Luna

A smile spreads across my face as I step off of the airplane. Gio and Anna follow close behind me as we maneuver our way to baggage claim. After grabbing our bags, we head to the front of the airport where we find a cab to head to our town. "Bye Anna," I say as she gets into a separate cab from Gio and I. She smiles and waves before riding away. Gio and I get into our car and start our ride to our neighborhood. It doesn't take long before we're pulling up in front of a familiar two story house. Gio and I quickly give each other hugs before heading to our houses which are two doors down from each other. I knock on my front door, waiting patiently for one of my family members to open the door. A smile forms on my face when the door swings open, revealing my dad. "Papa!" I squeal.

"Luna!" Papa pulls me into a tight hug. "How have you been, kiddo?"

"I've been great," I smile, pulling away from him. I walk further into the house and close the door behind me. The familiar pale yellow walls give me a sense of warmth as I look around at my house. Everything seems to be the same, including the smell of gingerbread that always circulated the house. "Where's mama?"

"She went to the market with your sister," Papa answers with a smile. "You know how she likes to shop super early.."

"Right," I giggle with a yawn. Papa and I continue talking for a while before I finally decide to head upstairs. I find my bedroom and open the door, revealing the organized room that is surprisingly cleaner than I left it. I hear a small shifting noise before I see a fluffy white head pop out of the blankets on the bed. "Hi baby!" I giggle as I pick up my puppy. Aurora excitedly licks my face, smothering me with her puppy kisses. With a laugh, I shut the door and begin to change into more comfortable clothing. I poop down on the bed, careful not to fall on Aurora who is laying at the end of the bed again. Holding my arms open, I urge for her to come cuddle with me as I prepare to fall asleep. It doesn't take long before I'm fast asleep in my bed.

***

I feel a wet sensation on my cheek as I slowly open my eyes. Aurora stands above me, gently licking my face. I giggle and gently push her away as my phone begins to vibrate. I check the caller ID and immediately answer, "hello?"

"Hey baby," I hear my boyfriend's deep voice say through the phone. "Are you at home yet?"

"Mhm," I hum, nodding my head despite the fact that he can't see me. "I landed some hours ago."

"You forgot to call," he chuckles as I softly begin to play with Aurora's fluffy hair.

"I'm sorry. I fell asleep right when I got here and I just woke up," I explain looking at my window that is now dark, informing me that I slept the entire day away.

"Oh, I can tell. Your voice is all groggy."

"What are you up to?" I question, sitting up in the bed so I am leaning against the headboard.

"Nothing much at all, really. I'm just chilling with Riot on the couch."

"I'm surprised you're not at work."

"I'm actually not working today," he lets out a soft chuckle. "I wish you were here so I could have something to do."

"You miss me already?" I giggle.

"Of course I do. Is this how you feel when I go MIA for work?"

"Yes," I nod my head. "It's sucks."

Adrian laughs and lets out a soft, "Sorry baby" before clearing his throat. "I'm gonna let you get back to your family, alright? I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Bye babe!"

"Bye, sweetheart," he says and hangs up the phone. I sit up in my bed, stretching before standing up. I grab my phone and quickly exit the bedroom, running into someone on my way out.

"Oops! Sorr– Willow!" I smile as I see my younger sister. Almost immediately she crushes me with a tight hug. After a while, I step back and take a good look at her. Willow stands tall with a slim figure. Her curly brown hair is flowing down her shoulders, complimenting her caramel colored skin. "Woah! You've gotten so tall!"

"I think you're just short, Luna," she giggles. "I'm so glad that you're back.."

I take her into my room and we spend some time talking about the recent events in our lives. She opens up about the details of her pregnancy while I give her the details about my relationship with Adrian. To my surprise, she isn't shocked when she finds out that I acquired a boyfriend during my time in America. Apparently it was expected of me. I am extremely happy to promise that she can meet him someday. It feels like a dream to have my family meet the man that I'd fell in love with. During our conversation, I notice Willow begin to get nervous as she realizes that she has to tell our parents. "Willow...you don't have to tell them right now..." I tell her.

"N-No...I wanna do it. Let's just get it over with," she lets out a shaky sigh and stands up. We make our way out of my bedroom and downstairs. I spot my mother walking out of the kitchen and quickly give her a hug and kiss since I hadn't seen her yet. Papa sits on the couch, watching an old movie on the television, not really paying much attention to the world around him. Mama plops down next to him, snuggling into his side with a small bowl of popcorn in her hands. Willow and I glance at each other before awkwardly taking a seat on the grey loveseat. I blankly stare at the television screen with hopes to buy some time and calm my nerves. This is cut short by Willow clearing her throat. "I'm pregnant!" she bursts, out of nowhere. I cringe as both of my parent's heads snap toward my younger sister with wide eyes. Almost instantly, Willow bursts into tears. "I'm sorry! It was an accident!"

It takes a while for my parents to react but when they finally do, my mother lets out a soft sigh. "Willow..." she starts. "Please calm down. We're not mad at you."

"Y-You're not?" Willow sniffles, looking up at them through her wet eyelashes.

My father shakes his head. "Mad? No. Shocked? A little bit," he chuckles. "It's okay, Willow. Everybody makes mistakes."

"We're here to support you but this baby is your decision and your responsibility," Mama gives her a small smile. Willow nods and wipes her eyes.

My father looks at me suspiciously. "You look like you have something to say. You pregnant, too?"

"Oh god no!" I laugh loudly. "I was just gonna tell you that I have a boyfriend. Mama already knows."

"Do I know him?" Papa raises an eyebrow at me. I slowly nod my head. "Who is it?"

