Chapter 42
Luna
The second I wake up, I reach for him, but the spot where he should be is empty.
My eyes go wide, and I’m fully awake now.
Don’t panic!
The room is dark, except for the lights coming from the window, and there’s no sign of Zayden. How long have I been asleep for? That’s when I see the small piece of paper on his pillow.
He didn’t leave. He’s coming back.
I push the blanket aside and shuffle toward the door. My head hurts, but it’s not a migraine this time.
When I open the door, I hear whispers. Maybe he’s back and didn’t want to wake me.
“Zayden?” I take another step toward the hallway, following the voices coming from the living room. But when I round the corner, I freeze. It’s Sophie and Jasper. She’s laughing under her breath, and he’s trying not to smile, and they lean in way too close to each other.
“Luna!” Her eyes go wide when she spots me.
Jasper straightens, too.
Sophie hurries over to me. “You’re awake. Are you okay?”
“Uh…yeah. Where’s Zayden? I thought he was with Jasper.”
“Yeah, he’s grabbing dinner,” Jasper says.
Sophie leads me back into Zayden’s room. I curl back into the blanket. Even though I slept for hours, my body still feels tired.
Sophie sits beside me. “Hey… What happened?”
I tell her all about the therapy session with Rylee and my mother.
She moves closer and wraps her arms around my shoulders. “I’m proud of you. I know you’ve been holding it in for years, and it’s gonna hurt right now, but we’re here for you.”
“Thank you,” I whisper, leaning into her.
“And I don’t think you really hate her, just hate that she was a terrible mother, and you and Rylee deserved better.”
Maybe she’s right. I don’t know anymore.
We sit quietly for a few seconds.
“So…you and Jasper, huh?” I glance at her with a smirk.
“What about me and Jasper?” she asks, a little too quickly.
“Last time I checked, you were hooking up with Cameron. Then I caught you two about to kiss.”
“We were not.” She flops on the bed, and I lie down next to her, raising an eyebrow.
“So, there’s nothing between you two?” I turn my head to look at her. Because if I’m being honest, this isn’t the first time I’ve noticed.
“He’s Zayden’s best friend, and we get along.”
“Uh huh. And that’s it?”
“And he’s easy to talk to. He understands me.” She puts her palms over her face.
“Sophie!”
“I know. It’s just him and I are kinda alike.
We both don’t want to disappoint our families.
He just wants to play hockey. Even though he loves tech, and he doesn’t want to run his family business.
And I want to create the next gen of sports innovation.
Gear that changes how athletes move. I’m talking about smart compression, temperature-regulating fabrics.
I don’t want to be just the stylish little sister who smiles in the press photos. ”
“Sophie, that sounds amazing. And I’m sure if you talk to Luc, he’ll support you. He loves you.”
“You think so?” She looks at me unconvinced.
“I know so.”
Her smile grows bigger. “You really think I can do it?”
I wrap my arms around her and pull her into a hug. “You can do anything you want. And I believe in you, and Luc will, too.”
She lets out a breath, like she’s relieved someone else believes in her.
“So, what about Cameron?”
“Well, Cameron and I were never exclusive or anything like that.”
“So, does that confirm there is something between you and Jasper?”
She huffs. “You’re impossible, you know that?”
“But you love me.” I pull her even closer.
She rolls her eyes, but the smile on her face tells me everything. And just for a second, everything feels okay again.
The door opens. “Am I interrupting something?” We both sit up as Zayden steps in.
“Nope,” Sophie says.
“Maybe,” I say, just to tease him, or maybe to hide the fact that I stop breathing for a second.
He walks toward the bed slowly, eyes locked with mine, and I’m still not sure if I’m breathing properly or blinking. And then he stops in front of me as he leans down, one hand on the bed, the other lifting my chin before he presses his lips to mine.
He kisses me like he’s been thinking about it all day. Like he can finally breathe. I melt into it, only pulling back when I remember we’re not alone.
“Zayden,” I whisper, glancing at Sophie. “Sophie’s right here.”
“I know,” he murmurs. “But out there, I have to pretend. In here, you’re mine.”
My breath stutters, and before I can blink, he kisses me again. Harder this time, like he needs to make me believe him.
Sophie clears her throat. “All right, I’m leaving.” Then the door closes behind her.
Zayden pushes me gently onto the mattress, his hands framing either side of my head. Then he’s kissing me again, deeper, hotter. I gasp against his lips, causing a low, deep sound to escape his throat.
