After I Died, I Ended Up Living with My Ex-Boyfriend Chapter 1

After I died, I became a ghost, constantly hovering around my ex-boyfriend, Caleb.

I thought he couldn’t see me, so I shamelessly slept beside him, even swiped his underwear, and chirped away while he was in the shower.

Until that day, when his utterly exasperated voice came from the bathroom:

"Elara, are you done messing around? Give me back my briefs."

I died, a hundred days after breaking up with Caleb.

A freak car accident. Quick and definitive.

When I opened my eyes again, I was floating in mid-air, watching my cold body being covered with a white sheet and loaded onto an ambulance.

Then, an unseen force tugged at me, pulling me through countless walls, before finally depositing me in a familiar apartment.

It was Caleb's place.

And just like that, I became a ghost.

I floated in front of Caleb. He was sitting on the couch, a bottle of whiskey in hand, drinking mouthful after mouthful.

The coffee table was littered with empty liquor bottles and takeout containers. The whole apartment reeked.

He was a shadow of his former self, cheekbones sharp, eyes sunken, a scruffy beard dusting his jaw. Those eyes, which once always held a spark when they looked at me, were now utterly vacant.

My non-existent heart felt like it was being squeezed tight, an excruciating pain.

We'd been together for three years, from college sweethearts to navigating the real world. Everyone just assumed we'd end up getting married.

Six months ago, he suddenly became distant, always busy.

We argued, gave each other the silent treatment, until finally, he called it quits.

He just said, "Elara, I'm exhausted."

Back then, I just thought he didn’t love me anymore.

But seeing him in this state now… I wasn’t so sure anymore.

"Caleb," I floated to his ear, unable to stop myself from chattering, "Look at you, what a mess. You can't even bother to shave, or sweep the floor. The garbage is practically burying you alive!"

He didn't react at all, just lifted the whiskey bottle and took another long swig.

Fine. He really couldn't see or hear me.

My heart sank, yet a strange sense of relief washed over me.

At least, I could still be by his side like this.