the clock wasn't working anymore but it was really gorgeous so she kept staring at it, waiting for Mia even if she didn't know if she was coming, the possibility already made her happy enough. at this exact moment, the huge doors opened and there was a woman with black short hair that entered, you couldn't see her face well as she had mask on but you knew she was already really pretty. she had a black overall, defeating the dress code for women at the masquerade ball but she was actually even more attractive for doing so. when Luna realized it was Mia, she instantly went straight to her. she was so happy to see her, she was this close to hug her tightly but everyone was looking so she couldn't. Luna noticed Mia's lips, she had put red lipstick on that perfectly matched with her dress. that little detail sent shivers down her spine, she couldn't stop staring at Mia: « well, shall we dance? » finally said Mia. Luna was quite surprised by her invitation then it made sense because everyone would keep looking at them if they didn't to the... thing everyone is doing such as dancing.

Put your head on my shoulder

Hold me in your arms, baby

Squeeze me oh-so-tight

Show me that you love me too

Put your lips next to mine, dear

Won't you kiss me once, baby?

Just a kiss goodnight, maybe

You and I will fall in love (you and I will fall in love)

People say that love's a game

A game you just can't win

If there's a way

I'll find it somebody

And then this fool will rush in

Put your head on my shoulder

Whisper in my ear, baby

Words I want to hear

Tell me, tell me that you love me too (tell me that you love me too)

it was their song, it was too perfect. fuck the mood, fuck the people, she had the song she liked and the person she wanted. they were both dancing, almost taking the spotlight as everyone kept looking at them. they were both giggling when one made a mistake, everything felt so genuine in their moment. the little smiles and looks they gave to each other to show that they both felt the song and the moment with each other. as soon as the song ends, Luna pulled Mia closer to her and pressed her lips against hers. she has been wanting to do that for so long and now that her lips were more tempting than ever, she just had to do it. she smiled when she saw that Mia was agreeably surprised, she was proud of herself. until she looked around her and she saw that they weren't agreeably surprised, they weren't having it. murmurs could be hear, disgusted stares could be felt upon them and finally to put the little cherry on top, her mother was rushing to come to her: « Luna Miller! », Luna stared at Mia and they both looked at each other: « ah shit, here we go again. ». Mia was the first to do something, she grabbed Luna's hand and they both ran away, they were outside and Luna noticed that the driver was still there: « hey, take us as far as possible! », they hopped into the car and the driver started the car: « this is the only thing i can do for you, milady. please forgive me... », Luna thanked him and even apologized. the driver drove fast as he knew what was going on, fuck, he even knew he would get fired but it was for the good cause, he hated her mother. both Mia and Luna were out of breath and they were laughing:

« - you're crazy! i didn't know your mother was there...

- her reaction was so priceless, it was worth it.

- so it was only to get a reaction out of her? — Mia pretended to be offended —

- g-god, no! i'll explain... uh... later, okay? — she grabbed Mia's hand and held it tight against her chest — i missed you... »

Luna never failed to surprise Mia over and over with her actions, she was being way too sweet not that she hated it so she just smiled at her, she knew Luna had her own reasons. the driver drove them until they reached the city: « i can't drive you further because i'm pretty sure your mother wants me there ASAP but i wanted to be sure to drop you where there's a bit of civilization because dropping you in the nature would make me feel bad more than anything. », Luna gave the driver a tight hug and told him: « i'll never thank you enough. », he hugged her back and he quickly had to stop it to drive back to the ball.

Mia took back Luna's hand and they silently walked, they were just happy to be together. they seemed to have a lot to say but it's like they were too shy to even talk after that so they were both waiting for the other to talk. it was a shy and lovable silence. at some point when there was a spot where they could sit or even lay down and look up the sky, they stopped walking. they sat and it was still silent, they were pretty nervous to talk and they didn't even know why. Luna gathered up the courage to finally speak:

« - so um... i know i have some explaining to do. i'm even surprised that you didn't get mad at me.

- i wanted to. but i couldn't. and after some thinking, i knew you had your own reasons so i can't be mad at you, you know? not until if i hear your reasons then after maybe i get to decide if i can get mad or not.

