Page 71 of The Love Bus

A HARD LANDING

“M a’am? Are you Luna Faraday, by chance?”

The seating area was nearly empty when I looked up. How long had I been sitting here? The gate that had been packed minutes ago had somehow emptied out, and I hadn’t even noticed.

“Um. Yeah?”

I peered up at the gate agent, who looked more confused than annoyed.

“We’re almost finished boarding.”

“Oh. Yeah. Sorry.” My voice sounded far away even to me, and when I stood up, my legs were stiff. Like they didn’t quite belong to me.

When I made my way up the jet bridge, I felt like a sleepwalker.

The plane, at least, wasn’t full. Ironic, but maybe I was finally having some luck now that I was leaving Las Vegas.

I ignored the overhead bins, because…yeah…

I slid into my row and stuffed my bag under the seat in front of me. Seatbelt. I could do that. Breathe.

I didn’t bother to look out the window. I just closed my eyes.

You’re almost home. You can handle this. One step at a time.

Then my phone started buzzing.

And a tiny part of my stupid heart—a part that still believed this could be fixed—leapt, even as the rest of me wanted to curl up, disappear, hide from all of it.

But the bigger part? The part that was bruised, and tired, and terrified of being wrong again?—

That part won.

And yet…I swiped to answer.

But I didn’t say anything.

“Luna?” Noah’s voice. “Sweetheart? Are you there?” Worried. Concerned.

I pressed my fingers to my eyes.

“Yeah,” I said finally, my voice barely there, lungs too tired to want to produce a proper sound.

There was a pause. Then?—

“Are you all right?” Silence.

“I’m on a plane.”

In my mind, I could almost see him taking a deep breath. Thinking. That little crease between his beautiful eyes.

“Tay told me what happened.” Noah’s voice was gentle. Cautious. “I had no idea she was coming. God, Luna. I just…”

I looked down at my lap, at my hands, clasped so tightly the knuckles had gone white.

“I came back from the pharmacy, and you were gone,” he said.

Pharmacy . So maybe he hadn’t gone out for champagne. Maybe his mom had just lied to me, which was entirely possible.

And yet…his beautiful wife had been waiting there—in our room. She hadn’t even been catty. She’d been…really nice. And she’d looked…hopeful.

Even if he hadn’t known, his mom had thought that would be okay. And he loved his mom. She was a permanent part of his life.

A fling, by its very nature, was only temporary.

“Luna?”

“It’s fine,” I said, feeling like I was watching someone else have this conversation. “I got an email from the station. There’s a…a problem back home.”

A problem back at that hotel. A problem with everyone on the bus. With Ashley. With my mom. Babs.

Problems everywhere. Wherever I went….

A few hours ago, Noah was the only person I’d wanted to turn to. I’d known he would calm me down, help me bring things into perspective. But thinking that way had been a mistake. I needed to deal with…all of this on my own.

Fairytales didn’t happen to me. I knew that now.

And it was okay. Or…it would be.

Later.

“Problems?” His voice dropped lower. “I would’ve helped. I mean, I could’ve at least driven you to the airport. Sweetheart .”

I closed my eyes. That…hurt.

Not because he said it.

But because he meant it. One last act of kindness for his holiday fling?

“I just needed to go,” I said quietly.

More silence. I could hear him breathing now. “Did that piece of… Is this…about Leo?”

“Yeah, maybe,” I said, but there was more. His ex, waiting in a towel. His mom’s expectations. And what had he said about her?

When she wants something, she digs in. Doesn’t let go.

On a good day, I might have been able to fight that. But right now…

I had nothing left.

“ Luna …”

The plane had already backed out of the gate and was rolling along on the way to one of the runways.

“I can’t…” I was shaking my head.

“I don’t want this to end.”

I didn’t either. But I didn’t know how to fix this.

I just sat there, my tongue tied in more knots than I could unravel.

“Okay,” he said finally. But something in his voice shifted then. Pulled back. Like he was steeling himself.

“I need to…yeah.” I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. “We’re about to take off. I should probably?—”

“Wait!”

My heart clenched. The word was small. But the way he said it—a little desperately—had me clutching the phone.

“I…really had fun,” I whispered. It was all I could give.

Better not to drag this out. Better not try pretending this was more than we’d agreed to.

There was a hitch in the silence.

“I did too,” he said, his voice rough now, almost hoarse. “More than fun.”

It was too much.

He was nice to everyone. That was who he was. The rescuer. The comforter.

“Take care, Luna,” he said quietly. “Remember that you are…”

He didn’t say it, but I heard it anyway.

Limitless .

“You too.” Before I started bawling, I pressed the end call button.

Just a fling.

That was what we said.

Only now?

The fling had flung.

And dang it. The landing hurt.