The Love of My Afterlife

On the TV, Delphie sees her idyllic childhood before her father left and her mother moved to an artists’ commune in Texas. She also views her childhood best friend, Gen Hartley, who later became her bully. Many clips show Delphie alone, and in high school, she was often tormented by Gen and her boyfriend Ryan. Now, as she watches her adulthood, Delphie sees the same days replaying over and over again. Merritt pities her, but Delphie knows that the video does not include many of the good parts of her life. Merritt is especially sad that Delphie died a virgin and offers to set her up with the afterlife’s new dating service. Not wanting to face the truth of her death, Delphie runs from Merritt’s office and flees into the laundromat waiting room, where she bumps into a handsome stranger.

The stranger catches Delphie when she runs into him, and Delphie notices how beautiful he is. They realize that he just died when he went under anesthesia for dental surgery. Now, he and Delphie discuss Merritt’s strange attempt to reassure the new Deads by making her lobby look like a laundromat. Although Delphie and the man have a lot in common and both live in London, Delphie observes some notable differences in their outlooks on life. Even so, she feels like this man would be perfect for her. As Delphie and the stranger talk and joke together, they both get the feeling that they have met before, and they feel completely comfortable in each other’s presence. Just after the stranger reveals that his name is Jonah, Merritt comes out of her office and tells them that Jonah is an “unconscious visitor” and is not actually dead. When Merritt touches Jonah’s forehead, he begins to dissolve and soon returns to his normal life.

Delphie demands that Merritt send her back to her life, just as she did with Jonah, but Merritt says that she can only do this for administrative errors like unconscious visitors. However, Merritt seems genuinely sad for Delphie, and as a romance novel aficionado, she realizes that Delphie and Jonah have chemistry. Merritt is reminded of a clause in the Evermore handbook, which was written by a man named Franklin Bellamy, and she considers using it to help Delphie. The Franklin Bellamy Clause states that an Afterlife Therapist can send a newly dead person back to their life as a favor. Merritt can only do this once, but she believes that Delphie and Jonah are soulmates, and she wants to see their courtship play out like a real-life romance novel. She agrees to send Delphie back to the real world, but only under the condition that she finds Jonah and gets him to kiss her within 10 days, as Merritt’s superiors will be returning from vacation at that time. However, if Delphie doesn’t get Jonah to kiss her within 10 days, she will have to return to Evermore and help Merritt with her afterlife dating service. Delphie signs a contract to this effect before she is sent back into the real world.

Delphie wakes up on her apartment floor to find her downstairs neighbor, Cooper towering over her and shaking her awake. When she looks around, Delphie notices that two hours have passed, but the burger she choked on is nowhere to be seen. She is annoyed that Cooper is the person who has found her. When they first met, he seemed charming and happy. Delphie once thought that she might be interested in him, but since that time, Cooper has become a scowling thorn in Delphie’s side. He is frequently rude to her when packages are mistakenly delivered to his apartment. Now, even though Cooper offers to call a doctor, the two snipe at each other before Cooper leaves. Delphie begins to believe that her experience in Evermore was a dream, and she resumes her usual activities.

Delphie goes to bed but has trouble falling asleep. She thinks of her vivid dream about the afterlife and Jonah T. The next morning, Delphie texts her mother and goes to see Mr. Yoon, her nonverbal elderly neighbor, for whom she feels responsible. Delphie feels comfortable around Mr. Yoon because he does not behave inauthentically as most people do. Delphie tells Mr. Yoon about her dream and admits that she misses Jonah. She then gets ready to go to her job, where she works as a pharmacist. However, before she can leave, she hears her phone ring even though it is on silent mode. Delphie sees a text from Merritt, who reminds her she has a job to do and asks why she hasn’t started looking for Jonah. As Delphie wonders whether she is still dreaming, Merritt confirms that everything she experienced is real. Though this terrifies Delphie, she is also excited that Jonah is real and is somewhere in the city.

Delphie goes to work at Meyer’s Pharmacy, where she asks her boss, Leanne, for the next nine days off. Leanne and her mother, Jan, are surprised, as Delphie never asks for time off, and Delphie is suspicious about how nice they are about her request. Leanne agrees to the time off as long as Delphie agrees to go out for drinks with her after the nine days: an invitation that Delphie has previously declined because she believes that Leanne is too nice. Delphie uses her time off to go to the library and research Jonah, but she has trouble finding him and asks a librarian named Aled for assistance.

Aled gives Delphie a stack of books on missing persons, and Delphie is annoyed by how nice and upbeat he is. As she returns to her building, Delphie drops the stack of books when Cooper opens the door from the other side. When he sees the books, Cooper gives Delphie his recommendations on which titles will be the most helpful for finding a missing person, though he doesn’t respond when she asks him how he knows. Delphie tells the half-truth that she is looking for an ex-hookup. She claims that she gave him chlamydia and has to tell him. Delphie is embarrassed with herself and doesn’t know why she bothered to tell Cooper anything. After reading through the books, Delphie feels no closer to finding Jonah. Suddenly, her TV turns on, but instead of subtitles, she sees a hot pink script containing a message from Merritt, who reiterates that Delphie’s plan to find Jonah is not working. Delphie finally admits to herself that she needs help.

Delphie knocks on Cooper’s door, and he seems angry at her appearance. After trading barbs, Cooper lets Delphie inside when she asks for his help. Delphie knows that Cooper works with computers, and she wants him to help her narrow down her internet searches for Jonah. Cooper says he is too busy to help now but can help in two or three days. Desperate for immediate assistance, Delphie offers him anything he wants in exchange for helping her sooner. Though Cooper initially dismisses her, he agrees to help Delphie if they can take a selfie together. This confuses Delphie, but she agrees. Cooper offers to do what he can to help in the next half hour.