The Luna Choosing Game by Jane Above Story novel Chapter 418

Chapter 0418 

“Piper!” Nicholas called after me. 

I continued walking, not slowing down until I was in the hallway, with the stage and all of the other candidates safely out of view. Then, I turned toward the wall and truly let the tears 

fall. 

I knew Nicholas wouldn’t give up his chase, even though I hoped he would. So I wasn’t, terribly surprised when he burst into the hallway like a bat out of hell. He looked up and down the hallway before spotting me, then, much slower, came to stand at my side. 

“Piper,” he says softly. 

I shied away from him, not wanting him to see the evidence of my heartbreak. I know the scene we played wasn’t real, but I couldn’t stop the wave of emotions running through me. The addition of my wolf wasn’t helping, as I now felt everything so keenly. 

“Piper, I’m sorry,” Nicholas said. His voice was pitched low. The apology was for me only. He and I were the only ones who would know exactly why that scene we just performed would hurt me. “I’m so sorry. Believe me, I was only reading the script.” 

“I know that,” I said through my sniffling. 

He stepped closer to me. He pressed his hand to the small of my back. It felt so good there, I backed up into it a little. 

“Then why are you crying?” he asked. 

“It still hurt to hear those things,” I admitted. “But don’t worry. I’ll be fine by the final performance.” I would have to be, or risk my placement in the event’s rankings. If I wanted to stay in the competition for as long as possible, then I couldn’t just run away after every 

scene. 

“I don’t want you to have to be fine, Piper. I just want – 

“Nicholas? Oh, there you are. You are needed on stage.” Bridget’s high heels click–clacked on the floorboards as she came closer to us. “Piper? Are you upset?” 

“She just needs a little space,” Nicholas said. He turned, placing himself firmly between Bridget and me, likely to hide my crying. 

“There’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Bridget said. “I see it all the time. Actors get so into character that it’s hard to come back out of it. Why, I even once cried in a bathroom for a full 

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hour after a difficult scene.” 

She pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and, sneaking past Nicholas, who let her by, handed the handkerchief to me. I looked at it for a moment, and then accepted it. 

I supposed it was a good thing that she had this misunderstanding. I wouldn’t want her to know my heart was actually breaking a little. 

“You have a few minutes before your next scene, Piper,” Bridget said. “Clean yourself up, and then meet us back in the ballroom, okay? Let’s go, Nicholas.” 

Bridget started to walk away, but Nicholas didn’t move. Bridget stopped a few feet away. 

“Nicholas?” she called back to him. 

He turned to me. “Piper…” 

“It’s okay,” I told him. “I just need a moment.” 

He stubbornly stayed. I glanced at him. My tears were drying up some now, I wanted him to 

see that. 

He stared hard at me. His expression did not shift as he glanced at the tear tracks on my 

cheeks. 

I knew he wouldn’t leave unless I actually demanded it, so I lied and said, “I kind of want to be alone, okay?” 

His lips twitched downward ever–so–slightly like he didn’t quite believe me. But he couldn’t argue in front of Bridget, not without giving too much away. So he said, “Okay. But I’ll be looking for you in the ballroom.” 

“I’ll be there,” I said. “Just give me a few minutes.” 

“Ten and I start looking,” he said. 

“Fifteen.” 

“Ten,” he said, more firmly. 

I sighed. “Ten.” 

He nodded. His gaze stared hard on me for a moment more, but then he turned and went to Bridget. Bridget waved at me, before they both turned and disappeared back into the 

ballroom. 

The minute they were out of sight, I turned and booked it toward one of the bathrooms 

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nearby. It had a powder room attached, with a small little sofa tucked against the wall. I immediately flopped down there. 

Bridget’s handkerchief was soft and smelled like lavender. It had her initials embroidered on the corner. I hated how much I liked it. It was soft on my cheeks as I wiped my tears away. 

I was maybe in the bathroom for all of two minutes before the door burst open without a knock. Thank God I was sitting on the sofa in the powder room and not actually in the bathroom itself, although it had a door separating. 

I could have sworn I locked the door. 

When Julian sauntered in, I realized yeah, I probably had locked the door. Julian just picked it. 

“What if I’d been in the actual bathroom?” I asked as he plopped down into the narrow 

space beside me on the sofa. It was a smallish sofa, our hips were smashed together for us both to fit. 

“We both know you only came here to hide,” Julian said. 

“I’m not hiding. 

)) 

“Oh no? What would you call this then?” 

“Catching my breath.” I dabbed at my eyes. Fortunately, at least, the tears had stopped for