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“I don’t need the world.” It was the truth. She was all I needed. “Just promise me you’ll keep trying.”
“Okay.” I felt the movement of her lips against my skin and the warmth of her breath as she relaxed a little more. “I will. It’s basically the least I can do for you.”
We sat there in the shade, Luna slowly chilling out as my purr kicked off and on and I traced my fingertips over her hair.
“I never should’ve hidden you.”
I stared up at the roof of the car, bouncing those words around in my head. “Would you have dated me at all if it wasn’t a hidden thing?”
“Fair point,” she conceded.
“I think who we were when this started made more sense for that arrangement. You’re not the same Luna who dragged me into the coat room at my brother’s wedding, and I’m pretty sure I’m not the same Luca. How could I be after all those months of you?”
It didn’t feel melodramatic to say that loving Luna had created an irrevocable change in me. I could look back at the old version of myself and see I’d built my life on fear and guilt and mediocrity. It felt like in some ways I would’ve been stuck in that place forever without the fire of her to burn me to ashes and reform me into the person she needed.
Luna was still afraid, but she was no longer hiding. She had shown up, pointed to the marble encasing her heart, and handed me the hammer and chisel with the full expectation that I would get tired of chipping away and put down those tools, walking away forever. I kept at it anyway, knowing each piece I removed revealed some new glimmer. I wanted to keep discovering her for the rest of my life.
What other people might view as work, I viewed more like climbing to the summit of a mountain. Sure, it was effort, and not an inconsiderable amount, but if you put in that effort, you were rewarded with a view most people would never ever get to see. Luna was the most beautiful view I could imagine.
Some might say love shouldn’t have to be earned, but those were probably the people who had taught Luna to fear to begin with. Having to earn her love and trust made sense to me. I wanted to be worthy of it, and I wanted to make her feel safe enough to give it to me. I didn’t mind putting in the effort one bit because I saw her trying too. She might not realize or acknowledge it, but she was climbing that mountain by my side, and I think she was probably eager to see who she could be too.
“I think we should find out the situation sooner rather than later,” I said eventually.
She lifted her head, staring up at me. “What do you mean?”
“I think we should go tell my mom.”
The only real option was to do it today. Tomorrow was dedicated to my family and then talking to Nicky, so I might as well pack in as much discomfort and humiliation into the day as I could.
Luca called ahead to make sure both his parents were home, and I fidgeted in my seat on the drive over, still convinced this was going to end in some sort of disaster. Luca was right, though: I couldn’t declare it as such until something happened. It wasn’t fair to either of us for me to slam on the brakes before we knew for certain.
I watched him as he drove, both grateful and frustrated that he was the way he was. I couldn’t retreat the way I usually did because he was always right there, following me wherever my mind decided to go. Every single time he reached out that patient hand, knowing I was as likely to bite as to accept the comfort, and every time he was able to draw me back to him.
My heart went crazy when we parked in the Marino driveway. I took my sweet time unbuckling, and Luca swerved around the vehicle to open my door. Both our hands were sweaty with stress, but I didn’t care. I held on as tight as I could and kept pace with him up to the door.
Luca didn’t bother to knock, opening the door, pulling me through and into the foyer. His parents were sitting in the living room on the couch, their heads swiveling toward us.
Mama Marino honed in immediately on our joined hands, a dozen emotions playing across her features. She hopped off the couch and trotted toward us, her husband following more slowly.
“Luca?” she asked. “What did you want to talk about?”
I fought back the urge to hide behind him, as comforting as it would’ve been in that moment to take myself out of her gaze.
“I wanted to tell you that Luna and I are together.”
Mama Marino was well aware of who I was, but for some reason recognition flickered in her eyes. “It was you?”
I had no idea what she was talking about. “What do you mean?”
Her cheeks darkened. “Nevermind.”
“Mom,” Luca pressed. “What?”
“It’s nothing,” she insisted.
Papa Marino sighed. “Maria, what did you do?”
She looked as nervous as I felt, switching her focus between her son and her husband. “I wouldn’t have had to do anything if Lulu was honest with me.”
