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Everyone was leaving, most of my parents were probably still at work, and it wouldn’t be long before Marla left too. I never worried about it because I’d had Luna, but now I had no one.
Tears burned my eyes as I made my way through the dark and into the kitchen, finding Mom straddling Lukas’ lap at the table as he fed her candies. He was laughing at something she said, but his face turned serious when he noticed me.
“Riley? What’s wrong?”
Mom glanced over her shoulder, her brow creasing with concern as she got to her feet.
“Mom,” I choked out, tears escaping as the emotions hit me all at once. “She left me. I fucked up.”
“Come here, baby,” she murmured, holding her arms out for a hug, and I immediately wrapped my arms around her and held on as I let it all out. I couldn’t tell her why we’d broken up, but I knew she wouldn’t pry.
Lukas excused himself to give me some space, and Mom led me outside to the back porch. I lit a cigarette, taking a drag before speaking. “I didn’t put her first.”
She crossed her arms, giving me a frown. “With what?”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” I mumbled, staring at the glowing tip of the cigarette. “But I don’t know how to fix it.”
“Where is she? I haven’t heard from Lex, so I assume they don’t know.”
“She didn’t go home?” I asked, pulling my phone out to turn it on and my stomach twisted when it showed her at the Night Thieves warehouse. I thought he’d just take her home, but apparently not.
Would she rebound with him?
Mom peered over my shoulder, surprise in her voice. “What’s she doing there?”
“We were in Rawson and we had a fight. She wouldn’t get back in the car, and Cruz showed up to save her,” I grumbled. “They’re basically besties.”
“You’re mad that she has friends?” she asked slowly, but I shook my head, wiping my cheeks.
“No. I’m mad at myself. She hates me,” I answered, making her snort.
“I highly doubt that. She’s probably just overwhelmed by whatever happened between you two. Give her some time to herself and maybe she’ll be open to talking about it,” she suggested. “You’ve known her your whole life, so you know how she processes things. She just needs time.”
“What do I do if I can’t fix it?” I said softly, hating the pity in her gaze as she took my hand and gave it a squeeze.
“You get through it.”
We sat outside for ages until she decided it was time for bed. She offered to sleep in my room, but I declined. I wasn’t going to get a lot of sleep, and I ended up spending most of the night staring at my phone to see if Luna ended up leaving Cruz’s.
She didn’t.
ChapterTwenty-Four
Luna
Iwoke up to hear a door closing and peered over my shoulder to see Cruz creeping around in the dim room. The sun was shining through the curtains, so I knew it wasn’t too early.
He heard me moving and gave me an apologetic glance. “Sorry. I need to grab some fresh clothes for the day.”
“It’s okay,” I mumbled, sitting up and rubbing my eyes. “What time is it?”
“Almost ten. I know your dad told me to keep you away from Drake, but he’s in the kitchen making breakfast if you want some. He’s on a health kick again, so it’s probably avocado and spinach on toast or something weird like that.”
I was wearing Cruz’s shirt and gray sweatpants, so I swung my legs out of bed and got to my feet, my stomach rumbling. “I’m starving, actually, and avocado on toast is good.”
“Give me two seconds to get changed and I’ll come with you so he keeps his hands to himself. He thinks he’s charming, but he’s not.”
I laughed, leaving the room and standing outside the door to wait for him, and once he was changed, I followed him down the hallway until we reached the huge open space that he’d brought me through when we’d arrived. It had been a ghost town, but now it was bustling with people and activity.
