by J. M. Walker
Hooking my fingers in the hem, I ripped it up and over my head, tossing it to the floor. Pulling off my bra, I threw it aside and did the same with my panties. I stood in front of the bed, naked and alone.
My chest ached, my head throbbed, and I was tired. So damn tired.
Heading to the blood red chair in the corner of my room, I pulled off the crocheted blanket I had since I was a kid, wrapped it around myself, and sat. I curled into a ball, hugging the blanket to my chest and let the tears fall.
A hard crash sounded throughout the room. I startled awake, finding Zach standing at the doorway. His nostrils flared, his eyes were dark, and his body was stiff like he was ready to pounce.
“Zach?” I sat up, holding the blanket around me. “What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong?” He laughed, the sound dark and evil. It was laced with venom and directed right at me.
I swallowed hard. Was I dreaming? Was I still drunk? “What’s going on?” I asked, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.
“Why don’t you ask him?” Zach said, jutting his chin.
“What?” My head whipped around. I was no longer in the red chair. Ashton was sitting up. On my bed. Looking like he just got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
I swallowed hard, my heart racing. Was I that drunk last night? No. It wasn’t possible. Ashton was a player but even he wouldn’t stoop that low.
“Listen.” Ashton slid off the bed, still in clothes. Thank God for that.
But I was naked. Very naked. And I only had a blanket wrapped around me. “Zach, this isn’t what it looks like.” Not that I knew what happened because I couldn’t remember but it wasn’t possible. Ashton would never take advantage of me like that.
“What do you think it looks like, Luna?” Zach demanded, stepping farther into the room. “Do you think it looks like my girl fucked another guy? Do you think it looks like you’re fucking naked and the evidence is clear?” His brows narrowed. “Did you enjoy her after I broke her in for you?”
“Zach.” I gasped.
“What?” Ashton scowled. “You have no idea what you’re fucking talking about.”
“No?” Zach laughed. “You know.” His gaze met mine. “I went to Clara’s tonight.”
My heart jumped. “Y-You did?”
“Yes, but nothing happened because I couldn’t get you out of my head. As much as I wanted to.”
I looked away. He went to Clara’s to fuck her. Bile rose to my throat. “I don’t even know what to say.”
“No? Well it looks like we’re even,” Zach said, his voice flat.
“Are you fucking kidding me right now?” I snapped, jumping off the bed. “I didn’t fuck Ashton. I had no intention of fucking him either, but you did. You went to Clara’s to fuck her. So what happened, Zach? Did she not want you? For once in your life, is there a woman out there who’s not attracted to you? God, I’m so stupid.” I headed to my dresser to grab some pajamas. Being naked, even though I was covered, it left me too vulnerable. I didn’t like it. I didn’t like it at all.
“Tell me what happened,” Zach demanded.
“You don’t fucking deserve her,” Ashton said.
My head whipped around.
Before I knew what was happening, Zach charged for him.
***
(Zach)
The rational part of me knew there had to be a reasonable explanation why Ashton was sleeping in Luna’s bed. But when I walked in and found her wrapped in a blanket with him beneath the same covers I had been under, all of that rationale disappeared. It turned into cold blooded rage. Rage for the fact that it wasn’t me sleeping beside her. Rage over me pushing her away. Rage over that her father was right.
When I had broken things off with Luna, I never meant for us to be broken up forever. Both of us needed time. But like the asshole that I was, I ended up at Clara’s house.
The pain etched on Luna’s face over my confession, tore at my heart. I had a lot of work to do if I ever wanted her back in my life.
And now I was staring down at my friend as my fist repeatedly landed against his jaw.
My name was screamed over and over. Hands grabbed me. Arms tried wrapping around me, but I shoved them off. Instead, I continued to pummel Ashton into the ground beneath us.
“Fuck.” He grunted, pushed me back, and swung a fist into my jaw.
My head rang, pain slicing up the side of my face, but it never stopped me.
