The Luna Choosing Game by Jane Above Story

Chapter 0507 I I stared into Julian’s eyes, and he stared | back at me. For a moment, nothing existed except the two of us and the ! ocean behind us, the waves cresting and | smashing into the sandy shore.

“IT’hope you mean that,” I said. I so desperately wanted him to be happy, and I knew he never would be, not so long as he was tied up with Bridget. Whatever her feelings for Nicholas, and whatever became of them, even if they separated, Bridget would never be the right girl for Julian.

She was too selfish. She cared about her own needs and not about those around her. Julian could likely be a good supportive boyfriend, but he had sacrificed too much to try to be there for Bridget and her needs. A good, healthy couple needed to build each other up, not lift one at the expense of the other.

Lo Tarball , “Ido,” Julian said.

\ Relief flooded through me. I was cautious.

Julian had seemed like he had been | moving on before only to backslide | straight back into Bridget when she | called for him. But this time seemed | different. The confidence in his eyes was the Julian I knew, and though he was a good actor, I didn’t get the sense he was hiding something from me.

We looked at each other for a few moments more, the span of a few quickening heartbeats — though I didn’t know why my heartbeat quickened.

Then, a boat engine sounded, and we looked toward the ocean in time to see the boat carrying Nicholas and Bridget return to the island.

We heard them before we saw them.

Bridget’s voice was shrill. “I swear, I didn’t know the storm was moving in!”

Lo Tarball | “Ido,” Julian said.

\ Relief flooded through me. I was cautious.

I Julian had seemed like he had been ' moving on before only to backslide | straight back into Bridget when she | called for him. But this time seemed | different. The confidence in his eyes was the Julian I knew, and though he was a good actor, I didn’t get the sense he was hiding something from me.

We looked at each other for a few moments more, the span of a few quickening heartbeats — though I didn’t know why my heartbeat quickened.

Then, a boat engine sounded, and we looked toward the ocean in time to see the boat carrying Nicholas and Bridget return to the island.

We heard them before we saw them.

Bridget’s voice was shrill. “I swear, I didn’t know the storm was moving in!”

vo MEA add i Nicholas exited the boat first, walking ) with purpose down the dock. He was | pointedly not looking behind him, { ignoring Bridget who hopped off the boat next and rushed to follow him.

| “I'fully intended to go back and rescue | Piper!” Bridget shouted.

My stomach twisted uncomfortably as her words forced my conscious mind back to that moment, with me deep in the ground, and Bridget standing over me.

She’d had a rope hooked over her arm.

She could have so easily saved me.

But she didn’t. She left me there. All so she could win this ‘romantic’ boat date with Nicholas.

I'had a disturbing kind of thrill, gleeful that she wrought what she sowed and her prize turned out to be terrible.

Maybe that was unkind of me, but I could have died down in that pit. If a bad date was the comeuppance, then I was willing

I | to accept that.

| “I'told her I would come back for her!” Pi Bridget’s voice snapped me back to { myself and they were much closer than | they had been before.

| Julian and I both stood. I don’t know why exactly. Maybe to see more. Maybe to make an escape.

But Bridget caught the action and rushed over to me. Nicholas, who hadn’t been coming our way, stopped when she did.

Seeing me, he made his way over to us as well, anger hot in his eyes.

“You believe me, right, Piper?” Bridget asked me. “You know I was going to come back. And you forgive me for not being able to keep my word? That storm moved in so quickly, there was nothing I could do!” Her eyes were full of tears and desperation. If I didn’t know she was an

PO a ee | award-winning actress, I might have } believe her to be genuinely sorry. Even if | she had yet to offer a proper apology. i | ‘You forgive me,’ was nowhere near as | sincere as a simple, ‘I'm sorry.’ Ireally didn’t want to accept her apology, | butI felt off-kilter. Part of me still felt trapped back in that pit, even though I knew I was safe now. I glanced sideways at Julian and say him watching me. He was always so observant. He likely knew how off-kilter I felt before even I did.

Something dark settled over Julian’s expression, and he shifted his gaze from me to Piper.

“Piper shouldn’t have to forgive you, Bridget,” Julian said. His tone was flat, annoyed. It was unusual to hear him talk like that. Usually the people he didn’t like earned sarcasm, not direct cutting remarks. “You should have just done the right thing.” Bridget’s face shifted suddenly, eyes

i widening like she couldn’t believe she ) was hearing such a reprimand, let alone | from Julian of all people. \ ( | Behind Bridget and Nicholas, Nathan | came closer to the deck, looking tired.

| The camera crew were behind him, but | they carried the cameras down at their sides, obviously not filming.

I wondered if this argument had lasted the entire duration of the boat trip. Was there any footage the producers could salvage? Vindictively, I hoped not.

Seeing us, the camera crew stopped. But Nathan took one look at us and then rubbed his forehead like he had a growing headache.

“Get some rest,” Nathan said to the camera crew. “There’s no footage to be had tonight. We'll try again tomorrow.” Once the camera crew disappeared inside the building, Nathan approached us. He looked around at all of us, leveling each

| one of us a hard stare that did not change ) depending on the station of the person , Who earned it. A prince, a movie star, a { | waitress. All of us had earned his ( discontent.

{ « ) I don’t care about your arguments,” he | said. “What I care about is how it comes off to the public. We are visiting the merfolk tomorrow. We cannot have you all at each other’s throats while we are attempting a meeting of kinship and peace.” I'had not heard Nathan speak like this before, especially not to Nicholas and Julian, and even Bridget! He sounded like a disapproving father who had just caught all of his kids sneaking out to drink. He must have really been at the end of his rope.

“Whatever this is.” Nathan waved his hand between all of us. “Figure it out before tomorrow.” He rubbed his hand over his forehead again, his face crinkled

| upin pain. Yeah, that was definitely a ) headache he was fighting off, and from | the look of it, a fierce one. “I'm going to (| bed.” With that, Nathan stormed away. He | opened the door to the mansion from the | deck and then slammed it closed behind us.

The rest of us looked after him, most of us in shock, though Nicholas hid his very well. Then we all looked back at each other.

A quiet lingered for a moment. If everyone else was like me, we didn’t know what to say.

Bridget spoke first, because of course she did. A professional superstar would recover from an awkward situation the quickest. She was probably used to people having uncharacteristic reactions in her presence.

“See? This is why we need to resolve this

A TE Stet td now,” Bridget said. “There’s no reason to ) keep up this fight. We all know it was an | unfortunate accident.” { I | “Do we?” Julian said, a bite in his voice.

| Bridget looked at him, a responding coldness in her eyes. “Yes, Julian. We do.” | y She thawed away the coldness by the time she looked at me. “Right, Piper?” SURE Bridget’s eyes went soft, looking at me.

She was giving me the same pleading, doe-eyed look that Elva had so perfected.

“The only way we can move past this,” she said, “is if you forgive me, Piper.”