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.”

a slight shade

heart, Karl,” I murmur, my voice soft. “It’s a culmination

going to

me tonight.”

moment, his brown eyes filled

room’s harsh lighting casts shadows on his face, making him look

choosing his words carefully. “It’s not

that. But sometimes, you need to step back and

beeping of machines and hushed conversations, provides

pang of nostalgia. It

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

all mussed together.

When I

down now, even for a night, what

myself? To my staff?”

running a hand through his hair. “It’s just that… when I saw that fire, when I

hell out of me,

through my chest. Without thinking, I reach out, placing a

for your concern,

is to understand.”

absorbing my words.

looks up, a determined glint

condition.”

raise an eyebrow. “Which

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

smile tugs at my

leave the hospital, the night air greets us, a stark

glittering in the distance, the gentle hum of traffic a

door open for me, ever the gentleman.

asks,

reply with

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

into a cascade of lights and shadows,

corner holding

of my restaurant comes into view, I feel a mixture

bustling, a testament

parks out front, his gaze

I reply

is electric. Servers move with purpose, the

wafts through the air. I can see Jake orchestrating the dance,

tension in his shoulders.

as I enter, relief flooding his features. “Boss! You’re

promised, didn’t I?” I reply with a

smile on his lips. “You truly are something else,

would’ve given up, you push

you find

his head in wonder.