Read Online Tamsyn Murray-Afterlife 01 My So-Called Afterlife by Tamsyn Murray - Free Book Online
Authors: Tamsyn Murray
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because I had to.’
Jeremy cleared his throat uncomfortably. ‘Are you going to be all right, Lucy? I wouldn’t mind getting some sleep.’
Eek, I’d almost forgotten he was there. It had to be weird for him, watching me have a one-sided conversation with thin air, but then strange had become an everyday thing for Jeremy since he’d met me. I was just glad I hadn’t said anything embarrassing. ‘I’ll be fine. Thanks for coming to check on me.’
Nodding, he said, ‘I’ll drop in tomorrow.’ His gaze darted around the room. ‘Bye, Ryan. Nice to . . . er . . . meet you.’
‘Good to meet you too.’
‘He said your trousers are too short,’ I supplied.
Startled, Jeremy looked down. ‘Really?’
‘No,’ I grinned. ‘Go home.’
And then it was just the two of us. Ryan settled down on the floor next to me and didn’t even flinch at the puddles.
‘Welcome to my place,’ I said to fill the silence, waving an arm around. ‘Do you like what I’ve done with it?’
‘At least you’ve got a roof over your head,’ he replied, taking in the view. ‘Actually, it’s not that different from mine. Same smell, but there’s no way to flush.’
I didn’t answer immediately, unsure how to phrase the question I wanted to ask. It reminded me of the first time I’d gone swimming without my mum. I hadn’t been sure of the best way to get into the pool; the steps were for babies. Eventually, I’d decided to plunge in at the deep end. ‘Hep said you died in a car crash. Are you a homeless ghost, then?’
He grinned. ‘Kind of. My dad and I crashed on the dual carriageway, so I don’t have a building to haunt like you, butI’m tied to the place all the same. You might have seen the flowers when you came to the party.’
‘What happened to your dad?’
The grin faded. ‘He’s been in a coma since the accident. I don’t see him much.’ A melancholy expression crossed his face. ‘I miss him. He was the one who taught me to play guitar.’
He looked so vulnerable, I wanted to reach out and touch him. ‘He did a great job.’
Ryan nodded absently. ‘My mum spends most of her time at the hospital, hoping he’ll get better. Meanwhile, he’s stuck in an even worse situation than us. I wish there was something I could do. At least if he was a ghost I could help him move on.’
I hadn’t realised there was anything worse than being dead. My throat ached with sympathy. As well as being the most gorgeous ghost ever to walk the earth, Ryan was a genuinely nice person. I wanted to hug him. Actually, I wanted to snog his face off, but that was going to have to wait. Right now, it was enough to sit and talk.
‘What about you? When are you going to move on?’
‘I suppose I’ll know when the time is right.’ He scuffed one worn trainer against the other. ‘In the meantime, we have some unfinished business. Usually, I know as soon as I meet someone. You’re different.’
My stomach flipped. ‘What do you mean?’
He studied me soberly for a moment, then shook his head. ‘Nope, you’ll have to put me out of my misery.’ Hetilted his face to one side. ‘Marmite. Love it or hate it?’
I laughed out loud. ‘Love it, of course.’
He looked delighted. ‘Excellent news. I couldn’t go out with a girl who didn’t like Marmite.’
Oh flippity-flip, now my stomach was doing a full Olympic gymnastic routine. Had he really said what I thought he had? ‘You haven’t asked me yet.’
Blue eyes darkening as they met mine, Ryan nodded. ‘I’m getting to that part. Lucy, will you go out with me?’
I thought about what my mates would say if they could see me now. Yuk, probably. But they’d also be advising me to play it cool, be an ice princess and make him wait. I looked at his tanned face, remembering how I’d felt when he’d sung to me earlier. He was one in a million. There was no way I was letting him get away.
‘You’d have to promise never to play R’n’B in my presence.’
He
Jeremy cleared his throat uncomfortably. ‘Are you going to be all right, Lucy? I wouldn’t mind getting some sleep.’
Eek, I’d almost forgotten he was there. It had to be weird for him, watching me have a one-sided conversation with thin air, but then strange had become an everyday thing for Jeremy since he’d met me. I was just glad I hadn’t said anything embarrassing. ‘I’ll be fine. Thanks for coming to check on me.’
Nodding, he said, ‘I’ll drop in tomorrow.’ His gaze darted around the room. ‘Bye, Ryan. Nice to . . . er . . . meet you.’
‘Good to meet you too.’
‘He said your trousers are too short,’ I supplied.
Startled, Jeremy looked down. ‘Really?’
‘No,’ I grinned. ‘Go home.’
And then it was just the two of us. Ryan settled down on the floor next to me and didn’t even flinch at the puddles.
‘Welcome to my place,’ I said to fill the silence, waving an arm around. ‘Do you like what I’ve done with it?’
‘At least you’ve got a roof over your head,’ he replied, taking in the view. ‘Actually, it’s not that different from mine. Same smell, but there’s no way to flush.’
I didn’t answer immediately, unsure how to phrase the question I wanted to ask. It reminded me of the first time I’d gone swimming without my mum. I hadn’t been sure of the best way to get into the pool; the steps were for babies. Eventually, I’d decided to plunge in at the deep end. ‘Hep said you died in a car crash. Are you a homeless ghost, then?’
He grinned. ‘Kind of. My dad and I crashed on the dual carriageway, so I don’t have a building to haunt like you, butI’m tied to the place all the same. You might have seen the flowers when you came to the party.’
‘What happened to your dad?’
The grin faded. ‘He’s been in a coma since the accident. I don’t see him much.’ A melancholy expression crossed his face. ‘I miss him. He was the one who taught me to play guitar.’
He looked so vulnerable, I wanted to reach out and touch him. ‘He did a great job.’
Ryan nodded absently. ‘My mum spends most of her time at the hospital, hoping he’ll get better. Meanwhile, he’s stuck in an even worse situation than us. I wish there was something I could do. At least if he was a ghost I could help him move on.’
I hadn’t realised there was anything worse than being dead. My throat ached with sympathy. As well as being the most gorgeous ghost ever to walk the earth, Ryan was a genuinely nice person. I wanted to hug him. Actually, I wanted to snog his face off, but that was going to have to wait. Right now, it was enough to sit and talk.
‘What about you? When are you going to move on?’
‘I suppose I’ll know when the time is right.’ He scuffed one worn trainer against the other. ‘In the meantime, we have some unfinished business. Usually, I know as soon as I meet someone. You’re different.’
My stomach flipped. ‘What do you mean?’
He studied me soberly for a moment, then shook his head. ‘Nope, you’ll have to put me out of my misery.’ Hetilted his face to one side. ‘Marmite. Love it or hate it?’
I laughed out loud. ‘Love it, of course.’
He looked delighted. ‘Excellent news. I couldn’t go out with a girl who didn’t like Marmite.’
Oh flippity-flip, now my stomach was doing a full Olympic gymnastic routine. Had he really said what I thought he had? ‘You haven’t asked me yet.’
Blue eyes darkening as they met mine, Ryan nodded. ‘I’m getting to that part. Lucy, will you go out with me?’
I thought about what my mates would say if they could see me now. Yuk, probably. But they’d also be advising me to play it cool, be an ice princess and make him wait. I looked at his tanned face, remembering how I’d felt when he’d sung to me earlier. He was one in a million. There was no way I was letting him get away.
‘You’d have to promise never to play R’n’B in my presence.’
He
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