And he hated that.
He shut off the TV and walked around his house. He was feeling gloomy, and he didn’t want to talk about his feelings. Maybe that really was his biggest fault. His grandmother had always accused him of being closed-off.
Maybe she was right.
But right now, he couldn’t tell anyone how he felt. He couldn’t express his feelings to her or anyone else. He certainly couldn’t tell Luna how he was feeling. She was fire and he was ice. She was perfect and he was…not.
He wanted her to stay. He wanted to build a life with her. He knew it was too soon, and it was too wild, and she had other things to do, but he couldn’t stop himself.
He had a craving that had been stirring in his heart. He just didn’t know how to satisfy it. The only remedy was going to be her. He knew that. She was perfection and wonderful. She was lovely. He wanted more of that.
He called Al one night after she was asleep.
“Rough day, buddy?” Al said with a chuckle.
“Shut up,” Brody said. He knew his friend was only teasing him. Al and Brody had barely spoken: probably because Brody had been completely caught up in his obsession with Luna. They’d been doing everything together: talking, chatting, kissing, fucking. They’d been baking and he’d even read part of her thesis, which he loved. She was smart as hell, and that made him feel like she was even better.
“What’s going on?” Al asked.
“When did you know?” He asked.
“Know what?”
“That Linda was the one for you.”
Al let out a lo
ng, low breath. He’d been married for a very long time before death claimed his wife. Brody knew Al pretty well. Otherwise, he never would have dared to answer such a question.
“Things are serious, huh?”
“Maybe.”
“I should tell you that I didn’t know for years,” Al said slowly.
“Is that true?”
Brody’s heart clenched.
Years?
It had been days: just over a week.
“No, man. I knew on our first date.”
“Are you shitting me?”
“No. Linda was perfect, Brody. There was never anyone else. Once I met her, I knew. My heart was spoken for after that. I never looked at anyone else ever again.”
“And how long did it convince her to marry her?” Brody asked, looking over at Luna. She was sleeping soundly, and she was even snoring a little bit. It was cute as hell.
“A long-ass time,” Al laughed. “But it was worth the fight. You can do this, my friend. Once you find the one, you don’t ever let them go. People love to rip on marriage and relationships, but my life with Linda…well, it was damn wonderful.”
“Thanks,” Brody said. He hung up the phone without saying goodbye. He knew his friend would understand. And the truth was that now he was distracted. He was caught up in her, and he knew that Al was right.
If she was the one, he had to go for it.
But was it too soon?