EVERY BREATH

N I N E T E E N

I put my little angel down for a nap and head downstairs for a water. The doorbell rings and I answer it.

"Hey" Luna says and I look at her in surprise.

"Hey?" I say and look at her suite case.

"Ace said I was spending the weekend with you. He said he talked to you" she says.

"I must've forgotten. The baby keeps me really busy" I say but I know for a fact that this wouldn't have slipped my mind. "Come in I'll show you to the guest room" I say walking up the stairs.

"Are you sure you're okay with me staying?" She asks.

"Yeah, I don't mind the company" I say and She just smiles. I let her by so she can set her stuff down. I wonder why that idiot didn't tell me. "Do you know where he went?" I ask.

"No, he said that I everything went well that he would tell me" she says.

"Well, I guess we'll have to wait and see" I say.

"Yeah" she says softly.

"I'll leave you to settle down if you'd like" I say.

"No, it's okay" she says as she sits on the bed. I walk to the arm chair and sit down.

"So how have you been?" I ask.

"I've been....good" she says.

"It's okay if you're not. I mean every once in a while life gets hard right? Talk to me. Get whatever you have off your chest" I say.

"I don't know I mean I try everything so that Ace can pay me some attention. He doesn't seem to want to do anything besides work and visit Elijah. I mean I'm in no way trying to be rude but I feel so alone here" she says.

"I understand you more than you know. All I can tell you is you might not consider me a friend but I would like to consider you one. I'm here alone most of the time as well, and with Ace he's tuff to break. He's very reserved because he's had to fight against everyone his whole life. Just let him know that you can be there even if he pushes you away" I say and im fighting back the tears with every fiber in my body.

"I have tried so hard to do so, but he always runs away from me. I think I'm at the point where I'm going to give up" she says. I would never give up on James he's the best human being I have ever met. He lights up every single one of my days. I love him even when he thinks I don't. We might be apart but we will never forget what we are.

"I have a question for you" I say.

"Yeah" she says.

"Have you ever been in love? And I'm not asking if you've ever loved anyone I'm asking if you've ever been in love" ask.

"I think so" she says.

"You haven't than because you answer would have been a yes with no don't in your heart" I say.

"What do you think love is?" she asks.

"I think that love is full of intense emotions that you never thought you'd find yourself feeling. When you love someone every smile they give you is a blessing. Every look they give you is enough to make the worst of days into the best day. Every laugh of theirs you hear is a melody you constantly want to hear. Every hug they give you is like a shield protecting you from any harm that may come your way even if it's from yourself. Every kiss they give you is strong enough to make the world stop for a minute. When you lose that love I promise you it's the worst pain you could feel. After that no one compares to them. You find yourself comparing everyone to them, and realize that no one else comes close" I say remembering the time I called James mine. I wipe the tears from my eyes.

"I didn't expect that" she says.

"I'm sorry" I say.

"No, I'm sorry. I took that away from you didn't I?" She says and I can see the tears forming in her eyes.

"No it wasn't your fault" I tell her.

"My dad made Ace give you up so that he could get rid of me. I can't expect him to care or love me when I toke away his only happiness. I get that but I don't know what to do. I've always been in peoples lives when they don't want me. You don't understand what it's like to never be wanted. Every day of my life is full of sadness and regrets. I wish I could run away and forget about this life I have. No one has ever showed me compassion. Ive been beaten and treated like trash. I don't want this life, but there's nothing I can do to change it" she says and begins to cry and I can feel how hurt this girl is. I go to sit next to her and hug her.

"It's not your fault Luna. It's Christians fault he doesn't care about anyone that's not himself. You were so unfortunate to have him as your dad, but don't think that you're not wanted. I know what it feels to be unwanted. When my parents died my brother wanted me to be taken away. He wanted to get rid of me. He constantly reminded me that he didn't want me there. He would scream and tell me he wished I could take my parents place. My sister didn't have the heart to throw me out or give me away. When I found out I was having Elijah she left me at an ice cream shop and didn't come back. I looked for her two weeks later to beg her to let me stay instead she throw my stuff at me and told me things I never imagined she would say to me. I know what it feels like to not be wanted somewhere Luna, and I don't want you to feel that way. So please know that no matter what your dad did it's not on you, and I would never blame you for his actions. I know what I'm going to tell you sounds weird, but I want you here Luna. You have been through so much and I admire you for staying strong" I tell her. I lean in and we both cry in each other's arms.