Chasing His Kickass Luna Back
Chapter 0266

I find myself laughing, really laughing, for the first time in two weeks.

"Okay, taste this,” I instruct, scooping a spoonful of sauce for them.

They oblige, and the looks on their faces tell me all I need to know.

“That's the stuff,” Leah grins.

Chloe nods. “You've still got it, Abby."

Dinner has long since been cleared from our plates. We're already halfway through a second bottle of wine, the sound of soft music playing in the background.

"Whew, I think I broke the seal,” Chloe giggles as she stands, her high heels discarded on the floor by now. “Be right back, ladies.”

Leah and I watch as Chloe saunters off to the bathroom for the fourth time tonight, shaking our heads. Once she’s gone, the room is silent for a moment, but it's a comfortable sort of silence. That is, until Leah speaks.

“Heard from Karl lately?” she asks, sipping her wine casually.

I shake my head, tracing the rim of my glass with a finger. “No, and I don't think he'd want to talk. After..well, you know.”

Leah sets her glass down with a soft clink. “I don't, actually. “After’ what?"

I wince, realizing that I spilled my dirty secret thanks to the alcohol and there's no turning back now. “Promise you won't tell Chloe.”

“Pinky.”

I take a deep breath, my voice lowering. “We almost... on the night of the cook-off. It was a mess, Leah. I pushed him away, and he left, upset. We haven't talked since then.”

Her expression softens as she fills in the blanks that I've left for her. “Abby, that's rough.”

I laugh, the sound more bitter than I expected. “Rough’ is an understatement.”

Leah reaches across the sofa and grips my hand. “Tell me about it. Men... they're about as easy to navigate as a minefield.”

I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. “I don't know, Leah. It's like every time I get close to someone, I'm just..waiting for the other shoe to drop. And with Karl, when it did, I wasn't surprised, just disappointed in myself.”

She squeezes my hand, the corner of her mouth lifting in a half-smile. “Disappointed because you did almost something you didn't want to or because you knew, deep down, that you've been wanting it more than pretty much anything else?”

“Both, I guess.” I shrug, my gaze drifting to the grain of the wood on the coffee table. “I don't know, it's just... It failed the first time. Why let it fail again via a natural course when I can just ruin it all myself from the get-go, right?”

Leah's laughter is soft. “Abby, you can't just self-destruct every time you're worried you might get hurt.”

I let out my own wry chuckle. “Why not? It feels safer this way.”

“Maybe.” Leah's tone turns serious again. “But he was your sous chef for the cook-off. Does he even know that you've been given this chance?”

My heart hammers against my ribs. “But what if he doesn't care? Worse, what if he’s angry if I try to reach out?”

Leah's grip tightens around my hand, her gaze meeting mine. “You won't know until you try. And Abby, I've seen the way Karl looks at you—like you're the most important thing in the universe. Whatever happened, whatever almost happened, I don't think that's changed. He'd want to know.” I'm silent, the battle raging inside me: the desire to reach out against the fear of being pushed away after everything that's happened. “You really think he'd want to hear from me after I hurt him?”

“I do.” Leah nod vehemently. “And who knows, maybe he needs to hear from you right now just as much as you need to hear from him.”

Leah's words make me soften a bit, as though my steely resolve is beginning to melt. Leah has always been more supportive of me and Karl, more open to the idea of us working things out. And in a way, maybe I need that kind of support right now, even if it winds up ending in disaster again. I finally nod, taking another sip of my wine.

"So?" Leah asks.

“So.” I glance up as I hear the bathroom door click open, and shoot Leah a look. I don't have to say it out loud, but she knows.

Tomorrow, I'll call Karl. After all, it's the right thing to do... Right?

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