"I feel like you're gonna be mad when I tell you."

"No I won't."

"Adrian Hafler."

"Adrian Hafler?!" Papa shouts. "You're dating our architect?!"

"I told you that you would be mad..."

"I'm not mad," Papa sighs. "I'm just...shocked.."

"Shocked at the fact that I'm gay or shocked at the fact that I'm dating your business partner?" I ask, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Obviously, the latter. Why would I be shocked that you're gay? Was that a secret or something?"

I nod my head, sighing. "Yeah kinda."

"Where is he? He didn't wanna come visit for your birthday?"

"He has a lot of work to do so he couldn't come," I frown. "I'm really sad about it."

"You'll get over it," Papa says, bluntly. "I'm sure he's fine without you."

I stare at him for a while before standing up. "Goodnight family," I say as Papa begins to laugh at me.

"Goodnight, Luna," Mama giggles and kisses my forehead. I make my way back up the stairs and to my bedroom. I softly click it shut and climb back in my bed, turning on the television. I spend the next couple of hours watching a few episodes of a game show before I finally fall asleep, cuddling with my puppy.

***

"What are you planning to do today?" Gio asks me as I talk to him through the screen on my laptop.

"I'm not too sure," I shrug my shoulders. "Probably hang out with my family." I had woke up about an hour ago to a video call from Gio who was prepared to wish me an early happy birthday. Our conversation doesn't last much longer before we finally decide to bid each other a goodbye. With a yawn, I climb out of bed for the first time and head into my bathroom. I take out a few candles from the cabinet and set them around the bathtub as I allow water to pour into it. After lighting the candles, I fill the water with some soap and hop into the bubble bath.

It doesn't take more than an hour before I'm starting to become light headed from the heated water. I climb out of the bathtub and quickly wash my body in the shower before heading to the sink to pamper myself. I lather a green face mask on my skin and make my way to my bed where I moisturize and get dressed. I put on a pair of black sweatpants with a white oversized sweater and a pair of black ankle socks. Once I'm finished, I plop down on my bed and take out my phone while I wait for my face mask to dry. When I finally get up to wash it off, I hear a loud yell from downstairs. "Luna!" my mother calls.

With a groan, I hop out of the bed and crack open my bedroom door. "Yeah?!" I respond.

"Come downstairs please!" She demands.

"One moment!" I tell her and walk back into my bathroom to finish washing off the mask. I quickly apply some chapstick and slip on a pair of furry slippers before making my way out of the room. As I'm heading down the stairs, I hear my parents talking loudly and an occasional chuckle from a familiar voice. I furrow my brows as I walk into the kitchen where I spot my parents drinking coffee and talking to my boyfriend who happens to be leaning against the island. I feel my heart burst as I spot the love of my life standing with my parents. "Adrian!" I squeal, running over to him. Adrian grins and wraps his arms around my body as I latch onto him.

Adrian gives me a gentle squeeze and pulls away. "Happy birthday, baby," he tells me and hands me a bouquet of white roses.

"Thank you," I smile, giving them a quick sniff. "When did you get here?"

"Earlier this morning. I've been here for a couple of hours but you never left your room."

"I was relaxing!" I pout.

Adrian chuckles and softly kisses my pouty lips. "That's okay. I was talking to your parents anyway."

"About what?" I ask, looking from him to my parents who are smiling at me.

"Things," he says.

"Life," Mama responds.

"You," Papa admits.

"Of course you were talking about me," I shrug. "I'm just too amazing to not be talked about."

"Right," he nods, playing along with my joke. "We're going for brunch so be ready in a few hours."

I nod my head and grab the flowers from the counter. Adrian turns to the counter and grabs a small gift bag, handing it to me. I give him a small smile before making my way upstairs, to my room. As I'm placing the flowers in a clear glass vase on my dresser, Adrian enters my room, holding a load of shopping bags from various places, along with his suitcase. Almost instantly, my jaw drops. "What is all of that?"

Adrian gives me an odd look. "The rest of your birthday presents," he tells me as he drops them on the floor next to my bed.

I look at him with wide eyes. "Babe...I'm very thankful but don't you think this is a bit much? You don't need to spend all of this money on–"

"Shut up," Adrian cuts me off. "You deserve it so stop whining," he wraps his arms around my waist. "Open this!" he exclaims, pointing to the small bag he'd handed me before. I grab the bag and gently remove the light pink tissue paper from it. A small, black, velvet box rests at the bottom of the bag, instantly grabbing my attention. I pull it out and open it, revealing a small diamond tennis bracelet.

I stare at the expensive-looking bracelet for a while before looking up at my boyfriend. "Baby..." I mumble, sliding my arms around his neck.

"Do you like it?"

"I love it," I grin at him. "But you really didn't ha–"

"Stop it..." he mutters. "You deserve it babe," he tells me again, softly kissing my lips.

I cup his face with my hands before slowly pulling away. "I love you."

"I love you more," he kisses me once more before taking a seat on the edge of my bed. Aurora pokes her head out of my blankets and looks around before her eyes land on Adrian. He gasps and reaches for Aurora who is a bit hesitant before trotting over to him. He looks up at me. "You can open the rest of your gifts," he says and begins to softly pet the puppy. I sit down on my white rug and begin to tear into the bags. Soon enough, a variety of expensive clothes, jewelry, and electronic accessories are spread across my floor. I thank my boyfriend again before putting everything away and climbing into my bed. Adrian places Aurora on the ground before sliding up next to me. Almost instantly, I cuddle up to him, resting my head on his muscular chest. Soon enough, I am fast asleep, cuddled up with my boyfriend.