(“Cassandra… we need to talk.”)
The idiot has forgotten his umbrella—fine, they'll both be wet–those are the useless thoughts she clings and focuses on as she continues to run off down the road with no intention of slowing down any moment not until she sees him not until she finds him, his still-unopened, dark gray fold-up umbrella clutched tightly in her gloved hand as though her life depends on it as she moves and tears viciously through the rain like a bullet.
People are watching–a voice that suspiciously sounds like him mentally scolds her—and she resisted the urge to scoff out loud because really, why wouldn't they?
Because after all this time, it seems like this was the norm for her, the story of her life: everyone’s always watching, always assessing, and pondering on every single word that has left her mouth, every single action she made–mistakes or not–judged just because she is Cassandra Lunamor, one of the youngest entrepreneurs in the world, not to mention, she is also one of the most iconic faces in the city…
And here she is, literally running like a lost little girl through the damn rain despite the fact that she is still holding an umbrella in one hand.
Damn it all to hell.
For once in her life, she couldn’t find it in her to bother (since when she truly did, anyway?)–so she ignores all the stares she received. She ignores everything, not really caring about what other people think, not caring what the media says about her strange behavior and actions later, not caring what will be plastered across the tabloids tomorrow, not caring if these rumors will reach her family, what will her family think or say (screw them all, a part of her snarls, furious–they could laugh or mock her for all she cared because THIS IS ALL THEIR FAULT DAMN IT!) because she just has to get there, right now, before it's too late and like everything she holds dear, she loses him–
(“Then why does something always have to come up on the days that we're supposed to go out together, that you had to disappear for days or weeks without even texting or calling me?!”)
Cassandra’s head snaps left and right.
Lightning flashed and thunder roared.
Please, please, please –
(“I… I know you’re busy b-but… what about us?”)
She cursed out loud when she nearly tripped.
A father pulled his young son sharply away from her when she passed them by, pointedly eyeing her warily like she was some sort of a crazed animal, half-expecting her to lash out.
And maybe, she will.
If I don’t find him any moment now, I swear to God, I’ll–! Cassandra shook her head, pushing her hair roughly back over her face as she released a breath, dispelling her thoughts, tasting rainwater, and feeling nothing but the cold numbing her to her very bones as she closed her eyes briefly, one hand combing through her soaked hair, the other loosening on the umbrella.
…I don’t know what I’ll do.
She started to walk instead of running.
But this time, she’s moving with a purpose.
He has gone to the train station, she doesn’t know why but she’s half-certain because he forgot his car keys (forgetful idiot, she almost scoffs out a laugh) when he had grabbed his phone and wallet in a fury before he stormed out her office, trying to hide the look of obvious hurt in his face with an annoyed scowl when she didn’t so much bother to look up from her laptop, still engrossed with her work.
She briefly heard him muttering something about going back to his apartment–his apartment, not their condo.
There had been an abruptness, some sort of finality in his tone that made her eyes snap up to his retreating figure as she sat in her swivel chair in stunned shock because there had been a sense of coldness that gripped her then; the same feeling that consumed her when she knows, she absolutely knows that she and her siblings became orphans.
Because something was hissing at her that she might never see him again, that this might be the day she feared the most: when he walks out of her life.
Nobody walks out on me.
…but if she didn't reach him just in time, if she didn’t get to the train station just in time then he might return to his apartment and refused to come back and she would never see him again—
(“D-don’t I… matter anymore? To you?”)
Of course he matters, he’s important to her–too important that she was willing to work herself to death if it means getting her point completely across to her family (her grandfather specifically) that she’s still taking her work seriously even if she’s now involved with someone, that he wasn’t a distraction.
Not even him or her own family had the faintest idea just how important he is to her–so important that it honestly scares her sometimes, he was so important that she honestly had to catch her breath whenever he smiles that smile that makes her feel high as he calls her smart or beautiful, that there were times she had to actually look away from him because he looked so damn radiant when he laughed at her like a little kid while she’s ranting or complaining about her work or snapping at some incompetent idiot over the phone with him in the background trying to hold back his laughter because he thinks she ‘looks cute’ when she’s angry, go figure.
Cassandra has always thought that she’ll never feel this way towards anyone else (and with good reason too, now that she thought more about it), has never thought this way before about anyone and it scares her so much when she did because she seriously doesn't know what to do, what to say next–and it was laughable, really, considering how much she’d been praised for being so damn perceptive and smart after all these years–she does not know what to expect.
And Cassandra hates not knowing.
So she took a step back.
Because she didn't know how to (if she could even) handle it, didn’t know how to continue now. She thought she had needed time to think about… them, their relationship… and the more she thought, the more scared she found herself becoming of how much she’s changing for him, how much she’s willing to do and more for him and the more excuses she ended up making until it actually drove him away and he was the one who’s actually walking out of the damn door –
…I have been so stupid.
She figured she must have looked quite a sight, judging by the shocked and curious looks she received from the passers-by, she was completely drenched from head to toe after all and–no, oh my god no, the train is already here, oh, god, no, he can't be gone yet, he can't be gone please don’t leave, please don’t leave me—
There was a flash of lightning.
Her heart thundered in her chest.
…and he was right there.
For the first time since she chased after him, Cassandra could feel the cold rain falling down on her face (or were they tears?) as she found her gaze locked on his figure, a few meters away, just within her reach but not quite.
He was still here.
“…Akihiro.”
His name rolls off of her tone unbidden, a breathless whisper almost drowned by the sound of her pounding heart, the roar of thunder barely registering when she saw his entire body stiffen as he turns his head to look at her and–is he crying or is that the rain streaming down his face?