“Zach, stop!” Someone screamed, swore, and tried again to pull me away from Ashton.
Gearing my arm back to try and shove them away, my elbow connected with something hard.
A sharp cry sounded.
With my hands still clutching Ashton’s shirt, I turned, my eyes widening when they landed on Luna.
“You…” Her eyes welled. Her hand was pressed against her bloody nose. “You hit me.”
Luna
AGONY BURST BEHIND MY eyes. I touched my upper lip just under my nose and pulled my hand back. My fingers were coated with a dark crimson liquid.
“Luna.” Zach released Ashton and took a step toward me, his face pale.
I held up my hand stopping him from coming any closer. “You should leave,” I whispered.
“Please.” He swallowed hard. “I’m sorry.”
“You’re sorry,” I repeated. “You’re sorry?” I reached into the laundry hamper and pulled out a dirty towel before pressing it up against my nose. “Just leave, Zach,” I said, turning away. My shoulders slumped. A heavy weight came crashing down on me. This was it. We were officially over.
My eyes welled but not from the pain shooting behind them.
The door quietly closed a moment later, taking all of the air in my lungs along with it. “Will you get the girls for me please?” I asked Ashton, grabbed my pile of clothes off the dresser then went into the bathroom without waiting for him to answer.
Quickly getting dressed, I glanced in the mirror. My heart jumped. My hair was a mess. My eyes were bloodshot and my nose looked like hell. Keeping the towel under my nose, I went to leave the bathroom when voices sounded on the other side.
Slowly opening the door, I found Gigi, Meadow, and Piper sitting on the edge of my bed. Ashton leaned against the wall with his hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans.
“What happened?” Gigi asked, rising from the bed and coming toward me.
“Zach came in and found Ashton sleeping on my bed and lost his shit.” I understood. I got it. I wouldn’t have reacted nicely either if I found another woman in his bed. But he still shouldn’t have accused me of sleeping with Ashton.
“You kicked him out,” Meadow said, almost like she was impressed.
“I…” I turned to Ashton. “Why were you here?”
“Uh…” He hesitated, his cheeks turning a bright shade of pink.
“Ashton.” Meadow looked between us. “Were you trying to piss him off?”
“What?” Ashton scowled, shaking his head. “No. Of course not. You girls drank a lot of wine. I went to the center, helped my brother with fixing up some shit and came back here after. I needed to make sure that you were fine. So, I actually checked on all of you. I came in here and saw Luna’s bed torn apart and she was sleeping in her chair. Which couldn’t be comfortable. I picked her up and brought her to her bed.” His gaze flicked to mine. “I know I shouldn’t have slept in your bed. I was worried about you. But I promise that I didn’t see anything, and I swear to God, I didn’t try anything either.”
“That’s actually kind of sweet,” Meadow muttered.
“I would never think that of you.” I rubbed the back of my neck, trying to ease some of the kinks resting on my muscles. “This…I don’t even know what to do now,” I told them.
“I think you and Zach need some time apart,” Piper said. “And I could really use another drink.”
“It’s only ten,” Meadow pointed out. “Wow we drank early.”
“Hmm…” Piper tapped her chin. “I’m down if you
are.”
“What about Luna?” Gigi asked.
“I’ll be fine,” I told them but there was no way I was even remotely close to being in the mood for socializing.
“I’ll take you to the hospital,” Ashton said. “You should get your nose looked at anyway. It could be broken.”
“God, I can’t believe he elbowed you in the face.” Gigi shook her head.
“I know.” As much as I was pissed at Zach for accusing me of having sex with Ashton, add to the fact that he almost fucked Clara, I wasn’t mad that he elbowed me. Yeah, it hurt, but it was my own fault for stepping in when I shouldn’t have.
“You sure you’re good if we head out?” Piper asked. “We can stay.”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I went back to the bathroom and checked myself out in the mirror. “I don’t want to go to the hospital.”
