MY MOON

CHAPTER 14: ALYA

"Have you decided where you're going to stay there?" asked Elizabeth, adding jam to her bread.

"No, I'm still looking for a place. New York is definitely a pricey place to live, and my new job doesn't pay that much," I replied.

"I know, I lived there all my life. It's too expensive. You know what? Don't rent a place. I have a penthouse there. Why don't you live in that?" Elizabeth suggested.

"Your penthouse? Are you sure?" I asked, making sure I heard her correctly.

"Totally! Let me say Alex to ask someone clean everything so you can move your stuff," she said while texting him. The mention of his name made my stomach churn. It brought back all the unpleasant memories.

"Elizabeth, are you sure? Dev and I were planning to rent our own place," I reconfirmed.

"You're going to live with Dev? That's not safe nana ?" my dad interjected, his protective instincts kicking in.

"Come on, Suman, he's her boyfriend after all. She's 23, responsible, and they can take care of each other," Elizabeth defended me and winked at me.

"I'm not sure," my dad hesitated.

"Don't worry, Dad. I'll be fine," I reassured him.

"When's your flight, by the way?" Elizabeth asked.

"I'm leaving the day after tomorrow."

"Is Dev coming with you?" Elizabeth asked curiously.

"No, not yet. He still has a few things to sort out. He'll join me tomorrow," I explained.

"Are you going to be fine, all by yourself? It's nothing like Australia there," Elizabeth sounded worried.

"Oh my god, you both need to chill. I'll be fine," I said, making my way to the stairs towards my room.

Moving to New York with Dev felt like a big step. We'd only been dating for six months, but in that short time, he had been a calming presence in my life. Dev was semi-Indian, just like me, we had a lot of similarities and his steady, dependable nature had been a healing balm to the wounds Alex left behind. With Dev, everything was easy, comfortable, and predictable. He was the polar opposite of the storm that Alex represented.

But sometimes, I wondered: Is a relationship supposed to feel this comfortable? Shouldn't there be butterflies, a nervous energy, something more than just a pleasant companionship? There were times when I questioned if what Dev and I had was enough. Yet, whenever I was with him, all my doubts seemed to fade away, tucked neatly under the rug of our steady routine. It's so easy with him. Dev had been offered a job in New York, just as I had, and his proposal to move in together had seemed like the logical next step. It felt like the right moment to push aside my uncertainties and take a leap of faith.

As I sat on my bed, lost in my thoughts, Elizabeth's voice broke through my reverie. "Alya?" she called, knocking gently on my bedroom door.

"Yes, come in," I replied.

Elizabeth entered the room and sat beside me on the bed. Her presence was always a comforting one, a blend of warmth and maternal concern that had filled a void in my life. She glanced around at the half-packed boxes and the clothes strewn everywhere.

"Did you pack everything? It's going to be cold in New York, so make sure you have plenty of warm clothes. And as soon as you get there—"

"Elizabeth, I'm going to be okay. Don't worry," I said, cutting her off gently, to ease her worries.

She looked at me, her eyes softening with a mix of love and concern. "Alya, I know you've only known me for three years, since before and after I married your father. But from the moment I met you, I thought of you as my own child. I going to miss you so much," she said, her voice tinged with emotion.