Page 39 of Lunar Diamonds (Celestial Magic #1)

DRAKE

P uzzle pieces slotted into place. A sense of rightness settled into this room.

A sense of utter freedom.

I don’t deserve this light.

I don’t deserve this man.

But he did want me. He held me and kissed me and said such adorable things. And he listened to every word, let me open up like never before.

They called that progress.

Man, he kicked down my barriers, crushing them to dust. A joyful package, a gift from Hecate.

I’m falling…

…fast.

He shared his story with me, talking about his eating disorder and his sadness over his dad leaving, and the shade attack.

“It’s a monster,” he said, “the bulimia. One with spindly, clinging arms, forever on my back. I’ve worked hard to make it small. And if it ever grows, I know how to smack it down. But it’s kind of like an addiction in the sense that it never leaves you. I’ll always be bulimic, even if its dormant.”

“I get that,” I answered, running my thumbs across his knuckles.

We bonded over trauma, over our tenacity to survive. To keep our sparkle up, as he’d said.

My turn to embrace him, to be the big spoon.

“What happens next?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” I said. “But I’m looking forward to the journey.”

He giggled. “Yeah. Me too.”

How fucking lucky am I?