Chasing His Kickass Luna Back novel Chapter 216

“Did you mean it?” Chloe asks, her voice quieter than before. “What you said on TV today? About everyone here?”

I reach out and take both of their hands in mine, aware of how clammy my palms are but not caring in the slightest.

“Every single word,” I assure her, my eyes flicking between Chloe and Leah. “You both have been with me through thick and thin. I couldn’t have asked for better friends.”

Leah’s eyes glisten, a testament to the emotional weight of our journey together. “And we couldn’t have asked for a better friend than you, Abby. You make this place feel like home.”

“I second that,” Chloe says, squeezing my hand.

“No matter where life takes us,” I continue, “know that nothing—no cook-off, no restaurant reviews, and definitely no drama—will ever come between us again.”

‘We’ll hold you to that,” Leah says with a playful wink.

“We don’t have to,” Chloe counters. “Because I know she means it.”

There’s a pause as the three of us blink our tears away and take another sip. Then, with a grin, Leah leans on my shoulder.

“Man,” she says, letting out a sigh. “Maybe I should work here. I feel left out.”

Chloe chuckles. “Yeah, like you wouldn’t cry if a customer is mean to you.”

Leah giggles. “You’re right. I think I’m better suited in an office, tucked away from the general public.”

I’m just about to open my mouth to say something else when the music suddenly becomes almost deafeningly loud. The three of us turn to see Anton standing by the stereo, swaying back and forth to the music.

“Abby! Come show us how you move!” Anton shouts over the music, beckoning me toward the makeshift dance floor between tables.

And then, as if on cue, I see him slip away, heading towards the back alley. He doesn’t look back, but something in the way he exits the room gives me pause. It’s a kind of quiet retreat, a brief withdrawal from the whirlwind of socializing.

The urge to follow him is too strong to resist.

I grab a bottle of wine from the bar, glancing briefly at my friends, who are too absorbed in their game of charades to notice me slip away behind Karl. I find him a moment later outside, surrounding by the streetlights and the sounds of the city.

He’s leaning against the brick wall, his head tilted back. His eyes are wandering the night sky, although the city lights block out the stars.

He looks over as I approach. There’s a flicker of something in his eyes that I can’t quite read, followed by a softening of his gaze.

“Hey,” he says.

“Hey,” I return. I hold up the bottle and shake it slightly. “Need some company?”