She can hardly see now because of the damn water running through her eyes—both rain and unwanted tears that she cannot seem to bring herself stop.
Cassandra can only stare at him blankly, memorizing every single detail of his face because her pessimistic mind was so certain that she was already too late to get him back, that he would never want to be with her again and is not certain what to say now that she is actually face to face with him.
He doesn't speak either, just...staring.
Then, she quickly realized that he was waiting for her to speak up–to stop looking at me and say something–and her gloved hand trembled for a bit, but she still moves automatically, extending the umbrella towards him.
“You...you f-forgot this” she mumbles, suddenly feeling ridiculously shy that she actually looks down at her feet when he gapes at her like a fish.
He blinks rapidly, like he was blinking back tears, a look that was disbelief and disappointment flashing across his face like a huge sign (he has always been so easy to read, so expressive) and a soft, incredulous laugh barely escapes his lips as he turns around to face her completely and Cassandra flinches because it suspiciously sounds more like a choked sob than laughter.
Cassandra has never hated herself more than ever.
“You’ve got to be kidding me” he shakes his head at her, his dark hair soaked with rain, plastered over his forehead messily and her fingers twitches as she longs to push his hair back just to see his ocean blue eyes even better because added by his dark hair, his fogged-up glasses made those beautiful eyes harder to see behind it. How he could even see her amidst the rain, she had no idea.
“I’m not… I –”
“You seriously ran after me all this way–” his voice was trembling with incredulity, hurt and confusion and she felt her lips wobble when his voice suddenly breaks into a pained, barely-there whisper. “…just to give me that?”
She didn’t really know how to feel about that…though there was a part of her that suddenly wanted to laugh or cry (he… really believed she didn’t care about their relationship? That she’s just going to let them go like they never happened in the first place? After everything?!) –she wasn’t sure which–though she did neither as she took one more step closer towards him, the color of the ocean she had loved so much in Isla di Blanca flickering within his eyes as he stared right at her.

“No… Akihiro, I… I misspoke, I wasn't talking about the umbrella,” Cassandra finally says over the lump forming in her throat.
She shifts the umbrella to her other hand and leaves her now free hand extended forward, ignoring the rain dripping on her hand, slipping through her gloved fingers and she hopes her chances aren’t among it.
“This,” she managed to say, her voice shaking, barely there and she prays with everything in her that he’d still hold her hand, that he’d still come back to her. “You forgot this. You forgot me.”
For a scary moment, he did nothing.
Or rather, he just stood there and blinked owlishly at her, a strange mix that was disbelief, awe and relief flickering on and off within his blue eyes as his arm was suddenly moving forward–
And he all but seized her in a hug right there and then, stealing the air from her lungs as he squeezed her tight like he was unconsciously making sure this was real this was happening, in the middle of the rain. In this one space of moment, the world can burn, and they wouldn’t have bothered to notice.
Blinking back tears, Cassandra quickly recovered from her shock and soon buried her face in his shoulder as she embraced him just as tight as well, suddenly not feeling as cold anymore.
. . .
.......
..........
(*happy writer noises*–)
First of all, I’d like to thank you for taking the time to read He Who Loves the Moon! I don’t know why you did read this story in the first place but from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU SO MUCH AND I HOPE YOU HAD FUN READING THEM!
(IT TOOK ME THREE YEARS TO FINISH THIS–)
As a treat, here’s some trivia about the story~
•Did you know the original title of the story is SELENOPHILE?
•This story has actually been left forgotten, just gathering dust in my laptop way back since year 2020. I’ve tackled the plot and written the first three chapters during the height of COVID-19 pandemic to cope.
•This is actually the first time I’ve written a story that focuses on romance so forgive me if some parts are a bit cringe–
•It’s funny because even though He Who Loves the Moon is my second oldest book, my other stories (AND YES, I’M LOOKING AT DESCENT SERIES AND WHAT LIES BENEATH THE SEA) have been finished first hahahaha lol.
•This story was supposedly one-shot; originally, it has a total 3k word count (see that scene? Look up).
•And as promised, I’ve finished writing and editing He Who Loves the Moon before May ends. WATCH OUT FOR BOOK TWO!
HERE’S SOME FUN FACTS ABOUT THE CHARACTERS:
•Akihiro’s surname was originally Winters, but I changed it into ‘Zen’ last second before I uploaded the story in FameInk because I liked the meaning (peaceful and calm! –WHICH HE AINT AROUND CASSIE) and totally not because I forgot Descent series’ main character is already named Winters o__o
•Akihiro means bright/autumn while Akira also means bright, clear and ideal.
•Cassandra and Akihiro had a seven-year age gap.
•If it wasn’t clear enough then YES, CASSANDRA DOES HAVE A CRUSH ON HER PROFESSOR she just had a funny way of showing it though.
•Cyan (as well as her driver) lowkey knows and thinks it’s hilarious. And now that I think about it, Steven has figured it out by himself although Akihiro’s too dense and just in denial about the entire thing to believe it.
•Damian is the Crown Prince of Albion. By definition, Albion is a poetic or literary term for Britain or England (often used in referring to ancient or historical times).
•It was also mentioned when Damian first appears that Cassandra used to have a different bodyguard before Anton (but she actually had him food poisoned)
•The café (Selena’s)–as well as Cassandra though her name wasn’t really mentioned–actually made a short appearance in my other story, Descent.
•Akihiro's workplace, AST (Athena’s Sacred Tree) Academy is also mentioned in some of my other stories.
•With that said, Nicholas ‘Nick’ Cayden (a key character from Descent and Corruption–an exclusive story of mine in another platform) also made a brief cameo in the story too.
•PLEASE WAIT FOR BOOK TWO–
–Bea Blessing