Chasing His Kickass Luna Back

Abby

“May I have this dance?”

Karl's hand is extended to me, his tall form looking down at me. Others around us are staring, even though I know they're trying not to make it obvious. For a moment, I almost consider turning on my heel and running again, but I know I can't.

“I'm still furious with you,” I whisper as I reluctantly take Karl's outstretched hand and let him lead me to the dance floor. The sea of people parts, the partygoers gawking at the two of us. I take a moment to let my eyes scan the crowd, looking for Ethan and Gianna, but I don't see them. Maybe they left amidst all of the chaos.

The chaos that Gianna caused.

“I don't blame you,” Karl says quietly, although there's a polite smile plastered on his face. We stop in the middle of the dance floor and begin to move to the soft strains of the string quartet, and although there's a gentle look in his brown eyes, I can't stop being angry with him.

Maybe the anger will subside, but not now. Not for a long time.

Without a word, Karl's arm circles around my waist and draws me closer. I place my hand on his shoulder, letting my other hand delicately sit in his palm as we move. We're the perfect picture of a couple in love, but right now, it feels like anything but that. And yet, as we sway to the music, Karl's eyes search mine, and it's clear to me that he's eager to know if I've made up my mind.

And the truth is that I have.

"Well?" he asks, his voice barely above a whisper. “Did you think about it?”

As he speaks, his warm breath washes across my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. Right now, I hate the fact that I feel so weak when I'm this close to him. I know it's our fated mate bond getting the best of me, and I wish I had more control over it.

Finally, I let out a sigh and decide to speak my thoughts, not bothering to mask my irritation.

“Yes,” I say, narrowing my eyes. “I have thought about it.”

Karl raises an eyebrow, his gaze unwavering. “I'm listening,” he says, his voice soft.

I take a deep breath before continuing, but my voice somehow manages to come out strained nonetheless. “I'll go along with your little... plan.”

Karl's brown eyes light up as he looks down at me, and a slow smile begins to twitch at the corners of his lips. I can tell that he's pleased with himself, and if I'm being honest, seeing his smile makes it just a little bit harder to stay mad at him.

“But I have some conditions of my own,” I say, my voice a bit firmer now.

He nods. “Go on.”

“Three things,” I say, pulling my shoulders back a bit. “First of all, I want you to come back to the city with me and announce our arrangement to my friends—Leah and Chloe, I mean.”

“Really?” He raises an eyebrow and looks genuinely confused. “Why?”

“Because,” I say, my voice exasperated, “I'm tired of covering for the two of us all the damn time. So I want you to be there when I tell Chloe and Leah; and I want you to admit that this was your idea.” “But what if they don't like it?” Karl asks.

“Then you'll just have to face the consequences. They're my friends, Karl. I'm not covering for you anymore.”

Karl doesn't immediately respond, and for a moment, I wonder if he's considering pulling out of this arrangement now. I wouldn't blame him, if I'm being honest. Chloe, at the very least, can be scary. But I stand by what I said; they're my friends, and I'm tired of covering for him. I'm not about to spend the foreseeable future lying to them, and he needs to step up to the plate and tell them himself.

But then, much to my surprise, he nods in agreement, and the small smile that's tugging at the corners of his lips grows in size just a little bit. “Fair enough,” he concedes. “I can do that. And what's the second rule?”

His quick agreement takes me by surprise. I want to press on and ask him why he decided to take my condition so easily, but I decide not to.

“Second,” I continue, “I won't spend the whole time here, and I won't agree to move here permanently, either. I have a life in the city. If you want this to work, you'll have to accept that; and in fact, I fully expect you to spend time in the city and continue to help me in my restaurant whenever you can.”

Karl chuckles softly at this one. “You drive a hard bargain, Abby,” he remarks.

"Yeah, well, this is a hard arrangement,” I retort. “This is a big change. I won't let myself be used for your election.”

Karl looks like he wants to say something—maybe he wants to correct me—but he doesn't. “Alright,” he says, “I'll split my time between here and the city. No problem. And the third rule?”

I swallow hard before letting the words tumble out. It's been on my mind, as much as I hate to admit it; and it deserves to be addressed, no matter how embarrassing it may be. “Third,” I say, my cheeks flushing slightly and my voice nearly drowned out by the music, “I want to keep... hooking up. Casually.”

Karl's smirk widens, and I feel my face grow even hotter under his gaze. “More casual hookups?” he muses, his tone teasing. “You must be enjoying it, then.”

I huff in annoyance, my irritation flaring up again. “It's just for practicality,” I retort, “so we can both relieve our frustrations. And if what you're saying about these treatments is true...”

“It's all true,” he says, his voice taking on a somewhat firmer tone, although it's still barely more than a whisper. “I've done my research, Abby. And I think it could work.”

I nod, swallowing the lump in my throat. “I'm sure you understand what I'm getting at here.”

"Of course,” he says quietly. “We'll try for that baby, Abby. Don't you worry.”

“But only for practicality,” I reiterate.

Karl's amusement is evident, and he doesn't try to hide it. “Very practical indeed,” he says, his voice low and husky. “Alright, Abby. I agree to your rules.”

I'm genuinely surprised by his quick agreement, and I can't help but narrow my eyes suspiciously. “You're agreeing too easily,” I say, a note of caution in my voice. “What's the catch?”

“There is no catch,” Karl says, tilting his chin up at me—a telltale sign that he’s pulling my leg. “There's always a catch with you,” I whisper. “Spill.”

In one graceful movement, Karl twirls me across the dancefloor in time with the music's crescendo. My midnight blue dress twirls and sparkles in the soft amber glow of the crystal chandelier hanging overhead.

And then we stop, and I'm left breathless. Our faces are mere inches apart, so close we could kiss. Karl's grin turns mischievous, and he leans in closer, his lips brushing against my ear as he whispers.

"How about a little bet?”