Leveling up With You

At midnight, Luna finally called me while I was still training.

I glanced at my phone on the side and hit the mute button, not planning to answer.

Then, a flood of messages from her popped up.

[Why aren't you home yet?

[Where have you gone off to?

[The flowers I picked out for you are wilting! Where are you? Didn't you say you liked receiving flowers?]

Did she think I needed the flowers she gave me as an afterthought?

I turned off the screen, laughing bitterly.

She was always like this—giving one thing, taking another.

In the past, I loved her so much that I didn't mind her behavior. I even told myself that she had feelings for me too.

But now, I saw it clearly. She was just stringing me along.

I was ready to leave.

No one was irreplaceable. Not me, and certainly not Luna.

-

I spent the whole night training, then slept soundly until 3:00 PM the next day.

When I went to the training room, I saw Luna sitting in my spot, lost in thought.

I wasn't surprised she found me here. After all, besides the dorm, where else would I be?

When she heard my footsteps, she turned and saw me.

"What happened last night? You didn't answer your phone or reply to my messages. I thought something happened to you!"

I cleared my throat and said flatly, "I went to bed early."

Luna looked taken aback, furrowing her brow. She asked in confusion, "What's wrong with you? Why are you acting all distant today?"

She wasn't wrong. If it were any other time, I would've been thrilled to see her come over, eager to share everything that happened these past few days.

But now, all I had left was silence, so of course, she found it strange.

It seemed she had forgotten that I had already mentioned breaking up, and she surely didn't remember how she had embarrassed me in front of everyone the day before.

Before I could say anything, she spoke again, "Today's the anniversary of Hugo joining the team, and he's hosting a dinner. Come with me."

I considered making an excuse to decline, but as a fellow teammate, I knew skipping out might cause more trouble.

Plus, I wanted to take the chance to tell everyone that Luna and I were over.

I replied with a brief "Sure," got up to wash up and change, and followed her to the hotel.

When we arrived, I realized it wasn't just Hugo's friends who were there.

There was also a crowd of Hugo's fans.

This wasn't so much a celebration for Hugo's three-year anniversary as it was a fan meet-and-greet.

I hadn't even walked in yet when I heard the noise from the banquet hall.

I instinctively looked for Luna, but she had already disappeared.

"Looking for Luna? I'll take you to her."

Somehow, Teagan Hawkins, Luna's friend, appeared and led me upstairs to a private room.

Looking down, I spotted Luna on stage.

She was pushing a giant cake while holding a string of pink and white balloons, making a surprise appearance for Hugo.

The fans in the audience screamed, shouting for them to get married right there and calling Luna "Mrs. Newman".

Teagan raised an eyebrow at me and nodded toward the stage. "Do they look good together or what?"

A bitter taste filled my throat. They did look good together.