Chapter 14 Nova
nova
“It’s freezing outside,” Luna huffed as she stepped into the pub, pulling off her oversized white fuzzy earmuffs and shaking off the chill like she’d returned from a trek across the Arctic.
Londoners were always so effortlessly chic, their wardrobes filled with muted tones, structured coats, and leather boots. But Luna? She never changed. She was vibrant and unapologetically herself, and it was one of the reasons I loved her so much.
Today, she was out of her usual yoga gear, dressed instead in bright blue jeans that hugged her legs and a baby-pink sweater. She looked like a candy-colored pop of joy in a sea of grays and blacks.
“Gender reveal and all,” she said teasingly, catching the side-eye I gave her outfit.
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help the smile tugging at my lips as I hugged her tightly. We found a small table tucked into the corner and slid into the seats.
“How was your promotion?” I asked as we settled in.
“Phenom,” Luna cheered. “I’m going to be managing most of the local studios now, which means less teaching but, yay, more money.”
“Luna,” I shrieked, practically bouncing in my seat. “This is huge news! It’s amazing. Why did you wait until now to tell me? Why not text?”
“You’ve got a lot going on.”
I’d been so wrapped up in my own sadness, my depression, and everything going on with me. It had been all-consuming, and I hadn’t stopped to think about how it was affecting Luna or our friendship.
That’s not how friendship should be. It shouldn’t feel one-sided or like a burden. She’d been there for me, and I took without giving back.
“I’m sorry,” I said earnestly. “That’s not how this works. We tell each other everything, okay? Always.”
Luna didn’t miss a beat. She squeezed my hand tightly. “Nova, you don’t have to apologize for needing me. That’s what sisters do. We hold each other up when the other one can’t. That’s never been a burden. Ever.”
Tears pricked the corners of my eyes, and I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. I didn’t have words big enough for what that meant, so I just squeezed her hand back.
“Now,” she said with a grin, leaning in like she was about to share the world’s best secret, “are we opening that envelope or what?”
When I sheepishly told her we had to wait because Ollie and his mom were coming, her brows shot up so high I thought they might disappear into her hairline.
“What?” she shrieked, loud enough to turn heads across the pub.
She flailed with the force of a dramatic soap opera character, nearly knocking over the table in her excitement.
The poor waitress blinked twice, then quickly excused herself to avoid getting caught in the Luna storm.
I burst out laughing. Real, shaking, hiccuping laughter. Tears welled in my eyes for an entirely different reason as I doubled over.
“Dude, shut it,” I gasped, clutching my stomach. “You’re going to get us kicked out.”
Luna was undeterred, grinning from ear to ear as she flopped back into her chair.
“Oh, this is serious.” She pointed a finger at me.
“You can’t even admit it. The mom, Nova.
You’ve got the mom coming here! Oh my god.
” She shook her head, laughing harder. “You’re funny, Nove.
You’re so wrapped up in him, and you don’t even realize it. ”
“I am not,” I snapped, though my tone was weak, my voice wavering under the weight of my denial.
“Uh-huh.” She leaned forward, smirking. “But y’all need to figure it out. You go a whole month not talking to each other, and then, boom, he’s back like nothing happened, inserting himself into your life like he belongs there.”
I crossed my arms, shrugging, trying to play it cool. “He feels bad for me.”
“Psh.” Luna scoffed loudly, waving her hand dismissively. “Bullshit.”
Before I could fire back, a deep, familiar voice cut through the hum of the pub like a blade. “Bullshit’s right.”
My heart nearly stopped. I turned slowly, and there he was.
Ollie towered over me with that infuriatingly confident smirk playing on his lips.
“I don’t pity you, love.” His voice was low and steady, the words rolling off his tongue like they were absolute facts.
Before I could process what was happening, he leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to my cheek.
I froze, my brain short-circuiting. It’s European, I told myself, clinging to the excuse like a lifeline.
Behind him, his mum bustled in with a beaming smile and pulled out a chair next to Luna.
“I’m so excited I can hardly contain myself,” she said brightly, settling in like this was the highlight of her week.
Luna’s eyes lit up as she extended her hand enthusiastically. “Hi, I’m Luna, Nova’s baby daddy.”
Ollie’s mum laughed and took her hand with a firm shake and a matching grin.
He glanced down at the remaining chair, then at me. “Guess that leaves me next to you,” he said, his eyes playful as they flicked to my stomach. “And my maybe competition.”
I rolled my eyes, trying to ignore the warmth spreading across my cheeks, but Luna? She nearly fell off her chair laughing.
“What’s the plan here?” Ollie asked, leaning back in his chair, however much he could with his gigantic body.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Are we cutting a cake? Getting a colored pint?”
