Wishes - Hector Fort

Promise

After Hector walked Marina home, he and Luna were left alone under the dim glow of a streetlight, its flickering light casting shadows across the empty street.

The silence between them was thick, filled with the unspoken words and tension that had been simmering ever since he'd pulled her out of the club.

Luna could feel Hector's eyes on her, his disapproval clear, and it sent a wave of heat through her—not just from embarrassment, but something else, something she didn't want to admit.

He took a step closer, his expression unreadable as he looked her over, taking in her tousled hair, the flushed cheeks, the way she was barely able to stand steady on her own.

And with that steady, unreadable gaze fixed on her, Luna felt more exposed than ever.

Desperate to break the silence, she dug into her bag, pulling out her crumpled pack of cigarettes, hoping a quick drag would settle her nerves.

But as she tapped one out and lifted it to her lips, Hector's hand shot out, catching her wrist in a firm but gentle grip.

Before she knew it, he'd taken the cigarette from her fingers, plucked the pack from her hand, and tossed it into the trash with a look of pure frustration.

"Are you serious, Luna?" he demanded, his voice low but sharp. "Drinking, smoking—what are you doing? You're sixteen."

She yanked her hand back, her cheeks flushed as she forced herself to meet his gaze.
"I'm just living, Hector. I don't need you acting like my babysitter."

He scoffed, crossing his arms.
"Someone has to, apparently. You're out here sneaking into clubs, getting wasted, letting strangers..."

He trailed off, his jaw clenched as if he didn't want to finish the sentence.
"You're smarter than this, Luna."

She rolled her eyes, trying to play it cool even though her stomach twisted at the look in his eyes.
"Oh, please. You sound just like my parents," she muttered. "Everyone else does it. It's not a big deal."

"Everyone else?" he repeated, his gaze hardening.

"You think that makes it okay? This isn't you, Luna. You're not some reckless kid who needs attention by doing the worst thing she can think of."

"Oh, so now you think you know me?" she shot back, feeling a sharp pang of anger.
"You barely even talk to me unless it's through my brother, so don't act like you have a clue who I am."

Hector looked at her, his expression pained but unwavering.
"Maybe I don't know you like Fermin does," he admitted. "But I see what you're doing to yourself. You're pushing everything and everyone away just to prove... what, exactly?"

Luna's mouth opened to reply, but no words came out.

The truth was, she didn't even have a good answer.

She just knew that for once, she'd wanted to feel like someone noticed her—saw her beyond the "kid sister," beyond Fermin's shadow.

"Why do you even care?" she managed, her voice wavering in spite of herself. "I'm not your problem, Hector. You're just Fermin's friend. If this is about him—"

"This has nothing to do with him," he cut her off, his voice surprisingly quiet now.

His gaze softened as he looked at her, a hint of worry surfacing beneath his frustration.

"It's about you, Luna. You don't see what you're doing to yourself."

She crossed her arms, trying to mask the hurt, the unexpected vulnerability his words brought out in her.
"Maybe I don't care what happens to me," she whispered, looking away. "No one else does."

Hector took a breath, his gaze searching her face as if trying to find the right words.
"You don't think I care? Luna, you're my best friend's little sister... but you're also... you're more than that," he said, his voice softening, his tone slipping into something more personal, more intense.
"You think I'd be here right now if I didn't care?"

Her heart beat a little faster, the air between them shifting, filled with a strange, electric tension that left her breathless.

She wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or just him, standing so close to her, looking at her like she was something precious, something that mattered.

He shook his head, a mix of frustration and something else in his eyes.

"You're sixteen, Luna. You've got so much ahead of you, so much more to do than... this," he said, gesturing toward the club they'd just left.
"I don't want to see you destroy yourself before you even know what you're capable of."

His words hit deeper than she'd expected, breaking through the careless, defiant mask she'd been hiding behind.

The hot sting of tears pricked her eyes, and she looked away, hating how exposed she felt.

"You don't get it," she muttered, her voice barely a whisper. "I just... I wanted to feel like someone noticed me. Like I mattered."

Hector's expression softened completely, and he took a careful step closer, his hand gently resting on her shoulder.

"You do matter, Luna," he said, his voice low, his gaze never leaving hers.
"And not just because you're Fermin's sister. You're worth more than these stupid choices. I just wish you could see that."

A tear slipped down her cheek, and she brushed it away quickly, angry at herself for letting him see her like this.

But he didn't look away, didn't pull back.

Instead, he gently lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze.

"I don't want you to lose yourself to this, okay?" he murmured, his voice barely audible, the intensity in his eyes making her heart skip.
"There's more to you than what you're running from."

For a moment, she didn't speak, her mind a mess of emotions she couldn't fully sort through.

She felt the ache of his words settling inside her, tugging at parts of herself she'd tried to bury.

And as much as she hated to admit it, standing here with him felt safer than anywhere she'd been all night.

"I'll... I'll try," she whispered, surprising herself. "But you have to promise me something too."

"What?" he asked, his expression softening even more.

"Don't just see me as your best friend's little sister," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, her cheeks flushing. "See me as... as me."

Hector paused, his gaze holding hers, and something unspoken passed between them, something that left her heart racing.

He didn't say anything, just nodded slowly, his hand still resting on her shoulder, his thumb brushing against her skin in a way that felt almost... deliberate.

"I already do, Luna," he murmured, his voice low, the tension thick between them.

He cleared his throat, pulling back slightly, his gaze flickering away. "Let's get you home."

They walked together in silence, the words left unsaid hanging between them, heavy with meaning.

And as they turned down the street toward her house, Luna realized something she hadn't felt in a long time—a strange, tentative hope blossoming in her chest.