Chapter 9 - The apartment, Made with fantasy

It was nearly midnight. Alex decided to take Luna to his recently bought apartment nearby rather than driving home. He parked his BMW, carried her — now piggyback style — and held her heels in one hand.Luna, meanwhile, was spouting random "drunk science" facts:"Do you know… glass is made of liquid? And water… water is also a liquid. Do you know that? Do you know… air is… invisible?"Alex just sighed, "Yes, professor. Fascinating."Inside the apartment, he set her down on the sofa. She swayed dangerously while mumbling more "do you knows." Then, mid-rant, she blurted, "I wanted to stay with that guy… what was his name? Nii… Nack? No… Nick! Yes, Nick! Why did you grab me?"Before she could storm off, Alex grabbed her wrist — a little too firmly — and she stumbled, falling right on top of him. Their faces were inches apart. The lights seemed to dim, the moment almost cinematic...until she vomited on his shirt.Alex froze, mentally watching the romantic soundtrack in his head screech to a halt. "Fantastic," he muttered, carrying her to clean up.He didn't change her dress — respecting her privacy — but wiped the mess from both of them, then took a shower himself. After making sure she was breathing fine, he slept on the sofa nearby. Luna woke with a pounding headache and a fuzzy memory. "What the hell did I do last night?" she whispered, mortified.She found Alex in the kitchen, making breakfast like it was just another Sunday. He served her a plate. "Try it. It's good."She took a bite and grudgingly admitted, "Okay… it's actually good."Alex noticed her glancing down at herself, concern flickering in her eyes. He smirked, "Relax. I didn't touch you. I know how important that is."She laughed. "I wasn't even thinking about that. I was wondering if I did something stupid.""You mean apart from vomiting on me? No, you're good."Then, out of nowhere, she launched into a dramatic wail. "My project! I had to finish it to become a lawyer! Tomorrow's the last day! This is all because of you!"Alex calmly said, "I'll help you finish it."She sniffled (still acting). "Fine. But only because you insisted."He gave her medicine for her headache, handed her a hoodie, and sent her home. At home, she stared at the hoodie, feeling a strange warmth about last night. But then she remembered her ex's betrayal and muttered, "Nope. Not falling for anyone again. Especially him."Still, she kept the hoodie.When she got ready to meet Alex later for the project, she dressed in a white V-neck top, denim skirt, sneakers, and her favorite locket.Outside, Alex was waiting in his car. She teased, "Oh, you were waiting for me? How sweet."As they started driving, he noticed she hadn't fastened her seatbelt. He leaned over to buckle it for her — bringing them just inches apart again. She blushed, thinking he might kiss her.Instead, he clicked the belt and said casually, "I'm not like that."