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underthemoonlightofficial · 8 years ago

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Chapter 9

Summary: Saint is fascinated with the circus. When he receives a VIP circus ticket for Christmas, he couldn’t be happier. This ticket leads to a series of events, some good, some bad. Soon Saint finds his life spiraling out of control. When he gets his heart ripped out, he thinks it’s the end of the line for him. This book is the story of a broken man trying to put the pieces of his life back together.

Masterlist

I woke up to someone calling my name. “Saint?” I opened my eyes to see Dallon, Steve, and Moon crouched down in front of me. “Are you- ok?” Steve asked, concerned. Crud. I was still lying in front of the door. I nodded and smiled reassuringly.

Wincing, I stood up and went into the bathroom, where I locked myself in. Someone knocked on the door. “Saint?” It was Dallon. I ignored him. Once I heard that front door open and close a few times, signaling that my friends had gone to work, I let myself cry.

I leaned my head against the wall and just let it all out. An hour or so later I was out of tears. After blowing my nose, I pulled out my phone and read my messages. First I pulled up my group chat with Moon, Steve, and Dallon.

‘Saint where are you?’ -Moon

‘Hanging out with Laurey?’ -Steve

'HOW’D IT GO?!’ -Dallon

And then a few hours later:

‘Look, I know you’re probably hanging out with your fiance but I’m getting a little worried. Please answer us?’-Steve

'Where are you?’ -Dallon

Another hour or so after that:

'Saint?’ -Dallon

I sighed. That’s another reason I should just go. That way my friends wouldn’t have to keep worrying about me. I then saw I had a text from Laurey.

'Please don’t leave. I love you! Just let me explain!’

I threw my phone at the wall. Why couldn’t she understand I didn’t want to talk? I loved her; she broke my heart. And she didn’t love me. If she did then she wouldn’t have been on top of that man. A sudden thought shook me out of my sadness. Work.

I obviously wouldn’t be able to go today. I scrambled to get my phone and quickly texted my boss. Once I sent it I slowly stood, and opened the door to see Dallon crossing his arms. “Look: you don’t have to tell me what’s wrong, but I know that you’re not okay.”

“I’m fine Dall. Just tired, is all. And super happy. She said yes!” I don’t know why I was lying. See! Now I can’t even be honest with my best friend. I need to just leave.

“You’ve been my best friend for twenty years, Saint. Twenty years. I think I can tell when you’re lying.”

“But-”

“Shush. We’re going to go have some fun.” He looked at me up and down. “But first you’re going to need to change. I don’t know how you ripped your pants or why you’re soaked. But you need fresh clothes.”

He took my hand and led me into our room. “Put on something comfy and warm.” He turned his back to give me privacy. I put on jeans, a sweatshirt, and socks. I sighed as I folded my ruined pants and shirt. I really liked them.

“OK. I’m ready.”

“No you’re not. Go brush you’re hair and teeth.” Once I was done, Dallon handed me my coat and hat and we went outside. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder, I leaned into him. And in that moment he said more than words ever could.

Snow covered the sidewalks. I loved the feeling of crunching snow under my boots. The icy air felt nice on my face.

“At work I’m helping plan a welcome back party for a soldier. I’m really excited for it. And I’m really happy for him and his family. The soldier and his husband have a little daughter and she’s so cute! She’s seven and super sweet. She’s really smart, too. She’s helping me plan the party.” Then changing the topic, he exclaimed, “Let’s go see a movie!”

We went inside of the theater. It’s a small, local place. “What should we watch?” I asked quietly.

“How about La La Land? I’ve heard so many good things about it.”

“OK.” We paid for our tickets, and went to find our seats. The theater was relatively empty, seeing as how it was a Thursday morning and most people were at work. We got seats right in the middle; the best spot.

Soon the movie started and the lights turned off. As the movie ran, I felt my mood lighten ever so slightly. This was one of the best movies I’ve ever seen. At the end, however, my breath became heavier. I squeezed my eyes shut. This scene was too familiar.

Dallon noticed my discomfort, reached out and grabbed my hand. I slowly opened my eyes. “I’m so sorry,” Dallon apologized, once the movie was over. I frantically shook my head.

“No, no, no! It’s not your fault. Don’t apologize. Please. Besides, I really liked the movie.”

He smiled. “It was good, wasn’t it.” We left the theater and began walking. I wish he would put his arm back around my shoulder. He didn’t, though. “What do you want to eat?” Dallon asked. I shrugged.

“You choose.”

“How about pizza?” I nodded. I wasn’t hungry, at all, so I didn’t care. I wish I was hungry, though. We’ve been to this pizza place multiple times before and their food is incredibly delicious. It was a local restaurant; not some junky chain place.

“Two, please,” Dallon told the hostess. She lead us to a small booth. “Your waiter will be right with you.” A few moments later he came by and took our order.

“A slice with extra cheese and eggplant, please,” Dallon said.

“Ceaser salad, please,” I said quietly. Once the waiter left, Dallon turned to me.

