Chapter 24: The Rejection

Justin’s hands framed her face as he kissed her. His fingers spread over her cheeks, his palms cupped her chin and jutted it forward as he deepened the kiss. And Luna’s heart just pounded against her ribs.

Luna had been certain she wouldn’t be missing Justin ever again when she came back into his life. She had been certain because not only had she told herself, as a rule, that she wasn’t going to get entangled with Justin romantically ever again, but she had also planned to move on in the most permanent way possible from him.

And now he was kissing her. He was kissing her, and she was feeling all sorts of things. Passion, desire, heat, pulsing energy, consuming fire. All was rolling through her in maximum intensity, all at once, and her heart was pounding fast in her chest.

Her head, the loud roar in it was like the headache she had nursed all through the ride home from the party till she went to bed. After taking a painkiller before bed, the headache started to subside when she heard the pounding on her door, and now it was back. But it wasn’t the headache that was back, it was a loud roar. Like waves crashing in her head and going back to shore again.

Her entire body was on fire, the feel of Justin’s lips on hers blew her mind, the warm pressure of it sent a blast of heat to her core.

Luna moaned, gasped when it was swallowed by Justin’s mouth. Justin devoured her with his mouth, his hands tightening on her face as he leaned in even closer to her body.

Luna couldn’t think, her mind was completely engulfed with Justin. His body, the feel of his mouth on hers, his warm body heat, his natural musky male scent. She could barely breathe as she allowed herself to be devoured.

By Justin. The same Justin she had been married to for two years and who hurt her emotionally with his distance. That same Justin.

Luna broke free from him, following that thought. She took a step back, covering her mouth with one hand as the realization of what she’d just done crashed into her.

“Oh God,” she muttered to herself, taking another step back from Justin, “Oh God, what have I done?”

Justin took a step forward towards her, Luna held out a hand and took several steps back again, not caring anymore if it made her look weak. Not taking a step back earlier had been what put her in this position in the first place. In the position where she had been kissing Justin. Oh God.

The horror and shame washed through like the waves that had been crashing in her head when Justin was kissing her.

“Don’t take a step closer to me,” she muttered, almost to herself, but Justin heard.

“And why not?” he asked.

And that made Luna snap. Her head shot up, her eyes flashed as she stared at Justin.

“Why not?! You dare ask me why not?!” she shouted at him, anger suddenly boiling through her entire body. “We were married for two years, and you treated a stranger better than you treated me, and you dare ask me ‘Why not?’! Screw you, Justin.”

The desire that had darkened Justin’s eyes cleared away now too, his face hardened.

“You wanted it too, don’t deny that you wanted it too,” he said.

“I said screw you, Justin,” Luna repeated, rage boiling through her words. “I don’t want you, I will never want you again, and I would die before I ever let you touch me again.”

“Careful now,” Justin warned, his voice low and dangerous.

Way past caring about controlling herself, Luna barraged right over his warning.

“No, I won’t be careful,” she challenged. She turned away from him for a second and then whirled back to face him again. She shook her head and scoffed. “Do you know what I did all night at your stupid launch party?” she demanded of him. “I drank,” she spat, answering herself.

She glared daggers at Justin, while he just stared back at her.

“I drank champagne till I was jittery from it,” she continued. “Till my hands were shaking from the effect of it. I drank because that was the only way I could survive an entire night with your family. Your mother, most especially. Because I can’t stand her. And you.” She pointed at him, she had calmed down a bit now, but her voice still trembled with rage. “You, Justin. Because seeing you again is not easy for me, that’s how much you broke me. That’s how much you hurt me, that’s how much of my essence you took from me. Talking to you takes every ounce of my strength, and I have to control myself to not scream at you and curse you like I really want to do. Like you deserve.”

She crossed her arms over her chest, finally calmed all the way.

“I have to make polite conversation with you and tolerate seeing you, and I put myself in that position. I put myself in that position because it had to be done.” She scoffed. “And now you ask me why I don’t want to kiss you? Well, here’s your answer, Justin. I don’t want to kiss you because kissing you is betraying my entire being.”

There was silence for a while, Justin didn’t say anything, and neither did Luna.

Finally, Luna walked to the door, opened it and stood by the entrance.

“Get out of my house, Justin,” she said.

Justin didn’t move for a few seconds, and then he finally walked towards the door. He hesitated when he got to her side, Luna’s heart tripped in her chest as she waited to see if he was going to say something. But then he just continued on without saying a word.

He walked out and Luna closed the door behind him.