Chapter 81 Eyes on us
Luna’s POV
“…worth it.”
I rolled my eyes, but my smile didn’t quite fade. “Say that again when rumors start flying.”
“They already are,” Kai said calmly.
I followed his gaze down the hallway. Yeah. He wasn’t wrong.
A group of girls stood by the water fountain, whispering behind their hands. Two guys leaned against the lockers, pretending not to stare….and failing miserably. Even a few people walking past slowed down just enough to look at us like we’d suddenly become the most interesting thing in the building.
Which, apparently, we had.
I exhaled slowly. “Great.”
“You say that like you didn’t expect it.” Kai said,
“I expected whispers,” I muttered. “Not… whatever this is.”
Kai shrugged lightly, completely unbothered. “People get bored. They latch onto anything new.”
“And we’re the ‘anything new’?” I asked.
“We’re the scandal of the week.” He said.
I shot him a look. “Wow. That’s comforting.”
“You’ll survive.” He said.
“Barely.” I replied.
He smirked. “I’ll be right there with you.”
“That’s not reassuring.” I said.,
“It should be.” He said.
Before I could respond….i heard my name.
“Luna!”
I froze. I knew that voice. Of course I did.
I turned slowly just as Ethan approached, his expression tight….not angry, not exactly….but definitely not relaxed either. And just like that….The air shifted again..but different this time and tense.Kai felt it too.
I could tell by the way he straightened slightly beside me, but not aggressive, not confrontational, just… aware.
“Hey,” Ethan said, stopping in front of us.
His eyes flicked to Kai briefly. Then back to me. “You okay?”
The question caught me off guard. “I… yeah,” I said. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
A pause followed and then….“You left yesterday,” he said. “No explanation. No text. Nothing.”
Right. That. I winced slightly. “I’m sorry. Things just got…”
“Complicated?” he finished.
My chest tightened. “Yeah.”
His jaw shifted slightly, like he was holding something back. “Yeah,” he echoed quietly. And then another silence. Awkward this time and uncomfortable. I hated it. Because Ethan had always been easy, safe and familiar. But now…. Everything felt different.
And I didn’t know how to fix it. “I’m fine,” I added quickly. “Really.”
He studied me for a second longer, like he was trying to decide whether to believe me and then… “Okay,” he said.
But I could tell he didn’t fully buy it. His gaze shifted again, but to Kai.
Something unreadable passed between them. Not hostile and not friendly.
It felt just… charged. “Are you staying out of trouble?” Ethan asked, his tone neutral….but pointed.
Kai didn’t flinch. “Trying to.”
“Good.” He said.
“Wouldn’t want things getting… messy again.” Kai said.
My stomach tightened.
“Ethan…”
“I’m just saying,” he cut in lightly, though there was an edge to it now. “Yesterday was weird.”
That was an understatement. “You don’t know the half of it,” Kai said calmly.
Ethan’s eyes sharpened slightly. “You want to explain?”
“No.” Kai said.
Tension snapped tighter. “Guys,” I said quickly. “Can we not do this right now?”
Both of them looked at me and for a second….I felt it. That pull and that triangle I’d been trying to ignore. It wasn’t just tension. It was something deeper and something dangerous.
Ethan exhaled slowly. “Yeah. Fine.”
He stepped back slightly, running a hand through his hair.
“I just… wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
My chest softened a little. “I am.”
Another pause followed and then.. “Good,” he said quietly.
But before he left. His eyes flicked between me and Kai one more time.
And this time…There was no hiding it. He’d seen something. Not everything. But enough.
“See you in class,” he added.
Then he walked away. The moment he was out of sight …
I exhaled. “That went well.”
Kai glanced at me. “Define ‘well.’”
“No one got punched?” I said.
“Low standards.” Kai replied.
“Very.” I said.
He huffed a quiet laugh. But it didn’t fully reach his eyes. “You okay?” I asked.
“Yeah.” He replied
Even though that was a lie.
I crossed my arms slightly. “You don’t like him.”
“I don’t trust him,” he said. That was immediate with no hesitation.
My stomach tightened. “Why?”
“I just don’t.” He replied
“That’s not a reason.” I said.
“It is when your instincts are usually right.” He replied.
I frowned slightly. “That’s not fair.” “Maybe not,” he admitted. “Still true.”
I hesitated. Because part of me… A small, and quiet part…I wondered if he was right. But I pushed it down. Ethan had always been there. Always. And I wasn’t ready to question that. “Let’s not start this,” I said softly.
“I’m not starting anything,” Kai replied. “I’m just paying attention.”
“To what?” I asked.
“To everything.” He said.
That didn’t help. At all. I sighed. “Can we just have one normal day?”
He looked at me and then…
“…we can try.”
I nodded. “Good.” Because I needed that.
I needed something simple.
Something not about danger or secrets or things trying to destroy us.
Just… School, classes and being normal. Even if it was fake.
“Come on,” I said, turning toward the classroom hallway. “We’re already late.”
Kai fell into step beside me. Close. But not touching. Not like before, and somehow….I felt it. That space and that shift. Not distance. Not really.
Just… something waiting, something building and something neither of us fully understood yet.
As we walked, the whispers followed and the stares didn’t stop. If anything, they got worse. But this time… I didn’t shrink, I didn't hide and I didn't pretend not otice.
Because for the first time, I wasn’t alone in it. Kai was right there and he was matching my pace and matching my silence.
And somehow.. That made it easier. Even if everything else was getting more complicated by the second.
Because under the tension…under the rumors…and under the questions we weren’t ready to answer…Something real was forming. Something that wasn’t going to disappear just because things got hard.
And deep down…That scared me. But it also felt like something worth fighting for.
Even if I didn’t know how yet.