Chapter 6 - under the streetlight

It was nighttime. Luna and Alex were heading home after dinner, the cool air wrapping around them like an unspoken secret. Neither of them spoke — the silence between them was heavy, lingering from that unexpectedly tender, romantic hug they had shared earlier. But this wasn't the comfortable kind of silence. It was awkward… almost embarrassing. Each step they took seemed to echo in the quiet street, until something — or rather, someone — broke it. Up ahead, a figure staggered in the shadows. A man, clearly drunk, swaying with each uneven step. As they drew closer, the dim streetlight revealed his face. It was Max. His eyes, bloodshot and wild, locked onto Luna. The moment he saw her walking with Alex, jealousy flared in him like gasoline meeting fire. In his drunken mind, it was simple: Luna was with another man. She was cheating. What Max didn't know — what would have shattered his pride — was that Luna had already discovered his secret. She knew about the night he betrayed her. Without warning, Max stormed forward, his grip latching onto Luna's wrist like a vice. He yanked her toward him, shoving Alex aside with the kind of aggression only alcohol and rage can fuel. "You were cheating on me!" he spat, his words slurred but venomous. "I knew you were wandering around with another man — yeah, yeah, I knew it." The accusations poured out, half-shouted, half-muttered nonsense, each one more twisted than the last. Luna stayed silent. Not because she had nothing to say — but because her anger was simmering, waiting for the right moment. Alex, however, had no patience for disrespect. He believed that everyone deserved dignity, no matter the situation. And this? This was the opposite of respect. In a single, sharp motion, Alex slapped Max across the face. The sound cracked in the air like a whip. Max froze. The fight drained from his posture for a second — after all, he was no powerful man, just a poor, middle-class boy who relied on bluster to hide his weaknesses. But his pride wouldn't let him back down completely. He lunged at Alex, trying to strike, but Alex blocked him easily. When Max turned toward Luna, raising his hand in drunken fury, Alex stepped in front of her again, shielding her without hesitation. That was when Luna's voice finally cut through the night like a blade. "You suck," she said, her tone trembling not from fear, but from rage. "You don't even realize you were the one who betrayed me. I was there, Max. I saw you in that bar. And don't you dare lie — there was no 'emergency.' You did what you did because you wanted to. And you thought I'd never find out." Her words were like nails driven straight into his ego. Max tried to argue, to twist her words, but the truth hung too heavy in the air. Finally, with a bitter curse under his breath, Max turned and stumbled away into the darkness. Luna exhaled slowly, her heartbeat still fast. Alex glanced at her, checking if she was alright, and then quietly offered to walk her home. They walked side by side, the earlier awkwardness replaced with a quiet understanding. When they reached her house, Luna's grandmother — a lively woman with a twinkle in her eyes — peeked out from the doorway. "Well, well," she teased warmly. "Someone's here to carry my Luna home." Her words made Luna roll her eyes playfully, but Alex… well, a faint blush crept up his face. He wasn't used to being so close to a woman in this way. Just then, their elderly neighbor, Mrs. Jones, appeared. She gave Luna a gentle hug and asked, "Have you had dinner, my dear?" Her voice carried the kind of sweetness that wrapped itself around the heart. After a brief, affectionate exchange between Luna and Mrs. Jones, Luna stepped inside. Her grandmother lingered on the porch, her gaze shifting to Alex. "What's your name, my child?" she asked with genuine warmth. "My name is Alex," he replied. "I've heard about you from Luna… you're Mrs. Jones, right? She talks about you a lot. She really cares for you." Mrs. Jones smiled softly. "I care for her too. We're not related by blood — not biologically — but emotionally, we're family." Alex nodded, the corners of his lips lifting in a small smile. After a few more kind words, he gave a polite farewell and walked away into the night.