"The best thing to hold on to in life is each other."
- Audrey Hepburn
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Adele's POV

"All finished Adele?"

I look over at Isobel and she smiles gently. She works in a different part of the building to me but she always stops to chat.

"Yeah, I'll sort these files in the morning."

"Got any plans for tonight?"

Yeah, I'm going to hang out with the dead guy who's haunting my house

"Just a quiet night in." I smile.

We talk for a few more minutes before she leaves to meet her boyfriend and I quickly pack my bag.

The tube journey seems to take forever but finally I'm in the landing to my apartment.

I quickly check the little mirror I have in my bag before mentally shaking myself. Most people would be calling in an exorcist right now... Here's me checking that my hair looks ok so that the ghost in my flat thinks I look nice.

I'm crazy.

It's the only explanation. Maybe I need a holiday. I mean... I must be imagining this whole bloody thing.

When I'm away from the house, sat on the tube or in the office watching people do their mundane everyday things I start to think that the years of loneliness have caused this.

I feel nervous as I turn down the hallway on to my landing.

Maybe I should go see a therapist or something...

That's when I hear it.

He's playing with my CDs again.

I stand in the hallway and listen as the Kanye West song stops abruptly. He obviously doesn't like that one.

There's a pause before I can hear The Beatles playing loudly. It's one of his favourites and I listen for a second.

It's like living with someone, every day I can't wait to get home to him. I haven't seen him since that night when he appeared but he's always present now. I can feel him all the time and the energy from him makes me feel safe, like I'm where I belong.

I know that I can't tell anyone any of this- Not that I have anyone to tell - because I'd be locked up in a mental asylum... But I know it's real. And I'm never happier than when I'm home with him.

I guess I always believed in ghosts in a vague sense... But Louis is so real, he's just a person.

Who happens to have been dead for three centuries

I want to know everything about him, he fascinates me. He's so gentle and for some reason he looks after me. I never imagined that a ghost would look like that either...

For some reason I find myself blushing and I quickly fumble with the keys before letting myself in the flat.

The music stops as soon as I enter the flat and immediately the hall feels warm. A sweet fragrance wafts through the room.

"Hello Louis."

I can hear the tv playing quietly from the front room.

"Watching Spongebob again?" I smile as I walk into the room. There's a cup of tea waiting for me on the table. I sit down and I feel the cushion next to me sink as if someone has sat there.

I'm home.

Finally this is where I belong.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

There's something bothering him lately.

I can't work out what it is. He's still around but sometimes I can sense a tension radiating from him, it almost feels expectant, as if he's waiting for something.

I've barely felt him in 5 days.

I sit on the my bed and whisper his name but there's no response.

I know he can make things appear in the mirror, if I can get him to talk to me maybe he can show me what's wrong.

"Louis?" I try saying it louder but I know that he's not listening. He's here, somewhere in the house, but he's purposefully ignoring me.

I sigh as I lie back on the bed.

"What's wrong Louis? Have I done something?"

It strikes me that it's a little bit abnormal to be asking your house ghost if you've offended him, but I don't care, I miss him.

He doesn't respond and I cuddle in to Mr T, wondering what's going on.

I'm in the care home. It's empty, full of graffiti and weeds as if it's been abandoned for years. I'm on the top floor looking out of a smashed window to the garden below.
Suddenly a little dark hair girl wanders into view. She's barely a toddler and she's crying loudly for her mother.
I realise with a sinking feeling that it's me. I begin to shout, calling to her but she doesn't respond. Suddenly I just know that Derrick is looking for her, I don't know how I become aware of this but I know it's true.
She's terrified and I just know something awful will happen to her if I can't get to her, so I shout louder leaning forward, cutting my arms on the broken glass.
Suddenly a pair of arms grab me from behind and I'm held tightly against his chest.

"I'm here Adele. You're not alone anymore."

I look up and my eyes are held by his piercing blue ones. He smiles gently then tells me again. He's here, I don't need to be afraid anymore.

I sit bolt upright on the bed panting. For a split second I'm sure Derrick is in the room and I'm terrified.

I try to calm my breathing and look round in bewilderment.

Hundreds of golden orbs fill the room.

I'm overtaken by a warm, soft sensation. It's like being wrapped in a soft blanket.

"L-Louis..." I sob, still gripped by the terror of my dream.

The sensation grows stronger, overpowering my fear. He's here.

I steady my breathing then lie back slightly and look around the room. It's like looking up at the stars in the sky on a clear night. It must have taken him ages to create them.

"Why did you do this? Because I had a bad dream?"

The word 'No' appears in golden letters on on the mirror.

"Then why?"

An image of me smiling widely appears slowly on the mirror. I look far more beautiful than I do in real life.

That's how he sees me

The thought makes me smile for some reason.

"You did it to make me happy?"

'Yes'

I asked him before why he doesn't just write full messages on the mirror but he just replied with the word 'difficult'. I think it takes him too much effort. The pictures seem to be memories or thoughts of his... But creating something new is harder.

"Thank you... It's beautiful." I whisper. I reach my hand to the nearest orb. It's warm and my fingertips tingle as they touch it.

A new image appears on the mirror. It shows me frowning and restless in my sleep, followed by a question mark.

"It was nothing... Just a bad dream. About Derrick and the care home." I shrug. "I'm just scared he'll come back..."

The warm feeling surrounds me again and I lie back looking at the orbs around me, twinkling and glowing in the dark room.

"Thank you Louis."

Everything's silent for a while but I can still feel his gentle presence strongly around me.

"Louis? Can you show me you? In the mirror I mean."

Slowly a new image comes into view.

It's Louis, smiling playfully.

It's not quite him... It must be his image of himself and it's nowhere near as beautiful as the real thing, but I lie back on the bed and watch it.

I should be freaking terrified. I'm laid in a room illuminated by paranormal lights, staring at the face of a dead man in my mirror, wrapped up in a hug from a ghost.

But I don't care.

I stare at his face in the mirror and wish more than anything that I could know him, I mean really know him.

I drifting off to sleep. The whole room glows and I feel safe now.

"Louis..." I mutter sleepily. "Don't leave... Not ever..."

I feel him pull back. It's only for a second before he regains control but I felt it and my eyes shoot open in alarm.

"You're not going to leave are you?"

He doesn't answer.

"Louis... Are you going to leave?"

Seconds pass before a word appears on the mirror.

'No'

I feel relived but there's something not quite right. I still feel warm but I can sense tension from him.

"Promise me you won't leave?"

The hesitation drags into minutes  now.

I'm just beginning to worry when the mirror changes again.

'I promise. I won't leave you.'

~~~~~~~~~~~

AN- I'm dedicating this to @thatonekidcrazy thanks so much for your votes and comments, it means so much :D x

Yeah.. To anyone who has read iridescent... That was Bel at the beginning of the chapter. I couldn't resist ;)

I'm going to update tomorrow... So 6 weeks without an update then 3 in one week ;) after that I'm going to Barcelona for a week so I probably won't update till I come back.

Btw someone asked me if there was a song for this story... Funny you should ask lol, apart from 18 by One Direction there's a song I always had in mind when I was coming up with the characters, it's Clouds by Zach Sobiech. I've posted it at the top/side.

It's the song with the lyrics I always thought fit Adele and Louis exactly, I usually listen to it before I write a chapter.

Actually while I was looking for the song just now I found out that Zach Sobiech was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 14 and wrote and recorded it knowing he only had a couple of months to live... He passed away at the tragic age of 18 from the terrible disease. How inspiring that someone can find the courage in them to create such beautiful music while facing such a battle. Rest in peace x