"... I would love to hear about some of your other ghost stories?" Offered Leo. He could tell that the other was upset and it hurt him, to know that he was making her feel so invalid when she clearly was. "We can talk on the porch about it if you want? That is, unless you really like football," he suggested with a small smile despite his anxiety.

He emphasized to himself to try and be social and be nice. He could be rude, especially since he didn't really want any of this to happen deep down, but he was trying. Maybe suggesting he talk to her more privately would get her to quit bugging them about the 'ghost' she kept sensing in their home? It was what he was hoping, at least. "I mean, I think it would be fun."
 
"...No. No, it's fine. You think it's bullshit. I know when to shut up," she muttered, pushing herself from the couch to fetch her jacket. Why would she want to stay sat with 'friends' when none of them particularly cared to even feign interest? It was her career and her passion, and whilst she knew she could be forceful, she was only eager to share what she knew. To have her supposed friends belittle her gift as though she was only babbling about ghosts for attention was hurtful, so making a swift exit seemed wise.

"You don't have to go, I... I mean... God, it's dark out. You can't walk across the town in the dark--"

"Yes I can. I'd rather do that than get in the car with you losers," she remarked in response to her boyfriend, awkwardly hesitating by the front door. "This was nice though, Leo. I'll see you next week when I come to pick up Nyle for the party."
 
Immediately panicking when he perceived the whole situation as him failing trying to set a proper party up. Awkwardly getting to his feet, he took May’s arm with a nervous smile while his eyes darted to Nyle. He knew the whole thing was his fault, right? He insisted that the party happen, he set up the food and the plans.

“Please stay,” he begged, his pale cheeks growing a soft pink in embarrassment. “I want to learn more. I believe in ghost, totally! Just... please don’t leave.”
 
May was all ready to walk out and stumble her way through the town until reaching her home a good forty minutes walk away, just to avoid listening to her so-called friends rubbishing her career and belittling it like it meant nothing. Leo's insistence wasn't going to win her around, and she was prepared to gently explain that she couldn't be bothered dealing with non-believers... until he touched her arm, anyway. Her tired expression dropped instantly, her eyes widening just a little as the realisation kicked in.

She had dealt with ghosts before -that hadn't been a lie- and she had interacted with them enough to have one or two reach out for her to show their appreciation and gratitude that she took the time to listen to their stories without judgement or fear. She knew how to differentiate between a breathing human and a spirit from the feeling she got when she was touched - and it didn't take long for her to realise Leo represented the latter.

"...Do you want to head out and talk on the porch, then? I... don't think they want to hear me talk about stuff they don't believe in," she said gently, eyeing the men with a roll of her eyes. "...It's not even that interesting. My sister died, I felt her presence in the house and realised I could pick up on her spirit and... it started from there, really. She's still there, I talk to her every day, it's... it sounds mad, but I think you know I'm telling the truth about all this, don't you? You... get it, right?"
 
“I believe you,” he reassured, quickly moving his hand away at her reaction with nervous eyes, his lips pursed. He understood the feeling of not being touched, completely oblivious to the fact she could tell he wasn’t human just from the simple touch. Glancing towards the kitchen, he let a small smile grow,

“We can talk on the porch. Like I said, I... hate sports, to be honest. They’re loud and stuff is happening too fast, it... makes me nervous. I can get you some blankets if it’s too cold, b-but... I want to talk there.”
 
"No, let's talk on the porch, it'll be nice! Sports aren't my thing either, but I wanted to come to meet you and hang out with Nyle some more. He's really cool, he fits in well with us-- so do you, yeah? If Oliver didn't like you, he'd have said. He doesn't know how to be subtle," she grinned, observing the small garden with an approved nod.

"It's nice you got this. We live in an apartment so we don't really get to, like, enjoy a cute garden like this. We have a communal garden but honestly, nobody takes care of it, which sucks. I like this, though, this is cute," she admitted with another wide grin, biting her lip in contemplation. She didn't know if mentioning that she knew the truth was wise or not, but she also couldn't pretend she was clueless about it.

"...Does Nyle know? I'm sure he does, right? About... you being, y'know-- I told you, I pick up on vibes and stuff," she began slowly, glancing across in his direction. "It doesn't bother me, Leo. Besides, you've got it pretty good! Most the ghosts I come across are lonely and... in these abandoned buildings were tourists are constantly screaming everytime they try and make contact, it's sad. You have a boyfriend and a job, that's pretty neat. Some people still living don't have that."
 
Taking a careful seat on the aged bench on the back porch, his eyes avoiding hers. It was incredibly uncomfortable to talk about, naturally, and the only reason he revealed himself to Nyle was because it was a bit difficult not to. He wanted to pretend to be as normal as he could but May spoiled that. He didn’t blame her, of course, but it was... frustrating.

“I was hoping no one would notice. No one in this town can see me, they all know what happened. I was so excited for Nyle to meet you guys because that meant I could at least try and... restart what I failed to do before. I don’t want Nyle to be lonely.”
 
