Chasing His Kickass Luna Back novel Chapter 215

Abby

“What’s going on?” I ask Karl as we approach the restaurant, checking my watch. The lights are off and it’s an hour before closing. “Why is it so dark?”

“Um, actually, I wanted to tell you earlier but I figured you’d rather see it firsthand,” Karl says, looking a little embarrassed. “So, the power went out…”

My eyes widen. “You’re joking. Seriously?”

Karl nods. “Yeah. We closed the restaurant early. The electric company said it’s a power grid issue.”

I sigh and pass my hand over my face. “Geez. Alright… It’s fine, I guess. Where is everyone? I thought you said there was a surprise.”

Nodding again, Karl gestures for me to follow. We open the front door and walk in. “They’re in the back,” he says, clearing his throat. “Just lit some candles and ordered some pizza…”

Suddenly, the lights flick on. My eyes haven’t even adjusted to the sudden brightness when the room erupts into cheer, and I quickly realize that this entire spiel about the electric company was completely made up.

“Surprise!” My friends shout in chorus, their faces lit up in glee. A banner hangs above the bar, reading ‘Good Luck, Abby!’

I’m speechless, my eyes scanning over each one of their excited faces. The grins that they shoot back at me erase any annoyance over the fake electric outage or the fact that they clearly closed the restaurant early for this.

“You guys did this for me?”

“Of course!” Anton exclaims, emerging from the kitchen, a chef’s towel slung over his shoulder and a tray of delectable hors d'oeuvres balancing on his hand. “It’s your big day tomorrow! How could we not celebrate you?”

I feel tears prickling my eyes, but I blink them back. “Thank you, all of you. This means the world to me.”

Soon enough, drinks are handed out and music begins to play. Hor d’oeuvres are served, candles are lit, and the air becomes filled with the scent of good food and the sound of laughter. I’m sitting at one of the tables, a wine glass in front of me, laughing at Ethan and Daisy as they argue over who gets the last Bavarian pretzel bite.