Chapter 25
Luna
You ever just sat around and contemplated life? Did you make the right decisions? Did you make a mistake? Is this the life you want?
That’s how I feel most days. Some, I just feel a lot. Other’s I’m happy. Some I’m sad.
Life has kicked my ass over the last four years.
Marco was gone. I went to school. Davey was adopted.
Everything just felt so rushed and out of control for me.
Where did all that leave me? Alone. At least I was.
I’ve made some good friends since then, and I feel like my life may be heading in the right direction now.
I’m working, making good money as a nurse, and continuing with school.
Everything I wanted has fallen into place, aside from Marco.
He’s not here. And he’s not going to be.
“You ready?” Damion asks as I pack up my books and smile up at him.
“Yeah. Do we have time to run by the apartment?” I ask him.
“Yeah, we do. Is Justin meeting us there?” he asks. I smile bigger and nod my head. Justin has been a good friend of mine since I started school. He means a lot to me and has held my hand through a lot of hurt and heartache.
“He is. I can’t thank you enough for driving me around while my car is in the shop. I hated to ask,” I tell him as I heft the backpack over my shoulder and follow him out of the library.
“You know I don’t mind. Besides, I’m meeting Kira there anyway,” he tells me.
“Oh, so Kira got another date, huh?”
“Yeah, she asked me this time, and I couldn’t say no.”
“It’s New Year’s Eve. You should have asked her,” I tell him.
“I was going to, but she asked first.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re going. That way I’ll know someone there besides Justin.”
I follow Damion to the car and climb in, slinging my bag into the backseat as he climbs in the starts up the car.
It’s freezing this time of year, and it makes me miss the summer.
This summer, we plan on taking a trip to the beach.
Florida, to be exact. Damion made me promise not to back out on him for any reason, and I did.
He’s become more of a brother to me than I thought he would.
At first, I thought it would be awkward since we slept together that one time, but it wasn’t. At least it hasn’t been.
“So Darek had all good things to say about you,” he tells me as I glance over at him.
“Doctor Hanks?”
“Yeah. Said you have great bedside manner and the staff loves you.”
“They’re all so easy to work with. I love working with almost all of them except Nan,” I say with a laugh.
“What’s wrong with her?”
“She’s old as shit. She’s set in her ways and doesn’t want to change. I get it, but damn.”
“She is pretty old.”
“Pretty old? Damion, she’s like eighty.” We both laugh as we pull up at the apartments.
“I’ll wait out here,” he says. I nod my head and grab my bag, opening the door and climbing out.
I run toward the apartments and up the stairs to get to mine.
Once I’m inside, I kick off my shoes and run into the bedroom to grab my dress.
It’s a short dress, one that may show a little too much skin, but I don’t care.
It’s New Year’s and I want to have fun. I strip out of my clothes, leaving a trail of them in the hallway as I pull the dress on and head into the bathroom.
I grab the eyeliner and swipe some on before doing my hair.
I pull it up and let a few strains hang loose around my face.
When I feel like I look good enough, I spritz on some perfume, brush my teeth, and grab my heels before rushing back out. I don’t want to be late, and I already stayed at the library longer than I’d planned to.
I’m back down the stairs and jumping into Damion’s car with no shoes on as he laughs.
“It always amazes me how quickly you can change.”
“I’m not a girly girl, Damion.”
“I know that. You’re going to freeze without a jacket tonight,” he says, nodding toward my now bumped bare arms.
“Probably, but I hope to be so drunk that I don’t feel it,” I tell him. Damion laughs as he pulls off and heads toward the hotel where the party is being held. It’s nice knowing Damion because he has so many connections to everyone in the city. If you want to party, Damion can get you in.
“Did I thank you for taking me tonight?” I ask him even though I know I already did.
“You did. And I told you to stop.”
“I can’t help it. I’m just so excited. I’ve never been to the Fairview before.”
“It’s an amazing hotel, and don’t forget you have a room there tonight. I put your key card in your purse,” he tells me.
“I don’t know what to say. I’m going to be drunk and sleeping in the nicest hotel in the city in the most comfortable bed ever.”
“You don’t have to check out either. I got it for two days,” he tells me.
“You’re the best. I would kiss you, but I’m not. That’s like kissing, Davey.” Damion laughs now, but when he calms, he sighs.
“How is Davey?”
“He’s great. I hate that he isn’t with me, but he’s great. I talked to him earlier. The Jackson’s are truly amazing people. They have him in group therapy where he can interact with other kids his age with the same issues. Mrs. Jackson said he loves it and asked me to come next week to watch.”
“Really? That’s great news. I’m glad he’s doing well. I’m truly glad to hear that.”
“I can’t thank you enough for what you did when they took him, Damion. I know I say it a lot, but I really mean it. If you hadn’t stepped in, I might not have ever seen him again, and I couldn’t handle that.”
“It’s in the past, Luna. I did what I could back then because I cared about you. I still do. Like you said, you’re family.” That word stings. It stings so damn bad. I miss Marco. He was family. He was something that I’d always wanted but never knew existed. He was everything to me.
A chill runs down my spine, and I shiver a little before rubbing my arms. It isn’t from the cold, although Damion thinks it is and turns up the heat.
We finally make it to the hotel where the party is being held and valet parks the car. Damion leads me inside, and we meet up with Justin and Kira before heading into the ballroom to the party.
Lights dance through the dark room, and the music is already bumping through the speakers.
Damion grabs us drinks, passing me one before we head out on the dancefloor.
I take a long pull of my drink and start dancing as Kira and Justin follow us and do the same.
The four of us laugh and dance, having a great time.
The party fills up, and everyone goes on about their business.
Kira and Damion leave the dancefloor, but Justin and I stay.
The later it gets, the more I drink, and the more I drink, the happier I am.
I’m laughing, which isn’t something I’ve done in a long time.
His hands are on my hips as we keep dancing, but when I glance over, I stop dead in my tracks.
My smile slowly fades as anxiousness and adrenaline start coursing through me. That can’t be him. He can’t be here. He’s not supposed to be.
My lips part as I take him in. He’s bigger now, more filled out. His eyes are darker than I’ve ever seen them. There’s a scar that runs across his cheek near his eye now that I can see from here.
“I wanted to tell you,” Damion says as he comes to stand next to me, just as Justin rests his hand on my back. I see him look between us, and I glance up at Justin, but when I look back, he’s gone.
I suck air in through my mouth, debating my next move.
“That was him, wasn’t it?” Justin asks over the music. I nod my head, and he gives me a little shove in that direction. I smile at him over my shoulder and take off, rushing through the crowd of people, but I don’t see him, so I rush out of the ballroom and into the hallway.
“Marco!” I call out to him, seeing him a few feet away from me. His head lowers before he slowly turns to face me. Our eyes lock, and it feels like all the oxygen is being sucked out of me like a vacuum. I swallow hard as I hear everyone inside cheering and starting the countdown from ten.
Marco steps toward me slowly, each step causing my skin to heat. And just as he stops right in front of me, I look up at him with tears in my eyes. Everyone inside screams and cheers as Marco says, “Happy New Year, Chula.”