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.”

away, his face turning a slight shade of

murmur, my voice soft. “It’s a culmination

One disaster isn’t going to

me tonight.”

for a long moment, his brown eyes filled with a mix of

harsh lighting casts shadows on his face, making him look older,

his words carefully. “It’s not

you need to step back and

the hospital, the beeping of machines and

pang of nostalgia. It reminds me of

paths were neatly wound around one

all mussed together.

what keeps me going. When I face challenges, when things get tough, it’s

If I back down now, even for a

myself? To my staff?”

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

the hell out of me,

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

your concern, truly. But the

is to understand.”

for a moment, absorbing my words. The m

Finally, he looks up, a determined glint in his eyes. “Fine, but on

condition.”

an eyebrow.

If you’re going back

tugs at my

greets us, a stark contrast to the

is alive, lights glittering in the distance, the gentle hum of traffic a

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

he asks, one last

reply with newfound

is filled with comfortable silence, the

blurs into a

street corner holding

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

testament to my team’s

front, his gaze fixed on the

reply with a

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

food wafts through the air. I can see Jake orchestrating the

tension in his shoulders.

spots me as I enter, relief

I?” I reply

on his lips. “You

given up, you

chuckle. “That’s what happens when you find something that really

in wonder. “You never cease