My Ghostly Matchmaking

Three years after I died.

Alexander Sterling finally started dating again.

But he brought Bella every single time, talking about baby food and purees all the time.

It pissed me off. I wanted to make some noise to scare him a little.

But Bella pointed right at me and blinked.

Daddy, there's a...

Before she could finish, Alexander popped a piece of lobster salad into her mouth with his eyes fixed straight ahead.

"There's nothing there."

Huh?

Was there something around me?

I looked left and right. Nothing unusual.

Whatever.

I drifted closer to them just in time to see Alexander slip the wedding band off his left ring finger and into his pocket.

Nice.

He finally remembered he was supposed to be on a date.

After all, no one wants a guy still couldn't get over his dead ex-wife.

I floated circles around Bella, then made a bunch of ridiculous faces at Alexander. He showed no reaction.

I guess they couldn't see me.

So, I just plopped myself down in the empty seat beside the woman.

She seemed pretty pleased with Alexander, a small smile playing on her lips.

"I can accept the child. But accordingly, I'll need additional compensation clauses in the prenup."

Honestly, apart from having a kid, Alexander was prime real estate.

He was the sole heir to both the Sterling and Montgomery empires.

Six-foot-two height, broad shoulders, narrow waist, with that annoyingly handsome, almost dangerous charm mixed with an air of sophistication.

Back in the day, that face saved him from a few beatings C I only managed to bruise his back a couple of times.

Alexander finished peeling the last piece of lobster and put it in Bella's bowl.

Then he wiped his hands meticulously.

He answered casually and almost lazily,

"No problem."

"But I sleep holding my late wife's memorial plaque every night. I also spend three hours each week in ritual purification for her. Oh, don't wear white. It means bad luck."

Silence.

The woman's gaze dropped to the white shirt peeking out from under Alexander's suit jacket.

She gritted her teeth.

"So, what color is your shirt then? Millennial pink?"

She's too polite.

If it were me, the sarcasm would be dripping by now.

Alexander looked mildly surprised.

"Oh, is this white? My apologies, I'm colorblind."

What a load of crap.

Finally, the woman was finally pissed off, grabbing her purse to leave.

Bella hopped down from her chair and waved her little hand with practiced ease.

"Sorry, Auntie. Grandma says Dad isn't right in the head."

The date was over.

Alexander drove Bella home.

In the car, Bella, full and sleepy, dozed in the back seat.

I tried to hold her, but my arms passing right through.

She was five now.

She looked more and more like Alexander every day, except for the faint dimples by her mouth. Those were mine.

Such a shame. I only got two years with her.

Whenever thinking of this, I felt so empty.

Not being able to cry as a ghost is seriously annoying.

I looked up and accidentally met Alexander's gaze in the rearview mirror.

He glanced, then quickly looked back at the road.

I floated over to the passenger seat, stretching lazily like I used to.

"Seriously, Alex, you're not getting any younger. Find someone, or you'll be too old and wrinkly for anyone. You should get married before it's too late."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alexander's wedding ring was back on his finger.

"Huh."

I leaned in for a closer look.

"When we had these custom-made, you said they were 'meh.' Why did you value them so much now?"

"Ha. Getting old makes you stubborn, huh? I bet you would never admit the truth."

No response, as expected.

Just talking to myself.

Boring.

When I was alive, I argued with Alexander constantly, which made me crave noise. Now, being a ghost alone in the living world was so damn dull.

I stared out the window.

Suddenly, Alexander murmured, so softly that I almost missed it:

"I'm old?"

I didn't catch it clearly. Curiously, I drifted closer.

"What was that? You mumbled like a mosquito."

Alexander didn't answer, just showed a tiny, fleeting smile.

Weirdo.

Just as it got quiet, Alexander's phone rang.

A group video call from "The Bella Brigade."

I named that group.

He answered. Four faces popped up---his parents and mine.

"Alex, honey, how did it go today?"

That was my mom.

The Sterlings and Montgomerys were old family friends and they lived close.

So Alexander and I grew up together. We were the so called childhood sweethearts, I guess.

The kind who constantly tried to one-up each other.

If I climbed a tree, he would kick the trunk. If he went swimming, I would hide his towel.

Basically, we were like on opposing teams in a game since we were kids.

We grew up, took over our respective family businesses, and spent our time sabotaging each other in the boardroom, just to prove who was better.

Then, our parents arranged our marriage.

Since we didn't exactly hate each other, we went along with it.

After a year of marriage, Bella was born.

After three years, I died.

Since that, the responsibilities of both Sterling Corp and Montgomery Industries fell on Alexander's shoulders.

And also, he needed to take care of both sets of parents and raise our kid.

He did a damn good job.

He didn't try to acquire Montgomery Industries, and he treated my parents and Bella well.

And he'd mourned me for three years. It's more than enough.

