian asked, but why would he? I was already here, like it or not.

It's not like I loved my apartment. It was small, musty, and often smelled like a dead mouse, but it was all I'd been able to afford. Now, I was in a mansion, and my bedroom, although Orville had called it small, was anything but. I mean, yeah, compared to the rest of the house, it was small, but compared to my dinky apartment, it was gigantic.

I looked over as the two female spirits came in, signaling they'd finished cleaning, and my heart clicked a bit more when Damian thanked them for cleaning the room. I wondered if the old wizard from before had done that too. The smile and blush on their faces made me think probably not.

Damian earned some respect from me for that. "Treat everyone like a CEO, be that the janitor or the boss himself, and you'll go far," my grandfather had told me throughout my childhood.

Apparently, that applied to ghosts too.

The room was spotless when we pulled the CS Lewis book again and peered inside the room. Even the window appeared brand new. I needed to figure out what ghosts liked and get a gift for Emma and Alice as a thank-you.

"Last night," Damian told me, "I slept on a really comfortable bed. I'm going to try to bring it back along with some of the furniture I remember from the room. If you hate it, we can redecorate it when my magic energies level out again. Is that okay?" he asked, and of course, I nodded.

He closed his eyes, and I saw his body blur slightly. When I glanced around, the small room was full of furniture. The twin bed sat on the far wall, away from the window. There was an old chest of drawers and an armoire that would've made C.S. Lewis proud his book had been used to gain entry. It sat on the wall next to the entrance.

I walked to the armoire, and when I saw my clothes, I smiled. "Thank you, Damian. I feel much better with this setup. At least for now."

Damian just smiled. "I gave you blinds for the window. Again, we can work on style tomorrow, and if you want, we can go shopping…you know, the traditional way."

I looked around the room and already knew what I wanted where. "I think I have what I need," I admitted. I stepped into the library and found the books I kept by my bed all the time. Stuff from my apartment had come into this room as well, including books my dad had read to me before he ran off. It was the one happy memory I still had of him.

I moved a few other things around. Those I hadn't noticed before including my old trumpet from eighth grade. I was never very good, but because of being in the band, I had my first boyfriend. So the trumpet always signified coming out, and more importantly, the love my mom and grandpa had encircled me with when I did.

The last item I moved was the silly old unicorn. I was delighted all the stuffed animals were gone, but I'd missed the little bronze statue the moment I'd given it away. Having it back was a treasure. I placed it on a little table next to the secret door so I could see it no matter where I was in the room.

When I was done, Damian, who'd been sitting in the music room chair playing on his phone while I did my decorating, came over and checked it out. "Oh, man, this is nice, and yeah, like upstairs, this is you."

"Yeah, it does, and thanks for being so cool. I know you didn't mean to have a roommate."

"I don't know if I want to call you that yet or not. So, we should talk, you know. I like you, and I'd love to get to know you–romantically, not just as friends or roommates."

"Friends with benefits?" I teased, and Damian cocked an eyebrow.

"Benefits, for sure, but only when you're ready. "

I leaned over to kiss him, and my stomach let out a loud rumble, making us laugh. "Okay, maybe I worked up an appetite, and sandwiches and half a muffin weren't enough. Come on, I'll treat you tonight, and you can tell me how much you're going to charge me to live here." I said.

"Nothing," Damian said without hesitation. "I inherited all of this. I didn't have anything, but now I have millions in the bank and a house worth goodness knows what. No, you're here for free, same as me."

"Well, shit. Then I'm definitely taking you out to dinner." I said, and Damian laughed. I wasn't raised to be a freeloader, so he'd be getting over the idea I wouldn't be paying, but there was no reason to argue now. We could come to terms with that later. For now, I was famished. I'd seen a seafood place on the way over here this morning, and I was chomping at the bit to try it out.