#shells singh

Paulie didn't flinch at the sound of wind that entered his apartment, nor the cold that washed over him as a sign that a ghost was near.

Not just any ghost, his ghost.

He could feel Shells hovering over his shoulder, her hands trailing briefly over his bare skin as he brushed his teeth in the bathroom mirror. The glass reflected his face back to him, eyes rimmed by red and tiredness, but Shells was barely visible behind him, just barely corporeal these days.

"Hi," she spoke quietly, her voice whisking away in the sound of wind she emitted. Staring at Paulie's bared neck and holding him as he leaned over to spit out his toothpaste.

It cupped its hands, filled them with water, and rinsed its mouth out before standing back up to dry off.

Its eyes drifted to Shells' reflection carefully, then down to her hands on it, placing its hands gently on hers. It could feel nothing but its own skin.

"Hello," it said, in a tone just as quiet and gentle. She was suddenly looking older in her reflection, and when it turned to look at her. "It's been a long while since you've come around."

"I'm sorry," came the quick reply.

"Nothing to be sorry for," he responded just as fast, turning to face her. He had to look up even more than he used to, thanks to her floating form, and he smiled fondly.

She didn't smile back.

"You remember I don't have much more time on this plane, don't you?"

Paulie's eyes softened. "I don't forget... but I hoped you would. Just so we could have one more night together without worries."

Shells did smile then, head drifting down to kiss Paulie's hands in silence. "You've grown softer. I missed this side of you, Paul."

"I missed you." Gentle words, gentle hands, gentle eyes.

The ghost's hair floated around like they were surrounded by a giant pool of water together, and neither could even pretend like breathing was the first thing on their minds. She lifted her head back up, eyes meeting his. "I loved you. A lot, Paul."

"You know I can't--"

"I know. But that doesn't take away my truth. You grew up as my brother, and my best friend, and you were there on my last days." Somehow, she floated even closer, and the cold seeped into Paulie's already cold skin. "And I have to wonder, to trust, that had you met your half-end before I, that you would have done everything in your power to make sure we'd stay together."

Paulie's jaw twinged with her words, even as her voice grew weaker, as she faded in front of its eyes. "I would have, yes. I could have saved you, and I wouldn't have been trapped nearly as long if I'd had you to go back to. But that's the past. It's finished. There's no going back."

"There's no going back," Shells repeated. "And I wouldn't want to." Her hands roamed to the back of its neck and she placed another kiss on its shoulder before placing her head down on it.