Page 3 of Ghosted

I blinked. Once. Twice. But no matter how many times I blinked, he didn’t disappear. There he was—Casper Thorne—standing, or more accurately, floating in front of me, semi-transparent, his golden-blond hair still perfectly tousled, his green eyes still intense. Only now, his whole body was glowing with this faint, ethereal light.

“Hey,” he said casually, as if this was a perfectly normal situation. As if he wasn’t currently defying every law of nature by standing there like some kind of sexy ghost.

“What the actual hell?” I managed to sputter, my heart slamming against my ribcage.

He floated a little closer, his expression sheepish. “Yeah…about that…”

“You ghosted me. Literally. And now you’re an actual poltergeist?” I took a step back, running my hands through my wild, frizzy hair, trying to make sense of what I was seeing.

“I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean to leave you on read,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck like he always did when he was nervous. Only this time, his hand passed through his neck in a way that shouldn’t have been possible.

I blinked again, trying to keep my voice steady. “So, what? You died and decided to haunt me?”

Casper winced. “I wouldn’t say haunt. More like…I need your help.”

“Help with what?” I asked, incredulous. “Crossing over? Finishing your unfinished business? Oh God, please don’t tell me I’m part of some weird cosmic love story. I really don’t want to star in a real-life gothic time travel romance.”

He floated lower, his feet almost touching the ground. “Nope, no gothic time travel romance. I just…I want to come back to life. And I need your help to do it. That’s all.”

I stared at him, my mind racing to catch up with the absurdity of the situation. Casper Thorne—my best-sex-ever date, the guy who had vanished without a word—was standing in my living room asking me to help him come back from the dead like asking to borrow a book.

“This isn’t happening,” I whispered, more to myself than to him, my hands trembling as I gripped the back of the couch.

Casper hovered in front of me, his expression soft, almost apologetic, but still carrying that casual nonchalance that made me want to scream. “Look, I know it’s a lot to take in, but I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t important.”

“Important?” I repeated, incredulity creeping into my voice. “Casper, you’re dead, if I’m not mistaken.”

“Yeah, I know,” he said, floating a little lower as if to ground himself. “Believe me, this wasn’t part of my plan. But right now, I’m asking for your help.”

“I can’t…” I shook my head, my voice faltering. My hands found their way to my wild hair, tugging on the tangled mess as if that would somehow pull me back to reality. “This isn’t real.None of this is real. You can’t just… show up like this and expect me to…”

Casper cut in, his green eyes locking onto mine with a quiet intensity that made my heart stutter. “I’m running out of time, Tabitha. I had nowhere else to turn, or you have to believe me, I wouldn’t have bothered you. The last thing I wanted was to get you involved in this mess.”

My pulse quickened, my mind spinning.

I took a shaky breath, my voice barely above a whisper. “What exactly do you want from me?”

“I need to come back,” Casper said, his voice steady. “I don’t know exactly how yet, but I know I can’t do it alone. You’re smart and resourceful. You’re the only one who might have what it takes.”

I stared at him, feeling a mix of anger, confusion, and fear swirl inside me. This wasn’t just a random apparition showing up on my doorstep—this was Casper. The man who had disappeared without a word. The man I thought I had connected with, on every level. The man I’d…started to fall for. And now he was back. Wanting me to do him a favor.

“You ghosted me,” I said, the words tumbling out before I could stop them, my voice tight with frustration. “Remember? And now you want my assistance? After you just…poof, left me hanging like an old leaf waiting to fall from a tree?”

He winced, guilt flickering across his face. “I didn’t mean to. I swear. I liked you, Tabitha. I really did. But…something happened. Something I didn’t see coming.”

I swallowed hard, trying to keep my emotions in check. “You can say that again.”

“Yeah,” he said, his tone softer now, almost regretful. “And now I need your help to fix it.”

I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. My mind was racing, my heart pounding in my chest. This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t be happening. Maybe this was all just some weird dream brought on by Daphne’s tarot reading. And yet…

I closed my eyes, willing myself to breathe. In. Out. In. Out.

When I opened them again, he was still there. Floating. Glowing faintly, waiting for my response.

“I…I need time,” I said, my voice shaky. “I need to wrap my head around this.”

He nodded, his expression softening. “I understand.”

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