God, that sound.
He grabs my thighs and pulls me closer to him. Every hard inch of him pressing against where I need him. My hips shift without thinking, chasing the friction that makes my blood rush hot through every part of me.
Then he flips us until I’m straddling him with my knees on either side of his hips. He rests his hands lightly on my waist, eyes dragging over my face.
“You know, for someone who’s broody all the time, you sure are touchy.” I slide my hand down his chest, and he grins. I like this version of him, a little too much.
I run my fingers through his locs, twisting them gently, and his eyes flutter closed for half a second before they meet mine again.
“Are you okay?” he asks gently.
“I’m okay.” I keep playing with his hair, because it’s easier than meeting his stare.
“Luna, please look at me,” he says gently. “I want to see you when you talk to me.”
Slowly, I lift my eyes until they meet his. He’s doing that thing where he peels me open with nothing but his gaze.
“I told you, baby. Don’t hide from me. You don’t have to be okay with me.”
I’m trying, but I’ve just been hiding for so long I don’t always know when I’m doing it. “I guess I’m not okay, but being here with you makes it a little better.” I hold his gaze, even though I want to look away.
He brushes my cheeks with his thumbs. “I promise you don’t have to hurt alone anymore.”
“I know.” I press my forehead to his. “Thank you.”
When did Zayden, the hot, broody boy I swore to hate, become this important to me?
My stomach growls, rudely interrupting the moment we’re having. To be fair, I haven’t eaten all day.
He chuckles. “I don’t mind staying here with you all night, but your stomach says otherwise.”
I laugh, too, curling deeper into him.
“I brought food. We can eat in here, just us. Or we can eat with the rest of the gang.”
Instantly, I want to stay here, but wanting to be around him that much is dangerous. So I reluctantly say, “With the gang.”
We make our way toward the living room, and I slide in next to Sophie and Annika. They pass me a container of Chinese food. Zayden sits on the armchair across from us, eating without saying much, his eyes on me the whole time.
Then Zayden steps toward us, hooks his hands under my thighs, and lifts me off the couch.
“Zayden!” I squeal as he carries me back to the armchair, settling me on his lap. “God, you’re such a caveman.” I bury my face into his hoodie, dying of embarrassment.
Sophie and Annika laugh from the couch.
He reaches for a throw blanket and pulls it over us. “I couldn’t take another second watching you from across the couch. I need you in my arms,” he whispers into my ear.
“You’re so clingy.”
He doesn’t deny it, just wraps his arms around my waist. The truth is I wanted to be close to him, too.
“So, did you guys find Serene or not?” Cameron asks from across the room.
Zayden goes stiff beside me, and I straighten.
“Wait, why are you looking for Serene?”
“She doesn’t know yet?” Cameron asks Zayden.
“Know what?” Sophie straightens, too.
I look between Cameron and Zayden. “Someone want to start explaining?”
Zayden sets me down next to him. “You have to promise whatever’s said in this room, stays in here. All of you.”
The room goes quiet.
“Serene is the one who’s been sending us the anonymous messages.” He turns to face me. “She’s also Ellias’s younger sister. Changed her last name to Vancourt before she enrolled here two years ago.” He looks at me like he wishes all of this wasn’t true.
I feel the air punch out of my lungs. “What are you saying?”
“She’s been using you to get to me, to find out the truth.”
“What truth?” Annika asks.
Jasper leans forward. “The Midnight Challenge, the Shadow Rink.”
Annika chuckles. “Wait, you mean that story about some hidden rink, where skaters compete against each other, but invite only?”
“It wasn’t just a story, and we believe Ellias died during one of the challenges. The school covered it up,” Jasper says from his seat.
Annika blinks. “What the hell?” She turns to face Sophie, who doesn’t seem surprised. “You knew about this?”
“Not all of it, but some parts,” Sophie says.
“And now she’s missing?” Annika turns to face Jasper.
“Zayden and I went looking for her earlier after we found out who she is, but she’s gone.”
“Luna, when was the last time you saw Serene?” Zayden asks gently.
“Earlier today during class, but she left before it was over. Said she had an emergency.”
Now that I think about it, she looked scared.
“What if something happened to her?” I whisper. “What if she’s not hiding? Maybe someone found out what she was doing.”
“Hey.” Zayden cups my cheek, his thumb brushing along my jaw. “We’ll find her.”
I nod, swallowing hard, and try to believe it. But somewhere deep in my gut, fear settles in like frost.
Something isn’t right.