"I'm glad you came today," Milo said looking in to Luna's strangely colored eyes. She returned his gaze and inspected his features. She opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it after quick consideration.
"I'm glad I came too," she replied with a meek smile that broke away pieces of tension between them as they sat at a tall table in their favorite coffee shop "Mudhouse". The last time they had seen each other, the visit ended with screaming. "I'm sorry that I was so upset, but I can't bear knowing what you told me." She looked down at her lap where her anxious hands were fiddling. Then she looked up hoping to meet the eyes of her boyfriend, but he was staring distantly out the window. His jaw was tense, giving Luna the feeling that he didn't want to talk to her about it again. Clearly he was angry enough at himself already. He turned his face toward her as his mouth twisted in to a smile.
"I've missed you these past few weeks," Milo said. His muscular shoulders seemed to sag under their leather sleeves. His gorgeous denim blue eyes stood out in his thick tan skin. He ran his fingers through his tangle of short black hair before continuing. "Well, did you miss me?" He asked in a childish, pleading voice.
"Of course I missed you," Luna replied with a sigh. "I don't like fighting with you. Can we please just try to pretend that the harsh words we spoke never escaped out lips?" Milo smiled a his poetic girlfriend. She was the best thing that ever happened to him, and he was in no position to let that go.
"That would be great. How about I order us some coffee and we can talk like how we used to"
Luna smiled and nodded. She watched as Milo swaggered over in to the line in that "cool" way he does. She loved that look. Although she wasn't sure if she could handle all the dark issues that go with it. She thought about the struggle she was enduring and then grabbed her notebook out of her JGI messenger bag. She had a soft spot for animals; a spot Milo didn't share. She opened her notebook and began to scribble phrases and situations that could explain how she felt. Her hand furiously raced across the lines and then crossed out almost everything she wrote. By the time she stopped a single sentence remained on the page; 'Pedaling upwind on a tedious crescendo of cement'. She crossed that off too, wondering why she thought a bike ride could compare to the conundrum in her mind. She knew she couldn't't break up with him, because as much as it may hurt to say she loved him. And besides, she had to help him through this. He had, after all, helped her through the tough times she faced after her best friend Shelby died in a motorcycle accident.
She pulled herself out of her labyrinth of unfinished thoughts to see Milo approaching. He set down a black hazelnut coffee in front of himself, and handed Luna a vanilla coffee with cream and 3 sugars. He gave her a cocky smirk knowing that the drink she held was her favorite. She kicked his calve playfully under the table. Luna leaned back and sighed peacefully; feeling as though they could work everything out.
"So what projects have you been working on recently?" Milo asked with a coy smile. He knew that whenever Luna talked about her poetry, she became happy, no matter what was going on before that. Luna returned the smile while thinking 'this is why I love him. He always knows how to make me happy.
"Well, Watertree Publishers are making a compilation of poems involving nature. It's intended for school kids, so I felt a little silly writing it, but I think it came out good," Luna said beaming with her usual pride. She really wanted to share her poem with him, but she didn't want to bore him. But one again, Milo came through, knowing what Luna was thinking.
"So, recite it for me" Luna took a deep breath, and then began to recite her poem in her best presenting voice which was smooth like warm butter being spread on toast.
"In order to have a tree,
you must first have a seed.
A seedling pops up from the ground,
it grows and grows without a sound.
It's leaves change color and fall to the earth,
then in the spring, we see rebirth.
This pattern continues for many years,
but eventually the end is near.
Thick roots once helped the tree stand tall,
but ever tree,
will one day fall."
Luna met Milo's adoring gaze with sparkling eyes. He loved it when she bared her passions to him. He leaned in closer to her.
"You know, when you show creativity, you become radiant," he whispered, lips grazing her ear. He pulled back to look in her eyes. Luna softly smiled, and began to lean in for a kiss, but just as she got near enough to feel his breath, she heard a beeping. Milo pulled away and answered his phone.
"Speak," he commanded to the phone. A pause. "Man, does it have to be right now? I'm kind of in the middle of something...No, don't sell to somebody else, I'll be there in 15 minutes."He closed the phone and turned to face a now annoyed Luna.
"I'm sorry, but I have to go..." Milo said, avoiding eye contact with Luna. If he had looked up he would have seen them darkening to a shade that was almost black. She stared through him with an uncomfortable intensity.
"No," Luna barely whispered. This got Milo's attention.
"What do you mean no?!" He responded in a much louder voice. "You think you can control me?" He emitted one short laugh. "I'm a grown man Luna, and I don't need your approval to do what I want," He said angrily. He was standing now preparing to leave.
"You can do what you want," Luna replied, her voice growing stronger. "But, that doesn't mean I can't try to stop you...I can't let you do this to yourself Milo," Her pleading voice continued: "I love you"
He looked her up and down. He had a disgusted look plastered on his face and Luna wondered if it was truly because of her, or if he was mad at himself. Milo slammed his chair in, and hastily rushed out the door. Luna followed, head held high, determined that she could stop him. She trailed him for about 4 blocks and he continually screamed at her to 'get lost' but she kept pushing forward. When they had walked about 6 blocks through their hometown Las Vegas, Milo stopped. He turned to face her, anger flaming all around him. He rushed towards her and in a moment Luna was pinned up against the side of a building. His jaw was clenched and his eyes were darting rapidly around her trying to focus.
"Luna," his hoarse voice choked out. "Luna, I love you too, which is why you have to go. I can't stop Luna, and you staying with me is just going to bring you down too. I don't want that to happen to you, do you understand?" He was yelling now, but it was an exasperated caring yell. Luna's eyes filled to the brim, but she choked her tears back not wanting to show weakness. She said nothing, fearing that he might hit her. However, he merely released her arms, and walked on at a much faster pace. Luna, after careful thought, followed. They arrived in an alley. Milo walked up to the man in the far right corner and began making a deal. Luna raced up behind them.
"Yo, what's this chick doing here man?? Did you know you were followed? Shit, man I can't get caught right now, I got two kids to take care of." The man said in a harsh whisper. Luna wondered if his kids knew how he supported them.
"Luna, get the hell out of here!" Milo demanded, and then turned to address the mysterious dealer. "She won't make trouble for you, don't worry. You got the stuff"
Luna began to scream at Milo: "Milo! Stop this now, I'll get you help!!! We have to work through this Milo!...I need to help you." Milo looked over at Luna as he handed over some money. He slipped a packet of a mysterious substance in to his pocket and then began to walk away. When he heard Luna's footsteps following him, he spun around eyes watering.
"Get out of here Luna!" He shouted shoving a finger towards her face. "If you can't handle this, then get the fuck out of here!" He bowed his head, and then trudged away. This time, and this time only; Luna did not follow...
A/N Oohhhh intrigue haha. So reviews would be greatly appreciated. I'll try to update soon, and I know Criss wasn't in this chapter, but trust me, he'll be in the next one. :)
