Chapter 21 Luna
Luna
I slowly gain consciousness and blink my eyes rapidly; my vision is still blurry, and my head buzzes a little. I blink a few more times, and deep-blue eyes stare back at me. All I remember is the tender expression on Cooper’s face and my heart racing, before everything went black.
He is still holding me as I lie on his arms, on the ground. I quickly stand and put distance between us. My cheeks are warm, and I look at my dress to dust it – even though there isn’t much visible dirt on me.
I fidget nervously, not knowing what to do when Zara comes back from the bar holding a glass of cold water for me.
‘Oh, you are awake. Are you okay, Lu?’ she asks, handing over the glass to me. She doesn’t say anything more, but the worry on her face, contrasting with her strong exterior, tells me enough.
‘I’m okay, thank you.’ I take the glass from her hand and take a sip of it.
Cooper’s gaze on me doesn’t waver; he is silently watching my interaction with Zara.
It sends butterflies in my stomach; he is looking at me like he used to years ago.
But I quickly shake the feeling away. I cannot forget what he did.
The way he threw away our relationship, trying to save me from a mistake he thought I was making.
‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.’ Cooper finally speaks. His hand lands on his shirt, and he pulls on the neckline.
‘It’s okay, I should be used to it by now,’ I say, recalling the first few interactions from when Cooper and I met.
Cooper smiles even though it looks like he is being plagued by thoughts. A guy stands beside him, but he doesn’t seem confused about all of this. It feels as though he is familiar with the intensity of this meeting, and it doesn’t faze him. Our eyes meet, and he smiles politely.
Cooper notices me looking at the guy. ‘Umm, this is Leo.’
The name bounces around in my head for a few seconds before I recognise it.
When we were dating, Cooper had told me about Leo from the art store that he worked in.
He always told me how he thought Leo was a nice person who never changed his attitude towards Cooper, even though Cooper never took the initiative to be friends.
A bittersweet feeling arises in me. I’m happy that Cooper finally let himself have a friend without punishing himself, but I feel horrible for the anger that comes with it.
It stings me how he is able to be there for someone he never talked much with, but he let go of us easily.
The nausea strengthens, and the air suffocates me.
‘It’s nice to meet you both,’ I say, as I walk away from them and towards the door.
I keep walking until the fresh air brushes over my face and the sound of the pub drowns behind me.
I hear loud footsteps behind me, and my mind clashes between wanting it to be Cooper and hoping that it’s not.
‘Lu, wait,’ Zara calls out from behind.
I release my breath and turn around to face her. Her eyebrows are drawn tight. I haven’t seen her be this visibly concerned, even when I ran out of our Russian language class. I probably look more distraught than I think.
‘He isn’t supposed to be here, Zara. He isn’t.
How is he here? Why is he here? Omg.’ I let a word vomit that Zara listens to patiently.
She slowly puts her hand on my shoulder as a form of support; it is more meaningful to me than anything she could have said.
Zara isn’t a touchy person, and the fact that she is willingly initiating physical touch tells me that she is trying her best to be there for me.
‘What do you mean he isn’t supposed to be here? Doesn’t he live here?’ she asks.
‘He was doing an art course in India, the last time I heard.’