Lunar Crest University (Forbidden Fruit)

Chapter Thirty-Nine

FINLEY

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 20TH, 2023

Me

Where are you?

You haven’t responded to my texts and you weren’t in class today. Are you okay?

Levi, at least let me know you’re okay. I’m worried about you.

A sigh escapes me as I read through all my unread messages to Levi before I put my phone down on the sink and stare at myself in the mirror. It has been three days since he stormed off at my apartment and three days since I’ve heard from him.

It wasn’t like him to ignore me completely like this, not even when we fought. At the very least, it would say he read my messages, and then he’d respond later when he calmed down. It has been radio silent, and that puts a sinking feeling in my gut.

If he doesn’t respond by tomorrow and he’s still not in class, I’m sending out a search party for him.

I had been fretting seeing him in class all weekend, going over what I would say to him, preparing myself for the look of disappointment that he would give me. But when I walked into class, and he wasn’t sitting there waiting on me like he normally was—I knew something was up. He can be mad at me all he wants, but he would never just disappear on me without letting me know what was up first.

I’d go look for him now, but I have to work.

Luca and I concluded that we should go about our normal, everyday lives like nothing had ever happened. Go to class, go to work, and that’s it. Javier and his men were undoubtedly keeping tabs on us, and Luca didn’t want them to know we were up to anything. The only stipulation was that I had to stay at Luca’s house.

So, here I am, taking a million years to put my makeup on because I’m worried about the whereabouts of my best friend.

Luca appears in the doorway, and I give him a small smile at his reflection in the mirror. Leaning against the doorframe, he crosses his arms over his chest as he cocks his head inquisitively at me.

“You can’t call in sick?” he asks.

“I have an apartment to pay for.” I look at him pointedly. “Plus, I thought we agreed to try and be normal? Work is normal.”

“I’ll pay for it.”

Spinning on my heel, I brace my hands back on the sink as I watch him take slow steps toward me. His hands find my waist, and he forces a tiny pout as he looks down at me. His scent invades my nostrils, and that alone helps ease my nerves.

“ Luca ,” I prompt.

He hums, nuzzling his nose into my neck before pressing a warm kiss to the base of my throat. He’s trying to distract me; he has been doing this for the last three days. It’s like he’s still waiting for me to freak out and run for the hills.

“What’s the plan here?”

Pulling back, I see a pensive look has taken over his features. He either doesn’t have a plan at all, or he knows I’m not going to like the one he has. I’ve been at his house, he is easily able to keep an eye on me at the university, and he even sits outside during my shifts. There’s a full rotation of keeping watch on me, but I’m still scared I’m going to look over my shoulder and see the scary man with the eyebrow scar finally coming for me.

“What’s your plan?” I try again. “Are you waiting for him to come to you?”

Luca puts some distance between us, but his hands never leave my hips. His tongue darts out to moisten his lips as he takes a deep breath.

“I was, I think.” He swallows. “But I don’t think he plans on coming to me .”

He wants me.

We knew that. It’s no surprise, but it still makes panic settle in my stomach.

“I won’t let anything happen to you.” His voice brings me back from my unsettling thoughts as he brushes my hair behind my ears. “I’ll keep sitting outside your work. I’ll drive you everywhere. I don’t care what I have to do.”

“But what is the plan ?” I urge, my hands grasping his arms as my eyebrows knit pleadingly.

“When he comes to you—” He pauses. “And he will. I’ll kill him.”

“That simple, huh?”

“He’s visited you already,” Luca says. “Alone. He’ll do it again. We can corner him. Bait him.”

Bait.

Oh, no.

“How?” I falter.

His silence is loud, and I immediately start to shake my head as I move his hands from my hips. I change my mind; I don’t want him to tell me after all. Facing the mirror once more, I dig through my makeup bag and continue fixing my face as I blot concealer under my eyes.

“Ask him to walk you home.”

I freeze, gaping up at him in the mirror. “That doesn’t sound even remotely saf?—”

“I’ll wait in the alley you always cut through,” he interrupts quickly, as if this is some crazy, genius plan. “I’ll do it there.”

“Luca, that is the worst plan I’ve ever heard.”

It sounds like a plan that’s serving me up on a silver platter right at Javier’s doorstep. He might as well put a sticky note on my forehead that reads: Here I am. Take me. As if he can hear my thoughts, he turns me to face him by my shoulders before cupping my cheeks in his large hands. I haven’t even blended my concealer yet.

“That fucker isn’t going to say no to you,” he says confidently. “He’ll see it as the perfect opportunity.”

“For what ?”

“It doesn’t matter, Princesa . You’ll never have to find out.”

I have a giant inkling in my gut that this isn’t going to work out that easily, but I’ve had enough stress for one night. If I worry anymore, I’m just going to be nauseous for my entire shift tonight. This plan makes me nervous, but I trust Luca. He has saved me over and over again and has protected me since the day we met. So, instead of arguing, I give him a tiny nod.

He kisses the tip of my nose before letting me get back to what I was doing and takes a seat on the toilet lid as he watches me work.

“Levi hasn’t responded to any of my texts,” I say, dabbing my finger under my eye to blend out the concealer. “And he wasn’t in class today.”

“You think something is wrong?”

“I don’t know.” I sigh. “Maybe he’s just committing to the ‘avoiding’ me part, but he’s never done it this long before.”

Luca purses his lips. “He ignores you like this often?”

Levi has some maturing to do still, I won’t deny that, but he’s my family. He’s there for all the holidays, anytime I’m going through it, and will drop everything to come to my rescue if I ask him to. We love each other even when we hate each other; that’s the rule.

“We have our tiffs.” Sifting through my makeup bag, I shrug. “That’s what friends do. Then, we’re okay again.”

“Sounds like he’s just pouting, then,” he reassures me. “Give him some time.”

“Yeah,” I mumble, my lips twisting as I chew at them. “I hope time is all he needs. I know he’s hurt, but I never wanted him to hate me.”

I’d be heartbroken if Levi hated me, especially without even allowing me to apologize and explain my side of everything. Of course, it’s going to look insane from his perspective, but he just doesn’t understand. Maybe I should’ve filled him in from the start, sure, but I can’t go back and change that now.

The past is the past.

And all I can do is apologize for being such a shitty friend to him over the past few weeks and validate his feelings while also protecting my own. I just want the chance. Lord knows I’ve been there for him every time he doesn’t deserve it, either.

I just hope he isn’t so stubborn that he pushes me away for good.