- hey!

- i'm just kidding... Luna Miller.

- oh my god, stop, is this your way of gettin back at me?

- perhaps.

- ugh, i hate you.

- what you did earlier showed the opposite though.

- can you just shut up and let me–

- make me.

— Luna sighed and giggled a bit to herself, thinking how cute and annoying the girl next to her was —

- so you gave up, Miller?

— Luna went on top of Mia, she pulled her closer again and she went for a kiss. Mia got surprised again as she didn't expect that Luna would do it. she kissed her back and she put her hands on her waist to hold her —

- okay okay, this is enough. — Luna blushed and she sat down back next to Mia — so hum, i didn't show up yesterday night because my mom showed up at the skatepark and she dragged me by pulling me by my hair in front of my friends...

- fuck, i'm sorry, Luna... and here i was, thinking you ghosted me.

- it's fine, it's fine. it doesn't stop there, we argued that night, the next morning because she wanted me to go that dumbass ball and introduce me to a guy. all they cared about there were looks and money... and i kept wishing for you to be here with me, for you to take me away... for you.

- shit, i wish i was there for you sooner.

- so yes, that kiss wasn't only meant to get a reaction out of her. i... i've been holding this for so long. i actually heard you when you thought i was asleep. at first, i freaked out that's why i left you so early. believe me, it was the only thing going on inside my head. i kept thinking about it and at some point, i realized i felt the same. and you have no idea how i felt when i saw you in someone else's arms, naked... i don't know what you feel by now but i'm the one who keeps falling for you over and over again. i wish i was the someone who showed you just how each second of falling in love could be endlessly beautiful, just as beautiful as the sunsets and sunrises when i heard you talk about it, because for me you totally were that person.

— Mia was really taken aback this time, she confusedly started crying. she thought that it was the most beautiful confession ever —

- w-wait- what? shh, shh, don't cry.

— Luna hugged her tightly —

- do you know how badly i wanted to hug you when i saw you come into the ballroom? everyone's reaction was so priceless when they saw you didn't wear a dress but they couldn't even get upset at you because you were just too gorgeous...

- i'm lucky to have you like someone like me. thank you. and about that girl i was holding, it was someone really dear to me but i soon realized it was the same love i had for you. i hurt her... but i want you to know it's all over between us. you're the only one i love, Luna Miller... i keep falling for you over and over again until now and it won't stop any sooner. i'm happy i took that risk.

- i'm happy i took that risk with you. i would gladly take every risk with you, Mia. »

happy ending :)

Chapter 13

it was a risk to fall in love

Luna was skating down the street, she had her earphones in. she was being careless as she put the volume on blast, maybe she was being a risk taker or maybe she was at this point of her life she didn't care enough of what would happen to her. the only that mattered to her at that moment was to go to her usual spot to see Mia. her careless attitude brought her to fall at some point, her knee was bleeding a bit, it ached. it ached a lot. she started crying, it wasn't specially because of her knee, everything was too much right now for her and apparently her falling was the trigger of her sudden reaction. she held her head between her hands, she was overthinking. after a few minutes, she stood up (because it was probably too weird to just stay there with her bleeding knee) and she walked slowly while she had her skate in one hand. she sighed and thought how silly she was. she put back her music and checked what time it was: 8:06pm. she still had time but she decided to already go to their usual spot probably because she thought she would see Mia earlier, it's really the only thing that made her happy and the only thing she looked forward to.

she sat down a bit further from their usual spot but she could still see if Mia was coming as it was in a much more visible spot and a bigger viewing range. she was listening to songs that made her think of Mia more which she didn't mind as it distracted her mind from the things she was overthinking about, it actually made her feel relieved, safe... she always felt this weird good feeling whenever she thought about Mia. she thought about the times they ran away, the times Mia made her find out a lot of things: places, songs and... feelings. yeah, this kind of feeling. it was new to her, she couldn't place a name on it and maybe she didn't need to do so. she didn't need to overthink about Mia, everything was clear enough for her even if she wouldn't be explain how everything was.

