Luna?

I want to meet up with you

I want to talk about my brother and cousin with you

I want to get better

Really???? I'm so proud of you!

I'm tired of living life depressed. I guess I've known for a while that I needed to get better but it took you to show me that there is more to life

Sometimes it takes a little pushing lol. Not that I wanted to push you tho

Is Charlotte gone? I want to go to your dorm so people don't see me sob

Yeah, sure. Thankfully, Charlotte just left

I'm coming now

Do you know how to get to my dorm?

Yeah. I've had to walk Charlotte home once when Paul got sick.

Nice.

Are you here already?

No, I just left. Who's at your door?

Luna?

Luna, where are you?

You need to come quick.

Wait, why?

The phone shook in my trembling hands as I quickly called Drake. "Where are you?" I whispered as I crouched next to the dresser.

"I'm nearing the commons area," Drake said, and I could hear how confused he was. "What's the matter, Luna?"

"My ex is here," I said and shuddered when there was a thud on the door.

"What?" Drake asked. "I thought he didn't live here."

"He doesn't," I said, sighing. "I didn't think he'd come back this soon." There was another thud on the door, and this time, I knew Wes punched the door.

"What was that? And what do you mean this soon?"

"He's angry because I didn't let him in. He also showed up a couple of days ago, wanting me back."

"Of course you wouldn't let him in! He's your ex."

"There's more to it than that," I said. "He isn't a good guy. When we first started dating, I thought he was the best boyfriend. He wasn't. He had anger issues. Big time. The first time he almost hit me was when I didn't want to see the movie he wanted to see. It just escalated from there. He only hit me once, thank God, but after that, I broke up with him. I don't know how he found me." Drake was silent on the other end. After a while, I could hear his labored breathing. "What are you doing?"

"I'm running," he said, breathing hard.

"What? Why?" I asked. The door shuddered underneath Wes' weight, and my heart tightened.

"I don't want you to get hurt," Drake said quietly. "He's hit you before, right?"

"Yes."

"What's stopping him now?"

"Good point." I sighed and asked, "Where are you?"

"Nearing the dorms," Drake said, his breathing labored. "Don't worry, Luna. I'm almost there."

"Thank you, Drake," I said, standing up slightly. The pounding on the door stopped, so I peeked out the little peek hole. Wes was pacing the floor out in the hallway, an angry look on his face. "He's stopped hitting the door. Maybe he's calming down."

"I hope so. I'm almost there, and I do not want to get into a fight."

"He wouldn't hit you. He only does that in private," I said, sighing.

"What a creep," Drake muttered.

"You have no idea," I replied. "If you are too upset or scared, then I don't want you to go near him."

"I don't care about my safety, Luna. You are way more important than me."

"Funny, but that's a lie," I said, snorting. "I don't want you to get hurt just because my ex came back."

"Well, you can't really be sorry about that. I have to go because I'm here."

"Drake -" I said but the line was cut short. I quickly opened my door and saw a dark haired boy walk around the corner, a huge grin on his face. It was Drake. He looked so much better than how I pictured. He was so much better than everything I've ever had.

"Luna!" he said brightly, getting the attention of Wes. I noticed that Drake's fists were clenched.

"Who's he?" Wes asked. He seemed more settled down than earlier, so I decided that I could speak to him.

"He's my . . . boyfriend. I told you I didn't want to get back with you and this is why," I said, lying. There were many more reasons as to why I didn't want to get back with my ex, but this was the easiest to explain. "I'm sorry, Wes, but when I broke up with you, I meant it."

"You know how much I hate taking no for an answer," Wes growled, stepping closer to me. I couldn't back up anymore.

"I'd like to ask you to step away from my girlfriend," Drake said politely. "And I think we both want you to leave. Right, Luna?"

"Right," I said. "Goodbye, Wes."

"No!" Wes shouted. "This wasn't the way it was supposed to go!"

"Okay, man," Drake said, anger filling his voice. "I think it's time you leave. Luna doesn't deserve this."

"Why don't you just stay out of this?"

"Wes," I said firmly. "I will call the police and they will take you away if you don't leave. Then, I'll get a restraining order and you can never see me again."

Wes stood there for a second before letting out an angry breath. "You won't ever see me again because of this." He stalked away, leaving Drake and I standing in the hallway.

"I - I am so thankful that you showed up," I said quietly. I fell into his open arms and let out a breath. "I don't think I could've done that on my own."

"Right now, you're more important than I am," Drake said, his voice almost a whisper in the dark hallway.

"So," I said, pulling away from him and leaning on the door frame, trying to calm my racing heart. "It's nice seeing you in person. For real, I mean."

"Yeah," Drake said quietly. I glanced his way, and he was staring right at me. "I'm kind of nervous."

"Why?"

"Because this is the first time we're officially meeting and I'm depressed and you're having troubles with an ex," Drake said, rambling on. "I don't even know what to say anymore."

"Do you want to come inside?" I asked suddenly. I could see that Drake was shocked, so I said, "I mean, it's okay if you don't want to."

"No, it's okay," Drake said, walking forward. I led him in and shut the door behind him. However, we stood standing in my room, just staring at each other. I took him in, trying to put his text messages to his handsome face. "This isn't how I first pictured meeting you."

"Me either," I said, barking a laugh. "I'm sorry you got caught up in my troubles."

"It's no problem. Really," Drake said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I needed something to get my mind off my brother and cousin."

"You told me you wanted to talk about them," I said. "Do you still want to?"

"Not really." Drake looked at the ground and said, "I just miss them a lot right now. I have so many questions for them that can't get answered."

"I have no idea what to say," I said honestly. "I wish I could make you feel better but I just can't."

"Maybe a hug will help?" Drake shrugged. "Whenever I was sad, my brother always gave me hugs."

"Okay," I said. "I'm not much of a touchy kind of person, but that's okay."

I walked toward him, and he stuck his arms out. I wrapped mine around his body, and he did the same. Drake radiated heat and warmth, which seeped into me. I took in a deep breath and rested my head on his chest, where I could hear his heartbeat. I wasn't sure how long we stayed like that but, I knew that I really, really enjoyed it.