N. Things better left unsaid. Matters to be passed over in silence.

Luna James

John was a gentleman, as I'd expected. Our ride was silent aside from my constant sniffling, but he would occasionally hand me a tissue and give me a pat on the back. When we arrived at my elaborate manor house, John opened the door for me and walked me to the bottom step to make sure I got in safely.

I thought he may leave without a word, but he turned at the last minute and bid me goodnight. "You have our numbers, don't hesitate to call if you need anything. My Alice is good for company and she makes a nice cuppa when you need it." He offered kindly.

His thoughtfulness made a small smile break out on my face. "Thank you for being so nice to me." I sniffled one more time and turned the knob.

"You're a good person, Luna. You deserve to be treated as such." With that he jogged back down the sloped driveway and to the car parked at the foot.

I slipped into the dark entryway and flipped the switch on. The staircase and parlor were illuminated in a soft white light. It felt so odd to be alone in such a large house especially after everything had happened. I wished my parents would come back. I wished they had never taken on new clients. I just wanted everything to go back to lounging in pools and going to high profile events for fun.

I skulked over to the landline that my parents kept for messages. The small oval glass table that held it was too pristine for my taste after such a day. With a cry of anguish I cleared the table with my arm and slumped onto the floor. I let myself cry for a few minutes before I forced myself to pull it together.

The dial tone focused my attention back to the phone. Everyone must have heard what happened by now and were probably calling to leave thoughts and prayers, as if they ever did anything.

I hung up the phone and saw the light was flashing to signal I had voicemails. I sighed and began to listen to them.

"Moon Pie, it's Mom." My lips twitched fondly at the childhood nickname.  "Honey we saw the news and we're hopping on the first flight out in the morning.  Call us as soon as you get this and let us know you're okay.  I'm so sorry this happened to you baby.  Please call us.  We love you."

The next voicemail began with a sob.  I recognized Alex's crying immediately.  "Are you okay? I've been calling and texting you all night and no one will tell me anything!  I'm coming over tomorrow morning to check on you.  I love you, Luna."

"How sentimental of her." I gasped and jumped at the unexpected voice.  My body involuntarily turned around to find the source of the familiar voice.

A scream caught in my throat when my eyes fell on Mark sitting casually in the red velvet arm chair in the lounge.  I hadn't seen him in a little over a year.  His blonde hair was disheveled a bit, but stylishly.  He wore his usual black leather jacket and pair of designer jeans that I'd bought him.  Half of his wardrobe was thanks to my money.

I blindly reached behind me for the phone with slow movements to hide my actions.  "I wouldn't do that if I were you." He shifted in his seat and showed me the shiny knife he was toying with.

My breath hitched when I noticed the weapon.  "M-Mark, what-" I stuttered when he got out of the chair and stalked towards me.

"Shh," he hushed me, "you're fine.  I heard about what happened at the casino so I thought I'd stop by and see how you were holding up." He spoke as if I should be comforted by his words.  I was terrified.  My eyes kept darting down to the knife he was rubbing his forefinger over.  "Oh don't worry about this." He said when he caught my stare.  "I just needed a little insurance that you wouldn't call the police when you saw me."

He stopped walking barely a foot in front of me.  Panic coursed through every fiber in my body.  If he wanted to, he could reach out and do whatever he wanted.  "Mark, I-"

"I know.  It's been awhile.  But I'm back in town now, permanently.  I thought you'd be happy." He glared at me and my breathing sped up.

"I am!" I quickly shrieked.  "I'm just a little surprised to see you." It was all I could do to steady my voice some, but the nervousness seeped out still.

He traced his fingers eerily slow over my collarbone.  "I should have called." He said as if that was all that was wrong with our meeting.  "I wanted to see if you were okay.". His voice was deceivingly gentle.

"I'm f-fine." I stammered, my fingertips pressed against the wall behind me with each word.

"I've missed you." He said suddenly and dropped his hand.  I watched his mannerisms shift to a different personality.  A personality that I did miss.  The old Mark.  Not this one that stood in front of me in the middle of the night with a knife in his hand.

I must have been silent for too long because he put his hand on the wall beside me and leaned over my body.  "I don't expect you to say it back right now.  You've had a long night.  I saw you got a ride back from your client.  Business and pleasure don't mix, didn't anyone ever tell you that?" He smirked devilishly.

A bit of my fear began to fade and my internal hatred for him resurfaced.  "He gave me a ride home to make sure I arrived safely." I gritted out.

"He didn't even walk you to the door." He laughed to himself.  "Some date." He huffed and pushed away from me.  He tossed the knife up and caught it by the hilt.

I ignored his act of intimidation and stood a bit taller.  "He wasn't a date.  He's married."

"Married?" He continued his laughter and spun around.  "How scandalous of you." He commented sarcastically.

"I'm not doing anything scandalous.  He was only giving me a ride home." I defended myself and took one small step forward. 

Mark shook his head.  "Does your new boy toy know about what happened?" He questioned with a sense of knowing.

I squinted at him in disbelief that he would even bring the ordeal up.  "You mean what happened, or what you told people happened?" I challenged him.

He stomped over to me and pushed back my hair with his knife.  I turned my head to gain some distance from the weapon that was so near to my cheek.  "Still in denial of what you did." He clicked his tongue at me.  The knife lowered and poked at my abdomen.

"I didn't do anything!" I whimpered and he snatched up a handful of my hair.  "Mark!" I grabbed his wrist to try and alleviate some of the pressure.  "Mark stop!"

He released his grip and moved back to look at me.  "You're pathetic.  So wrapped up in what you want people to see you as that you're still lying to yourself."

"I'm not lying!" I shouted and quickly regretted it when I saw the anger flash behind his eyes.

"Don't you fucking lie to me again, Luna." He growled lowly.  His body closed in on mine with every breath he took.  I could feel my arm hairs standing on end with each passing second.  Everything about him made my skin crawl.  "I was going to be a dad. I would have been a great dad." His hands stroked my cheeks roughly.  The hilt of the knife dug into my jaw bone.

I wanted to spit in his face and tell him he would have never been a good father, but I knew better.  "It was a miscarriage, Mark." My voice was barely above a whisper, but it was there nonetheless.

He chuckled and pressed his forehead against mine.  "So stubborn." He closed his eyes briefly.  "That's why I love you." Before I knew what was happening his lips were on mine. I didn't move.  I stood still under his touch, my lips tightly shut, and waited for him to finish.  His mood was so up and down I wasn't sure what would happen if I pushed him away.

He ended the kiss with a loud smacking noise and let go of my face.  His hands dropped and I slowly took in a deep breath.  The smell of his aftershave was trapped on my skin and invaded my nostrils.

"I'll see you around, Luna.  Take care of yourself." He casually walked to the front door and opened it with ease.  "And lock your doors when you leave.  I'd hate for someone to break in." With that he let the door shut gently behind him, leaving me in the entryway.