She was Never Yours

The Truth

     Luna put the keys inside the lock of her apartment and turned it until the heard the lock click open. "I hope T'challa was alright while I was gone." Luna thought before opening the door. "T'challa I'm back." Luna announced before freezing on the spot to see T'challa had found the box. The box Luna had hoped to never see again, the one that contained the part of her heart she packed away a long time ago. She slowly shut the front door while still staring at the box and T'challa's bewildered face.
"Luna I'm so sorry for going through your things." T'challa quickly apologized seeing Luna's expressionless face "Where did you find it?" Luna interrupted her voice completely calm. T'challa hung his head feeling ashamed "I broke a light blub and while I was cleaning it up I found it." He explained.
       Luna walked up to the counter and just stared at the scattered photo albums with a million memories racing through her mind. T'challa was saying something but it was all drowned out by a pounding in her ears as all the pain of him was brought back, tears welled up in Luna's eyes and dripped down her cheeks. T'challa put his hand on her shoulders effectively snapping her out of her trance, he felt extremely guilty seeing the tears coming down her face, "I'm truly sorry my love I didn't mean to invade on something that is clearly painful for you. We'll put it all up and never speak of it again." He said wiping a tear from her cheek. "No it's time you knew T'challa. I can't keep this from you forever." Luna said gripping his wrist.
      Luna took a deep breath before sitting down on a bar stool "His name was Erik Stevens. I met him when I was attending MIT for my bachelor's degree in communications, he was there for grad school. I was a freshman and he was a sophomore but we had a couple classes together. We never really spoke to each other, we'd just kind of stare at each other until one night at a party. It was late and I was a little tipsy so I left before I got completely wasted and he insisted on walking me to my dorm." Luna paused her story to pulled out the military jacket from the box. She ran her thumb over the name patch with a fond smile before continuing the story.          
       "He put this jacket over my shoulders after we walked out and when I asked why he insisted on walking me back, he said because pretty girls like you shouldn't be walking home by themselves. After he dropped me off at my dorm I tried giving him his jacket back but he told me just give it back when we go on our date. When I asked what date he said the one we're going on tomorrow at 7." Luna reminisced as she rolled her eyes. "He thought he was so smooth but I went with him and soon we were joined at the hip. If you saw one of us the other wasn't far behind, after about 2 years of dating when Erik graduated and I was a Junior he proposed to me. Of course I said yes and after I graduated we got married.
      We spent our honeymoon in Cancun at the La Luna resort. Erik thought he was so clever picking that resort to spend our honeymoon." Luna said with a little laugh. "What happened to him?" T'challa asked curiously "You seemed so happy with him yet his face is burned out of every photo here." He continued picked up a photo album.
       Luna sighed while running a hand through her hair "The five stages of grief can make you do some crazy things T'challa." She said grabbing the photo album and holding it up. "The photo albums were the second stage, anger." Luna explained. "Erik was a military man and I knew what would come with that but I didn't think it would come so soon after we got married. We had just got back from our honeymoon a month ago when he had been deployed to Iraq. I saw him off at the airport not knowing that would be the last time I'd ever see him." Luna said her voice cracking a bit. T'challa wrapped his arm around Luna's shoulders for comfort "So he died a warrior's death, in battle." T'challa concluded.
"No." Luna said "He didn't but I wish he had it would have been easier for me that way. No he was reported MIA by his squadron. I held out hope for a year and half thinking he'd come back alive but when he didn't is when I realized he wasn't coming back. I knew Erik and he was a fighter so if he hadn't come back in that time than he never was.
       So I grieved for 2 and a half years, by the 4 year anniversary of his disappearance his sergeant came to me to see about declaring him legally dead. Since I was still his wife it was my call to make and I decided it was time to let him go, so I signed the paperwork declaring him dead then had my marriage annulled. Its been 6 years since he disappeared now and the worst part about it is that I still don't know if he's really dead or alive somewhere." Luna finished wiping away the tears that had fallen while explaining her story. "Luna I am so sorry you had to go through that alone. T'challa said wrapping her in a hug for comfort. Luna gladly returned it burying her face into his chest, "Its in the past now. I just want to move on to a brighter future with you." Luna replied "I promise you my dear I'll never leave you. Now dry your eyes we're going to make today memorable before I head back home." T'challa said with a smile.

A/N: Just a little PSA Luna is currently 27. She met Erik when she was 18 and got married to him when she was 21. There is a three year age gap between Erik and Luna.