Page 6 of Ghosted

She offered me a shaky smile. “I’m going hold you to that. I don’t think I can handle any more tricks after Halloween.”

My heart swelled and I nodded. “Good.”

I just hoped I’d be alive when Halloween came to treat Tabitha to a sweet new beginning.

Chapter Three

“You Want Me to Do What?”

Tabitha

The moment Casper agreed to give me some space for the night, I exhaled like I had been holding my breath for hours. Which, in a way, I had been. Having a literal ghost float around your apartment didn’t exactly scream “relaxing evening.” Even if that ghost was the one man I thought I’d never hear from again—and certainly not in this way. “Fine,” he said, flashing that maddeningly boyish grin that I’ll bet used to get him out of trouble far too easily. Until now, of course.

“I’ll leave you alone,” he promised. “Since I have no need for sleep anymore, I’ll just be...hanging around until you wake up.”

He floated a few inches higher, hovering near the ceiling, arms folded across his chest as if this were the most normal thing in the world. For him, I supposed, it was.

“You better not watch me undressing,” I warned as I noticed him following me as I marched into my bedroom and grabbed my oversized sleep shirt from the dresser.

Casper’s grin widened, his green eyes sparkling mischievously. “I can’t promise anything,” he teased, leaning back in mid-air as though lounging on an invisible couch. “I mean, ghost perks and all.”

I shot him a withering glare, though the corner of my mouth twitched in amusement. “Casper.”

He chuckled, his form flickering slightly. “Alright, alright. I’ll keep my ghostly eyes to myself. Scout’s honor.” He made a dramatic show of turning away, hovering up and down in that casual, carefree way he did everything. The fact that he was dead hadn’t changed his annoyingly charming sense of humor.

With one final look to make sure he wasn’t peeking, I slipped into the bathroom to change. As I pulled on my t-shirt, I caught my reflection in the mirror. My hair was a wild mess as usual, half frizzy, half tangled, and my eyes were rimmed with exhaustion. I couldn’t blame myself. It wasn’t every day the guy you’d been dating got unalived and came around begging for your help to reverse the spell that did it.

Sliding into bed, I let out a long sigh, and sank between the cool sheets. Part of me still half-expected to wake up and find this all had been a crazy, feverish dream brought on by the combination of sniffing too much incense atMoonlit Mysticsand eating my weight in popcorn. But then again, I was glad Casper really hadn’t meant to ghost me. At least he had a good excuse for not calling me back.

As sleep tugged at me, I let my thoughts drift back to the three perfect dates we’d had. I remembered his laugh, his eyes, the way he’d look at me like he could see right into my soul. I had started to fall for him, and just when I thought we were heading somewhere real, he vanished. Now I knew why. Maybe I’d be able to forgive him, once we found a way out of this mess.

With that bittersweet thought, I finally let myself succumb to slumber, half-smiling at the irony of it all.

When I woke up, the soft light of morning was creeping through the curtains, casting a warm glow across the room. I rubbed my eyes and sat up. Nothing—no strange sounds, no ghosts appearing through walls. Had I really dreamed that Casper had shown up again?

Just then he floated in, at least doing me the courtesy of coming through the open doorway.

“Morning, sunshine,” he said, his voice far too chipper for someone who hadn’t slept in several days.

I groaned and clapped my hands over my face. “Oh God, it’s all real.”

“Afraid so,” he said, coming closer and lowering to my level. “But to make up for it, I’ve made breakfast.”

At first, I thought he was joking, but then I noticed the tray hovering beside him, perfectly balanced in mid-air. And not just any breakfast—this was a full-on, gourmet spread. Fluffy golden waffles topped with cinnamon apples and whipped cream, savory sausage links that were still steaming, freshly squeezed orange juice, and a cappuccino with the perfect swirl of foam. My stomach growled at the sight of it.

“Are you buttering me up?” I asked, raising an eyebrow as I pulled the tray onto my lap.

Casper shrugged, flashing that infuriatingly handsome grin again. “Maybe. I figured this might boost my apology.”

“Well, I’m starving, so I’ll take it.” I took a bite of the waffles and closed my eyes, savoring the sweet cinnamon flavor. “If you keep making breakfast like this, I might forgive you for the whole ‘not calling me back because you were cursed by your ex-girlfriend’ thing.”

He laughed, floating beside me as I ate. “That’s a start.”

As I devoured the meal, he watched me with a wistful look in his eyes. “You don’t know how good that looks right now,” he said, his voice softening. “I miss food. It’s one of those things you don’t appreciate until it’s gone.”

I glanced at him, a pang of sympathy tugging at my chest. “Well, I’ll enjoy it for both of us, then.”

“Thanks,” he said, his smile a little sadder now. “Until I get back to normal, I’ll just have to live vicariously through you.”

---