Well, it only took me almost the entire years, but here it is. I lost all the files from my flash drve and now, i'm trying to write everything again. Thank you for your patience.
In the moment Mrs. Washington was gone, Josh let go of Luna and she turned to face him, with a frown on her face.
"What the fuck are you doing?!" She exclaimed to him, with an indignant look in her eyes.
"Look, my mom would flip out if she knew you were here-" He started explain, but the girl interrupted him.
"No, I mean why don't you go with them?!"
Josh looked at her for a moment, frowning, wondering why did she care that much. He didn't know what to say, so he kept quiet.
"Josh, they are your parents." She said. "Your family. You should go with them."
"Why?"
She looked down and only then she remembered she was at the shower with him. Her cheeks turned bright red and she immediately opened the curtains and stepped out of the tub. Grabbing his towel, she quickly tried to dry herself in an attempt of distracting herself from the fact she just saw Josh naked. As she thought of an answer she sighed, giving up and taking her clothes off.
"Because…" She thought of something to say. "They're family."
She faced the curtains wrapping herself in the towel and sighed, as Josh turned the shower off.
"Josh, if you only knew what I'd give for my father to want to spend time with me…"
"Oh, no!" He opened the curtains and stepped out of the tub, making Luna uncomfortable again. "You don't get to play this card with me."
Luna shot a mean look to him. "I'm serious." She said in a serious voice tone. "You should embrace these opportunities because you don't know what's gonna happen tomorrow."
His mind immediately flew back to that moment. That moment when he couldn't remember all too well, because of the alcohol. The moment he spoke with his sisters the last.
Luna also thought about Hannah and Beth, but didn't dare to say a word. They stared each other for a moment. Then, he sighed.
"Alright, fine." He said. "But with one condition."
She frowned, her mouth forming the beginning of a smile.
"You have to spend this last day with me." He continued.
Luna smiled and it made her face hurt, but she didn't care. Shrugging, she laughed. "I guess I have no choice, huh?"
"Nope."
"Okay, then." She looked at him, still trying to ignore that they were still in his bathroom… Naked.
"Well!" She turned around and walked into his room. "I'm borrowing a shirt. Can you hang my clothes, please?"
"Just put 'em in the dryer."
She turned her head to face him. "Are you kidding? They'll shrink."
Josh came in her direction and then Luna turned her back to him. "Josh, you're still naked you know that?"
"Yeah, so are you." He replied and Luna realized she'd been wrapped on a towel for a while now.
"Okay, just get into the bathroom." She said.
"What?" He pretended to be offended. "And I thought you wanted to see me naked."
She laughed. "Just go!"
~oOo~
Luna ended up staying at Josh's all the day. Wearing one of his boxers and a T-shirt, she played video games with him and watched movies all day. By the end of the day, she felt an unusual affliction in her heart. She knew Josh had to go, and she knew it was her idea. But still, he was her only friend. It was going be one month without him.
She hugged him tight, at the front door, and sighed. "I'm gonna miss you."
Josh laughed at the way her voice sounded, muffled by his shoulder. "I'm gonna miss you too, Hot Legs." He replied. "It's not gonna be forever y'know."
Luna scoffed. "Shut up, you're ruining the moment."
He laughed. She had realized, for a while now, that the sound of his laugh was her favorite sound now. She knew where this was going. And it scared the shit out of her.
~ooOOoo~
The lights were flicking in a sickeningly way and Luna had to narrow her eyes to not have an epileptic attack. She didn't like crowded spaces. But she needed the money to pay the motel room; so there she was, standing in the smoking area of a full club. The songs they played were definitely not her style and the people…
He walked into the club like he owned the place. His friends behind him, celebrating and getting everyone's attention.
UGH.
It was all in her mind as she watched them entering the place, thinking that they were the most important people there. Sighing, she rolled her eyes and started to make her deals.
