Page 32 of Luna

“If I keep pretending everything is fine, it will be fine,” I muttered. “I’m not ready for the ‘not fine’ bits yet.”

“Okay.” He agreed easily. “But you’re not sleeping or eating well. What can we do to fix that?”

I gave a guilty half shrug. “I’m trying. I had some crackers yesterday that sat okay.”

“Crackers.” He sighed, shaking his head, and absently rubbed his hand along my arm. I leaned against him again, enjoying his scent around me.

I wasn’t sure if this was something friends did, or if he knew I liked him, or what, but I didn’t want it to stop.

“I’m trying really hard not to be overbearing.” He frowned. “I don’t like seeing you not well. I don’t know what else I can do.”

“This.” I gestured to indicate the proximity between us, the sleeve of the red hoodie bobbing around me as I did so. “This is perfect.”

I froze. “Oh damn it! I forgot to take your hoodie off.”

Halos laughed. “You answered the door in it.”

Embarrassment flashed through me like a meteorite. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” I shifted away, tugging on the zipper. “I can take it off.”

“Don’t.” Halos cupped my face with his hands. “Luna, please don’t.”

I froze again, embarrassment still burning inside me.

“I’ve been leaving my sweatshirts over here on purpose.” His face softened, and he brushed his thumb along my jaw. “Luna, honey, I’ve had a crush on you since you came into the nursery extoling the virtues of milkweed. You knew that, right?”

“How was I supposed to know?” I whispered. This was a mistake, surely. It couldn’t be this easy.

“I tried to give you space because you seemed overwhelmed.” His thumbs kept stroking along my jaw, and a shiver ran through my body. “Was that not okay?”

“I don’t want space,” I whispered, my skin brushing against his hands as I spoke. “I want you.”

His expression became molten. “You can have whatever you want, Luna. I’m yours.”

Mine. He was mine! I leaned forward and claimed his mouth with mine. Halos pulled me against him and sealed his mouth with me. For a long time, it was just our mouths together, lips and tongue tasting, touching.

The burnt edges of my nerves soothed, and my body relaxed. He was here with me, he was kissing me, touching me. He drank my mouth like a fine wine, savoring each brush of our lips, until my head was spinning.

Halos pulled away and brushed his mouth along my jaw. “You’re okay? We can stop whenever you want.”

“I’m great,” I breathed. Euphoria flooded my body, and with it my need. My perfume hit us both like a Mack truck, the scent of raspberries and cream so heavy it smelled like we were in a bakery.

Halos swallowed hard and blinked, his pupils dilating so much his eyes looked black. “Tell me if I need to slow down.” He pressed a gentle kiss against my lips. “Just being able to touch you is…”

“…a relief.” I kissed him again. It was sweet, the way he was fighting my perfume to make sure I didn’t feel rushed. “Like I was in a desert and now I’m swimming.”

It was a silly metaphor, but Halos nodded. He dragged his mouth along my jaw, and I whimpered. He nibbled down my neck, moving his hands on my back in small circles like he was comforting me, like Dr. Lim had.

I froze. “Wait, wait.”

Halos pulled back immediately. “Okay.”

I shook my head. “I don’t want to stop, but I have to…”

I sighed. I couldn’t take things further with Halos without telling him.

I studied his face. His brown eyes and plush mouth: he was so soft and open, with that edge of humor waiting to come out. Everything about him was insanely good looking, but it was his laid-back demeanor and sense of amusement was my undoing.

If he rejected me now, I would be crushed.

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