“Is that going to be enough food for you?” He asked.

“I’m not hungry.”

“Ok then.” A little while later our food came. Dallon immediately dug in, however I spent a few minutes just poking at my salad. Eventually, to avoid concerning Dallon, I took a bite. It was really good, so I ate a little bit more.

I paid our bill and we left. We decided to wander around the park. It’s a lovely day. Cold, but not unbearable. No wind. Sunny. This is my favorite kind of weather.

We had lived in New York our entire lives, so we were used to the cold. Anything above 25℉ was tolerable, and it was only 30℉ today. Just cold enough for the snow not to melt.

“Do you want to talk about what happened?“ He asked.

"No. There’s nothing to talk to about. She said yes. That’s it,” I said harshly, annoyed. A look of hurt flashed in his eyes. I instantly regretted what I had said. “I’m sorry.” We walked in silence. Guilt was gnawing on my stomach. Why did I have to see it so sharply? Now my best friend probably hated me. I wouldn’t be surprised if he just decided to ditch me.

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered, barely audible. My gaze was on the ground, but out of the corner of my eye I saw him look at me softly. And then he out his arm back around my shoulder. This eased my doubts, but not by much.

“Let’s go home, OK?” He suggested after a few minutes. We turned around and began our journey home. Once we got to the apartment, I went straight to my room. I sat in my bed pulled out my journal, and began to write.

I wrote about a sad man coming home from war. His wife was killed in 9/11, and he had lost his purpose.

Dallon came in with two mugs if tea and handed one to me. He sat next to me and began to type ideas on his laptop for work. I continue to write.

The story was about me, in a way. I had been in love with a woman who left without warning, and I’d never be able to be with her again. My character was going through the same thing.

I wrote for an hour, going deeper and deeper into what the man was feeling. Once I was done I dropped my pencil and leaned my head against the wall. I closed my eyes and took several deep breaths.

“Can I read it?” Dallon asked. Not moving from my position or opening my eyes, I handed him my composition notebook. Despite my efforts to hold them back, I felt a single tear slip from my eye. I quickly wiped it off, hoping Dallon didn’t notice.

“This is a great story, Saint,” he said quietly. “I’m going to go make dinner, OK? Is there anything you want me to make?” I shook my head. He stood and left. I sat staring at the wall, doing nothing.

Eventually Steve came and it’s me dinner was ready. I pulled myself up and went into the kitchen. Dallon had made caprese stacks and super cheesy bread. One of my favorite meals.

I put a tiny bit of each onto my plate and joined my friends at the table. “Hey Saint! How are you doing?” Moon greeted.

“Good. You?” I smiled in an attempt to be convincing. I ate the little bit of food I had gotten, and was full almost immediately. I remained silent as my friends conversed.

They tried to pull me into the conversation a few times, but eventually stopped trying when they realized I didn't want to talk. Once we were all done eating, I took a shower and went straight to bed.

#under the moonlight #utm #writer #story #writing #chapter #chapter 9

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underthemoonlightofficial · 8 years ago

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Chapter 8

Masterlist

This morning I drank two cups of coffee in an attempt to feel better, but to no avail. Last night I texted Laurey to see if she wanted to go on a date, she agreed. I was going to propose to her tonight.

I was so nervous it was hard to function. My friends assured me everything was going to be fine, that she would say yes.

Katy noticed my uneasiness. “What’s on your mind, Saint?”

“I’m proposing to Laurey tonight.”

“Oh cool! Don’t be nervous, there’s no way she’s going to say no.”

I sighed. “Thanks. But there’s always a chance something could go wrong. And that’s what I’m worried about.” She pat my shoulder.

“Everything’s gonna be alright.” Some time later Matt approached me. His lunch break had just ended.

“Hey, Saint! Katy told me you were going to propose to your girlfriend tonight. Congratulations!”

“Thanks.”

“What’re your plans? Gonna do anything special?”

“Yeah.” I paused to take a customer’s order, but resumed when I was done. “I’m going to pretend it’s a normal date. We’re going to our favorite restaurant, and then to the ferris wheel where I’ll ask her.” Katy finished making the man’s drink and popped up behind us.

“The real question is, what are you going to wear?” I shrugged. I had been wondering the same thing. My phone vibrated. It was a text from Laurey.

‘Hey! Please text me when you’re on your way over. xx’

‘Ok. No problem’

I put my phone back in my pocket and took the next costumer’s order.

I ended up wearing a maroon colored long-sleeved button up shirt and black jeans.

I put the ring, my wallet, keys, and phone in my pocket and was about to leave when Moon stopped me. “Wait! Group hug!” The four of us hugged.

“Good luck, Saint.” Dallon said. I smiled at them, then turned and left.

I hoped on the subway; my heart was pounding. I wiped my palms on my pants. The ride to her apartment wasn’t exactly short, so I pulled out my phone and played a game.

A little while later I finally arrived. I walked to her building, and went up to the seventh floor, where her apartment was located. I knocked on her door. No response. I knocked again. Still no response.

