Chasing His Kickass Luna Back by Jane Above Story

Chapter 0160
Abby

The weight of failure feels almost physical, like there’s something sharp and heavy literally lodged in

my chest.

I stare at the computer screen displaying “Truffles Unavailable” in blunt, red letters. I’ve sent countless

emails to suppliers, spent hours scouring online marketplaces, and I’ve even visited local storefronts to

browse their selection, all to no avail.

A part of me wants to give up on the recipe altogether, to throw in the towel and declare the universe

the winner in this sa distic game it’s been playing with me. I could hope that this recipe won’t be chosen,

or at the very least, that I can read enough about it online to get a good idea as to how to make it.

But another part—perhaps the stubborn or perhaps the hopeful part—won’t let me settle for that. What

if this recipe is chosen for the competition? What if the online recipes just don’t do it justice? I need to

be prepared, and this could be my last shot at turning things around.

I close the laptop with a sigh, my eyes drifting to a framed picture of me and Chloe on a past

mushroom hunting trip. It’s not truffles, but maybe, just maybe, I could find something close, something

that’ll at least help me practice the textures and flavors.

…

“Going somewhere?” The voice slices through my thoughts, and I turn around to see Karl standing at

the doorway, his eyes lingering on my hiking boots and backpack. It’s early in the morning, too early for

anyone but me to be here. And yet there’s Karl, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, as my grandmother used

to say.

“That’s none of your business,” I shoot back, my voice carrying a sharper edge than I intended. But

really, the last thing I need right now is more complications, more entanglement with him.

He steps into the room, the door falling shut behind him. “Abby, don’t be like this. I told you that I want

to help.”

need help,” I interject,

“I’ve been mushroom hunting since I was a kid. I’ll be

penetrating, like he’s

truffles around here, you know

“but I need to do something,

his demeanor shifts, his voice turning stern, his posture more rigid. “Then let

you.”

blink, surprised. There’s a flash of Alpha energy in his eyes, a silent, commanding aura

been dealing with lately. And in

way.

I hear myself say. “You

eyes meet mine, and for a split second, I

he says, his voice softening. “I’ll get

me alone in my office, staring at the empty space he just vacated.

just agree to

…

floor is soft beneath my boots, each step m ffled by a layer

earth.

in the early morning air, casting the forest in surreal grays and

maybe a nightmare, if something

distance, his footsteps softly echoing my

ground for any signs

there.” I point to a cluster near a huge

leaning down to take a closer look. “Are these

to reveal the reddish-brown

yes, they are edible.”

way for a while, discovering various fungi sca

more muted but no less

a mini biology lesson as I identify them, and the tension

slowly begins to lift.

that time we went mushroom hunting while we were

“You had to stop me from

nostalgia sweeping over me. “You were so excited,

it right up and ended up in the

joins in the laughter, and for a brief moment, the forest becomes a sanctuary, a

nothing else. But then guilt seeps in, muddying

I just lost my two best friends because

But then, something happens.

sca tter as a distant shout cuts through the mist,

echoing between

and pulling me behind