Chapter 355: Were You Talking About Me?
Chapter 355: Were You Talking About Me?
Luna herself didn’t really express that she was competing with Arit, so it was too subtle for Arit to point it out. So instead of beating around the bush, Arit decided that she would just ask the most important question. Luna’s answer here would determine whether or not Arit could be friends with her.
Luna turned away from Arit, and at that moment, she allowed her nervousness to get the better of her. Normally, in a situation like this, Luna would be bold about her desires and she would come out and say exactly what she wanted. Luna knew that she liked Mark, and even though she wouldn’t call it love yet, she knew that it would get there with time.
But the way she was put on the spot like this, as well as the fact that it was Mark’s girlfriend asking her the question, made her nervous.
It didn’t matter how physically powerful Luna was. Physical strength did not always translate to emotional strength. And right now, Luna was emotionally weak. She shook her head while waving her hand.
"N-No, no, where did you get an idea like that from? I’m not. I just really respect him. You know I’m an adult and he’s just a high schooler. T-There’s like five years between us. A relationship between the both of us wouldn’t even work out.
The tabloids would slander us to hell and back for it. Me and Mark. That… that’s too outlandish."
Arit kept her hard gaze on Luna for a while longer as she saw Luna chuckling nervously while trying her best to deny the accusation. Arit thought that Luna was denying it a bit too much, but she just guessed that Luna was nervous to be put on the spot like that. Arit’s gaze softened, and she smiled apologetically.
"Really? Sorry I was so forward. I haven’t been dating Mark for that long, so sometimes I get jealous when I see some other girls around him. He’s a very desirable person, especially since he is a superhuman as well. I know it’s not his fault that the girls are flocking to him, but sometimes, it makes me jealous."
"I-Is that so? Well, I understand since I also have a lot of men fawning around me. They don’t even know who I am, so I barely give them the time of day. I’m sure it’s the same thing for Mark. There might be a lot of women, but he isn’t going to bother looking at any of them since he knows exactly what they want from him. They don’t see him, they only see his money and power."
Arit smiled while wrapping her hands around her knees.
"I guess you’re right, but men and women aren’t the same. What if someone more beautiful than me comes along and Mark grows tired of me? I mean, I have this scar and all the issues and I… sorry, I shouldn’t be saying this."
Arit shook her head as she realized she said something stupid. She put her hand over her scar to cover it up and looked away to watch the festival-goers below. Arit hadn’t felt conscious about her scar for a long time now, but she couldn’t help but go back to how shy she was in the past when talking to Luna about her feelings. The scar was a soft spot for Arit.
Luna’s eyes narrowed in irritation once she heard what Arit said. For some reason, hearing Arit talk like this pissed her off. Is that the sort of person she sees Mark as?
Luna spoke up angrily and Arit turned to her when she noticed the heat in her voice.
"You should have more faith in Mark. I know he is a very stoic person and he might not express himself much, but Mark loves you more than the world itself. If you keep acting like this, then you’re eventually going to lose him all by yourself. The most beautiful woman in the world could kiss that man, and he would punch her in the face for trying it."
Trust me, I know.
Luna turned away from Arit as she remembered the game of gods and how things went between her and Mark that night. It was that night that Luna really realized that Mark loved Arit a lot. If someone as beautiful as her is incapable of seducing Mark, then no one would be able to do it.
Arit was stunned for a moment as she just stared at Luna. What Luna said really resonated with Arit and the way Luna said it was so assuring that Arit couldn’t even think of an argument in response. It was obvious that what Luna said was correct. A small smile spread across Arit’s lips as she thought about how much Mark had been taking care of her up till now.
Even now that she was feeling vulnerable, just thinking about Mark and hearing someone talk about him was enough to bring her out of her slump. But after a moment, Arit couldn’t stop herself from chuckling slightly.
Luna turned to Arit curiously and asked her what was so funny. Arit put her hands on her reddening cheeks and smiled while talking.
"Haha! I can imagine Mark punching someone with that stoic face he has when he’s annoyed. He hates it when people even touch him without his permission."
Luna chuckled.
"That’s true. You should have seen him during the assessment. He almost punched a SOVEREIGN just because the man touched his shoulder."
The two women laughed at the image of that, and Arit held her legs closer to her while smiling. Now that Arit was sure that Luna wasn’t after Mark, Arit felt a lot calmer around her. Arit has never had another female friend before. Most of the girls in school only tried to get close to Arit because they wanted to meet Mark, and the others ignored Arit because they were scared of Mark.
It felt nice talking to another woman without the pressure of trying to please them or them constantly asking about Mark every second. Arit was happy to have a friend.
Luna felt like a fraud.
Luna could see the happiness in Arit’s gaze. She knew that Arit was happy to be talking to her, but Luna knew that all of that was built on lies. Luna’s main priority here wasn’t to befriend Arit. Just like all those other girls, Luna also wanted Mark to herself.
"Hey, I dropped Talia off with Greg and Kelly. They said they wouldn’t mind watching her for the night, so I put her with James. What are you guys talking about?"
Mark finally came back to the porch with a calm smile on his face, and the girls turned around in shock when they heard his voice. Mark rose an eyebrow as he noticed that both of them were blushing slightly, and Mark smiled playfully.
"Were you talking about me?"
Both women turned to look at each other for a moment before they began to laugh, and Mark was a bit confused at first, but after some time, he just chuckled as he shook his head and went to sit down beside Arit. Arit leaned her head on his shoulder and hugged Mark tightly, and Luna only glanced at the pair of them with some longing in her eyes before turning back to watch the festival below.
Luna still wanted to be with Mark, but now that she was closer to Arit, she didn’t know how to approach her feelings anymore. Luna didn’t want to betray the trust that Arit had in her, even though it was built on a lie, but Luna also knew that she wanted to face her own feelings.