Sighing, I pulled out my keys and found the one for her door. Unlocking it, I went inside. “Laurey?” I called out. No one replied.

I heard something coming from her bedroom. I went over and stood outside the closed door, hesitating. I heard a sound that sounded like people moving around. I quietly laughed. She’d gotten so caught up in watching a movie that she’d forgotten I was coming.

I guess that’s why she asked me to let her know when I was on my way.

Shoot.

I forgot to tell her.

I knocked, and then opened the door and went in.

My heart stopped.

Laurey was in a man’s lap.

Her hands were in his hair.

His hands were on the sides of her face.

And they were passionately kissing.

In that exact moment I felt myself fall into pieces. “Oh my god, Saint!” Laurey gasped, jumping up. Her cheeks were flushed, lips swollen.

“You- you....” I choked out.

“I swear this isn’t what it looks like!”

“I-” I couldn’t speak. Couldn’t form a sentence.

“Let me explain!”

“I loved you.” A single tear rolled down my cheek.

“I can make this up to you! Just please don’t leave.”

“I... trusted... you.” And with that I ran from the room. I ran from the apartment. I ran from the building. And I would’ve run from the city, had the sidewalks not been slippery from the snow and sleet that was now pouring down, causing me to slip and fall.

This tore a hole in pants, right above my knee which was now dripping blood. I moved over so I was leaning against a building, buried my face in my hands, and cried.

How could she do this to me? I loved her, more than I had ever loved anyone. She was my world, my life, and my soul. I trusted her, placed my heart in her hands.

And all she did was drop it on the ground and step on it, reducing me to pieces. Pieces, and pain.

I felt as if my lungs had been crushed; I felt as if I couldn’t breath. My eyesight was nearly gone due to the tears. My knee was throbbing, and I shivered from the cold.

Laurey never wanted me. I’m not good enough; I’ll never be good enough. I’m not intelligent, or kind, or funny. I’ll never be anything of those things.

I was a burden to her. Maybe she only stayed with me as long as she did because she felt bad for me. She only pitied me; nothing more. That’s the only reason anyone stayed around.

Mom, Dallon, Moon, and Steve pitied me. Katy, Matt, Chris, and my boss all pitied me. It’s a miracle I wasn’t homeless.

Maybe I should just cut myself off from them. I could free them from the burden. Then they’d be happy.

Mel could take my place at the apartment. Moon would love that a lot.

Or Eliza could take my place. Steve would be so much happier.

Maybe they wouldn’t replace me. Then Dallon could have his own room. After all, who would want to share a room with the disgusting rat that I am.

My mom could finally stop spending money on me. She always talked about how much she wanted to go to Japan. If I cut her off and gave her all of my savings, she’d be able to do it.

Matt and Katy could get a new co-worker that they actually enjoyed and deserved. One that wasn’t an obnoxious prick.

Everyone would be so much better off without me. So why didn’t I just end it?

Traffic began to clear as it got later. I pulled at my hair and screamed. God, it hurt so much.

I just sat there, crying. For hours, I just sat there.

I didn’t notice the woman approaching me until she was crouched down in front of me.

“I’m not here to hurt you. I’m here to help. Can you show me where you live?” She handed me her phone, I took it and entered in my address. Why was I trusting her? I have no reason to.

“We’re going to get you home, OK?” I looked at her, then back at the sidewalk. She wrapped her arm around my shoulder. I stiffened, but relaxed as I realized she wasn’t going to hurt me.

“Everything’s going to be alright. No one can hurt you now. I’ve got you.” She caressed my hair.

“A taxi is here for us, OK? Can you stand up?” I nodded, and with her help got into the taxi. She closed the door and buckled my seat belt. I hadn’t fastened it in hopes we would crash.

“I’m going to take you home, OK?” She whispered soothingly.

A little while later we reached my building. She paid the driver; I didn’t have the energy to protest.

We rode the elevator up and soon were outside my door. “Do you have keys? If you have roommates, I don’t want to wake them up by knocking. They’re probably asleep, seeing as how it’s three am.” I pulled them out and unlocked the door.

I was about to enter when she stopped me. “I left my phone number in your pocket. Please call me if you ever need anything. You’re not going to bother me. You're going to be okay, love. I promise. You’re safe now. Go get some sleep, OK?”

We smiled at each other. Or more like I tried to smile, but failed miserably.

And with that, I closed the door. My face was still wet with tears, but I didn’t bother wiping them off. Instead I sunk down against the door. Closing my eyes, I fell into a dreamless sleep.

#under the moonlight #utm #mine #story #book #novel #writing #chapter 8 #chapter

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underthemoonlightofficial · 8 years ago

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Chapter 7

Masterlist

I woke up at 6:00 and jumped out of bed. I didn't work on Sundays so I could've slept in if I wanted to. But I wasn't tired, so I didn't. Instead I got into my exercising clothes, grabbed my wallet and water bottle, then left.