“What?” I blinked. Why did he know that? I would never do such a thing and have the spotlight on me. Way too much. “No. We’re all going to open this envelope, and that’s it.”
“Lame.” He waved to the waitress. “A pint for me and Mum will take a whiskey over ice.”
Ollie’s mom reached over and grabbed his shoulders. She had her hair up in a similar hairstyle to when we saw her last time, with two chopsticks holding up her wiry hair. She was dressed in a long, black dress with a red overcoat.
I pulled the envelope out of my bag and set it on the table.
I stared at it for a few long, hard seconds before I looked around the table. Luna was eyeing me warily.
“I’m going to go to the restroom first.” I stood up, leaving the envelope on the table.
I turned to head toward the bathroom, but instead found myself pushing out of the pub and into the street.
I needed some air. Just a little air, because all this was suffocating me. There was so much pressure, and somehow finding out the gender of the pomegranate would make it not a fruit but a person, and I wasn’t sure if I was ready for it.
“Hey, love.”
I didn’t need to turn around to know exactly who it was.
“You forgot your coat.”
My warm coat was suddenly draped over my shoulders, and I turned to look at Ollie standing outside in the small light of the bar.
“Sorry. I think I needed a second.”
“It’s a big moment.” He shoved his hands in his pockets.
“Yeah.” I closed my eyes. “Hey, Ollie?”
“Yes, love?”
I opened my eyes. “Tell me something inappropriate for this moment.”
The corner of his lips curled into a smirk, and I glanced up at him, silently begging him to pull me out of the moment.
“I’m terrified of cats,” he said, so casually it made me blink in disbelief.
I stared at him, trying to process his words. Cats? A man as tall and built as Ollie, with muscles that could probably wrestle a bear, was scared of cats?
“Cats?” I repeated to make sure I hadn’t misheard him.
“Oh no,” he said, his tone serious, shaking his head. “They’re terrible creatures.”
I paused, letting the absurdity sink in before the laughter bubbled up uncontrollably. It burst out of me. It was the kind of laugh that shook my whole body and made my stomach ache by the time I was done.
“What did a cat ever do to you?” I asked, wiping a tear from the corner of my eye.
He shrugged, deadpan. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
That only made me laugh harder. I felt light. Free.
“When I was a kid, we had this cat—a fat ginger thing named Percy.”
“Percy doesn’t sound terrifying.” I teased him.
“Percy was Satan’s pet. One Christmas, I was holding a mince pie, minding my own business, and this bastard launched himself out of the Christmas tree. Straight at my face.”
“The tree?”
“Yes, the bloody tree. And while I’m screaming and trying to peel him off my head, my mum’s yelling at me to ‘stop scaring Percy.’”
I continued shaking with laughter, gasping to try and form words. “Didn’t anyone help you?”
“Help me?” He scoffed. “No, they were all too busy saving the ornaments. I had to fend for myself.”
That did it. I doubled over, clutching my stomach as laughter poured out of me. The mental image of Ollie, probably still gangly and awkward as a kid, being ambushed by a cat from a Christmas tree was too much.
When I finally caught my breath, I looked up to find him watching me. His face had softened. Without a word, he reached out, his hand warm as he cupped my cheek.
The gesture was unexpectedly tender, and I froze. He lightly brushed his thumb against my skin, mirroring the way I’d touched him once before.
“Ollie,” I whispered, not knowing what else to say.
His eyes searched mine. His hand stayed on my cheek.
“It’ll be okay. Whatever it is, Nova. It’ll be okay. You’re the strongest person I’ve ever met. Weird, but strong.”
I chuckled, rolling my eyes to hide the lump forming in my throat. “Weird, huh?” I asked, playfully punching him on the shoulder.
“Yeah, but that’s part of the charm,” he said jokingly, though his tone stayed soft.
The playful moment lingered for only a beat before the air between us shifted.
I hesitated, my voice barely above a whisper as I asked, “Why are you always around?”
Ollie didn’t answer right away. Instead, he dipped his head, his forehead hovering above mine, the faintest breath of space separating us.
“Because I cannot stop thinking of you.”
My breath hitched. My heart pounded, and the world started to spin.
He pulled away, sensing me emotionally reeling from his words. Reaching out his hand, he held it out for me. “Come on, love. Come inside before I scare you off again.”
I huffed out a breath and stared at him. Really stared at him.
The way he looked at me—it was overwhelming. Like he didn’t just see me, but wanted me to see myself through his eyes. It was terrifying.
And yet . . .
I swallowed hard, the weight of the moment pressing into me, and finally, I nodded. I slipped my hand into his, warm and solid, and let him guide me back inside.