~MY LUNA ~UnEdited~on Watty

chapter 16: i think am in love ✓

(A/N: The song "It Must Be Love" by Don Williams played softly as the scene unfolded.)

(Gift's POV)

(I think I'm in love)

I woke up to the stillness of the morning, but something felt off. As I glanced around, I realized I couldn't find him. Panic, something I hadn't felt in years, began to rise in my chest. My heart beat faster as I stood up, my body stiff with unease. I walked out of the room, down the hallway, and through the spare rooms, searching for him, my thoughts spiraling with worry. For the first time in my life, I felt truly afraid, and I hated it.

I wanted to cry, to let the fear break me, but I forced myself to swallow it down. I'm a big girl, I kept telling myself, over and over, like a mantra, as if sheer will could silence the storm in my chest.

Then, I found him.

He was sitting by the window, his gaze distant, lost in thought. He hadn't spoken or moved much, and I wondered why he'd been so quiet. But at that moment, I didn't care. I just needed to know he was safe, needed to feel grounded again.

I hesitated for a second before walking up to him, my voice uncertain. "Hi... um..."

"Jake," he interrupted gently, his voice carrying a strange warmth. "Jay, for short."

"Hi, Jay," I stammered. "I was... um..."

"Looking for me?" he finished for me, a soft smile playing on his lips. "I know. Are you hungry? Come on, let's make breakfast."

After we ate, I sat there, savoring the cake as I always did. It was a comfort I had grown accustomed to, something small but sweet to hold onto in the midst of everything. It had become my ritual, my grounding. No matter what, I always had cake after a meal, and for some reason, I had come to love it more than I cared to admit.

As I ate, my mind drifted. I found myself thinking about what had happened-about him, about Jay. I was happy to know his name, but something deeper stirred within me. It was strange, unsettling, like a pull I couldn't explain. There was something different between Jay and Taylor, something more... intimate. But what was it?

Do I love him? I thought, the question lingering in my mind like a forbidden secret.

Suddenly, a cold shiver ran down my spine. I'd forgotten about one crucial thing: Jay could hear my thoughts.

I looked up, and sure enough, he was sitting there, that infuriatingly smug smile on his face, like he'd known exactly what I was thinking. Sometimes, I wished I could read his mind, too, but it seemed impossible. He was an enigma, and the more I learned, the more complicated it became.

We spent the rest of the day together, talking about everything and nothing at all. As the hours slipped by, I learned more about him. His full name was Jake Keller Shakespeare, the firstborn son of Thomas Simpson Shakespeare-a name that carried with it the weight of legend. Thomas was one of the darkest vampires to ever walk the earth, a part of the second generation of original vampires. The strangest part? Jake had been turned on January 1st, 1976. That same year. That same day. The same day I was born. But not the same year, he was quick to clarify.

When he left for work, the silence that followed seemed louder than ever. Curiosity gnawed at me, but I knew that asking him directly wouldn't get me the answers I was looking for. Jay wasn't one to easily reveal his past. Not to anyone.