Nobody Like Us (Like Us #13)

by Krista Ritchie

It already broke me once, but it would do damage that could never be undone. Those words, I can’t release. They’re knotted in my throat. Instead, I manage to say, “I love her more than life itself. I’ve never loved anyone like that. Just Luna.” I take a breath and somehow meet Lily’s eyes. “I could tell you my intentions are to keep loving her like she deserves to be loved. But I’m not aiming to love Luna. It’s never been a goal to love her. Our love existed before I even knew it could. It’s there. It’ll always be there. For better or for better—‘cause life is only worse without her.”

“All I ask,” Lily says, “is that you always treat Luna like she’s your moon, your stars, your entire galaxy, like she’s every fragile and mighty thing.” It’s the easiest thing anyone could ask of me. “I will,” I breathe.

“Now…” She picks up her coffee mug and takes a tiny sip. “What’s your ship name?

I rotate the wheel with one hand. “One of my favorite past times is protecting you from your sleep demons.” He snorts, but he’s smiling now.

“You can be snarky,” I tell him. “Been thinking you were supposed to be a Gemini.” I take another sip of energy drink. “You have two sides. You’re snarky, then you’re soft and sweet.” Xander stares out the windshield, and slowly, his lips upturn. “I think that’s just a Sour Patch Kid.” “People do act like they’ve got a sugar-rush around you.”

“I believe you can handle everything.” Xander lifts his gaze to mine, his chest rising, and I smile at him. Truly, I believe he has it in him to finish the race. I just…really, really don’t want him to win. That secret isn’t so secret. He knows I’m trying to beat him.

“I like him,” Charlie emphasizes. “I trust Moffy with my life. With the lives of my brothers and sisters. With the lives of my cousins. If the world were ending, he’s who I’d want at my side…third.”

You hated me long before I hated you. Charlie, again, says nothing.

“Power is only valuable if you know how to wield it,” Charlie says. “Ben lets too much crawl under his skin.” “Including you,” I mention like a factoid. Charlie lowers his gaze on me. “Including me,” he agrees. Bang! I jump, and Charlie and Eliot push me and Xander behind them.

Goal: don’t hurt Luna.

“You…told me…to stay…in the…car.” He blows back. His eyes become haunted, and he’s shaking his head over and over. And I know, I know this is the last thing he wanted me to remember. He wanted to shield me from it. Protect me. But he could never protect me from what’s inside my head. The night I was attacked. I remember it. All of it.

“That night…they kept saying, Where’s Xander? They kept mentioning he wasn’t in the car with me and my mom. Did you know that?” Donnelly shakes his head, his body tensing. “We knew the plan wasn’t to kidnap you though.” “What’d they want with Xander?” I ask him quietly. “No clue,” he breathes, “but I’ll ask my dad. See if he knows anything.”

I wish I didn’t wear a wire. My dad doesn’t deserve to be used by me.

“Out of everything I could’ve done to help her, why the fuck did I trigger that bad night and not a good one? We’ve got so many more good ones, and it’s like the universe is telling me I have shit luck and I shouldn’t touch her⁠—” “Stop. Bro, stop.” His voice caved. “You can’t take on that kind of blame.”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. You’re the precursor for good things to come, Donnelly. I’ve known you for over a decade, and you don’t bring harm or toxicity to the party.” He kept going. “You won’t let anything drag you down. Not your family, not a shitty situation, not a drunk fuck at a bar, and not yourself. And don’t blame yourself now, bro. I highly doubt Luna would want that.”

love you, Luna Hale.” I look deeper into her. “You’ve made me feel more loved than I ever have been, and I’m sorry it’s taken me this long to figure things out.” “Don’t be,” she whispers. “You were always with me. You never left me alone in our spacecraft, and I know what you went through that night to find me. I can remember, and…” She draws closer into my chest. “You needed time. If you still need it⁠—”

“You didn’t have to do anything to be worthy. You just are.”

“Ham hoagie, donated graciously by Paul Donnelly, kickass human and the queen’s boyfriend.” He nods. “I dig it.”

“I’m not looking to be a king. I don’t want anyone kneeling at my feet, especially because I’m gonna be kneeling at yours. Gotta worship my queen.”

“I mean your family owns tabloids that print lies and whose entire goal is to profit off peoples’ suffering. So how can you talk about standards when the Rochesters have none?”

“No,” he whispers. “And Eliot said Jeffra was in your class, and you needed backup.” He takes in my complete and utter shock. “Was he wrong?” Ben frowns.

Still, I want to give him an out. “I appreciate it, but you don’t have to be here, Ben.” “I kind of do.” He’s evasive, trying to focus on the board. I frown. “Because of Eliot?” “Because of me. I had to tip the scales.” He swigs from his water bottle, then recaps it. “I’ve done some shitty things, and I needed to do something good.”

I remember all of it. “Luna,” Ben’s voice draws me out of my head.

No one asked him why. It’s not unusual for him to want his bodyguard closer, but I know it’s not purely because he needs my protection. He knows if I’m on the bus, I can spend more time with Luna.

