Series: Like Us Series by Krista Ritchie
Total pages in book: 241
Estimated words: 236417 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1182(@200wpm)___ 946(@250wpm)___ 788(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 236417 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1182(@200wpm)___ 946(@250wpm)___ 788(@300wpm)
“Your new meds alright?”
He teeter-tots his hand like meh. “Too soon to tell, I guess.”
“Want a bagel?” I hold out the one I just slathered in cream cheese.
“I’m good, thanks. I’m just gonna FaceTime Easton. See if he’s fed Erebor.” His best friend has been living with him since the beginning of March.
I’m happy this one thing went right for those two. They needed that. Xander’s dad came through big time.
“Tell him to give the Lonely Mountain a pat on the head and a good girl from me,” I say, mentioning his Newfie by her nickname. It reminds me that Farrow and Maximoff are dog-sitting Orion while Luna and I are gone.
“Will do, wise one.” He gets comfortable on the pillow. “You mind shutting the curtain?”
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t in there,” I grin. “The list is short.”
His smile appears before I swipe the black privacy curtain to his bunk. He’s okay. We’ve established a close enough bond that I’m positive he’d tell me if he needed something more.
Cobalts are now arguing in snappy French. I scour the front section for Luna. Booth seating is empty. Ian is alone and busy concentrating on the dark road of the Nevada desert as we head into Arizona.
I frown at the bathroom. She hasn’t come out yet? Without alerting the Cobalts, I knock lightly on the door and whisper, “Luna?”
I hear…nothing.
My pulse pitches. “Luna? You good?”
She moans a little.
I jiggle the knob. Locked. My stomach is in knots. “Can you let me in, babe?”
Eliot, Charlie, and Ben go quiet as I try to break into the bathroom. She’s not responding anymore. I throw the bagel on the counter and slam my shoulder against the wood.
“Luna!” Eliot calls. She says nothing. Hurriedly, he’s whipping open drawers.
“She’s been in there for over fifteen minutes,” Charlie says, eyes darkening on me.
My pulse is a jackhammer. “Luna, can you hear me?” I twist the knob and use my body weight again.
Eliot is asking something to Charlie in French. I can’t think of anything except, Get in the bathroom. Get to her. All three Cobalts are searching for a tool to pick the lock, but I hear movement.
“Luna,” I breathe.
Then she cracks the door open. She’s sheet white and clammy and woozy. I put my knuckles to her forehead, but she tears away to go hug the toilet. Puking.
Concern obliterates and propels me to my girlfriend. Crouching behind her, I gather her sweaty hair in my hand while she mostly spits into the toilet.
“Tell Ian we need to reroute to the nearest hospital,” Charlie says to Eliot.
“Forward thinking, brother. How very Maximoff of you.”
Charlie rolls his eyes. “Forget it.”
“Too late. It’s already in the history books.”
I reach back for the sink and find a washcloth in the cabinet. I wipe Luna’s lips. Her eyes are shut, and her cheek is pressed exhaustedly to the toilet seat.
“No hospital,” Luna croaks, then hoists a shaky thumbs-up. “Just nauseous from the bus ride and…” She dry heaves again.
“Is she…with child?” Eliot asks.
It’s a record-scratch in my brain. “She’s not pregnant,” I say lightly and rub her back. My stomach is churning. Could she be though? Only if her birth control didn’t hold up against my sperm. “She’ll be alright. Can you get a water for her?”
After Eliot brings a bottle of PuraFons, I shut them out to give her some privacy. Luna leans weakly against the sink cabinet, and I sit beside her.
“Try to drink this.” I unscrew the cap and put the water to her lips.
She takes tiny sips. Her eyes still shut. “It’s coming in waves…”
“Nausea?”
“Memories,” she murmurs. “Blips and pieces all swirling together…nothing complete. Just a lot of…fragments.”
“It’s dizzying you?”
She tries to nod. “It’s…disorienting.” She presses her soft cheek to my arm, and I curve an arm around her, kissing the top of her head. She’s okay. I have her in my arms.
“Anything good?” I ask in her hair.
Her lips rise, eyes closed like she’s dreaming pleasant things. “I remember your favorite color.”
I grin. “And what is it, Hale?”
“Violet.”
I kiss her again, my eyes burning, and fuck me, I dunno why this hits me so hard. It’s minuscule. It’s not even a full-blown memory like her experiencing Homecoming. “Important stuff,” I say seriously, a little choked. I clear my throat. “Favorite colors and all.”
“What’s mine?” she quizzes, her breathing measured but deeper. Color flushes her cheeks again.
“Neon green, and you were very clear it needed to be neon. ‘Cause plain ole green reminded you of a forest, and you love the color of glow-in-the-dark stars.”
Tears well beneath her lashes. “I love you,” she murmurs.
I thumb away the wet streaks. “I love you too, Luna.”
“No, I love you.” She’s adamant, her eyes finally opening on me. “Like I don’t know if I can live without you kind of love.”
It balls up in my throat. “My life would be…” I choke up, my nose flaring. “My life would be so dark without you.”