I failed.
Dread hits my stomach, lurching me back into a state of consequent awareness. Numb, I stare at the repulsively dilapidated pavement below me, my bodyweight stiff on the limo's doorframe. Which test did I fail, and— My eyes flit towards Luna—What does this mean for me?
Chloe's heel clicks on the sidewalk impatiently. "Get out already."
I stumble out with the billionaire following suit behind me. My eardrums ache with the erratic pulsing of my heartbeat.
Luna leans into Chloe, her expression shadowed with confusion. "Clo... what are you talking about?"
Chloe snickers and flips her hair behind her shoulder triumphantly.
"Well, I decided that Summer needed to prove her loyalty to you."
Luna's neck stiffens. "Her loyalty? Why did you have the impulse to test her?"
She thinks better of me, I realize, a bittersweet feeling in my chest.
"Because you're a billionaire, idiot. Anyway, someone I know went and lead her on."
A lightbulb goes off in my head.
Is she referring to the caramel-eyes man from the dressing room before?
The peculiarity of the encounter now makes sense. That's why he smelled familiar-- he used Chloe's perfume. My fists curl as things click into place.
I look up, realizing that Luna no longer meets my gaze, her own rather conflicted.
"And she... failed the test?"
Chloe offers nothing other than a sympathetic smile.
"I'm sorry. She failed you."
What?!
That's a bold-faced lie! There's no way that anything I said could be misinterpreted as leading him on, so how dare she—
"That's not true!" I erupt, rage flaring in my chest.
Luna jolts slightly, startled by my outburst.
Chloe, on the other hand, is not in the least fazed. "Really? Prove it."
... How? I find myself at a loss for words, appearing quite guilty of the crime.
But I'm not.
Luna massages her temple, taking a moment before she can breathe the words out.
"Are you implying... that she had the intent of..." her voice drops, slick with heartache. "... of cheating on me?"
The tenderness with which her voice quiets sends a throb of desperation to my heart. No.
Chloe nods, feigning disappointment.
"Luna, I would never-" I lunge forward, restraining myself upon Chloe's razor sharp glare.
"Let's see if she'll speak for herself," she purrs.
A moment of silence slaps the three of us cold across the face, the sun lowered in the dim sky, our shadows long against the pavement, breath ragged from shouting.
And then I speak.
"Luna, look into my eyes."
She hesitantly lifts her gaze to connect with mine, and the whirlwind of feelings she had been suppressing hit me simultaneously, melding into my own; the emotion bleeding from her eyes stinging painfully like a knife thrown into my heart.
Hurt.
We're here, and she's hurt, and I'm a failure.
"I can't physically prove that I haven't been unfaithful to you. Still... you need to believe in me." I beg.
Luna remains without words as Chloe jumps in to retort jealously, "I've been her best friend for years. Why would I lie to her?"
She turns to Luna, and I notice a glint of something sadder in her eyes as she repeats, "W-Why would I lie to you, best... friend?"
Her voice wobbles.
It's heartbreak.
"Your friend is wrong. We've been through the worst together, we've survived because of our affection for each other. You were shot, my mother killed. Thing is, we've already been tested. Many times, by life."
Luna looks speechless as her expression screams a thousand words I can hardly hear above the thunder of my heartbeat.
I bite my lip to stop the tears in my eyes from spilling over. "And I hope that you know by now... I hope you know that... I'm in love with you. I told that guy I was in love."
Tears well in her own eyes, causing me to lose restraint of myself and impulsively take a step towards her.
"I love you!" I cry. "My thoughts... my dreams... my life revolves around you! Until the day I die, and..."
My realization this morning surfaces in my head, and before I know it, I spill.
"I want to stay with you for the rest of my life!"
A sob escapes my throat.
"... Forever."
And this time, a colored smile returns to Luna's face, her tear-stained cheeks feverish in the wind.
And then a strange sensation bubbles up in my heart as I notice that her left hand has slipped into her pocket, her right one trembling.
The golden sunlight finally bursts through the clouds, projecting a rainbow haze over us and placing a beautiful halo on the love of my life herself. My chest heaving heavily. I feel wonderfully lightheaded and dizzy from hyperventilating.
As one knee lowers to the ground, as she kneels on the tile, my heart swells with anticipation and glee. She nervously tucks a strand of dark hair behind her ear, illuminated by the sunset in a way I've never seen it before.
No... this can't be... My mouth falling open with glee, then stretches giddily from one ear to the other.
Her glacier eyes sparkle with happiness as she gently opens the ring box with one, shaking hand.
"Will you marry me?"
~~~~~~~~~❦~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: ...
AHHHHHHH!!!💘
Vote if you support her saying yes 💗
(๑>◡<๑)★彡
One million reads. This is an instance that I ridiculed myself for even dreaming of when the first chapter of this book was published. I was only twelve years old, admittedly. And I've come a long way.
A big thanks✌︎to everyone who made it hit a million. The excessive chapters also helped the total read count, obviously.
Also... hello??? Luna just???? PrOpOseD?!?!🥴
💓my heart is r e j o i c i n g
(basically, I'm having a seizure)
