Page 131 of Wishing for La Luna
I’ll take you whatever way I can get you, cooties and all. Throw out the flowers, if you want, but eat the food so you feel better.
My eyes well up immediately. How can he take me to radical emotional poles in a matter of seconds? We are in this dichotomy of beauty and disaster. And I want him with all my heart but it’s not good. Not the way we are now.
I eat my soup and fall asleep staring at the flowers. I wake up to their scent in the morning and I decide. I’m going to talk to him. We can’t have another episode like the one we had the other day.
I open my phone but my notifications are wild. Rio and Katya at a soccer game, laughing with beers in their hands.
The haze of red behind my eyelids is back with vengeance and I open my message app to his name and then stop. No, I’m not going to do this again. I’m not going to freak out. I know this is PR. I’m a publicist who knows exactly how it works yet I still react the way I do and that’s what’s mostly wrong. I need to stop this.
I navigate to his info on my phone and scroll down and block him.
Now I’m not tempted to text him and I’m not going to watch his concert videos either.
30
Rio
“Luna’s looking good, man,” Niko says.
And fuck me, she is.
We’re in Maeven’s office discussing my next album when she came on TV, doing an interview. That lace white shirt under her blue jacket has my hands itchy and my throat dry. She’s lost weight, and she looks a little tired, but she’s a vision for my eyes, as always.
“Let’s talk about today’s trending topic. That’s why we have Luna Santos with us today,” the anchor says. “Luna, what is happening with our favorite break-up-to-make-up couple?”
“Thanks for having me, Jake. I think, as always, the gossip rags are making too much out of nothing. People who love each other sometimes go through challenging times. Thierry and Adina have a long journey together. They’re young and trying to find their rhythm. Love that serious won’t quit.”
“Wow, coming from you that is high praise, after everything you’ve been through in big part through your association with them.”
She shrugs. “We put all that behind us a long time ago. They’re in a committed relationship, and I represent Thierry now. We know it was a misunderstanding.”
“Well, since you’re talking about putting the past behind, the one that can’t seem to do that is Rio. He was caught fighting online with Noryel DD this weekend. Do you think he’ll go back to his old antics?”
My spine stiffens, but I keep my eyes on her.
The smile doesn’t slip, and her demeanor remains easy.
“I think we need to start paying attention to messy people who provoke others. Rio is human, just like everyone else, but people sometimes only look at one person in a particular situation. When boundaries are crossed and people put their hands on others, they shouldn’t be surprised when they get a response. Just like when you have keyboard warriors who think they can type anything, and it won’t bring them consequences.”
“That’s a staunch defense.”
She chuckles. “I think I’m being fair.”
He pretends to think. “Wait, is it uncomfortable for you to talk about Rio? I mean, given your history together?”
The smile stretches on her lips, but the light in her eyes is the same one she had when she blacked out and told me to get the fuck out the other day.
Oh shit.
“Not at all.” Luna chuckles. “That’s also water under the bridge. Rio and I are besties right now. We went through a lot during our time together. That bonds two people. We don’t get to talk all that much because he’s on tour, and I’m busy with work, but when we said we support each other all the way, we meant it. He’s family, like one of my cousins.”
My body lurches forward like she kicked me in the balls.
“Ouch,” Maeven says.
Niko puts his hand on my shoulder. “That’s fucking diabolical.”
“I know Sel is somewhere proud as fuck of her,” Tito adds.
