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I wanted to laugh, but the phone calls just made me miss her more. I swallowed the words,I wish I could see you.
“How are you holding up, Luna?” she always asked.
“Better than yesterday.” It’s the main reply, because each day does feel a teensy bit better. More questions are answered; more of the puzzle is filled. “I love you to planet Thebula and back again.”
“I love you so,somuch.” She sounded teary at the end of the last call, and I think her prolonged stay at the hospital has been just as hard on her.
The media’s need fordetailsdoesn’t help.
She’s doing well at Philly General and not critical. She would appreciate if everyone would respect her privacy at this time.That statement was not juicy enough for the press, so they’re waiting in the wings for fleshier meat, but while the store is closed, I’m using it as my base camp. The penthouse hasn’t jogged any memories, and it’s been nice to venture out into a new environment.
Donnelly leans a hip against the booth, and he clutches on to a half-wrapped breakfast bagel. As he careens over my shoulder and peers at my journal on the table, I cage a fluttering breath. Absorbing the fact that Original Luna kinda dated him is like sucking on helium (even if we technically aren’t dating), and I feel floaty around him.
So much about Donnelly compels me towards his bright energy field and pushes me to get to know him more. No amount of time spent with him feels like enough. I wonder if Original Luna experienced that too.
I’m still holding in air. Like if I breathe too hard, I’ll blow away this new reality into a puff of smoke. And I’m hanging on to this piece of my life with a death-grip.
I need him.
Maybe, too, I’ve been growing to want him. Crave him.Desirehim.
“Nah, this isn’t dumb,” Donnelly says, then takes a giant bite of the bagel sandwich. “You’re asking all the right questions.”
“I am?” I say unsurely. I hate that bits of my confidence have disappeared along with my memories. Maybe they’re a package deal.
He bobs his head strongly. Before he can answer, bodyguards that’ve been manning an emergency exit have entered the front of the store. Stoic faces, cagey eyes, they join another five quiet bodyguards posted at the main entrance.
Donnelly watches them, then puts a couple fingers to his earpiece, eavesdropping on security talk. Is it considered eavesdropping if it’s also his job? He said he’s a part of the security team as a whole today, not specifically on my detail. All the bodyguards were really careful to make sure Donnelly wasn’t seen in public with me. We didn’t even come into the store at the same time.
When he admitted to being Xander’s bodyguard, I was actually happy in a selfish way.From the life I remember,I wasn’t the closest to Beckett, and there’s a better chance I’ll see Donnelly if he’s protecting my younger brother.
Still no sign of J.P. He’s copper-haired, white, and about three-hundred pounds of squishy beef. Hard to miss from his size alone. Lately, I’ve been flanked by three timesas many bodyguards as I’m used to. I’m almost certain he’s no longer on the team, which has only spiraled my questions.
Maybe my new 24/7 bodyguard hates me. Is that why no one has told me who they are? Or did something happen to them during the assault? Did they get hurt?Oh my God. Why am I just now thinking of this?
“Donnelly,” I say quickly, catching his attention. Though he still seems casual, taking another bite of the bagel sandwich. I ask, “Is my full-time bodyguard okay? Because no one has reintroduced me yet, and now I’m thinking maybe they got hurt—”
He’s mid-chew of his breakfast bagel when he interrupts me to say, “She’s fine.”
She.
My gaze widens. One of my favorite bodyguards was a woman.Alana. Igrew up with her, and when she retired, I wrote a story about Alana living forever in a queendom on Thebula. I tried to preserve her memory on my home planet, where I wished she’d always be.
I have a new bodyguard. A female bodyguard.
Sliding a little out of the booth, I crane my head to see the entrance where security has gathered in a team huddle.No women.
“Where is she?” I ask.
“I dunno, but I think she’ll be on your detail later.” Donnelly swallows the last of the bagel and crumples up the napkin wrapper in his fist. “You sure you don’t wanna eat?”
I already rejected a breakfast bagel, a hashbrown patty, and a scone. My nerves don’t pair well with hunger. I shake my head. “Why wouldn’t you know where my bodyguard is?” I question, confused. “You’re on the security team.”
“Yeah, but I don’t get looped into all the big boss meetings. I’m not a lead so…” He trails off when the front door chimes. Security breaks apart to let them pass.
I elevate out of my seat, thinking it’s Eliot and Tom. It’s not them…
A woman struts inside with a graceful power-walk, and I go from nervously excited to just plain curious.Is this my bodyguard?She’s likely in her mid-thirties, black, and dressed for success in a taupe silky blouse and high-waisted pants. Her curly pony is styled so beautifully.
