Shake Out the Ghosts - Al Hess

A brutal assault nine months ago left eccentric portrait artist Micah with facial scars and PTSD. He's struggled to leave his apartment ever since, and he can't let anyone in. Then his only sanctuary is disrupted by signs of a haunting. Between the 80s synth pop and motivation messages scrawled on his bathroom mirror, Micah finds himself more charmed than frightened by who he believes to be Cosmo, the deceased previous resident of his apartment. But when Cosmo's ghostly visits suddenly stop, Micah is determined to lure him back. Meanwhile, sculpture artist Cosmo - dramatic, unconventional, and very much alive - is mourning his old self. His boyfriend's a serial cheater, he's continually passed over for a promotion at work, and he's lost contact with his best friend. To make matters worse, his apartment is being haunted by the ghost of a bespectacled man with an eye socket of scars. It's his last straw, and seeking a new start, Cosmo moves out. In a chance meeting, Cosmo and Micah's paths cross again, and tentative sparks fly. But the phantoms of their pasts still linger. In order to find a future where they can both be happy together, Micah and Cosmo need to confront their trauma once and for all. File Under: Songs For You| Kisses on the Mirror | Monstera Time Constellation | All that Glitters