The Luna Choosing Game

Watching the slump in Julian’s shoulders and slight barely-there drag of his feet as he left, had me immediately and overwhelmingly worried. I quickly asked Veronica and Jessica to keep an eye on Elva, and hurried to follow him.

I came out into the hallway just to watch him slip back out onto the deck.

I hurried that way, opened the door, and rushed through. I caught up to him at the base of the stairs from the deck to the beach.

“You can never leave well enough alone, can you, Piper?” he asked, but there was no real heat behind it. If anything, he seemed relieved to not be alone anymore.

“You know me,” I said with a playful shrug. “Always sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong.” I paused enough to let the playfulness pass. I wanted him to know I was serious when I added, “At least with the people I care about.” He gave me a small, grateful smile, then tipped his head toward the beach.

“How about a walk.” “Okay.” Side by side we moved along the edge of the water as the waves lapped at the sand. Sometimes, unexpectedly, those same waves would push a bit farther and tickle the bottoms of our feet as well.

Over the ocean, the sun was starting to set, painting the sky in a rainbow of color: blues and purples, and golden

reds. A beautiful day was becoming a beautiful evening.

I smelled the salty sea and was grateful to be here, to be witnessing this. This was an once-in-a-lifetime experience for me. I’d return home and likely never see the beach again. But with these memories, I could be satisfied.

Unfortunately, the man-shaped raincloud beside me did not seem to be enjoying this as much as I did.

“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked.

He had to know I was here for him.

I had hoped this would be a given. Yet sometimes, people needed to hear the words said many times before they started to believe

I keep going back to her,”

a bad habit I can’t break. An addition, maybe.” @ I kept quiet beside him, sensing that he needed me to listen more than he needed me to speak. That he had

ever wanted

said. “I feel like I'll always be a failure without her by my

In the moment, the healing, the part— I that came next, was always

course, I

after wanting her this long, you are imagining her as more than she is, as well. No one person is perfect. We all have flaws. Bridget has several. You can’t continue to be blind to that.” He grew quiet for a moment, and I wondered if I said too much or was too harsh. As Julian’s friend, I wanted him

didn’t want to push him so hard that he broke. It was a delicate line

I couldn’t stop. For the sake of our friendship, I needed to tell him the

led you on just to reject you multiple times. She’s gaslit you, she’s made you feel like you aren’t good enough. When she is around, you change into someone that I don’t recognize. It’s like you are a shadow of yourself.” I shook my head. “You

out your best qualities. Not someone who pushes you into

laughed a little, bitterly, though I didn’t feel like his anger and frustration was directed at me. “You act like women like that are so easy to come by.” Once more, unbidden, I thought of Veronica’s words to me not all that long ago, that perhaps I should just date Julian for real. And while I could appreciate Julian as a

heart was too entangled in

person Julian needed to date wasn’t

Veronica?”

glanced at me

you two get along. She obviously cares for you a great

it for a