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if he thought about every word that he said. He sat down next to her, avoiding the chair that Zack sat in and Zack glanced at Molly, as if to say, ‘see, he knows I’m here, he’s just ignoring me.’
    Dev took his jacket off and threw it on the chair next to him. It hit Zack and fell across his legs.
    â€œSo? A cappuccino and cake? The homemade cakes in here are brilliant! I’ll go and see what they have,” Dev said. “And I’ll report back.” He wandered off towards the chilled cabinet.
    Molly saw Zack stand and dig his hands deep into his pockets. He looked at her and she had to ignore him and stare hard at the menu. He picked up her keys from the table and closed his hand over them. They disappeared. Molly looked up.
    â€œBlimey,” she said, “where did my keys go?”
    Zack shrugged. He dropped them back on the table and they reappeared again.
    â€œThat is really weird,” Molly exclaimed. “It’s like you occupy a whole other world.”
    â€œMaybe I do.”
    â€œWhat, like half in this world and half out of it?”
    â€œYeah.” He didn’t tell her that he felt weak with the effort of having to hold something physical.
    Molly shook her head; they’d gone from ghosts to science fiction in one sweep of her house keys.
    â€œI’m off,” Zack said.
    â€œWhere to?” she asked. He looked so forlorn, so young and alone.
    He shrugged. “What do you care?”
    Molly looked at him. “I don’t especially. I just want to know where you’re going to?” she whispered feverishly. “What you’re going to do? That doesn’t mean I care.”
    Zack shrugged. “I dunno.” He looked at her and offered her a sad, lopsided smile. “I’m dead remember? I guess it doesn’t really matter where I go.”
    Molly shook her head. “Yes, but...”
    â€œBut what?”
    She shook her head again. “I don’t know, it’s odd because I can only hear all the others, but I can actually see you and you can move stuff and...”
    â€œAll the others?”
    It was Molly’s turn to shrug. “Maybe you’re not completely dead,” Molly suddenly suggested. “And that’s why you can move things and make them disappear.”
    Zack laughed ironically. “Oh really?” He suddenly stood on the chair and then climbed onto the small round table. “No, I definitely think I’m dead,” he said. He began shouting. “Whoa everyone! Look at me!! Look at what I’m doing!”
    Molly watched him and grinned while everyone else in the café got on with the serious business of eating cake. They were oblivious.
    â€œOK you’re dead,” she said, “and only I can see you, it seems.”
    Zack climbed down and pulled his hood over his head. “Lucky you.” He turned to go, glancing down at the maths book. “Does he really read this stuff?” he asked.
    â€œYes,” Molly said.
    Zack shook his head and laughed. He was laughing to himself all the way to the door, where he stopped, looked back and Molly and saluted. Moments later he was gone.
    Dev stood at the cake counter and watched Molly. She was mouthing words and smiling and shaking her head. It looked like she was having a fantastic conversation with herself. He sighed and wished he hadn’t come. She was weird.
    He came back to the table and said; “Coffee cake, chocolate cake, cup-cakes, lemon drizzle cake...”
    â€œChocolate,” Molly said, “please.” She looked up at him and smiled and her smile was so honest and lovely that Dev forgot the fervid murmurings while he wasn’t there and smiled back.
    â€œTwo chocolate cakes it is then,” he said and he went off to order.
    The waiter brought them their cake and coffee and they chatted easily about all that had happened to them in that long period since they’d seen each other.