Novels by MAY LUNA

AIDEN Three months later… “Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you, Aiden!" I wish I could block my ears so I wouldn't have to hear them singing this birthday song. I think it's really cringe. I don't even know what to do, how to act while they sing. I just stand there, my eyes locked on my girl. She's the only one whose singing doesn't make me cringe. Olivia has a big smile on her face, like she is more excited than I am and I'm the one clocking a new age. She even organized this whole thing, insisting I should celebrate with friends. And somehow, she got me to agree. So, here we are, having a mini party at my place with Bryan, Sarah, and Ashley. I turn 21 today. I'm in a better place; I feel loved. That's a good reason to celebrate. Olivia walks over to me and hands me a knife. "You can cut the cake now," She says. I nod and smile at her. Just as I position the knife and about to cut the cake, a voice interrupts me. "Don't cut the cake like it's your opp," Bryan jokes

OLIVIA Why the hell am I freaking out? It's just a date—a date with my boyfriend. This isn't the first, second, or third time I am going out with him. So, why am I feeling flutters all over my stomach? What's wrong with me? It's funny, even though he told me we are just going to see a movie, I can't help the butterflies in my stomach. It's always been like this. Whenever I see him, a part of me feels like a little girl getting her favorite treat. Is it normal that I still feel this way about him, even though our relationship is more than a month old? I can't get enough of him. I don't think I ever will. I know what I need now—a damn grip on myself. I haven't even picked out what to wear yet. If Aiden shows up and I am not ready, he'll tease me about how I always make us late. I really don’t want that. I walk to my closet. It’s just a movie date, right? Something simple will do. I consider jeans but then think better of it. I want to wear something cute. A mini dress it is. I grab

OLIVIAI blink my eyes open, the soft morning light filtering through the curtains.The first thing I feel is the warmth beneath me, the gentle rise and fall of Aiden's chest. His breathing is the only sound I want to hear. I raise my head, letting my gaze linger on his face. He's still asleep, calm as ever. There's something about seeing him like this that makes my heart flutter. His messy hair falls across his forehead, and I reach up to brush it aside, my fingers lightly tracing his skin. He stirs a little but doesn't wake, only tightening his grip around me.A smile tugs at the corners of my lips. I think about us. What I love most is that, no matter what happens, we always find our way back to each other. We choose each other, again and again. If that is not love, I don’t know what is.I press a kiss to his chest, then shift just enough to reach his lips, kissing him there too. Is this what forever feels like? With him, wrapped in his arms, it certainly feels that way.Enough of

AIDENI slide into my car, the loud bass from the party music fading as the door closes behind me. I slam my fist on the steering wheel, regret boiling inside me. I’ve never regretted anything in my life, but this might be the first. I wish I’d never come to this party, let alone convinced her to join me.Where the hell is Olivia? Who did she follow? Why did I leave her alone like that? My mind spins, and the more I think about it, the more I blame myself. This is all my fault. If I hadn’t been so stupid, she wouldn’t have left.I don’t want to be here at this party anymore. But, I can’t just drive home, not knowing where my girlfriend is or who she is with. I pull out my phone—this is my only hope. If I can reach her and know she’s safe, at least half my worries will be eased.I dial her number. I heave a sigh of relief as the ringing echoes through the car. At least the call is going through this time, but she doesn’t answer.A line forms between my brows. Why isn’t she picking up?

AIDENI lean against the wall, watching Marcel pace back and forth in front of me. We're in a dimly lit room, the smell of smoke thick in the air. I take a long drag from my cigarette, feeling the familiar burn in my lungs. "When did you get back from Italy?" I ask."Two days ago," He answers.I had been with my friends at the main venue of the party when I spotted Marcel. I remember thinking it was the right time to tell him about my decision to leave the drug scene. Marcel has been quiet since I broke the news, I wonder what's on his mind."Aiden," He calls out, pulling me from my train of thoughts. "Are you really sure about this? You're just going to walk away from everything?"I exhale slowly, watching the smoke curl up toward the ceiling. "Yes, I'm sure," I say.I know this news shocked him. I never imagined I'd reach the point where I'd decide to quit drug dealing, the life I've known for so long. But, it's time. I've chosen to leave the darkness behind, and there's no turning

OLIVIASarah squeezes her eyes shut, then slowly opens them again."I know I haven't been a good sister to you. I've never treated you the way an older sister should," She admits.My eyes widen. Where is this coming from? Is she just messing with me again?"Why are you saying all this?" I ask. "This isn't like you. You never care how you treat me, whether I like it or not."Sarah takes a deep breath. "You're making me feel worse than I already do. I know I've been awful. Deep down, I knew it was wrong, but I just couldn't stop myself."She continues. "When our parents divorced, I completely lost myself. I didn't know how to handle the pain, let alone be there for you. So I started hanging out with my friends, and I abandoned you. I know that too.""I was lost too," I say, my lips trembling. "We could have supported each other, but even before the divorce, you were never there for me. It was always you and your friends. You never cared about me."Sarah rakes her fingers through her hai

