A Presence Felt - Part 1 - Sex Stories

A Presence Felt - Part 1

... comfortable discussing his views on religion or the afterlife. Knowing that Stella wouldn't easily drop the topic, he resorted to the oldest trick in the book, which was posing a question of his own. "Why do you ask, Stella?"

She pursed her lips, obviously displeased with his evasive tactic. He expected some sort of protest on her part, but instead, her gaze grew distant. "I think my house is haunted."

Adrian absorbed this announcement, careful to keep his expression neutral. "And why do you think that?"

Stella ran her fingers through her long hair, tousling the blonde waves. "It's not the entire house." Her voice dropped, so Adrian had to lean forward to hear. "Just one room. The spare bedroom." Her stare sharpened as she focused on him again. "I told you I splurged on buying a new bed." He nodded, willing her to continue. "I moved my old bed into the spare room, in case I ever have guests. And I also put a little nightstand in there, along with a lamp. I put up curtains, too." Stella swallowed hard. "A couple of weeks ago, I was sweeping the floor in that room, just tidying up a bit, and..." Her hand went to her throat. Adrian recognized it as a nervous gesture on her part. "I felt this... presence," she finally managed to say. He kept his face open and receptive, without a hint of judgment. Still, Stella let out a mirthless laugh, as if he'd chastised her for being silly. "I told myself it was just my imagination. The house is old, after all, and I figure that's ...

... always in the back of my mind. I sometimes wonder about its history."

"That makes perfect sense," Adrian said, trying to find common ground with her.

She went on as if he hadn't spoken. "But I can't help remembering when the real estate agent first showed me the place. The previous owners were a young married couple; it was their starter home. And it looked like they'd just up and left in a hurry without taking anything with them. I noticed..." Stella cleared her throat, again having trouble getting out the words. "I noticed there was a cross above the doorway of every single room."

Adrian felt a chill in spite of himself. "You never mentioned that before."

Stella shrugged. "I didn't think it was important. The asking price was so cheap, and I really wanted that house. The agent said the couple was in a hurry to sell for 'personal reasons.' I guessed they were splitting up. And I certainly didn't feel anything then. But..." Her face grew stricken. "There's definitely something—someone—in that room, Adrian." She held his stare. "So that's why I want to know, do you believe in ghosts?"

He wondered if this was part of Stella's grieving process, forming a belief in spirits. That way, she could hold out hope of someday encountering her grandmother again. Would Adrian's lack of belief be detrimental to Stella? He didn't want to hinder the progress she was making. Lately, he'd become disillusioned with his work, fearing he was doing little to benefit those who sought ...