Chasing His Kickass Luna Back by Jane Above Story

#Chapter 43: True Passion
Abby

The antiseptic smell of the hospital surrounds me, a cold, clinical scent that seems to hang in the air. I

glance down at my arm, now wrapped in white gauze, the skin beneath it red and angry. The pain

pulses with every heartbeat, but it’s a dull, manageable ache for now.

“Abby, you should be heading home to rest,” the doctor’s firm voice breaks through my thoughts. He’s

an older man, silver hair and a gentle, fatherly demeanor. “That burn needs time to heal, and you need

time to recover.”

“I understand, doctor,” I reply, doing my best to sound appreciative. “Thank you.”

Karl waits just outside the small cubicle, flipping through a magazine. The fluorescent lights highlight

the worry lines on his forehead. He looks up as I emerge, magazine forgotten.

“All set?”

I nod, reaching for my jacket with my uninjured arm. Karl moves quickly to help, his fingers brushing

against mine. The touch is unintentional, but it sends a rush of warmth through me.

“Thanks,” I murmur, avoiding his gaze.

He just nods, his expression serious. “I’ll drive you home.”

But as I step into the corridor, the weight of unfinished business pulls at me. “Not home. Back to the

restaurant.”

He stops in his tracks, eyebrows shooting up in surprise. “Are you serious, Abby? After what you’ve just

been through?”

“The night isn’t over,” I reply firmly, pain making my voice sharper than intended. “The restaurant needs

me.”

Karl shakes his head, clearly struggling to comprehend my determination. “Let’s sit for a moment,” he

suggests, guiding me towards a set of chairs in the waiting area. It’s relatively quiet here, a few people

sca ttered about, absorbed in their own world of worry and waiting.

He waits for me to get settled before taking the seat next to me. “Abby, talk to me. Why do you feel the

need to go back there tonight? It’s just one night.”

I turn to face him, biting my lip. “You weren’t there when I opened up the restaurant.”

face turning a slight shade of red. “No.

I murmur, my voice

faced. One disaster isn’t going to keep me

me tonight.”

eyes filled with a mix of admiration and

lighting casts shadows on his face,

starts, choosing his words carefully. “It’s not about your determination or

sometimes, you need to

hospital, the beeping

a pang of nostalgia. It reminds

were neatly wound around one another. Now, it feels like a tangle,

all mussed together.

keeps me going. When I face challenges, when things get

that pulls me through. If I back down now, even for a night, what message am I

myself? To my staff?”

that…

scared the hell out of

kind words send a pang through my chest. Without thinking, I reach

concern, truly. But the best

is to understand.”

absorbing my words. The m uffled sounds of footsteps and

determined glint in his eyes. “Fine, but

condition.”

an eyebrow.

going with you. If you’re going back to that restaurant,

tugs at

greets us, a stark

in the distance,

is parked nearby, and he holds the door open for me, ever the gentleman.

asks, one last

I reply with

the restaurant is filled with comfortable silence, the kind that comes with

outside the window blurs into a cascade of lights and shadows,

street corner holding a

familiar outline of my restaurant comes into view, I feel a mixture of

a testament

parks out front, his gaze fixed on the

reply

the atmosphere is electric. Servers move with purpose, the kitchen hums

of delicious food wafts through the air. I can

tension in his shoulders.

relief

I?” I reply

on his lips. “You truly

up, you push

you find

shakes his head in wonder.