“We should go so they can make sure you’re fine,” Ashton insisted. “And I don’t need your father kicking my ass for not bringing his daughter to the hospital.”
“Fine.” I threw the towel in the laundry hamper. “My dad is going to have a field day with this one.”
***
(Zach)
Once Luna kicked me out of her room, I didn’t know where else to go. I knew my dad had finally come home from the hospital, much to the doctor’s dismay of course. I wanted to give my parents time alone but right now, I needed my dad.
When I stepped into the house, all was quiet. They usually didn’t go to bed early.
Closing the door silently behind me, I locked it up tight and kicked off my shoes before unbuttoning the top three buttons of my dress shirt.
“Zach?” Dad came around the corner. “I wasn’t expecting you home.”
“I know,” I mumbled. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine.” His brows narrowed. “What’s wrong?”
“Can we talk?” I asked, feeling like a little boy again.
He nodded. “Of course. Does this call for a drink?”
I grunted. “I wish.”
“You’re in luck.” He went into the kitchen and came back a moment later with a bottle of liquor and two tumblers.
“You have alcohol?” My parents weren’t drinkers. “Since when?”
“Since a client gave this to me as a present a few months ago.” He shrugged. “Let’s go to my office.”
I followed him. “Where’s mom?”
“She’s sleeping. My heart attack stressed her out.” He muttered a curse as we walked by their bedroom door. “I’ll never forgive myself for causing her that kind of pain.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” I reminded him.
“Well…” He didn’t continue until we stepped into his office and he shut the door. “Truth is, I’ve been feeling off. Stressed maybe. And it’s nothing big that I’ve been stressed about either. Your typical shit which is even more frustrating.”
I sat on the leather couch by the far wall, crossing my ankle over the opposite knee. “You didn’t know about the defect?”
“Nope.” He sighed. “That’s frustrating too.”
“I get it. It’s like the older you get, the more stressed you become.”
Dad grunted. He poured some of the amber liquid into the tumblers and handed me a glass before sitting down beside me. “Now, tell me what happened.”
***
(Luna)
“Are you sure this is where you want to be?”
I gave Ashton a small smile. “Yeah.”
“Your dad’s going to say something you know.” He nodded once. “You know, about your nose.”
I let out a soft sigh. Ashton had taken me to the hospital. My nose wasn’t broken but hurt like a bitch. It had slight bruising but when the doctor moved it to check to see if it was in fact broken or not, I almost threw up. I had never felt pain like that before and I didn’t want to experience it ever again.
“I am sorry,” Ashton said, pulling me from my thoughts.
“I know.” I glanced out the window, my gaze landing on my parents’ house. It was almost six in the morning. The emergency room had been busy, so it took a while to be seen but Ashton never left my side.
“Luna.” Ashton cursed. “This shit needs to end. You and Zach need each other. I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry for everything. I never meant for this to happen. And I get it now.”
I looked at him then. “What do you get?”
“That love you both have for each other. That all of our parents have. I want that.” He rubbed his nape. “I really do.”
“So, I take it you’re going to leave Piper alone then?” I asked gently.
“What Piper…it was fun but I’m not stupid. There’s nothing there. And then Meadow.” He chuckled. “I never thought that would happen. Ever.”
I laughed. “Meadow likes her one-night stands but you’re actually one of the first guys she’s had in her bedroom.”
Ashton straightened. “Really?”
“Don’t get your hopes up.” I patted his arm. “Remember, you’re too young for her. Our friend likes the older guys.”
“I don’t get it, but I know there’s nothing there with her either.” He reached across my lap and opened the door. “Go talk to your parents. I know this situation with Zach will get resolved. I promise it will. If I have to drag him to you myself, I will.”
I laughed. “Thank you. And thank you for bringing me to the hospital.”
“You’re welcome.”
Before I could leave the car, Ashton hooked an arm around my shoulders and pulled me in for a hug.
