Chasing His Kickass Luna Back by Jane Above Story

Chapter 104
Abby

The tension in the room feels palpable, a thick curtain of unsaid words and unexplored emotions

hanging in the air between Karl and me. My grip tightens on the knife handle as I glance at the chaos of

ingredients strewn across the counter.

“Tell me first,” I blurt out, wanting to avoid the inevitable confrontation as long as possible. “What are

you doing here? The restaurant closed hours ago.”

Karl sighs and shakes his head, walking past me and over to the line. I watch as he bends down

behind the counter and disappears for a moment, muttering to himself, before he stands back up and

holds something up in the air: his wallet.

“Dropped this earlier,” he says, slipping it into his pocket. “Wanted to come back and make sure it was

here. Now it’s your turn. What are you doing here at…” He glances at his watch. “One o’clock in the

morning?”

I swallow, glancing around at the ingredients and half-cooked dishes all around the kitchen. The sink is

full of empty dishes from failed attempts, the trash can is practically overflowing with said failed

attempts, and the various successful attempts are lined up on the adjacent counter for pictures to keep

in mind for presentation ideas.

“I, um…” I find myself choking up slightly. “I’m just practicing,” I half-lie. “Wanted to test my skills.”

Karl raises an eyebrow. “And waste all these ingredients? You’re not that type of chef.”

I nearly curse out loud. Karl is right; I’ve never been the type to waste ingredients.

Even in the past, when I’ve gone on creative cooking sprees, I would never just throw things away

when the dishes don’t turn out perfectly. There’s a food pantry right down the street that I visit

lived with

leftovers.

might as well tell me, Abby.” Karl finally breaks the

probably has been for some time.

clearly been up to something huge

to know. Why keep

eyes meeting his. There’s no point in avoiding the

well rip off the band-aid now. “Okay, fine,” I mutter, wiping

to compete to cater

eyes widen for a fraction of a second

now. “That’s great, Abby. I’m proud

the warmth I had hoped for, and his smile isn’t quite

this time—that he’d prefer that I go to

instead of catering it.

you mean it,” I pr od, my own words edged with a surprising bitterness to

of you,” he retorts,

but your tone says otherwise.

hair. “Look, I wanted to go to the Alpha

thing sort

this sort of response

that hoped that he really has changed, that he would be genuinely happy

instead of making

you wanted to go to

not just any party, Abby. The Alpha party is a big deal.

his eyes locked onto mine. “And besides, you promised.

my chest. “I didn’t forget,” I say. “But this competition… It could be huge

be on television and everything. I’m

understand,” he says, turning away from me for a moment. “But what about us? Don’t

too? I thought you wanted to

the empty kitchen.

I murmur. “I’ve told you countless times before

between us.”

though?” His voice is low and strained, like he’s trying to hold

you’ve just been keeping me on a string this whole time, giving me vague

to jump through. And let’s not

memory of our night right here in this

how it felt to have him close like that