Crying for Vanya

Deresita didn't know Rhodes outside of what Professor Wester told her. She met him around ten times in her entire life, but they had never sat down together like this. She was happy to connect with him more than simple greetings.

However, she was not ready. Deresita saw Rhodes through the same lens as every other outsider did. His immaculate and superior image crumbled before her eyes. Even if she was happy to feel closer to him, her lips still pursed into a line. How despicable. This man, whom she secretly admired for so long, was a little awful. Not only did he call someone using his dog's name…

Deresita's eyes narrowed as soon as she caught Rhodes looking at her. The amnesiac stifled his laugh and hid his face behind his arm again.

"I already know what you're going to say." Rhodes couldn't contain his laughter. He straightened his back and cleared his throat. "The answer is 'yes'. I agreed to your hospitality so I have a reason to stay around Menorosa. Am I too thick-skinned?"

"I just had a feeling that you're not the man my husband spoke to at that time." Deresita pouted and finished her dessert. "You think like a teenager, Rhodes."

She flinched and looked at him, catching him lean his head on his palm. "Could amnesia cause someone to regress to a younger version of themselves? I don't think this should be normal for someone like you."

Rhodes hummed and closed his eyes. "I wonder what should be normal. All of my colleagues said I acted the same after my accident. I don't think I'm regressing. We didn't meet often. What's your guarantee that I'm not a scumbag?"

"You're right. I'll always remember that."

A strange smile pulled up Rhodes's lips. He called himself a scumbag, and the other party agreed in a heartbeat. Regardless, he sighed inwardly. At least he didn't feel suffocated like whenever he was with Lionel or anyone else. He wondered if he was this comfortable around Professor Wester.

He was more than comfortable around Vanya, for sure. Thinking about that man easily entranced Rhodes. He could hear Deresita speak in the background, but his ears couldn't catch a word she said. His mind wandered through his fresh memories. He wondered where Vanya was. What was he doing? Was he fighting other ghosts again? How many people had he saved from their nightmares?

Did they ever move on from the heat of his gaze? The warmth of his hands? The taste of his lips?

Without a warning, Rhodes curled to hide his face. He could feel the heat stinging his lips and coloring his cheeks. He wanted to see Vanya… When could he fall asleep and wake up by the strange man's side again? Would they talk longer by then?

"I miss him already…"

…

The old road leading to the Flower House activated everyone's senses. With the canopy hogging all the sunlight, the road was submerged in eternal darkness. Lines of light drew across the sky, one's only guide along the path. Deresita and Rhodes were only lucky the driver grew up navigating these woods. If it was Lionel, Rhodes knew they would get stuck in no time.

Deresita tugged on Rhodes's shoulder lightly. She gestured to a sudden fork in the road. One path led to the Flower House, while the other went deeper into the woods. She chuckled. "That's the road to La Caldero. It's always trimmed and clean to look less inhabited, but no one goes that way."

"Well, it's too early for ghost hunters to show up." Rhodes glanced at his watch. It was barely two in the afternoon. It would be strange for ghost hunters to be around. La Caldero didn't sound like a famous haunted house. The caretaker should only allow them to check in at night.

Rhodes brought his gaze back to the fork behind them. It quickly vanished behind the trees as if it didn't exist. However, he spotted a pink car cruise past the trees… away from La Caldero.

The man would ask Deresita, but she was stuck to her phone. It was on a messaging app, so Rhodes didn't bother reading her messages. His eyes looked back at the fork, but his vision was only covered with trees and darkness. Even if he told Deresita, he had no more proof. The pink car was too fast for Rhodes to take a picture. Not that he had his phone at the ready.

Rhodes just sat properly and leaned his back against the back support. Whoever visited the haunted house was no longer his business.

…

"Welcome back, madam!" The maid smiled as Deresita alighted from the car. Two more maids were on standby. Their madam brought a guest. They must attend to the guest's luggage. However, none of them were prepared to find a dazzling man alight from the car with their madam.

He pulled on his jacket to smooth it as if a practiced action. His dark eyes looked over the big mansion. They couldn't tell if he watched in awe or disappointment. 

The man turned to Deresita, who joined him in looking at the mansion. He said, "Are you the only one home? Should I greet the other residents?"

"No need. I don't think they want to be disturbed. You can just join us at dinner to meet them." Deresita turned to the maids and instructed them. The women were quick on their feet, but their supposed stoic faces broke into tomatoes. They also teased one another on their way back inside.

Deresita shook her head and laughed. "Your face is too good for my maids. Let me know if they annoyed you with their insistence on serving you."

Rhodes's eyes were stuck in a direction. He ignored Deresita and the maids in favor of that strange feeling. He figured someone was looking at him from that part of the Flower House. Was another spirit hoping to mess with him? It was all right. He would have a reason to cry for Vanya.

"Rhodes? Are you seeing something?" Deresita looked in the spot his eyes were on. "Uhm… do you want to go inside instead? I don't think you should be making eye contact with… things… out here."

"You have that kind of resident in here?" Rhodes closed his eyes and gazed at Deresita after a second. "Don't worry. I don't want to bother you or something. Do you mind telling me about it? I want to be prepared if ever it tries to make itself known…"

Deresita tilted her head, but her hands held Rhodes's upper arm. She linked her arm with his and walked him inside the big house. Words were in her mouth, but she didn't want to scare their guest then and there. She could only laugh nervously.

"Prepared? Are you planning to fence with a ghost, Rhodes? You're so weird…"