My parents couldn't bear the thought of him being alone forever. Plus, I'd mentioned it in a dream or two. So they started setting him up recently.

I sighed.

Life had to move forward.

Even for ghosts.

Alexander smiled gently into the phone.

"Mom, it takes time. I'm driving Bella home right now. Let's talk later?"

My mom sighed.

"Oh, Alex. Alright, alright. Don't forget the dinner next week with Bella."

Alexander agreed, staying quiet.

The parents chatted a bit more until the car pulled into the gated community driveway. Then they hung up.

Alexander scooped Bella up from the back seat, holding her close.

As he walked, he patted her back softly, and his voice was gentler than a summer night breeze.

"Sweetie, we're home. Let's get you a bath before bed, okay?"

I followed him, watching Bella slowly blink her eyes open.

She'd always been easygoing, no tantrums.

Maybe because her parents were like gunpowder, so she turned out like a fire extinguisher.

"Daddy, Mommy's here."

Bella rubbed her eyes, trying hard to stay awake, but her eyelids were already drooping again.

Alexander kept walking.

"Yeah, Mommy's always here."

The house looked almost exactly like it did three years ago.

My favorite knick-knacks and stuffed animals were still in place, my clothes hung in the closet, and even the bedroom sheets were the ones I'd picked out.

Alexander really held onto things.

I floated nearby as Alexander read Bella a bedtime story.

It was way smoother than three years ago. He had her asleep in no time.

Bella slept clutching the cherry-print pajamas I'd bought her.

My non-existent heart ached.

I climbed onto the bed, lying beside her and trying to hold her.

Why couldn't I touch her?

Being a ghost sucked.

I needed to ask the King of the Underworld if there was a way. Even just one touch was enough.

If money could buy it, there's no problem.

Over the years, Alexander and both sets of parents had burned tons of Underworld money for me.

I'd used it, teamed up with some other wealthy ghost ladies, and started a real estate empire in the Underworld.

Now I was the Underworld's richest ghost.

Three days in the living world took me three years of accumulated spiritual credit and a hefty bribe.

I just wanted one last look at them before I reincarnate.

I didn't stay long beside Bella.

Ghosts had too much negative energy, which was bad for the living.

So, I ghostedwell, floated openlyinto the bathroom.

Alexander was showering.

Steam fogged the glass. I could see water tracing every of his muscle, turning his skin flushed.

Three years had gone.

That body was still ridiculously attractive.

I swallowed hard.

I looked at him from the back, the side, then just went for it, face-to-face.

Alexander braced one hand against the tile, pushing wet hair off his forehead.

"Scarlett, you died so young we never got through your '100 Sex Positions for the Bathroom' list."

He chuckled, and his gaze fixed right where I was floating, like he was actually talking to me.

I felt my non-existent cheeks flush.

Then I immediately started yelling.

"You jerk! I've been dead three years! Can't you leave me some dignity? Huh? Can you?"

After yelling, I bolted out of the bathroom. I couldn't bear watching anymore.

Remembering those times with Alexander in bed

We never backed down.

He'd pin me, demanding I call him 'Daddy.'

I'd bite him, demanding 'Mommy.'

To win, I'd researched that damn "100 Sex Positions" list, determined to dominate.

Unexpectedly.

The jerk actually compromised for the first time, complimenting me to have found such a good book.

Then he asked if I had lists for the bedroom, the living room, the kitchen

Ugh.

So annoying.

After his shower, Alexander lay propped up in bed reading "The Ultimate Parenting Guide."

He rarely wore glasses, but had them on now.

Though even with glasses, he looked like a sexy professor.

I floated nearby, staring at him.

He was still handsome, but had a few more winkles around the eyes.

"Being a ghost has perks. I freeze at the age I died, so I'm still young."

I floated down, sitting right on his lap, looking up at him.

"Heh, so you're way older than me now! Not good enough! Ha! Finally, I win!"

Alexander suddenly closed the book and took off his glasses.

He closed his eyes, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Scarlett, how could you be so cruel? You only came to my dreams once in three years."

He sounded exhausted, genuinely blaming me.

But he wasn't wrong.

I had only visited his dreams once.

To sternly tell him he had to mourn me, for at least three years.

He looked like thinking something, then laughed with red eyes.

"So if I moved on immediately, would you get so mad you'd come back to life?"

No doubt, I tried to beat him up when I heard that.

Since then, I had never visited his dream.

Thinking about it, I muttered to myself.

I was afraid I was too charming. If I visited too often, you'd never move on."

"After all, me, Scarlett Montgomery, I couldn't say I was the hottest nationwide, but definitely top in the state. The line of guys wanting to marry me could've circled the globe three times. I picked you 'cause you were easy to push around."

I leaned right into Alexander's face, pretending to pinch his cheek.

"Get it?"

His eyes snapped open, looking right at me.

He chuckled softly.

"Oh? You really think you're that charming?"