Luna was tired and stressed, but she still kept working. It had been only two weeks since Josh had left for New Zealand, but it felt like an eternity to her. They always texted and talked of course, but it wasn't the same thing. It was like the lack of his presence sucked all of her energy, which was weird, because usually the presence of some people would make her feel like she was ran over by a truck.
Two more weeks, Luna. You can do this.
It didn't take long for him to notice her. Standing a corner of the smoking area, by herself, smoking a cigarette. He thought about going to talk to her, but hesitated for a moment.
"What the hell." He said to himself. "I'm single."
He found himself walking towards her, as he observed the girl. Short, tight black dress with high heels so high that make her look like she was almost as tall as his ex girlfriend. He stared at her black hair that had a light shade of pink at the ends of it.
"Marijuana is 10 a gram!" She yelled, trying to louder than the background music, as he approached her. "Molly is 35 a pill."
"What?!" He frowned. "No, I just want to know if you wanna dance!"
It was her time to frown. "I'm working!"
"But maybe you could take a break?!"
Luna looked at him, with no expression. The man stepped back with the intention of leaving but didn't.
"Okay, fine, I wanna buy something." He heard the words come out of his mouth.
She raised her eyebrows and looked at him a little surprised. "Weed or X?"
"X." He took his wallet from his jeans pocket and she stopped him, by putting a hand on his.
"Are fucking crazy?!" She asked and he frowned. "There might be undercover cops here, do you wanna go to jail? Do it discreetly."
He was surprised by the authority on her voice and did like she said.
"Thank you." He said. "My name is-"
"Fuck off." She interrupted him and turned her back to count the money.
He left, but couldn't take the girl out of his mind. As the night went through, he constantly would check in the smoking area to see if she was still there.
Luna, on the other hand, wasn't used to sell her 'products' directly to the people who would use them. It so much easier to get the money on time, instead of having to deal with people who didn't want to pay her. She earned enough money to pay three weeks on the motel and there would still be some cash left for her.
When the clock hit 4:30am, she left the place through the back door. The heels were eating her feet, so she instantly took them off, and put her jacket on. It didn't take too long for her to notice him and his friend.
The dark haired guy was putting some of his drunken mates on a taxicab when he noticed her, looking at her phone and laughing.
Pretty boy: Can u believe this is a bird? With a name of a fruit?
Luna smiled at the picture of Josh with a Kiwi on his hands.
"Hey."
His voice startled her, making her almost drop her phone.
"Fuck nugget!" She exclaimed, making him laugh. "Oh, it's you."
"Yeah, I actually didn't get your name…"
"Good." The girl raised her hand to call a cab.
"Oh, okay." He said, stepping back. "Sorry."
She looked at him walking away and sighed.
"Luna." She said, making him stop his tracks. She couldn't believe she was feeling sorry for guy like him, but yet she still gave him a chance. "My name is Luna."
He smiled. "Nice name." He replied. "I'm Mike."
She nodded. They both stood in silence for a while as Luna tried to call another cab.
"So." He said, breaking the silence. "Where to now?"
"Home." She said. "Had a rough week, y'know."
"Oh." He watched as the taxicab arrived and she opened the door.
Luna sat on the car and looked at him. "Are you gonna get in or…?"
Mike was really surprised with the offer and considered refusing for a second. However, a thought echoed in his mind.
Fuck Emily.
Inside the car, the only sound was the radio from the cab. Both of them didn't say a word for a while; it was Luna who said it first.
"So how long have you been thinking in breaking up with your girlfriend?"
Mike looked at her in shock. "How do you know that?!" He exclaimed.
She shrugged. "Just assumed." She mumbled. "Also, you hesitated to get in the cab."
"That could mean anything."
"Yeah, but you also hesitated to come talk to me back there."
He chuckled. "Observant."
"Yeah, I like to watch people."
An awkward silence followed the moment. He cringed at her and then she realized what she had just said.
"That sounded gross." She chuckled. "Sorry."
"Nah, it's okay." He replied. "To be honest, I've wanted to break up with her for so long I can't even remember."