Instead of taking the subway, I decided to just run to the gym. It was only four miles away, so I'd be fine. 35 minutes later I got to the gym, and proceeded to do a series of strength exercises. At 8:00 I decided to stop. Sitting on a bench, I caught my breath.

A few moments later I hoped up and wandered to the subway. But before I got there a certain shop caught my eye: a donut shop. I walked in to find dozens upon dozens of lavishly decorated donuts. "A dozen, please," I asked the lady at the cash register.

"OK, what would you like?" I scanned over the flavors.

"Two Oreos, two butterfingers, two double chocolates, two chocolate cremes, two raspberry sprinkle, and two powdered sugars, please." She gathered them and placed them in a box.

“That'll be $30." I paid and got on the subway back home. I got home to find everyone was still asleep. I wandered into the kitchen and placed the box of donuts on the counter, and went to shower.

Once I was ready for the day it was 9:15, and still no one was up. To pass the time I decided to make black chamomile tea for everyone. Moon wandered in while I was in the process of making it. "Good morning, Novak. What're you up to?"

"Morning. Just making some tea."

Dallon walked in. "Hey guys."

"Hey Dall," I replied. "I'm making some tea, it'll be ready in a few minutes. Also I got some donuts, feel free to help yourself." I pointed to the box.

"Thanks!" Dallon responded. Once the tea was done I poured some into three mugs. I brought two of the mugs into the living room and handed them to Dallon and Moon. "Thanks."

"Thanks, Saint." I went into the kitchen, grabbed an Oreo and double chocolate donut, then joined my friends on the couch. "Umph. These are so good," I said after tasting each. "What kinds did you guys get?"

"The Oreo one," Moon said.

"I got butterfinger and double chocolate."

Steve walked in, rubbing his eyes. "Hey guys," he mumbled.

"Hey! There's tea and donuts in the kitchen if you want any.”

"Thanks." A few minutes later he joined us with a raspberry sprinkle and powdered sugar donut. "So when did you do all this?" Moon asked. I shrugged.

"Woke up at 6, ran to the gym, got donuts, came back at 8:45, showered, then made some tea."

"Thanks for doing this!" Dallon said.

"No problem."

"Good morning Saint!"

"Morning Katy. Where's Matt?"

"Running late, I suppose." As if on cue, Matt came in. He put on his apron and joined me at the register.

"Hey Matt. How's it going?"

"Good, good. You?"

"Same." Later that day I met Moon at Moe's for lunch. Somehow we ended up with the same lunch break, so we often met at places to eat. "Anything exciting happening in Starbucks land?" She asked.

"Nah. You?"

"We got a new server's assistant. He's inexperienced so I have to keep showing him how to do things correctly. It's a little frustrating."

"Wow. That stinks."

After work I met Dallon at the gym. Moon didn't come, so it was just the two of us We did half an hour of strength work and a half hour of cardio. Once we were done we headed back home.

Once we were both done showering, Dallon and Steve played a video game and I went into my room to write. Writing was a hobby I picked up many years ago; I was having a mid-life crisis and writing helped me feel better. I would write short stories, often about whatever I was experiencing at that time.

Back then I usually wrote for about an hour every day. Nowadays I just write something short here and there. Most of my work is personal, and I rarely show people other than Dallon and Laurey. Sometimes I might show Moon or Steve, but never anyone else.

Today I wrote about a famous female actress who had anxiety and how it affected her. Dallon walked in. "Whatcha up to?"

"Just writing a short. Oh, also, we're going to the circus tomorrow!"

"That's right! I'm so excited. What time should I be ready to go? Also, I've already asked my boss for the day off, he's fine with it."

"The show's at 11 am, we're going to want to be there a little earlier, so let's leave at 10."

"OK, sounds good."

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My alarm felt like heavy machinery drilling itself into my brain. I buried myself deeper under the covers; I didn't have the energy to get up. Someone turned off the alarm and gently shook me awake. "Saint, you gotta wake up." I groaned in response. "Saint, come on. We're going to the circus today."

That's a good point. I managed to sit up and trudge into the bathroom to get ready. I showered in an attempt to wake myself up. It barely worked. I was confused; I got nine hours of sleep, I shouldn't be tired.

I slowly walked into the kitchen. "Hey Saint! I made coffee, you want any?" Dallon asked. "Sure," I sighed, my eyelids dropping.

"Are you doing OK?"

"Yeah. Just super tired," Which was only partially true. Yes, I'm tired, but that’s only part of the problem. It feels like there's a dark, heavy abyss gnawing on my chest. I wasn't sick, though.

Dallon narrowed his eyes. "If you say so." He handed me a mug, and I put sugar in it. Several minutes later when we had eaten we got on the subway. The clock on my phone read 10:20- a little later than I'd like but we'll be fine.

"You excited?" Dallon asked, beaming.

"Yeah." We finally reached the circus tent and I pulled out our tickets. Handing them to the security guard, I kept my gaze on the ground and let Dallon reply to her greeting.

