Chapter 24
luna
The knock rattled through the house, and I jolted upright.
Dirks stirred beside me, half asleep as he whispered, “Lune? Someone’s at the door.”
I blinked through the haze of sleep, trying to orient myself. Another knock.
Shit.
“It might be Nova,” I mumbled.
Dirks was already getting out of bed, tugging on a pair of shorts and reaching for a hoodie. I sat up slowly, clutching the blanket to my chest.
He looked at me. “You sure it’s her?”
“I don’t know,” I said earnestly, because Nova knew Dirks was here, so why would she knock? It must be an emergency.
I quickly got up, threw on one of the silk robes I had laid over the bed, and walked down the stairs with Dirks. We reached the bottom of the stairs just as another knock echoed, firmer this time.
“Jesus,” I muttered, brushing hair from my face.
I reached for the handle, paused for just a second, and looked back at Dirks.
He gave a single nod before I opened the door.
Time stopped, my breath caught in my throat, and my hands gripped the knob when I realized who was standing on the other side of the door.
Black hair—longer than I remembered—fell over his forehead.
Tattoos curled down the side of his neck, disappearing into the collar of a faded bomber jacket.
There was color in his cheeks, not from the cold, but from being healthy.
His hands were shoved deep in his pockets, but when his eyes lifted to mine, and that familiar crooked smirk ghosted over his lips—
“Hey, Luna girl.”
My knees buckled before I could stop them.
I collapsed, stunned by the weight of a hundred secrets and one unforgettable voice cracking me open right there on the floor.
“Luna—” Dirks said behind me, stepping forward, but I couldn’t look away.
Jeremy was here.
“H-How?”
Jeremy was already dropping down to his knees in front of me, catching me before I could hit the ground.
“I missed you too, honey,” he murmured, arms wrapping around me, holding my upper body straight.
He helped me to my feet slowly, and I clung to his jacket, unsure if I was dreaming or if the earth had finally tilted back into place.
Behind me, I heard the disbelief in Dirks’s voice.
“How is right,” he said, stepping closer, eyes locked on Jeremy. “What the fuck is going on?”
Jeremy laughed. “Come on, Dirks. Get in here, you big ole softie. I missed you, too.”
Dirks hesitated for half a breath, enough time for Jeremy to reach out, still keeping one arm around me, and yanking him into a one-armed hug.
Jeremy pulled back, and before I could fully process the chaos of it all, Dirks wrapped both arms around me from behind, pulling me against his chest.
Jeremy smirked at the gesture as he shouldered past us and stepped into the house. “I followed you home from a game. You need better security.”
I blinked. “The fuck?”
Jeremy’s lips twitched. “I’m not the big bad wolf here.”
“Jer,” I snapped. “You show up in the middle of the goddamn night because you stalked Dirks here from a game. After years of nothing. What the actual fuck?”
Dirks let out a low breath behind me and stepped slightly back, his hands still lingering on my hips. “I’ll give you two a minute,” he murmured. “You guys have a lot of . . . history to unpack.”
The silence that followed landed like a slap.
Jeremy stilled, flicking his gaze to Dirks before it fell back to me. “You fucking told him?”
I stepped forward instinctively. “It wasn’t like that.”
Jeremy barked a humorless laugh. “No? Then how was it?”
“Jeremy—”
“I never said a damn word, Luna. Not to anyone. But I guess that didn’t mean shit to you, did it?”
“It meant everything,” I whispered.