“Stop worrying about it,” I mumbled, returning the embrace. Giving him a small smile, I thanked him again and left his car. Taking a deep breath, I made my way up the sidewalk to my parents’ place. It had felt like a lifetime since I had been there. Moving in with Piper, Gigi, and Meadow a few years ago, it seemed like such a long time since we all lived at home.
My dad was going to kick Zach’s ass once he saw my face. I let out a hard sigh. Pulling my key from my purse, I unlocked the front door and stepped into my home. Even though I hadn’t lived there in quite a few years, nothing had changed, and it would always be home to me.
The house was quiet. My dad had it built just after Vincent Junior was born. It had a large backyard with an open concept for the living and dining rooms. The kitchen was large, and I knew that it would make Meadow happy just to step foot in it.
I laughed softly to myself.
Dropping my bag on the couch, I trudged into the kitchen and started making coffee. It had been a few weeks since I had been home, but everything looked the same. It even smelled the same. Mom had started baking recently after Meadow gave her some tips.
Although the house was over fifteen years old, my dad had it revamped a few years back. Everything was modern, but most of all, the kitchen was stunning. My dad, all of our fathers actually, did a great job. With the help of Zach’s mom designing the house after discussing it with my mom and dad, it was perfect.
The kitchen had gray cupboards, with a slate flooring that matched the dark countertop. The appliances were stainless steel and against the dark gray of the walls, they really popped.
“Luna?”
I jumped, spun around, and found Mom coming toward me.
Her dark brows narrowed. Her normally olive skin looked darker.
“Have you been tanning?” I asked her.
She laughed, shaking her head. “No. I was outside a lot yesterday.” She came up to me and poured herself a cup of coffee. “What are you doing here so early? Not that I’m complaining of course.”
I poured myself a cup as well and took a sip before meeting my mother’s gaze. “I needed to come home.”
“Okay.” She took a sip from her own mug and leaned a hip against the counter. “Are you going to tell me how you got that bruise on your nose or am I going to have to ask?”
I swallowed hard. “I…” I sighed, placing my mug on the island behind me. “Zach and Ashton got in a fight. I
got in the way and Zach accidentally elbowed me.”
“What did you do after that?” Mom asked, staring at me over the rim of her mug.
“Uh…I kicked him out after.”
“Good girl.” She placed her mug on the counter beside her. “Listen, I know there is a lot of history between you two. You’ve been best friends since you were kids.”
“We have and I’ve had a crush on him for that long too. I’ve watched him go through countless women, but I’ve never said anything. And then he stopped sleeping with random women and we…” I let out a shaky breath. “I love him but he…he left me. Last night. Or broke things off first I should say.” God, I wasn’t making sense.
My mom’s face softened. “How come?”
“He believes Dad,” I muttered. “But it’s what he does. He pushes people away and I don’t know how to show him that I’m not going to hurt him. He let his parents in. Why can’t he let me in too?”
“Oh, Luna.” Mom wrapped her arms around my shoulders. “I know it’s hard. I know it hurts. I don’t know what happened to him as a boy, but he went through a lot. Didn’t his real dad die?”
I nodded, swiping my hands across my cheeks to wipe away the tears.
Mom held me at arm’s length. “What you have with Zach, is different than what he has with Coby and Brogan. I remember when they first adopted him. It took quite a few years for that boy to smile. For him to laugh. For him not to jump at every small sound because he was terrified that he would get into trouble. Or worse.”
“I remember that,” I murmured.
“You see.” She hooked her arm in mine and led me out to the dining room table. “Our men are one in the same. Even though your dad doesn’t like to admit it. But when I first met him, I was actually the one who pushed him away.”
“Really?” I asked, my eyes widening. “Why?”
“Because he got too close. You are so much like him, it’s unreal. You inch your way into someone’s heart, and we can’t do anything about it until we have to give in.”