I followed behind him through the thick black curtains that lead into the theater area. "Woah!" He exclaimed when he saw the size of I and how many people there were.

I didn't feel like finding our seats, so I handed our tickets to the usher who pointed us in the right direction. A few minutes later the light turned off: the show was starting.

The music came on and a group of performers came out and did the same opening act as last time. Next came the couple on the bar as a space hub, followed by the women who balanced on each other in weird shapes. After that, the clown came out.

Only this time, he came into the crowd- he was going to get someone to get someone to come onstage. My heart rate quickened as he entered our row. I really didn't want to be chosen. He came in front of me- and choose Dallon.

The clown scientist grabbed his arm and brought him to the stage. The clown picked up another scientist's experiment and handed it to Dallon. Then he picked up ANOTHER scientist's experiment and again handed it to my friend. He did this again and again until Dallon's arms were completely full and his face was covered. He would need to get resourceful if the clown decided to continue.

The clown snuck behind Dallon and picked up a large cube- and put it at the top of Dallon's pile. This caused everything to fall down, and the crowd laughed. The clown bowed, and then gestured at Dallon to do the same. The crowd clapped. I joined in, and Dallon walked back to his seat.

"Nice!" I told him when he sat down.

"Ha. Thanks." The lights came back on: it was the intermission.

"I'm going to go to the bathroom, I'll be right back," Dallon said as he left. I pulled out my phone and scrolled through social media to pass the time. Before I knew it, Dallon was back and the lights turned back off.

The extreme trampoline performers came and went. Next, the trapeze acrobats came out and performed. Dallon nudged me. "That's one of the things you do, right?" I nodded.

The balancing man did his thing, and then Chris and Johnson came out. Chris smiled and nodded at me. I looked at the ground. "Is that Chris?" Dallon whispered.

"Yeah." Soon their act was over and all of the performers came on stage and took their final bows. I stood as well, clapping slowly. My hands felt like they were in heavy iron shackles.

"Saint, what's wrong?" Dallon asked. I smiled reassuringly.

"Nothing. Just a headache." We walked out of the theater and into the lobby area. "Can we go to the gift shop?" Dallon asked.

"Of course." He looked around, nowhere near as distracted as I was last time. The gnawing feeling in my chest and brain expanded.

"I'm- I'm going to go get some air. I'll meet you outside, m'kay?"

"OK, cool." I sped out and took deep breaths of fresh air. A few minutes later Dallon came out and met me, and we went on our way home.

#under the moonlight #book #story #mine #chapter 7 #utm

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underthemoonlightofficial · 8 years ago

Text

Chapter 6

Masterlist

I groaned as I sat up in bed. My clock read 6:30. I had gotten three hours of sleep. I looked over to see that Dallon was still sound asleep. Lucky. His boss was giving him the day off.

As soon as I got to work I made myself a peppermint mocha with three extra shots of espresso. Katy was doing the same. "How much did you get?" She asked. "Three hours of sleep. You?" I replied, rubbing my eyes.

"Lucky. I got one and a half. My roommates wanted to throw a party and we had to wait for everyone to leave and clean up before we could sleep."

"Wow. That's the worst." Matt came up to us.

"That's why I don't do anything on New Year's. I stayed at home with my roommates. We watched the ball drop and then went straight to sleep." A costumer came in and we scrambled to get to work.

"What can I get you?" I asked the girl. She was college aged, likely around Matt's age and had bright blue hair.

"French vanilla frappuccino with an extra shot of espresso please. Grande." I nodded.

"$5.75 please. Also, I love your hair."

"Aw thanks!" She paid and went to wait for Katy to make her drink. I looked over at the register next to me where Matt was gazing at her. I smiled. "Hey Katy, can you come help me with this?" I asked, leaving Matt to have to finish making the girl's drink. "Hmm?" She asked.

"Matt was checking out Ms.Blue. Thought I'd help him out." I whispered.

"Ah, " she then said louder, "then you press that, and you're done!"

"Thanks Katy!" Matt came up to us and Katy went back to making drinks.

"I got that girl's number!” Matt said. I laughed. "What's funny?"

"Oh nothing. Just that I didn't need Katy's help but pretended I did so you could go talk to her." His cheeks reddened.

"Was I that obvious?"

A few hours later when I was making drinks I got an order for a white chocolate mocha. I smiled- it was Laurey's favorite drink. Once it was done I checked the name- it WAS Laurey's! I went over to the waiting area and was greeted by her smiling face. "Hi!"

"Hey!" We kissed. "Happy New Year!" She said.

"Happy New Year to you too," I replied. I handed her her drink. "I have to get back to work, but I'll call you once I'm off, OK?? We said our goodbyes and I went to work at the register, switching tasks with Matt.

"Who was that?" Katy asked.

"Laurey, my almost fiance."

"Uh, so what does that mean?"

"She's my girlfriend of five years, but I plan on proposing soon."

"That's so awesome! I'm so happy for you!"

"Thanks. Haven't you seen her before though? I've been working here for a year and she comes by every so often."