"And I'm going to be your excuse?" She asked, sincerely.
The man looked at her with surprised eyes. "I didn't-"
"You know what?" She interrupted him. "You're lucky that I don't get laid in ages."
~oOo~
Josh looked over his shoulder to check if the redhead girl was still sleeping on his bed. He didn't plan this, but she wasn't important anymore. What was really important was the reason he couldn't sleep.
Hannah was there. Beth was there. And it wasn't like before, he could shake his head and they were gone. No, they didn't go away. He grasped the sides of his head and shut tight his eyes. In his head, their voices were driving him insane.
The lodge, Josh. Come back for us.
"Shut up." He mumbled, rocking himself on the edge of the bed. "Just shut up."
No. You have to listen. Alucination!Hannah kneeled in front of him, forcing him to look at her. You have to go back.
Josh looked deep into her eyes and stood quiet for a moment. Then, it hit him.
He knew what he should do.
~oOo~
Mike opened his eyes with the sound of someone snorting something. It took a few seconds for him to remember where he was. He quickly recognized the messy small hotel room, and noticed he wasn't wearing any clothes. Looking in front of him, he saw Luna, her back faced him, sitting by the small desk table and wearing an oversized shirt –Josh's shirt.
She snorted the last line of morphine and stared at the wall in front of her. She missed Josh. It hurt for her to be far from him. And that scared the shit outta her.
"Fuck." Mike interrupted her thoughts. She looked at the table, but barely moved a muscle. "Hangover."
"There's coffee on the store just across the street." Luna said, almost without emotion. "When you leave, please make sure you don't come back."
"What?" He frowned.
She sighed, rubbing her hands on her face. "Mark, listen."
"Mike." He said, sitting on the bed. "My name is Mike."
"Mike! Whatever!" She turned to face him. "Please leave."
Both stood in silence for a second, and then, she stood up and entered in the bathroom, locking the door behind her. Mike was in shock before he started to put his clothes, indignant with the girl.
Luna stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror as she heard the front door close shut.
"Disgusting." She whispered to herself. "You're disgusting."
Tears started to fill her eyes and she took a deep breath as they fell instantly. Her chest hurt and she tried to stop, but she couldn't. Eventually, she kneeled, sitting on the cold floor as she waited for the morphine to kick in.
~ooOOoo~
Josh finally entered his room and sighed.
"I missed you." He said, lying in his bed and feeling the softness of it. "Nothing ever compares to you, babe. I'm never leaving you again."
After texting all of his friends, including Luna, that he was finally back, he dropped dead, and slept all day.
He woke up with a bunch of text messages from Luna.
Hot Legs: hey pretty boy, wanna have some fun?
Hot Legs: josh answer me!1
Hot Legs: im coming over
Hot Legs: since u didnt reply ill take that as a yes. im getting in the subway.
He laughed at his phone and got up to go to the toilet. As soon as he flushed the toilet, he heard a soft thud coming from his room and stiffened. For a moment, he thought it was one of his hallucinations, but then he heard her voice.
"Ouch." Luna said, rubbing her elbow while sat on the floor, right beside the window.
Josh entered the room and when she saw him her face lit up and she smiled so big that he felt his heart warm up. He was home at last.
"Josh!" She exclaimed, standing up and jumping on him. He held her in place and she wrapped her legs around him. "Finally."
Her voice was like music to him and he sighed, burying his face on her hair. Closing his eyes for a moment, he wished the moment lasted forever.
"I missed you." He heard the sound of his own voice.
Luna's heart skipped a beat and she smiled. He put her in the ground and stared at her for a moment. The bruise in her face was completely gone, her hair was a tiny bit longer and had a different color instead of the blue and she was wearing no makeup.
"C'mon, let's go." She said, pulling him towards the window, but stopped. "Wait, get your car keys."
"What?"
"I mean, unless you wanna ride the subway again…"
"Nope!" He ran to get his car keys.
