17 | Family

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━━━─── • ───━━━

Luna •

The lamp's dim light blinked as Luna sat at her desk, clicking away on her computer while editing her client's photographs. It was late in the day, and the dance lessons from four days ago were still on her mind. Chase mentioned that he had something to take care of and that he'd take Sarah with him. So she could go to her studio and edit in peace.

Chase brought up the idea for their wedding to be in a few weeks, which was last minute for both of them. But he explained that the priest he was familiar with had an opening for Memorial Day.

They'd discussed the wedding to be in the fall, so they could have fall colors for their theme. Chase's favorite season was winter, and Luna's was spring. And summer would be hot and humid, definitely in Louisiana.

She was thrilled when she was able to connect with Amir in France. She'd never imagined seeing Paris in person, and now she'd gotten to see it. Standing in the evening sun near the Eiffel Tower felt like a scene from a romantic film, but that wasn't why they were there. She'd like to visit the city with Sarah and her husband someday.

She had to figure out what to tell Chase about herself and her abilities. Even if her abilities were natural, she had no idea how he would react to them.

Since Chase proved he wasn't tethered, the thought of telling him something of this caliber frightened her. She hoped after explaining to him about her genetics, he wouldn't look at her differently. Not many people take that news well.

Exhaling a deep breath, she hopped up and connected to Amir, hoping he had advice on how to tell him about their powers. He'd always been good about giving his opinions and was never biased.

Connecting to his body, Luna saw him sleeping soundly in his bed. His silk black sheets covered his limbs and looked smooth along his skin. She didn't want to wake him or disturb him. He was sound asleep. Both of them were like ghosts — they appeared anytime, anywhere.

Rolling over and sighing, he took a deep breath. It was after five-thirty in the morning when she heard a cough in the other room. She then tiptoed closely toward the door to see who it was. It was his cousin — Faisal. She recognized him from Amir's memories and pictures. The scent of hot pockets and lemonade loomed in the air.

As he turned on his side, Faisal's eyes shot up, locking directly on hers.

Her heart beat faster and faster until it reached its peak. All this time, only Amir had been able to see her. How could Faisal?

Motioning her over to him, he swung his legs over the couch and sat up. Luna stepped outside Amir's room and padded carefully into the living room, giving him a slight wave of her hand.

"Hello," she whispered.

"Hi. You're Luna, I presume?" he asked, eyeing her.

She nodded. "Yeah. Did you think I'd be someone else?"

Faisal chuckled, then shook his head. "I didn't know. I have never seen you before. My cousin connects to people everywhere, so I just wanted to make sure."

"Make sense."

"It's early in the morning here, and he went to sleep hours ago."

"I wanted to speak to him about something when he wakes, but it can wait," Luna replied, gazing around the room.

"I'm his cousin, Faisal. I picked him up from the airport once he flew back in." His dark eyes stayed on hers, displaying a boyish charm about himself.

"I'm sure Amir was exhausted after his trip to France."

Luna sat down across from Faisal, and the scenery changed back to the couch in her office. A bright street light peaked through the sky window as he glanced around, nodding and looking impressed.

"You're a great photographer. I love the styles you use."

Luna smiled. "Thanks. I enjoy taking pictures and shooting beautiful scenery."

"I had a crush on a photography journalist once. She visited our country. Photography is nice."

"It is. It also depends on the pictures," she said.

"True. So that's the city of New Orleans?" he asked, standing next to her opened window.

"Just some of the French Quarter."

There were several people outside on the streets, partying in different areas of town.

"Where's the place that the New Orleans Saints play?"

"That's on the other side of the city. It's best to see it during the daytime."

"Oh."

He stepped away, and then they were back in Amir's living room.

"You guys should buy a ticket and see The Saints play. When there's a home game, our town becomes a little wild. We're all supportive of the team."

He shrugged a shoulder. "I don't know. I don't really like American football, no offense."

"Everybody has their preferences."

"I guess I'm more of a volleyball and cricket guy. Those games can be challenging," Faisal said, waltzing to the fridge.

As she ambled behind him, she glanced down and spotted a set of notes and data analysis sheets, with different modules shown across the papers.

Faisal dropped his shaggy brows as he caught her curiosity. "That's data I've gathered to find an antidote for tethered pairs."

"An antidote?"

"Yeah. I'm almost close to formulating a serum that can bring a pair together. I'm just missing . . . something."

Luna lowered her gaze as he brought out a glass and poured himself some lemonade.

"Mmm. This tastes so good. I've always liked homemade lemonade, but the store-bought kind doesn't disappoint."

"I'm not much of a lemonade kind of person. It's very sour."