"Yeah, but I keep forgetting to ask you."

"Ah." We got back to work. Katy had a boyfriend a few months ago, he would stop by often to say hi and get a drink. They broke up, though, and Katy was really sad for a the few weeks following. Thankfully she's feeling much better now.

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I got home and sighed, putting my bag down. I heard Dallon in the kitchen and went to join him. "Hey Dall. What're you making?"

"Oh hey, Saint. Just making some dinner and stuff."

"This early?"

"Yeah. I'm making more than one thing so it's going to take me a little while."

"OK. I'm going to go take a nap. I only got three hours of sleep; I'm exhausted."

"Oh jeez. You go do that." I went into our room and changed into sweatpants and a t shirt. Laying down I let myself melt into the mattress. Closing my eyes, I feel asleep.

Some time later I woke up. I stretched and put on a sweatshirt. My clock read 6:30. That was two extra hours of sleep. I was still tired, though. Just not as much. I walked out to see my friends on the couch sipping hot chocolate.

"The sleeping beauty has awaken," Steve joked. I rolled my eyes.

"There's a cup of hot cocoa in the kitchen for you. It may not be hot still. You should probably put it in the microwave for a few seconds," Dallon said. I found the mug; he was right. I put it in the microwave, plopped in a few marshmallows, and joined my friends on the couch.

"Thanks Dall."

"No problem." Steve and Dallon both had the day off, so I asked, "What did you guys get up to today?"

"We both woke up pretty late today and went to IHOP for brunch," Steve replied.

"Then we went to Kroger to pick up some stuff and came back. A few hours later I began to cook and Steve went on a bike ride in the park," Dallon added.

"Meanwhile me and Saint are deeply suffering at work without sleep," Moon said

"Yeah. I had to make myself a super coffee with several shots of espresso just to be able to stay awake," I told them.

"Jeez."

"So how was work, Moon? Other then the part where you wanted nothing more then to sleep for four months," Steve asked.

"Eh. It was OK. My co-workers were dead too so we were able to suffer together. Other then that nothing happened."

"You guys hungry?" Dallon asked as a timer beeped. We all nodded. "Great. Because dinner is ready." We went into the kitchen, Dallon pulled a tray out of the oven. He had made garlic bread, steak, ceaser salad, and creme brulee.

"Wow. Somebody went fancy," Steve marveled. We piled food onto our plates and sat down. I took my first bite.

"Oh my GOD this is so good!" Moon said after tasting the food.

"It is," Steve agreed. I nodded.

"Thanks guys!" Once we were done Moon and I made popcorn and more hot chocolate. We all piled onto the couch, and watched Mean Girls. Half way through I accidentally fell asleep against Steve. He gently shook me awake a bit later.

"Saint, you should probably sleep in your bed now. The movie's over."

“Thanks, Steve.” I got up and went into Dallon and I's room, then went back to sleep.

----------

After work I joined Moon at the gym. Dallon wouldn't be here for half an hour, so we got started but took long and frequent breaks. Some time later, Dallon paid for his membership and joined us.

"Hey guys. Sorry for holding you up."

"It's fine. And you didn't delay us, don't worry," I replied.

"Where should I start?" He asked, looking at Moon who had an evil grin. She made us do 45 minutes of strength exercise followed by 20 minutes of cardio. I was used to it, but Dallon, however, was practically dead 30 minutes in. Poor guy.

Moon let him rest after each set, but if you rest for too long your heart rate goes down and you have to warm up all over again or something. Moon told me that a while back. Once we were done, he collapsed on a bench, breathing heavily. I pat his shoulder sympathetically and handed him his water

"Oh- my- god-" he wheezed. "I'm- so- exhausted."

"Sorry about that. Now that I know what level you're at I'll go a little bit slower. Not by much, though. You did pretty great,” Moon replied.

"I don't feel great." We ended up ordering a nice cheesy pizza that night.

#under the moonlight #book #story #mine #chapter 6 #utm

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underthemoonlightofficial · 8 years ago

Text

Chapter 5

Masterlist

“I’m home!” I joined my friends on the couch. “Tell us about it,” Dallon said, so I did. I told them about each of the acts in close detail, using the official program to help them visualize what I was describing.

Then I told them about the tour and my conversation with Chris, leaving out the part about free tickets until a later time. “That sounds so amazing!” Steve replied when I was done.

"It was!" I replied.

"That's great! So guys, we should probably figure out what we're doing tonight." Moon said, and the rest of us nodded. "Any ideas?" Dallon asked. We shook our heads.

Steve's phone vibrated, and once he was done reading the message his face lit up. "Eliza's best friend, who's a super rich private jet pilot, rented a big space and is having a party! She also told Eliza she could bring whoever!"

"I'm in!" I said, Moon and Dallon agreed. Steve looked at me. "You can bring Laurey too, if you want." I pulled out my phone to text Laurey.

'want to come with me to a friend of a friend's party?'

'i can't sorry. already have plans'

'oh ok. what're your plans?'