Oh, to see without my eyes

The first time that you kissed me

Boundless by the time I cried

I built your walls around me

White noise, what an awful sound

Fumbling by Rogue River

Feel my feet above the ground

Hand of God, deliver me

Oh, oh woe-oh-woah is me

The first time that you touched me

Oh, will wonders ever cease?

Blessed be the mystery of love

this song reminded her so much of Mia. it was a lazy afternoon at her place, they were watching Call Me By Your Name. it was only a bit after they met so their contact was limited, both of them were too shy to cuddle or to even hold the other's hand. but the only few moments they looked at each other when the protagonists kissed or even went further were already intimate enough for them. how she wished she had taken Mia's hand or at least get closer to her that day. it's funny how looks can convey a lot, they were trying to tell each other to get closer. the so called innocent stared at the lips, at the waist, at the thighs, at the neck and at the very intimate parts that we don't need to talk about precisely. she shook her head as if she was embarrassed of her own thoughts. it was still early so she was madly debating in her own head if she had the time to skate for a bit since the skatepark isn't too far and because she knew some people there, she could ask them for bandaids as unlike her, her other skater friends are careful.

she finally made her decision, kind of against her will because everything was almost perfect there: the place, the mood, the music and only that there was the person missing. she stood up and walked until the skatepark, she greeted her friends who directly noticed her wound so they instantly grabbed her, they were taking care of her as they were jokingly lecturing her because at this point they knew that she wouldn't listen to them so they couldn't even seriously lecture her. they talked a bit, taking news from each other and they asked if the girl who went to see her at the skatepark the other day was her girlfriend. she didn't get it a first then she suddenly got red and she obviously denied it but her friends kept teasing her about it since they saw she got all blushing when they saw her as her girlfriend. Luna got mad, well not really mad but she was pissed off and embarrassed because they kept on going about it but she couldn't deny the fact she wasn't happy either about it, she liked the idea. she really did. to ignore her friends, she skated. skate the feelings away~ she couldn't help but smiling while she was skating, she actually missed skating with her friends and she couldn't stop thinking about Mia, she wanted to see her as soon as possible.

that happiness didn't lass long though, it got torn apart pretty easily. "why?" you would ask... well, Luna's mother was there. it went really fast that her friends couldn't do anything about it and they were too shocked to even move, her mother screamed at her own daughter in front of everyone and dragged her by pulling her hair until they got far from the skatepark: « goddamn it, stop being selfish, Luna! you only think about yourself! i told you that things were going to be different between us, you pushed the button way too far now. you're going home with me now and you're under my watch all day and all night. got that? », Luna knew that even if she tried to fight for herself, her mother wouldn't stop that easily and she was too tired to even fight. she simply said: « yes... yes, i got it, ma'am. ». they took the car and on their way home, none of them talked. it was always like that with her mother, they would never really talk. Luna didn't know a lot of her mother, same goes for her. she tried to form a bonding with her but her mother kept pushing her away so at some point, she got used to the cold treatment. she looked through the window with her earbuds in, as always.

I had all and then most of you

Some and now none of you

Take me back to the night we met

I don't know what I'm supposed to do

Haunted by the ghost of you

Oh, take me back to the night we met

When the night was full of terrors

And your eyes were filled with tears

When you had not touched me yet

Oh, take me back to the night we met

she saw the moon and it made her happy because she thought about Mia, she also started tearing up a bit as she thought about the nights they would jokingly dance to this song and now, how she wished that she could be taken back to that night. she was done with everything and she just wanted a hug from Mia, she needed her to tell her that everything was going to be okay and that she'll take her to places to make her forget about it but maybe just being by her side made her forget about everything already, she didn't need her to take her to places.

as soon as they got home, her mother took her phone and skateboard. she told her to go to bed early because she had to get up early the next morning:

« - why do we have to get up early?

- young lady, did you forget? we're going to a ball tomorrow night so you must get prepared and as we didn't have the time to buy you a nice gown by your fault, we're doing that tomorrow.

- wait- what? i told you i didn't want to go!

