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

I lived with Karl, the se rvants and guests were always

leftovers.

me, Abby.” Karl finally breaks

and probably has been for some

to something huge here lately, and I’m

Why keep me

put the knife down, my eyes meeting his. There’s no point in avoiding

now. “Okay,

one of the finalists to compete

a second before his

decipher right now. “That’s great,

something’s off. His voice lacks the warmth I had hoped for, and

can sense what I feared all this time—that he’d prefer that I go to the Alpha

instead of catering it.

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

of you,” he retorts, clearly irritated

tone says otherwise.

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

date. This whole catering thing sort

expected this sort of

that hoped that he really has changed,

instead of making

wanted to go

party is a big deal. I thought

locked onto mine. “And besides,

forget,” I say. “But

going to be on television and everything. I’m sorry, but I

me for

you too? I thought you wanted to go with me.” His voice rises with each

the empty kitchen.

murmur. “I’ve told you countless times before that it’s

between us.”

you, though?” His voice is low and strained, like he’s

just been keeping me on a string this whole time, giving

not forget

words. The memory of our night right here in this kitchen whirls

felt to have