KAII let out a low groan.If I really wanted to take my girl right here in this storage room, I would. Not even the fact that the head coach and my teammates are just a few steps away would be enough to stop me.But Ava’s right.This has to wait.Until the final game is over, when there’s no pressure sitting on my shoulders. When I can do whatever I want with her, when she’s relaxed and completely free to moan my name as loud as she wants. Something tells me it’s going to be even better then. Because by that point, the wanting is going to be unbearable for both of us. I’ll be starving for her. Worse than I am now.So I exhale and force myself to loosen my grip, and reach for the door. I pull the door open and let her slip out first, my gaze lingering on her for one last second then I follow her back to the main area of the locker room. Of course all eyes are on us the second we walk in. I catch a few smirks and a couple knowing looks. I can feel Ava pressed against me, so I lace m

AVA My heart is hammering in my chest — fast, uneven, almost panicked, and my pace only keeps getting quicker. By the time I reach the entrance to the locker room, the words St. Wynters’ Titans stamped boldly across the door, my pulse has become a full-blown mess and I’m struggling to catch my breath. Breathe in. Breathe out. I can’t just storm in there to see the love of my life while wheezing like an antelope that barely escaped a speeding car. But to be honest, what choice did I have? Sprinting from the stadium to the locker room feels like fair punishment for waking up late and showing up halfway through the Iron Crest Bowl. When I finally found Gemma and Blake after searching the packed stadium for what felt like forever, I handed Gemma the hot chocolate and chips she wanted. That’s when she told me I’d missed him. That Kai had already headed to the locker room with his teammates. I didn’t wait for her to say anything else. I didn’t even ask whether they won the mornin

SASHAI’ve lost Kai.The truth I’ve been trying so hard not to believe finally stares me down, ripping away every last bit of denial and forcing me to confront the one thing I’ve been avoiding.“I’ve lost him,” I mutter under my breath, staring at his back like an idiot until he disappears into the locker room and the door slams shut behind him.The hallway feels too big all of a sudden. Too loud, even though it’s nearly empty except for a few players drifting through in their football gear. My fingers curl into the fabric of the jersey I’m wearing, the one I put on just to see if he’d be impressed, or maybe smile at me with those pretty dimples of his. But he didn’t even really look at me. Not for more than two seconds.And that's when I know. I've lost him. Where did it all go wrong?I never really believed I’d lost Kai. Not even when he got into a real relationship with Ava. I kept convincing myself it would be temporary. He was never the relationship type, he was the kind of guy

KAI“You were really good today, Kai. I mean, you’ve always been great, but this morning? You were on another level. Scoring eighteen points out of the team’s thirty-eight? That's insane. You’re the best.”I nod, a small smile tugging at my mouth but it fades almost immediately.The girl in front of me is wearing a white jersey with my number splashed across it. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen her before, probably just another fan. She keeps piling on the compliments, and yeah, it feels good. Most girls who come up to me only gush about how I look when I play, how toned my arms are, my shoulders — all that crap.But this? She is talking about the game. About the work. The actual performance. It feels good. It really does.Still, my attention drifts away from her.Because all I can think about is how much better it would’ve felt if my girlfriend had been there instead. How it would be if those pretty brown eyes were the ones shining up at me right now, telling me how well I played against

AVA If there were a platinum award for the world’s worst girlfriend, I’d win it. No debate. No fuss. No other terrible girlfriends would even come close. “Can this car go any faster than this?” I blurt out, twisting in my seat to face my twin brother. Zade shoots me a look, his brows pulling together like he's deciding whether to slam the brakes or shove me out. I don’t even wait for him to speak. “Too slow,” I add. “Just like the owner.” He doesn’t bother responding. Just turns his attention back to the road and lets out a hiss and some muttered curse I don’t quite catch, but I know exactly what it is. Regret. The kind that comes from agreeing to give your sister a ride. This is probably the tenth time I’ve asked if his car can go faster, like it isn’t already pushing its limits, thanks to me riding his ass about it. I wouldn’t blame him if he’s questioning every life choice that led him here. But Zade isn’t the problem. I am. I’m the one who slept through my alarm. Me. T

KAIThe corner of my mouth lifts at her smart little comeback. She’s not even wrong. Every time we’re together, we leave each other wrecked, breathless, and completely undone. You’d think that would be enough to knock the edge off for a while. But no.It never is.Give me three minutes to breathe. Her smooth, bare skin still tucked against mine, that soft scent of her hair in my nose, and I’m already hard again, ready for another round. It’s so ridiculous how feral my body gets when it comes to her.Still, I force myself to slow it down. My girl needs more time to recover than I do and I don’t mind waiting.“Guess we did that to each other,” I murmur.She nods against my chest, her breath warm on my skin. “Worth it.”I tighten my arms around her, pulling her closer until there’s no space left between us.“Yeah,” I breathe, pressing a kiss to her hair. “Every damn time.”For a moment, we stay like that, wrapped around each other, no words, just the rhythm of our breathing filling the