"...If it helps, I'm not going to interview you or take notes or anything, that'd be... you're Nyle's boyfriend and I like you both, so this isn't going to become like a job for me, y'know? I just want to draw a line under this and move on. You're a friend now and... next time, we could do something that isn't watching the sports game? If you're up to it, obviously," she grinned, doing her best not to mention anything regarding his death. She was interested, as she always was when she came into contact with spirits, but she also knew from experience that it wasn't easy for people to discuss.

Besides, she liked Leo and she wanted to be friends with him and Nyle. That wasn't going to be likely if all she did was pester him about his death.

"Anyway, whatever, forget it! It's a bummer you can't come to the party next week, but I'll bring you some cake-- oh! Do you want to dog-sit for me?" She asked curiously, her smile peeping up again. "I noticed you had a cat and Oli and I have a dog; this cute little corgi. I don't want her freaking out with the music and crowd, so... you could mind her for me if you're good with animals? She's really well-behaved. She just sits on your lap and sleeps."
 
“Well, I’ve never had a dog...” he admitted warily, his hands folding neatly... though a slow smile did creep to his lips at the idea. “Bitters usually just sleeps and eats when he’s home, which is more often now that Nyle can actually get him food. I’ll just put him up in my room if that’s okay - actually yeah, that sounds nice,” he declared amongst his babbling.

“I mean, you should hear the house when Nyle’s out,” he began, a somewhat teasing tone to his voice. “I really only listen to video game soundtracks and work. Not a huge fan of loud noises, to be honest. Why Nyle and I fit is behind me.”
 
"Yeah? Awesome. She's a sweetheart, you'll love her. I'll bring her food and stuff, you won't need to worry about buying anything. She'll literally just sleep the whole time, but it's some company for you and I get reassurance that she's in good hands," the girl smiled, at least relaxing a little now a problem had been solved. She hardly knew Leo, but she highly doubted her pet could be in better company when the boy seemed gentle and a relaxing presence; just the sort of environment her dog needed.

"I don't know, you and Nyle seem like a great couple. There's not many guys who would date a ghost, Leo, or be as understanding as I'm sure he is, right? You guys are cute together. You're different, sure, but look at me and my boyfriend. He thinks my whole career is bullshit; we're total opposites, but we work," she shrugged, taking a seat on the chair on the porch with a quiet glance up at the sky. The lack of air pollution in the small town meant a clear view of the stars, which May highly appreciated. The town was nothing like the place she was from, but she found herself growing fond of it the more she visited. "It's nice here-- I haven't been around the town and Nyle says people here are rude to him, with a few exceptions, but it's quiet. I like that."
 
“They’re a bunch of old people who refuse to change their ways,” he explained honestly as he watched her, hiding his genuine amusement at the other’s shock. “Don’t tell Nyle but I know most of them only care about him because they feel guilty about what happened with me. They’re far from genuine, seriously. I was the youngest person to have moved to this town for at least a decade.”

Shrugging it off casually, What resentment he held for the town had diminished to just pettiness and minor annoyance. Glancing over at Bitters as he slid through the little doggy door that he made no effort to really close up. Motioning the cat to hop on his lap, he smiled at the black cat.

“Yeah, they felt bad. I didn’t really leave the house for... reasons, you know? They’re hard to explain. So they... didn’t even really notice I was gone. A mailman actually noticed first,” he explained honestly. “It was just... annoying, I guess.”
 
"You don't need to explain, I wasn't fishing for it. But... look, I appreciate you telling me. I just don't want things being awkward now I know about you, Leo. Hey, you're really sweet, I'd hate for things to get awkward. I'm glad we met, if that helps? People here might be dicks, but I'm glad to know you," she announced honestly, her attention drifting to the cat with a wide smile.

"I'd love to move somewhere like this. Even if the people aren't great, this place is... it's ideal. The city just gives me headaches, I can't cope with it," she smiled, rolling her eyes at the loud yells from inside. Frankly, she knew wherever she went, dealing with her boyfriend would always be a constant in her life.

"So I can bring around Luna next week for you to dog-sit for us, yeah? I appreciate this a lot, Leo. I don't want her getting pestered by Oliver's drunk friends from college, you know? She's my baby, I'd hate to stress her out."
 
“Of course,” he reassured, petting the purring cat eagerly. “Like I said, I’ve never pet a dog or taken care of one. It’ll be a... learning experience. That’s the best part of all of this, right? I get to learn new things thanks to Nyle, like learning how to take care of a dog. How long will it be? Do I have to pet her a lot? What if she doesn’t like me?” He questioned, pursed lips forming at the sudden anxiety. It was good anxiety, though, for once.

“Do you have an Instagram?” He blurted, his eyes shining. It was hard not to see the emotions switching across his face. “Oh! Oh! My followers would love pictures of her! Corgis are adorable, right?”
 
"Hey, she'll love you. She's a lazy lump so just feed her her treats and give her somewhere comfy to sleep and she'll be fine. She has a special blanket and this old, tatty old teddy bear she brings with her, so she'll love it here," she promised, eagerly pulling her phone from her pocket to bring up her Instagram account.

