Enemies by Fate, Lovers by Choice

"Luna, are you still with us?" Prima asked, waving her hand in front of Luna.

Luna came back from her thoughts and acted as if nothing happened. "What?"

Prima looked at Luna with doubt. "Don't ask 'what'. I've been talking here, but you haven't said anything at all. Is something bothering you?"

"Nothing," Luna replied.

"Then what's the problem?"

"There's really nothing," Luna answered with a helpless smile.

Tina just watched from the side. Even if Luna didn't say anything, both she and Prima could feel that Luna wasn't in the mood these days, which is why they asked her out. And to prove them right, Luna seemed out of reach, even when they talked about graduation or internships, topics that usually aroused Luna's interest.

Tina put down her glass of juice and finally spoke. "Luna, are you alright?"

Luna paused from poking her food, then she felt a little sad again. She and Mira, in reality, weren't really that close aside from competing in their studies, exchanging gifts, and having that last dinner together. They couldn't really be called friends. But those times were so memorable to her that she wanted to get closer to Mira, but that person was so hard to approach if you lacked patience. Now, for some reason, Luna was really affected by Mira's absence, which worried her mother and friends.

Luna was aware that she was easy to read like an open book, so when Tina asked her with a serious face, she couldn't lie to herself that she was okay.

Luna bit her lower lip and lowered her head. This silence that speak louder was enough for Prima and Tina to understand her.

Prima took a deep breath and had a clue why, however, this time she wouldn't argue because the last time she got angry, Luna didn't tell anyone where she had gone. So getting angry really wasn't helpful in this kind of situation.

"Are you having a fight with Mira?" Prima asked directly.

"What? No, how can that be?" Luna subconsciously answered as soon as she heard Mira's name.

"Then are you two okay?" Prima asked again.

Luna knew she got busted again. "Yeah, the last time we met everything was good."

"Last time... does that mean you two haven't met since then?" Tina asked.

Prima looked at Tina with amazement, then she looked at Luna to see her reaction — 'Tina always hit the bullseye.'

Luna nodded with a sad look.

"Have you texted her?" Prima asked.

"Yeah, but she won't respond, she won't even read it," Luna said.

"Have you tried to call her?" Tina asked.

"Yeah, but no one answered, it just keeps ringing," Luna replied.

"Then... how about giving her a call now?" Prima suggested.

"Now?" Luna asked with hesitation. She didn't expect her friends, especially Prima, to not go against her when it came to Mira.

"Yeah," Prima answered.

Luna took a deep breath and checked the time. It was lunchtime now, so she only hesitated for a moment before making a call. She put the phone at the center of the table, she was nervous, and so were Tina and Prima.

On the third ring, the call finally answered. Prima nervously looked at Luna.

Luna paused before she could answer. The person on the other end of the phone spoke first.

"Hello? Ms. Luna?" Maria asked, reading the name on the phone.

Luna felt even more nervous. "Hello?"

"Ms. Luna, I'm sorry I didn't see your calls. This is Maria, Mira's mother," Maria said.

Luna panicked when she heard Mira's mother apologizing to her. "No, no, Aunt, it's okay, I'm Luna Pattranite," she said.

"I know, Mira isn't home. She's been abroad for a while now, and she accidentally left her phone in a rush. But don't worry, I can give you her new phone number," Maria said.

"Uhmm... won't I be bothering her, Aunt?"

"What bother? You're her friend, right?"

"Friend?"

"Yeah, the one who gifted her the necklace, or am I mistaken?"

Luna widened her eyes. "No, it's me, Aunt," she said.

"Hahaha, I knew it. Mira might have given you a hard time," Maria chuckled.

"No, Aunt, she's very good," Luna said.

"Oh, don't defend her. She's stubborn about making new friends, but thankfully she still met a person like you. Although she's cold on the outside, she's actually just a cute and warm girl inside," Maria said.

"Yes, she really is," Luna agreed with a smile.

Prima watched with interest, while Tina poked Luna and showed her phone with a message asking her to ask the important matter.

Luna nodded and asked Maria, "Aunt, when will Mira come back?"

Maria paused, and her enthusiasm subsided. "She won't be back so soon, and might not be able to attend the graduation," she said.

Luna suddenly felt like a cold water had been poured over her. She could also feel the sadness of Maria. Although she felt sad, she still comforted Maria first.

"It's okay, Aunt, Mira will do fine," she said.

Maria smiled and wiped away the tears that were about to fall. "Yeah, she's doing fine there now, meeting new people," she said.

Luna felt sour all of a sudden. "Does she have new friends now?" she asked.

"Yeah, she just called me last night and said she already met her Senior," Maria said.

"She talked about her Senior?" Luna asked again, her face starting to get gloomy.

"Yeah, ah... Ms. Luna, how about we meet?" Maria said.

Luna's mood changed again. "Now?" she asked.

"No, haha, on my day off, Mira actually left something for you," Maria said.

"For me?" Luna, who was gloomy for a moment, became excited again.

"Yeah, your name was written on it. She might have forgotten to give it to you," Maria said.

"Then, when is your day off, Aunt? Also, do you want to meet outside?" Luna asked.

Maria chuckled. She found it interesting how Luna's mood changed from time to time, although she knew that Luna might be Lilith's daughter, her interest was piqued by the child, and she believed that children shouldn't be affected by their past.

"How about coming to my house? I will also show you Mira's room," Maria said.

"Ah? T-then, when?" Luna asked again, but her mind was already blown away by the fact that she could see Mira's room.

"I'll send you the address and time. I'll cook something for you. You might not know, but I'm the one who taught Mira how to cook," Maria said.

"Really? Then she learned from the expert, her cooking skills are really good," Luna asked.

"Really? Did you like it?" Maria asked.

"I like it," Luna said.

"That's good, she's actually nervous when she prepared for your dinner date," Maria said, then she laughed, remembering how Mira kept asking her how to make the food more delicious.

Luna didn't know what to say anymore. She was getting shy, knowing that Mira's mother was actually aware of their dinner.