Chapter 28 Compliments
Luna's eyes went wide before she could stop them.
"What are you doing here?"
"Got a tutoring gig. In the apartment complex back there." Jax kept his voice low. "You riding this?"
"I..." Luna hesitated. "I want to."
Jax nodded. "Go ahead then."
This area wasn't exactly developed. Only one rental scooter left.
But there were a few rental bikes.
He was about to grab a bike when Luna called him back.
"Wait."
Jax stopped. Turned around.
Luna had always been the type to act tough even when she was wrong. The only person she ever softened around was Hayes. Jax had never seen her lower her head or show any vulnerability.
Right now her face was a little pink. She looked almost docile for once. She stammered, "I've never ridden one of these before."
"What... what?" Jax wasn't sure he'd heard that right.
Luna took a deep breath, without a shred of guilt. "I said I don't know how to ride this thing. Can you teach me?"
"..." Jax went quiet for a beat. Then stepped closer. "Open WhatsApp first. There's a QR code you need to scan."
"Oh." Luna did as told. Spent two bucks to unlock the scooter. "Now what?"
"Now sit on it."
Luna did as told. She sat on it, both feet planted on the ground.
Jax reached over and placed a hand on the right handle. "Twist it. That's how you go."
Luna gave it a tentative twist. The scooter crept forward. She asked, a little worried, "Am I gonna fall?"
The corner of Jax's mouth lifted, barely. "No."
Luna caught that smile.
When someone this cold smiled, it was something else. Like ice thawing. His deep, striking eyes softened, shadows lifting from his features. A flash of spring in the dead of winter.
"..."
Luna hadn't said anything for a while. Just staring at him.
Jax raised a brow. He said her name quietly. "Luna."
"Huh?!" Luna snapped out of it. Her tone was blunt, no flirtation in it, just a straightforward compliment. "You know what? You look really good when you smile."
Jax pressed his lips together. Said nothing.
He looked almost hurt. Almost like he'd been wronged.
Luna scrambled to explain. "I'm complimenting you. Very sincerely."
The boy turned his face away. "Really?"
Luna nodded frantically. "Really."
Why didn't he believe her?
Jax had a backpack on. He tugged at the strap. From Luna's angle, she could only see his profile. Those long lashes blinked, fluttered twice. "You used to call me pretty. Like a girl. Said I was nothing but trouble."
Luna: ...
She thought about it blankly. She might have said something like that to her friends once.
A wave of guilt crashed over Luna. She grabbed Jax's wrist.
He was really thin. A thin layer of skin over bone, soft to the touch. He looked pitiful.
Jax's lashes fluttered. His throat bobbed. He could feel his heart pounding, like every drop of blood in his body was rushing toward it. He looked down through half-closed lids at her hand on his wrist.
Luna said earnestly, "I mean it this time. I was an idiot before. Don't take it to heart."
A cool breeze blew past. Her palm was hot against his skin. The warmth seeped through.
For a split second, he felt thirsty. He swallowed hard. His breathing stayed light. "Okay."
Luna let out a breath. She smiled. "I'm off then."
Jax: "Fine."
-
It was Luna's first time riding one of these. She found it kind of thrilling.
Three-wheelers were stable. Everyone knew that. But two wheels being this steady? News to her.
Humans were really something with their inventions.
She marveled at this while following the address Leo had sent her.
Finally, she looked over at Jax, keeping pace right beside her. She was quiet for a long moment. Then, genuinely curious: "Why are you pedaling so fast?"
The boy went quiet for two seconds. The wind caught his black tee, billowing it out. "Fast?"
Right then, a kid who looked about ten zipped past them on his own scooter.
Luna: ...
She shut her mouth again.
Okay.
She was done setting herself up.
They rounded a corner. Luna turned her head. "Where are you headed?"
Jax: "Home."
Luna squinted at him. "You... never mind."
She shut her mouth again.
But Jax followed her the whole way.
From fifty meters out, Luna could see a crowd of gawkers gathered around a house.
The streets here were narrow but clean. Parked by the curb was a familiar-looking rental scooter.
She parked fast and squeezed into the crowd.
In the middle of the crowd, an older woman was kneeling.
From behind, she was slim. Beige cardigan, hair in a low bun. She was crying. "I'm begging you. Sam doesn't love you anymore. Just let me have him. Please?"
Her voice was soft and pitiful. The kind that made men want to protect her.
"Lily." A dark, wiry man in his forties crouched beside her, gripping her arm, trying to pull her up.
This must be Sam.
"Have you no shame?" Ryder pointed at her, his hand shaking. "You're a mistress. Just own it. Don't dress it up as something noble."
"Ryder!" Sam glared at him. "Is this how your mother taught you to talk to your elders?"
"What kind of elder is she?" Ryder's eyes were red. "I don't have an elder who goes around being someone's mistress."
Slap.
Sam's hand came down hard across Ryder's face.
The crowd gasped.
Sam wasn't actually much taller than Ryder. And with the manual labor he did every day, he didn't look as solid as Ryder either.
The slap almost knocked Ryder over. He clutched his cheek, glaring stubbornly at his father.
A woman with short hair threw her arms around Ryder, her face crumpling. "Sam! You're a monster."
"Please, don't talk about Sam like that."
Lily knew exactly how to cry prettily. She propped herself up on one hand, loose strands of hair framing her face.
The wind caught them, making her look even more pitiful.
"Sam and I started dating when we were eighteen. We were just too young. Every fight ended in a breakup."
That set the crowd whispering.
"They were together before? Well, that's pretty devoted."
"I'll say, Sam's a lucky guy. Dated a beauty like that when he was young, and she's still pining for him."