"Right? But Amir doesn't have anything other than grape juice in the house. That's all for him."

"Grape Juice is his favorite," Luna said, then cleared her throat. "How are you able to see me? I thought only Amir would be able to."

"Your birthday is in July, right? It's the same day as his?" Faisal asked, and Luna nodded. "You've had time to adjust to the new changes you're going through, so your mind is opening up now. If Amir wasn't my cousin, then he wouldn't have seen Cassie all this time. We are family, so he's able to see her."

"I thought it had to do with him becoming a Tethered Soul."

"That's part of it, yeah, but when Tethered Souls' powers become active, they can only see their paired partner after connecting to them."

Leaning his elbows on the counter, Faisal stared up at her. "Think of Tethered Souls as children. Right after a baby is born, they aren't expected to start walking. They have to develop the concept of learning to walk or talk. My parents said I walked before I could talk, and now I can't sit down."

Luna laughed, standing across from him. "I get what you're saying. Basically, I have now reached the second stage of my powers growing even further."

"Something like that. You probably won't detect any other souls like Amir and I can."

"Figures. But at least my powers are expanding, and I can finally see more of us around the world."

"You're optimistic, Luna. I'm glad my cousin is paired with someone like you. You're perfect for him."

━━━─── • ───━━━

It was nearly six o'clock when Luna arrived at the back road leading to her house. Her front yard was large, with many acres, and her driveway was curvy. She spotted a cloud of smoke from a distance, indicating that she was getting close and that Chase must be grilling in the backyard.

Once she pulled up in front of her yellow-painted door, Liberty stepped out with her hands on her hips, smiling. "I'm so glad to see you, sis!"

She stood still as Luna slid out of her car, then spread her arms out to her. "Surprise! Vikram and I came early!"

"I'm glad you came," Luna said, pulling her into a soft hug. "I've missed you."

Liberty giggled while wearing her American flag shirt. Her glossy black curls cascaded around her thin frame and a touch of makeup was around her bright blue eyes.

"Mommy!" Sarah exclaimed, dashing at Luna.

"There she is, my little princess."

"Vik is grilling veggie burgers," Liberty mentioned. "We went grocery shopping, so everybody has a big spread to indulge in."

"Thank you, Lib," Luna said. "I wished you would've texted me you were coming early."

Sarah hugged Liberty's waist and she bent down to scoop her up.

"It's called a surprise for a reason. We wanted to come here yesterday, but Carlyle's Bar & Grill was busy. This has been our best month in years."

"I can imagine. Restaurants bring in many customers."

"Hey, Luna," Vikram said from the side of the house wearing an American Chef hat. Luna thought for an Indian man, he pulled off wearing American patriotic outerwear nicely.

She waved to him as she walked with Liberty into her foyer and settled her things down on an end table. Chase then stepped forward and gave her a quick kiss.

"You hungry, Lu?"

"Yeah. Starving."

"There's enough food to feed the neighborhood," Chase said, grinning at her as Liberty peered down at her phone.

"Great. And Chase?"

"Yeah?"

"Cool it with calling me Lu. You know I don't like that. I've never liked it."

He snorted. "Noted. I'll meet you both out back."

After laying her camera down in front of her, Luna met Liberty's gaze.

"So, how have you been?" Liberty asked, stepping in front of her sister. Luna's thoughts were jumbled, and it was hard to concentrate on small talk. "Earth to Luna."

"Sorry."

"What's got you so distracted?"

"Nothing," Luna replied, thinking about how her powers have now expanded. "It was a long day. Six photography sessions."

"You should take a break," Liberty said, laying a hand on her arm. "I want to go with you to the Casino later."

"Are you kidding? The last time you gambled, you wasted over six thousand dollars."

"That's because I knew it wasn't a big deal. We had the money," Liberty explained.

"No big deal? That money could have been spent for something better than gambling it away."

Playfully slapping Luna's shoulder, Liberty said, "Hey, are we going to stay here and discuss something neither of us can change? Or are we going to go outside and eat?"

Luna smiled, then strolled with her sister into the kitchen. She reached for two fruit plates covered in a clear plastic wrap and then walked to the side door.

"Can I have a veggie burger, Mama?"

Luna smiled down at Sarah. "You sure can. I'll fix you a plate."

After everyone got comfortable in a seat at the patio table, Chase stood up and raised his wine glass. "Thank you, Liberty and Vikram, for the generous food you've prepared for us, and thank you for coming all this way to enjoy this time together."

Luna and Liberty lifted their drinks and glanced at each other. "To family!"

━━━─── • ───━━━

Thank you for reading my story. I appreciate you.


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