'a party at a co-worker's place'

'cool! have fun.'

-----------

Turns out the party was at a humongous conference room in a fancy hotel. The four of us look around in awe. "That chandelier cost more than all of our lives combined," Moon joked. She was probably right, though.

We walked through the the doors to find a hundred or so people already having fun. The lights were off and loud music was playing, but it wasn't so loud that it hurt or you couldn't hear the person next to you. There was a dance floor in the center, and surrounding it were tables and chairs.

One portion of it was lined with tables upon tables of delicious looking foods and beverages. "Food!" Moon exclaimed and rushed off. We laughed. I don't blame her, though. It was 9 o'clock and none of us had eaten dinner yet.

"I'm going to go find Eliza. See you guys later!" Steve said.

Dallon and I joined Moon at the vast buffet. "It's going to take several days of exercising to recover from this but I don't really care right now." Moon said, stuffing her face with various chocolates. "I haven't had chocolate in so long," she moaned.

I picked a random piece of chocolate. It was hands down the best thing I ever tasted. It was milk chocolate, with a hint of what I think was caramel and raspberries. It had just the right amount of sweetness. The chocolate tasted light, not dense and filling like many other kinds.

My eyes widened and I stopped chewing, then stuffed more chocolates in my mouth. Dallon snickered at my reaction. "You go ahead and try one! See what your reaction is!" I replied once I finished swallowing.

"Holy crap this is literally the most wonderful thing that has ever blessed my taste buds,” Dallon said once he tasted a piece.

"I know right!" Moon and I replied in unison, and then high-fived. A lady walked up to us.

"Hey guys! I'm Mel, the host of this party." The lady was quite beautiful; I won’t lie. She had long blond hair and sharp facial features, with an angular jawline and prominent cheekbones.

"I'm Saint. This is Moon and Dallon." I gestured to my friends. "Thank you for having us tonight."

"It's my pleasure. Can I ask what our connections are?"

Moon replied this time. "We're the best friends and roommates of Eliza's boyfriend, Steve."

"Oh cool! Steve is such a great guy."

"Yeah," Moon agreed. "Wait a second- are you Melanie? An occasional instructor at the gym on 5th street?" I then noticed how incredibly muscular her biceps were.

"Yep! I stop by whenever I'm in town. I live here but being a pilot and all I'm not around a ton. Now that you mention it, I remember you taking some of my classes."

Moon and Mel being to have an in-depth conversation about exercising. "Why don't we go grab some drinks?" Dallon suggested. I followed him to a table filled with expensive looking beverages.

Neither of us are too big on alcohol, so we decided to just get a small glass of wine each. "One, two, three!" I counted off as we took our first sip. Our eyes widened in shock. I think we're in agreement that like the chocolate, this was one of the most amazing things we've ever tasted. This wine was definitely the drink of the gods. Once we were done we both got a can of Coke.

Moon and Mel walked up to us. "I saw you guys had some wine. That kind is my absolute favorite. It's from the Galapagos islands, I like to pick up several bottles ever time I fly a client down there. I don't drink often so it lasts my a while. Moon, you should try some!"

"No thanks. I don't drink."

"Oh, OK. Well, see you guys around!" And with that Mel went off to greet other guests. A little while later Steve and Eliza came up to us, hand in hand. "Hello!" Eliza said.

"Hey," we replied. "Steve have you tried the chocolate here? You have to," Moon suggested. He shrugged.

"Why not?" He went over to try some, leaving us alone with Eliza which was a mistake.

"Hey Eliza. Ever heard the story of when Steve and I went jogging?" Moon asked.

"No, I haven't."

"This was back from when we were in college. We went to the track, and Steve saw a girl who he thought was really pretty. He was single at the time and said we should run faster so we could impress her. I agreed, I could run a lot faster than the pace we were going at.

“He kept going faster and faster and ended up tripping over his own feet." We laughed. "And that's not all of it! He was so embarrassed that he challenged me to a race in a chance to redeem himself, but I beat him by a long shot. The pretty lady laughed at him too! Then we went back to my dorm and Steve spent the next hour crying and stuffing his face with ice cream."

"What're you guys laughing at?" Steve asked as he joined us.

"Nothing!" I respond. He shrugged.

"You were right, Moon. That chocolate is REALLY good." Suddenly, a slow song on. "Liz we should go dance!" Steve suggested. They ran off.

"They're so cute together," Dallon said.

"Yeah. I remember when he was too shy to talk to her. And look at them now," Moon smiled. "I'm so proud of him."

"Me too. Remember in 10th grade when he made me ask a girl out for him?" I said.

"Yeah, that was funny. The girl didn't even know who he was when you asked her, poor guy," Dallon recalled. My stomach grumbled.

"I'm kind of hungry, I think I'm going to go find some real food. Want to come?" They nodded. After five minutes of looking over the godly food, I decided to taste some of the pasta. Moon got ceaser salad, and Dallon got lobster.