“Memories,” she murmurs. “Blips and pieces all swirling together…nothing complete. Just a lot of…fragments.” “It’s dizzying you?” She tries to nod. “It’s…disorienting.”

“I remember your favorite color.” I grin. “And what is it, Hale?” “Violet.”

“I love you,” she murmurs. I thumb away the wet streaks. “I love you too, Luna.” “No, I love you.” She’s adamant, her eyes finally opening on me. “Like I don’t know if I can live without you kind of love.” It balls up in my throat. “My life would be…” I choke up, my nose flaring. “My life would be so dark without you.” Disbelief touches her. “You’re so full of light without me.” “I’ve lived to find you,” I breathe. “You are my light side, Luna Hale.”

Charlie sees her, then my disappointment. Guy doesn’t deserve a bagel for the Maximoff slander. That’s my best friend’s husband. My girlfriend’s older brother.

They do not love that Oscar is now on the “talent bus” with me. Their ill-feelings might have something to do with their perception of Omega always getting special treatment. It’s not like I’m on Omega anymore, but since all my friends are, I’m Omega-adjacent.

“They like something about you. They act like you’re theirs. It’s been aggravating the ever-loving fuck out of me and Redford.” “They’re trying to make you jealous,” I realize. “I don’t think it’s that,” Oscar says. “They’re not pretending to care about you.”

“And what are we, space babe?” I draw her closer, and my hands settle on her hips. “It’s been written in the stars,”

I hug her to me. She remembers. I’m crying.

“I remember.” She presses her forehead to mine, her cheeks wet. “I’ve realized…that I could never truly forget.” I do the only thing that makes sense. I kiss the moon.

“You’re thinking Luna Hale is the most badass of the Fizzle Five.” Moffy feigns shock. “Right out of my brain. She’s a genius.”

“We love you so damn much,” he expresses. “Farrow really wants to see my resemblance in a kid, but I’d rather our next child have Farrow as the biological dad like Cassidy. It just makes more sense if…” He looks deeper at me. “If the Hale part comes from you.”

“So you love pizza,” Donnelly muses as Salem eats out of his palm. “Girl after my own heart.” He smiles up at me, like I am the true girl with his true heart.

“Two souls inextricably intertwined…there were many paths, but all would always lead you to each other. There is only life together.”

“You will never fail her. She will always be with you.”

“Thanks for letting me into your life, Hale.” “Thanks for letting me into yours, Donnelly.”

“That’s why I knew you really liked Luna.” He separates Maximoff’s gym clothes into a basket. “You never jeopardized our friendship over anything. Not until her.”

“You always liked me and her together,” I realize. He nods with a smile. “You’re good for each other.”

He grabs a bottle of Tylenol out of the medicine cabinet. “For the headache you’re giving me.” “Don’t forget the tissues,” I tell him and point to the Kleenex on the third shelf. “For the tears you’ll shed when I’m gone.” “Of joy.” He flashes a half-smile, then says to both of us, “Breakfast is done, son-in-law and whoever you are.” I grin. “Dementia’s already setting in?” Farrow laughs into a wider smile. Lo goes to the door. “You wish you could reach my age.” My smile softens. “Yeah, I do.” “You will,” is all he says before leaving. I look to Farrow. “Think I’m warming up to him.” “You’re definitely becoming his favorite.” He says it seriously.

“That is what this is about,” Lo says more heatedly. “I have four kids. I can’t be the father they need me to be when I’m drinking. You have a son. You can’t be the father he needs you to be when you’re using. And before you say it’s easy for me, it’s not. Every goddamn day, I think about it. Every day, I fight it.” His eyes flash to the Guinness, then away. “If it’s pride⁠—” “I’m not too proud. I know what I am. I know what you think of me.” He cups his pint, the air thicker and strained. “I just don’t want my son to think I’m using him for connections.” I frown. “This is the one connection I’d want you to use.”

“Greer to Donnelly.” My radio crackles in my ear. “Bravo Zulu.” Banks once told me that guys in the Navy only give out a Bravo Zulu (job well done) as highest praise. Didn’t expect to ever hear it from anyone, let alone the most senior guy on Epsilon. Definitely didn’t expect to hear it today. Bravo Zulu. With more pep in my step, I smile and go home to Luna.

Date nights with Donnelly are hallmarks to my life now. I love them, I love them, I love him.

I will never stop loving him.

then hears Eliot and Tom singing a French song loudly together while in pursuit of us. Charlie side-eyes me. “Your best friends.” “Your brothers,” I tell him. His lips nearly rise, then he pushes away from the bar, just as Eliot and Tom encroach.

“You won’t forget, Luna,” he whispers. “It’s like you said, you never really could. And if you ever need reminding, we’re creating something bigger than a diary.”

“Donnelly?” Luna kneels to me. “Donnelly?” Luna. Fear envelops me, and on instinct, I let go of my shirt, and I pick her up around the waist, pressing her chest to mine. “Donnelly, wait.” She grips my shoulders. Her legs dangle like I’ll put her down any second, but I won’t.

“You scum of the fucking earth—you ever lay a hand on my cousin again, and you’ll find yourself behind bars with your friends. So you better run. You better fucking run until your feet bleed and you never think of coming back.”