Enemies by Fate, Lovers by Choice

Luna changed into Mira's clothes, the fabric a bit too long but comfortable nonetheless. She headed to the kitchen, the familiar scent of garlic and ginger filling the air. Maria was already there, chopping vegetables. Luna grabbed an apron and tied it around her waist.

 

Maria watched Luna from the corner of her eye. For some reason, seeing her in Mira's clothes and helping out, she couldn't help but think Luna was like a daughter-in-law.

 

Maria glanced at Luna, a soft smile playing on her lips. "Luna," she began, "Do you have a boyfriend?"

 

Luna didn't think much about it and said, "No," continuing to wash the vegetables carefully.

 

Maria nodded. "Mira doesn't either, but..." She paused, seeming reluctant to say more.

 

Luna got curious when Mira was mentioned, and now that the topic was about boyfriends, she became nervous. She waited, but seeing Maria hesitant to continue, she couldn't help but urge her. "But what, Aunt?"

 

Maria went to the cutting board and answered Luna while chopping the beef. She sighed, her hand pausing mid-chop. "But it seems she's not interested in men at all."

 

Luna's heart skipped a beat. "You mean... she might be interested in women?" she asked carefully. She had this weird feeling, like an expectation, but she couldn't tell why. It was just like back then when she found out that the necklace she gave to Mira was being kept in her wallet, when she thought it had been thrown away.

 

"Yeah," Maria confirmed.

 

Luna hesitated for a moment, then spoke softly. "I think there's nothing wrong with that, Aunt."

 

Maria nodded, her eyes downcast. "Indeed. But you know my daughter, she's really the type of person who easily softens herself when she encounters a beautiful woman. I'm not bragging, but Mira really has a strong charm for women. I'm worried if she suddenly gets into a relationship and gets distracted. After all, there are a lot of beautiful women out there," Maria said, stating her concern. Even though she didn't mean anything by it, Luna, the listener, had a dark face. Luckily, Maria couldn't see it because she was already busy chopping.

 

Luna suddenly felt uncomfortable. She had noticed before that Mira was somewhat weak when faced with beauty. Luna frowned but still answered, "Aunt, don't worry. Mira is a serious person and she sees everything she starts through to the end. She won't waste her time getting into a relationship right now." Luna said, trying to dismiss Maria's concern.

 

"You think?" Maria asked.

 

"Yes," Luna affirmed.

 

Luna quickly finished helping Maria and then drank a glass of water. She really didn't like the idea of Mira getting into a relationship. 'It would really be a waste of Mira's talent and capabilities if she gets into a relationship right now. Sigh, why do I even care? So what if she gets into a relationship?'

 

Luna was so distracted by her thoughts about Mira that she didn't even notice she had been in a daze for a while.

 

"Luna? Luna?... Luna?" Maria kept calling Luna.

 

Luna was startled. "Ah! I'm sorry, Aunt... what did you say?"

 

"I said, if you can take out four eggs from the fridge."

 

Luna quickly took the eggs and gave them to Maria.

 

Luna finished helping Maria, her mind still swirling with thoughts about Mira. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was off, that there was something more to Mira's lack of interest in men than she was letting on. But she pushed the thought aside, focusing on the task at hand.

 

"Luna, I can take care of the rest," Maria said, her voice warm. "Why don't you go sit down and take a break? It might be a while before we eat."

 

Luna nodded, a wave of relief washing over her. She was exhausted, both physically and emotionally. She needed a moment to gather her thoughts.

 

However, the moment she wanted was interrupted by her phone. Luna picked up her phone and saw that it was an international number. Her first thought was to reject it, but she remembered that Maria had given her phone number to Mira.

 

She picked up the phone without saying anything, just to be sure.

 

"Hello? Luna?" Mira asked on the other line.

 

Luna breathed a sigh of relief knowing it really was Mira. "It's me," she replied.

 

"I'm abroad," Mira said. She was sitting on a sofa right now, taking advantage of the time to call Luna, but when she heard the familiar, long-lost voice, her mind went blank for a moment.

 

"I know," Luna answered casually. She stood up and walked to the window, leaning against it. Her thoughts, which had been constantly racing, finally stopped.

 

"Mom said you two already met," Mira said.

 

"Yeah," Luna replied.

 

"It's the weekend. Are you at home? Mom said you'd visit her this weekend," Mira asked.

 

Luna brushed her hair behind her ears and lightly bit her lower lip when she heard Mira ask if she was at home. She blushed a little. "Yeah, I'm here. She's in the kitchen right now. Do you want to talk to her?"

 

"No, I called you because I want to talk something with you," Mira said.

 

"What is it?" Luna asked.

 

"This... are you busy lately? It's almost time for graduation," Mira said.

 

Luna didn't know why Mira was talking so much right now, but she didn't dislike it. "Yeah, I'm done with everything, so I'm not busy for now."

 

"Congratulations," Mira said.

 

"Congratulations too. It would be nice if you were here on your graduation," Luna replied.

 

"Indeed... but it's okay now," Mira said.

 

Luna sighed in her heart. She could feel it, she could feel that Mira felt sad for a moment. "What do you want to talk to me about again?" she asked.

 

"Right, my mom lives alone now, and... I'm worried about her. Can you visit her from time to time when you have time?" Mira asked.

 

"That's it? Even if you didn't tell me, I would really come," Luna said.

 

"It won't be a trouble?" Mira asked.

 

"Not at all. Your house is just a couple of streets away from my house. And Aunt said I can come here anytime," Luna replied.

 

Mira paused, thinking about Lilith. She didn't know that fate was really playful sometimes.

 

"Mira?" Luna called out.

 

"I'm still here," Mira answered. "Then if you don't mind, please take care of my mom first. When I get back, I promise I'll get back to you."

 

"Yeah, sure," Luna said.

 

"Thank you... I'll hang up the phone now," Mira said. However, she didn't know why she was reluctant to hang up, so she waited for Luna to hang up instead.

 

However, Luna didn't know what was on Mira's mind. She waited, but Mira didn't hang up until she heard a woman's voice on the other line.

 

"Mira, are you talking with your mom again?" Vivian asked.

 

"No," Mira replied.

 

"Then what are you doing putting the phone in your ears without talking? Hahaha, you should get some rest now," Vivian said.

 

Luna only listened, but anyone who saw her expression would be scared. She was about to talk when Mira hung up, which made Luna feel angry for the first time.