- we learn it the hard way but we don't always get what we want, my beloved daughter. and take this as your punishment for disobeying me, you've done a lot of mistakes this summer. it's totally normal you have to do this for me. plus, you should be even happy! you might meet a new man that deserves you, unlike that Alex...

- don't talk shit about Alex! i'm done with you, i'm done with all of this.

- hey, language! and go up to your room, you're just tired. tomorrow you have to get off this bad attitude. »

Luna looked at her mother, expecting that a miracle might happen, like her finally understanding her feelings but apparently it did not happen. she sighed out loud and went straight to her room with slumming her door. she jumped on her bed, she took her pillow and held it tight to scream in it. she let out all her anger and frustration, she was crying so much. she didn't even have her phone to keep her mind distracted so she pulled the drawer of her nightstand to take her MP3 player just so she could listen to songs, the music was her only safe place at that moment. she really wished that Mia was by her side right now, can't she just wish upon the stars for them to be together? can't they just... run away forever? Luna cried herself to sleep with those thoughts.

Luna got woken up by her mother, she obviously didn't want to get up. she ruffled her own hair and she, against her will again, got up of her bed. she wiped off her puffy eyes and she had a terrible headache. a day starting well, huh? she wasn't shy to show she was really moody to her mother: she kept "mmh"-ing her, giving her cold and dry answers and slumming doors. her mother didn't stay silent, she kept doing reproaches to her daughter and threatening her like she can't have this attitude for long or she'd regret it. they practically spent two good hours doing that since when her mother told her to get prepared, she would do everything slowly on purpose. well, after those two hours, they were both "good" to go. they specially went to a dressmaker for Luna's gown tonight, her mother kept insisting it was going to be a special event. so as soon as they arrived there, the dressmaker took Luna's measurements and her mother got her a dress designed specifically for tonight, Luna didn't understand why her mother brought so much attention to tonight. at this point, it was too late to even struggle more against her mother. although she hoped that someone would save her all the time, she just hoped that Mia would miraculously come into the store and save her from this. but it was no fairy tale, it was no Romeo and Juliet, it was just... their real life, the reality that they had to face.

after they had taken the dress which actually took a while as they had the time to take their lunch in the nearest mall and they even went for a walk, they went home. when they went home, Luna had to try the gown out. she hated it, it looked so expensive and it showed too much of her skin in her opinion, her back and shoulders were showing. she was too embarrassed to even look at herself in the mirror. her mother kept complimenting her whilst all she could say was: « there's no way i'm wearing this! ». she went straight to her bedroom and took off her gown. she felt so uncomfortable. she knew that her mother would think she's just overreacting but she couldn't bear having that much of skin showing and people looking at her bared skin. she was out of her solutions, she really wanted and needed to run away from all of this.

it was only two hours before the ball, her mother told her she had to leave before her. her mother insisted on her to come and with the dress on, it was practically an order. she had no choice but to come because she had called a driver for Luna so she had no escape. her mother also gave her a mask which practically meant it was a masquerade ball. it was enough to reassure her a bit though, she felt like she felt safe to be a bit more hidden. her mother left so she had an hour to herself. Luna had an idea, she didn't want to let her mother win so she put another dress. it was a red dress with little white dots, it was a bit tight around her waist but at least it didn't show more skin, it had a cute ribbon on her chest and to top it off she had a gold necklace that was stopping until her chest so it gave some temptations. she now had half an hour left, the clock was ticking. she hoped that her Romeo would show up but maybe she was already mad because she was the one who didn't show up... until the last second, she wished really hard that she would help run away like the other day. she sighed before stepping out of the door, it seemed pretty much like she was going to enter the gates of hell. she had joined the driver, she knew the driver was ordered around by her mother so there was no way he would listen to her. she went inside the car and they went to where the ball is taking place. on their way there, they were talking. the driver was actually trying to reassure her and he was really kind but he couldn't do anything against her mother, she had too much power. so she just let it and forgave the driver as she knew it wasn't even his fault in the first place. they finally arrived and the driver had to bring Luna inside the hall before finally leaving her. Luna put her mask on just before gathering up all her courage to go inside the ball.

it was a risk to fall in love.