Most of the pictures were of her and Oliver and their friends. A large chunk of them were of places she had visited on her travels as she researched for her blog, and, expectedly when she was a huge dog lover, the majority were of the corgi she had gushed so much about.

"See, this is her. Isn't she adorable?" She beamed, flicking through several images of the dog in Oliver's arms. "Oliver looks cute in this one, I guess, don't tell him I said that. So see, Luna won't be a problem, she's not the energetic type. She'll love it here~"
 
“I sure hope so,” he whispered, taking in the pictures quietly. He had mixed feelinfs about them; on one hand, he was happy for her and her travels, on the other he was incredibly jealous of the fact she had those liberties. It was dumb to be jealous on account that he would probably grow anxious if he dared to even leave the house if he could, but... maybe he wouldn’t? He couldn’t find out, after all.

“Where’s the farthest you’ve gone for your job?” He questioned curiously as he watched her smile affectionately at the pictures. “I know Nyle would never believe me but I always wanted to go to Alaska. Far from everyone with a really pretty view of snow, you know?”
 
"I went to Mexico once, that was intense. Almost got killed. Not that Oliver believed me, he says I was clumsy, but I swear that a ghost pushed me down the stairs. Pretty spooky, actually, but I got a good tan when I was there, so I can't complain. The beaches are lovely and the people are great," she grinned, pocketing her phone before she could get too invested in the cute pictures she had taken of her boyfriend; the ones where he wasn't scowling at her in annoyance, anyway.

"I'm not really... big on the Internet yet, but I'll get there. I have a blog, y'know? It's... getting there, so hopefully I can travel a lot more. I'd love to do that, it'd be ace," she sighed, resting her chin on her hand with a tired grin. "I have to have some sort of dream, even if my friends think this is a waste of time-- they're not that supportive, but Nyle is. He's the only one who was like, 'yeah, go for it'. He's too sweet, isn't he?"
 
“That’s because he knows you aren’t making everything up. Not only that but... I think it could be good for some people, yeah,” he agreed as he leaned back before tugging out his own phone to eagerly follow the other. When there wasn’t much to do, relying on social media was a pretty big part of his life... including Instagram and getting followers.

“I mean, at the same time I know that we - can I say we? Am I a good representative? A-Anyway, yeah. I mean, before I met Nyle I just wanted to be left alone. I still want to be left alone sometimes but I’m... trying to work on that. I got a therapist to try and help me with my issues,” he explained with a nervous laugh. “I don’t mind talking to you about... it. What happened, I mean.”
 
"See, I don't want to be pushy because... well, I'm not here talking to you to write this up in my blog, I'm talking to you as... you know, a friend. But I won't stop you telling me if you think you want to do that. I... I can't imagine it's easy but take your time? I'm not pushing you to tell me," she emphasised as she carefully put her phone down, her eyes straying back over the garden so she wasn't intensely staring at him in anticipation. She was curious, but not so curious that she'd willingly let him get uncomfortable about revealing how he died. She obviously hadn't gone through death, but she couldn't envision it was easy to discuss.
 
“Well, I mean, the motivation was kind of hard to explain,” he began, nervously pulling up the sleeves to his bulky sweater to expose the deep and seemingly still fresh gashes on his wrists. “I’ve tried everything in my power to try and make them look, well... less creepy? I’ve tried to, like, sew them but the needle just passes right through my skin. I usually just cover them up when people are around, though Nyle at least pretends to be okay with it,” he explained, rolling down the sleeves after a brief moment.

“It was just a culmination of things. Just... the people here hated me, my family hated me, life was just... boring, I guess? Then there was the whole oppressive feeling of impending doom that I still can’t shake off. It makes me fucking terrified, when Nyle leaves the house. What if something happens and I can’t be there to help? What if he dies and I’ll never be able to see him again? I thought that, if I killed myself than all of this stupid shit would go away. So, like... I got myself a nice bottle of wine, ran a bath and just waited. Three weeks later and I wake up in my bathtub. I didn’t actually see myself or how I looked, I... don’t know why. It would probably freak me out a lot, so I’m glad that I didn’t have to deal with that. I guess the townsfolk bought me a small little plot in the local cemetery.”
 
Understandably, the explanation was hard to take in, as was the sight of the cuts along his wrists. Not wanting to babble on in her desperation to fill the silence, she forced her instinct down and remained quiet until she was certain that she could speak clearly and coherently. Before she could actually speak, however, her eyes drifted to the doorway where Nyle was quietly stood, presumably having stood there throughout the explanation, if his emotional frown was anything to go by.

He had heard it before and he saw the cuts almost on a day-to-day basis, but it didn't mean he was used to hearing the story or seeing the scars. He hadn't known Leo at the time but he still felt a strange sense of helplessness that he hadn't been there, even if there was no possible way he could have been.

"...Sorry, I just came to see where you guys were," he smiled softly, forcing himself to not show how affected he was by Leo's story. "You guys coming back in there or what? Game's almost over and Greg's losing his mind 'cos his team are doing pretty shit so... it's worth heading back in there to see him break down, yeah?"