After sneaking out to the garage, Luna opened the Volvo's door and sat on the driver's seat.
"What are you doing?" Josh asked.
"I'm driving." She replied smiling.
"No, you're not."
"Don't be a bitch, c'mon."
Josh wanted to argue with her, but held himself. He silently sat on the passenger's seat and gave her the key.
"Please don't do anything stupid."
"Relax." She turned on the car. "I'm an excellent driver!"
~oOo~
Luna wasn't an excellent driver. Every second Josh spent inside that car, he spent it wishing her never got in. But eventually, when they arrived at the place, he was much calmer.
Only when Luna poorly parked the car, he looked at where they were. A motel.
"Where are we?" He asked, as Luna was already opening the door.
"Home." She replied smirking.
"Oh, are you taking me to your room?" He teased.
"Shut up." She laughed and grabbed his arm. "It's so much better than my room."
Luna led Josh to a small entrance in between the trees that surrounded the motel.
"Oh, I knew you were kinky." He joked. "I'm not much of a fan of fucking in the woods, but hey, whatever you like."
"Josh!" She laughed again. "Be quiet."
He smiled and followed her to a small path that led the backyard of a house.
"See?" She whispered, pointing to the pool.
Josh frowned, confused. "Luna, I don't want to offend you or anything but… You do know there's a pool in my backyard, right?"
She rolled her eyes. "Yes, Josh, I know that." She replied, walking towards the house. "But I like it here."
He watched her as she approached the pool and kicked her flip-flops off her feet. Hesitant, he followed her.
"But this is someone else's house." He argued. "We can get caught in here."
"I know." She smirked. "Getting caught is half of the fun, right?"
Luna quickly took her shorts off, and for a moment Josh thought he was going to see her naked. But she kept with the oversized white shirt and jumped on the pool.
"Really?!" He said. "No skinny dip?"
"Shut up and get in already!"
Josh took his shirt and shoes off, and jumped on the pool. He was still nervous, but when Luna approached him smiling, he smiled.
"Yeah, this is nice." He said.
"Told you." She smiled at him.
They played for a while in the water, but eventually they continued talking; Luna kept asking him about New Zealand and in every answer her eyes gleamed a little, fascinated with the places and his stories. When he stopped talking, they were in silence for a while.
That was when Josh started to lean closer to Luna. She was paralyzed and didn't know what to do. Her heart was beating so fast, she could almost hear it. Then, she dove into the water and he realized what he was doing.
In the second she came up to get some air, the lights of the house turned on. There was a second where she thought it was no one, but then the owner of the house walked outside.
"Run!" She yelled at Josh and they both rushed to get out of the pool and came back to the way they came from.
They ran through the motel parking lot and Josh opened the car door. Luna managed to get their clothes in the way and jumped into the car too.
Josh drove quickly out of the parking lot through the road.
"Oh my God!" He exclaimed. "That was terrifying!"
Luna started laughing. "I told you it was fun!"
"Are you crazy?!" He breathed. "We could go to the jail for that."
A silence filled the car as she looked at him, smirking.
"Alright, fine." He gave up. "It was fun."
Luna smiled, the way he liked to see. He looked at her, after pulling of on the side road.
"I got something for you." He said after a moment, looking for inside his pockets. "From there."
He took her hand and out something in it; she opened her small hand and saw a silver necklace with a pendant. A Kiwi pendant. She opened her mouth and smiled.
"Oh my god!" She laughed.
"I know you liked that bird a lot, so…"
"Thank you!" She grabbed her hair up and turned her back to him. "Put it on me."
He did as she asked and then, she hugged him.
"Josh, you're the best friend someone can have." She whispered in his ear and he hugged her tighter, like she was going to escape.
The rest of the night was calmer. They ate and he was in Luna's motel room until three in the morning. When he left, she sighed and touched the pendant.
"Only if you knew, Josh." She said to herself, watching him leave outside.
"Only if you knew."