THREE WEEKS LATER ~ IVY ~I ran my fingers through my tangled hair and sighed as I looked around at my chaotic room. Clothes were scattered across the floor, along with several books that had tumbled from the shelves. The bed was unmade, and various items were scattered across the duvet. In short, my room looked like a hurricane had blown through it. If there was an award for the most disastrous room, I would have won it hands down.My boyfriend would have to take the blame for this mess. Even though I was the one who had left everything scattered around, I couldn't help but feel like it was his fault somehow. What on earth was he thinking, setting up a last – minute date like that, without giving me time to prepare? Don't get me wrong. I was thrilled about the date. I was just feeling a bit stressed out because I didn't have much time to prepare. And, on top of that, I was having the worst time trying to find the perfect outfit. Nothing in my closet seemed right. I was panickin

~ ROMEO ~I pulled into the parking lot and I saw that my dad's car was not there. I heaved a sigh of relief. The monster was not around, and I would not have to see his horrible face and get angry all over again. I turned off the car engine. I reached for my phone and dialed my girlfriend's number. The only person who had been making me smile lately and giving me the will to keep going.Ivy answered on the second ring. "Hey, baby!" She muttered, her voice echoing in my ears. Her voice was soft and soothing, and it calmed my nerves.The corners of my mouth curved, giving a wide smile. "Good girl," I uttered."Bad boy," She said with a chuckle in her voice. "I am at my mom's house now," I told her. I almost said "my parents' house," but that didn't feel right when it was really my mother's house."That is good," She said, her voice reassuring. "Take a deep breath and go inside. Just talk to her. She is your mother, and she deserves to know everything that is going on with you.

"Are you and Samantha in a relationship?" I blurted, unable to stop the question from tumbling out of my mouth.I had not meant to ask it so bluntly, but the question had always been on my mind. I could not get it out of my head. We were in my bedroom now, sitting across from each other. Romeo was leaning against the headboard of my bed, while I was on a chair by the bedside table. His brows drew together, his gaze averting from mine. "I told you I am not dating her. If I was, I would not be here with you, and I would not have told you that I wanted you back," He replied.I chewed on my bottom lip, remembering the way I had felt when I saw them kissing in the cafeteria. I could still picture the way his eyes had met mine. "Why did she kiss you in the cafeteria?"I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. "And, you also kissed back.""I'm sorry," He uttered. "It was wrong, I know. I could not just push her away when she kissed me, not with all those people watching. I know that is n

~ IVY ~I drummed my fingers against the surface of my dresser, glancing over my shoulder at my phone. I had tossed it onto the bed after sending a text to Romeo. I was relieved that it had not landed on the floor.The message itself was not risky, but it was an emotional risk for me to send it. I was anxious for his response, and my heart was beating rapidly. I could not stop my mind from racing. What if everything he had written in the letter had been a prank? Why did I always feel so anxious when it came to Romeo? I hated that he had such control over my emotions. At the same time, part of me liked how he could make me feel things I had never felt before. He made me do things I never would have otherwise, like inviting him over at night. I was grateful my mother was out of town in an emergency, and would not be back until the next day. I didn't want to have to explain Romeo's presence to her.I was shaking my leg, still filled with nervous energy. Why hadn't he responded? Was he

My lips moved to my teeth as I bit my bottom lip. My eyes darted down to the letter, taking in the neat, bold handwriting. The letter was not that long. What was I even saying? Romeo had never been the type to write letters. He was never one for expressing his feelings through writing, or telling stories. It was strange that he had chosen to write a letter now, instead of asking to meet in person. I guess he must have thought I would not have agreed to see him. I cleared my throat, preparing to read the letter aloud. I had no idea why my heart was racing. It was just a letter, nothing more. Or was it?I began to read:° My Good Girl ° I miss you, and I can't stop thinking about you. I know it is crazy to say this, but I think I'm falling more in love with you now that we are apart. The more I try to escape these feelings, the deeper I fall. Now, I regret breaking us up. We were almost perfect. We had something special, but I ruined it. I know I didn't do it on purpose, but t

I heard the question, but I pretended not to. The silence that followed was deafening. It felt like the world had stopped turning, and the only sound was my own heartbeat, pounding in my ears. I felt like I was in a different world. I was facing the question I had been avoiding asking myself. The question James had asked had my brain working overtime, even as I tried to avoid it. I could feel my brain trying to work out an answer."Ivy," James said, breaking the silence and pulling me out of my thoughts.I turned to look at him, avoiding his gaze. "What did you say?" I asked. I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear, my hand shaking slightly."I asked you if you are still in love with your ex," James repeated, his tone serious.My throat felt dry, and I swallowed hard. I knew that he was not going to let this go until I answered him. But I was not sure if I knew the answer, or if I even wanted to know the answer. Perhaps, a part of me knew the answer to his question, but I didn't want t