“Okay. I will.” But I know there’s no way I’ll ever be able to come up with the money.
He starts to get into the car then pauses and turns back to me, seeming undecided about something. “Grey, I don’t want to go all big brother threatening you, but since Luna doesn’t have a big brother to stick up for her, that’s always been my role.” He spins the keychain around on his finger, considering something. “You haven’t had the greatest track record with her. I get that someone can change and become a better person, and you seem like you’re trying to change, but I want you to know that, if anything happens to her—if you hurt her at all—I’ll fucking kick your ass, okay?”
“I’m not planning on hurting her,” I assure him. “Trust me. That’s the last thing I want to do.”
“Yeah, but sometimes people don’t intend on hurting others, and it just sort of happens, you know.” He opens the car door. “She’s a really sweet girl, and in my opinion, she forgives way too easily. Just make sure you don’t fuck it up. Don’t take advantage of how nice she is. Too many people do that to her already . . . And just, treat her right, okay?”
I nod, and he goes from super intense to the relaxed Beckett I’ve always known.
“See you at the game,” he says then gets into the car.
I watch him drive away, feeling unsettled. I’ve been working on changing and being a better guy, but suddenly that doesn’t seem like enough. I need to do better. I need to make up for what I did to Luna. Somehow.
Blowing out a breath, I head toward my car parked toward the back, but I mutter a curse when I spot Piper’s car next to mine and her leaning against it. She’s alone, a rare occurrence for Piper, and she seems preoccupied with her phone.
I stare in the opposite direction, hoping to escape without her noticing me. She hasn’t said much to me personally since we broke up, though I did catch her glaring at Luna when we left the gym earlier. Not a good sign. If she wants to rip me apart, that’s fine. But I won’t let her do anything to Luna.
“What? Are you too good to even say hello to me anymore?” Piper calls out right as I reach the rear end of my car.
So fucking close.
I toss a quick glance at her as I unlock my car. “Nope. Just in a hurry. That’s all.”
“You seem in a hurry a lot lately,” she remarks, propping her hip against her car door. “Like this morning when you ran out of the gym with Luna and Willow.” Her heels click against the asphalt as she ambles her way toward me. “You know, I’ve seen guys lose their minds when I break up with them, but I’ve never seen them lose their minds this badly.”
The lock clicks, and the door creaks as I yank it open. “You broke up with me? Is that what you’re telling everyone?”
“What else would I tell them,” she feigns innocence, “when that’s what happened? I mean, I can’t keep going out with a guy who has herpes.”
“Nope. I guess not.” Deciding not to play her game, I duck into the car and start to close the door.
She snatches ahold of the door, and my fingers slip from the handle. “I know you care, even though you’re pretending you don’t. You’re just like me, Grey. You’ve always cared about what people think. That’s what made us such a great couple.”
“I used to care what people think, which is why we broke up.” I slant to the side and extend my hand for the door handle.
“Screw you,” she spits, shuffling back. “You act like you don’t care, but you do, and if you don’t, then you will once I’m finished.” She puts her hands on her hips and grins at me, but it’s all for show. Deep down, I have rattled her.
Lifting her chin, she reels around and makes her way back to her car, and I slam the door then drive to the center of town for my very last therapy session. The closer I get, the more my worries of Piper fade as my excitement to tell Luna about the test grows. It’s crazy to me that I’m so excited just to share something like this with someone. A couple of weeks ago, I wouldn’t even have told anyone about my struggles with school. Six months ago, I wouldn’t even have cared enough to work so hard to get my grades up.
After I park my car in the parking lot adjacent to the building, I jog to the entrance and step inside. I immediately seek out Luna and spot her sitting in one of the fold-up chairs, frowning at something on her phone. She’s still wearing that tight pair of black jeans and the blue top she had on earlier that shows off the long legs and freckles on her shoulders. But now she has a jacket tied around her waist and a braid in her hair.
Since I’m running a bit late, almost everyone else has made it here except for Howard, the therapist, so the session hasn’t started yet.
I start to step toward the circle of chairs when Luna’s gaze elevates to me.
I freeze as our gazes weld, and a revelation slaps me across the face. I’m going to kiss her. Really soon. It’s not a big deal. It really shouldn’t be, anyway. I’ve kissed enough girls, ones I’ve spent way less time with. In fact, I once kissed a girl one minute after meeting her. Logan dared me to do it, and he cheered me on when I pressed my lips to the very shocked but very enthusiastic-to-kiss-me-back girl. This thing with Luna, though, feels like a big deal, an epic, life changing moment even.
She rushes over to me. “So?”
“So what?” I play dumb.
She jokingly swats my arm. “You know what. Did you pass?”
I chuckle. “Yeah, I passed.”
“You did!” She claps her hands and jumps up and down. “I’m so happy for you.”
“I couldn’t have done it without you and Willow, of course. You guys weren’t kidding when you said you were good.”
“It was mostly Willow. I didn’t do too much.”
“Give yourself more credit, Luna. You helped me out a lot.” More than I think you realize. I fold my arms around her and pull her in for a hug. “I want to say thank you for helping me out. Not just with the test thing, but for listening to me and letting me feel comfortable to talk about my dad. I didn’t realize how much I needed to talk about him until I did.”
“I’m glad I could help.” She stiffens in my arms as she places a hand on my back.
I trace my finger back and forth across the bottom of her back until the tension leaves her body, and she fully hugs me back, tucking her head under my chin. God, her hair smells so good, like strawberries and vanilla. I breathe in the scent before slightly tipping my head to the side to look at her.
“You did more than just help. You listened, and not many people do that, especially for a person who’s treated you so shitty over the years, who still needs to say he’s sorry and ask for forgiveness, which he’s fully planning on doing, but the right way.” Before I can back out, I brush my lips across hers so softly she probably won’t be able to tell if the move is accidental.
She gasps against my mouth, and my fingers tighten as the need to kiss her deeper pulsates through me. I graze my lips against hers again, and this time, she moans.
Holy. Fucking. Shit. I almost lose it.
“No kissing inside the building,” Howard mutters as he brushes by us.
Luna’s cheeks are bright pink when she scrambles away from me with her fingers pressed to her lips. I carry her gaze, even though I’m a bit nervous. I can’t tell what she’s thinking at all, whether she liked the kiss as much as I did or not.
“Everyone have a seat,” Howard says loudly from over by the circle.
“We should probably go sit down.” The corners of her mouth pull into a coy smile as she turns around and sits back down.
I take a seat next to her as she glances at her phone, seeming bothered by something on the screen. I want to ask her about it, but Howard starts the session and doesn’t give me an opportunity.
People start talking, but I barely hear anything anyone says, too fixated on every time Luna shifts her weight, when her shoulder grazes mine, when she crosses her legs and her knee brushes against my jeans. My body and mind are hyperaware of everything she’s doing to the point where it’s driving me insane in the very best way possible. I’m not even sure I’ve experienced this kind of a connection with someone before.