Only With You

06 | meteor

06 | METEOR

a small body of matter from outer space that enters the earth's atmosphere, becoming incandescent as a result of friction and appearing as a streak of light.

☆

LUNA'S PLATINUM HAIR sizzles under the straightener as I flatten the mane down her back, the smell of heat protecting spray strong in the air of her room.

"So, tell me the plan again? We're not going to The Inlet tonight?" Luna asks and meets my eyes in the reflection of her vanity mirror. There are butterfly and Tinkerbell stickers scratched off it from when she was a kid; this old piece of junk, with its chipped white paint, is one of the only things Luna brought from home when we first moved out together. We're going out just the two of us tonight, our Sunday tradition.

"Nope," I say as her frizz turns to silk. "I don't want to seem desperate. Besides, I don't know when he'll be going back to work. It's literally been a day since he was put in the hospital." I hope he's okay, I think, but don't say it because Luna will rag on me for being sappy. Caroline said Ryan hasn't been discharged yet, but that's all she could tell me.

"The Inlet's only good on Fridays anyway," Luna says. "I think you'll survive not seeing him until then."

"After this weekend, I definitely need a break from dive bars." My lips twitch into a smile. "But next time I see Ryan, I'm toning down the cringey flirting. Seriously, if you see me flirt, kick me in the shin."

"Uh-huh. You say that every time you like a guy, then you end up going home with him. You really think I could get in the way of you and getting laid? You'd claw my throat out."

"Dude, I will not. Besides, going home with him after the bar doesn't seem like it's on the table. If I wanna get to know him at all, I think I need to like, ask him out first."

"What, on a date?"

"I guess so. Isn't that what normal people do when they like someone?"

"Yeah, but the guy always asks first."

"Fuck that. I don't know if he's into me—I legit can't tell. So I'm just gonna ask him out and see what happens."

"Brave. I've never seen you care so much before."

I don't know how to put it into words without sounding like a total suck. Luna doesn't get it—her relationship with Devin is exclusive but volatile, and I wouldn't exactly call it healthy. Most nights, they don't even sleep in the same bed, one of them passed out drunk on the couch after getting into a petty fight. Either that, or they're fucking like rabbits.

Luna likes it this way—the drama keeps her on her toes—but that's not what I'm looking for anymore. I've had my run-ins with toxic, all-consuming, short-lived relationships, but honestly, I've never even had a real boyfriend ever, just a series of one-night stands and whirlwind flings.

I want to find that guy who's different. Maybe Ryan won't be him. Maybe he'll never be into me. But when I think of him, a tingly feeling blossoms in my chest, and that's enough to make me want to try, just a little harder, to get to know him.

"There"—I set the straightener aside—"all done."

Luna faces the mirror and rakes her fingers through her hair. "Perfect. Finally, I don't look like a ratty mess."

"Aww, but I like your rat's nest."

Rolling her eyes with a smile, Luna heads to the other side of her room and grabs her phone off her bed. My hair is naturally straight, but I flatten it anyway to make it look softer.