... and it's a risk i'm willing to take.

the place was really huge, a lot of masked people were either dancing around, fake laughing with one another, chitchatting or more like gossiping and drinking champagnes together as they were bragging about their own lifestyle. besides all that negativity, they had great songs and the place was really pretty so hats off to whoever organized it. Luna's first priority wasn't to find her mother so she was just walking around, admiring the place because she had nothing else more interesting to do. it was already 10pm by then so she was getting hungry so she decided to go get some food. she was in a corner when a handsome man approached her, he was obviously hitting on her and she didn't exactly push him away but she didn't flirt back either. she didn't really mind but it was boring. it really was, it wasn't the same thing as with Mia. now that she thinks about it, she kept comparing everyone she met with Mia but she was pretty much unrivaled. suddenly, Luna had an idea: « hey, um excuse me but can you borrow me your phone? mine doesn't have battery anymore but i have to let my mother know that i'm here. ». he happily gave her the phone and Luna knew Mia's phone number by heart at this point because she was weirdly prepared to this kind of situation so she sent a text to her so called beloved Romeo: « hey so this is Luna, i'm really sorry for not showing up yesterday night but i'll explain you later. for now i'm in a bit of a trouble... can you help me? here's the address, dress good and put a mask on cuz this is a masquerade ball, baby. sorry i dont have much time to explain more but please... please be here by midnight. (ps: don't text this number back) ». after sending that text, she directly deleted it so that he wouldn't be able to see it. she gave it back to him and she sweetly smiled at him. her mother spotted them and her facial expression showed a bit a mix of being surprised and mad at her for wearing another dress. her mother spoke: « oh so you finally met the really handsome man i was telling you about! my dear Jake and Luna, you two would so good together. », Luna was surprised when she heard that. her mother started getting closer to her and took her tightly by her arm almost hurting her on purpose to whisper to her: « we need to talk. » and Luna shoot her back with the "yes we do" look. her mother apologized to Jake: « if you'll excuse us, my daughter and i need to talk. we need to, you know, have some mother-daughter talk... », he just nodded and the two went away. they were next to the window where Luna's mother took a cigaret out of her pocket and started smoking it:

« - look what you're doing to me, i'm being stressed because of you! — Luna did an eye roll because her mom has no idea what kind of pressure and stress she's going through because of her — you looked so gorgeous with the gown i bought you! now... you look so... ridiculous with that ugly dress. i don't even wanna look at you. do you have an idea how much that gown cost me?!

- and i'm happy i didn't wear it, you just want to show me off to your friends and to that Jake!

- oh honey, it's for your own sake. in 10 years, you would have come back to me and thank me but now you're just going to come back to me, begging me and apologizing for what you did today.

- let's fucking see that. »

Luna had walked away, she was pissed off at her mother. she knew what she was trying to do, she was trying to set both her and Jake up together. she hated the mood, she hated the situation, she hated almost everything. only one person could change everything and it was Mia, she really hoped she would come. she knew that her text was rushed and rude but she had no other options, she was desperate. she decided to stay in the bathroom in order to avoid her mother and Jake. she locked herself and she just sat down, she took her MP3 player with her so she started listening to music.

R.I.P. to my youth

If you really listen, then this is to you

Mama, there is only so much I can do

Tough for you to witness it but it was for me too

I'm using white lighters to see what's in front of me

R.I.P. to my youth

And you could call this the funeral

I'm just telling the truth, yeah

You can play this at my funeral

Tell my sister don't cry and don't be sad

I'm in Paradise with Dad

it reminded her of that time when both her and Mia were getting out of the subway so they were running on separate escalators singing that song to each other while trying to touch each other's hand but they couln't because the escalators were too far from each other so they were just laughing at each other. that's when she realized how she missed her and how she grew attached to her. she really couldn't stop thinking about her, her heart was beating way too fast when she thought about those specific moments they were together and even when she was only thinking about Mia. god, what did Mia do to her?... Luna checked the time and it was almost midnight so she excitedly got out of the bathroom.