We then sat down at the nearest table and dug in. A little while later the DJ spoke into a microphone. "Alright alright, everybody listen up." The room turned silent. "Now, are you having a good time?" We cheered. "Good good. The time is 11:55. We've got five more minutes till the new year. Y'all partner up and get down here on the dance floor. I don't was to see anybody sitting down at a table! Come on now!"

Mel came up to us. "Moon?" Moon nodded and they went to the floor.

"May I have this dance?" Dallon joked."Yeah!" Once everyone was on the floor, a slow song came on. I assumed we were supposed to slow dance. I wrapped my arms around his waist, his arms came around my neck.

"Do you have any new year's resolutions?" He asked me.

"Not really. I mean, I'd like to get a new job that I actually enjoy doing. But that's probably not going to happen. How about you?"

"The common ‘I'd like to work out more.’"

"You should come with Moon and I some time! I haven't been to the gym in a week, I really need to go sometime. Tomorrow is Friday so I'm definitely not going to go then, but I'll go on Saturday I think. Want to come with me then?"

"Yeah! That way you or Moon can show me how to use those machine things. I haven't been to a gym in years."

"I'm so excited, it's going to be great! You're going to be really sore, though. Moon doesn't like to go easy on people."

"Yeah."

My face lit up as I remembered something. "Also! You know how I was talking to that strap acrobatic guy named Chris?"

"Yeah?"

"He gave me two tickets to a circus performance on Tuesday! For free!"

"Oh my gosh that's so awesome!" He beamed. I had been debating whether I should take Dallon or Laurey with me, but in that moment I made up my mind. "Do you want to come with me?" His eyes lit up and opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by the countdown.

"10!"

"9!" We join in.

"8!"

"7!"

"6!"

"5!"

"4!"

"3!"

"2!"

"1! Happy New Year!" Dallon and I hugged as the couples around us kissed. It was a close embrace, I could smell his cologne. It smelled like soft but firm cinnamon, fitting his personality. A few moments later we let go. "Happy New Year, Saint."

"Happy New Year."

#under the moonlight #book #story #mine #chapter 5 #utm

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underthemoonlightofficial · 8 years ago

Text

Chapter 4

Masterlist

I jumped up out of bed. Today was the day! My clock read 8:50. I rushed to get dressed, grabbed breakfast, and ran to the subway. I had barely slept the night before, but I felt like I could run a marathon.

Half an hour later I was standing in front of the circus tent. Bouncing on my toes, I handed my ticket to the security guard. "Hello ma'am how are you doing today? The weather is lovely today isn't it? Happy New Year's Eve, by the way. Do you have any plans? Doing anything special?" I was talking a mile a minute.

She chuckled. "Looks like somebody's excited. Come on in, enjoy the show."

"Thank you!" I speed walked in, looking around in awe. I wasn't even in the theater are yet; this was just the lobby sort of space. To my right there were concession stands, to my left was a humongous gift shop. And there were so, so many people.

Giddy with excitement, I walked through the thick black curtains and felt my jaw drop. The stage had beautiful props to fit the futuristic theme. It was in the center, and surrounding it were rows upon rows of seats. Several hundred people could probably fit.

Without stopping to get help from an usher, I ran to my seat. The time passed quickly, and soon the light began to dim. I felt my heart rate quicken, and all of a sudden, the theater turned pitch black. A live band began to playing; the crowd cheered.

Then a large group of performers came onto the stage. They danced around, walked on their hands, flipped, and more. Some were inclusive of the props. A performer flipped over a robotic plant, another rode on a "hoverboard" using his hands.

The next act had a man and a woman who were on a bar disguised as a space hub and we're a good twenty feet off the ground. They flawlessly moved around and hung from their toes and each other's elbows.

Next were 6 female hand balancers. They performed together, putting their bodies in odd shapes while balancing on each other.

Then the mandatory circus clown came out. He wasn't the traditional clown with a red nose and a rainbow afro. This clown was dressed as a scientist. He wondered around the lab and messed with other scientists and their equipment in ridiculous ways.

As they left the stage, the light came back on. It was the intermission. I hopped up and speed walked to the gift shop. A t-shirt caught my eye. I walked over to it to better examine it but soon left when a mug caught my eye. This continued for around five minutes, and they I realized what I needed to buy.

Picking it up, I saw it was the official program. In it was up close and professional photos of each act. Cameras weren't allowed inside so this was perfect. I went over to the registers.

"$35 please,” the cashier said. That's more than I thought it would be, and more than I planned on spending. Oh well, I don't really care right now. Paying, I quickly went back to my seat.

Ten minutes after that the lights turned back off. I clapped loudly. Music started playing as the next performers came out. They were doing extreme trampolining! I had tried it before- it was so much fun. I wasn't really good at it, though.

After doing a series of complex flips, they started working together. They flawlessly jumped onto each other's shoulders, making stacks three people tall. They jumped down. Waving to the crowd, they left.

My heart skipped a beat when I saw what was being lowered from the ceiling- two trapezes. Two women slowly walked onto the stage and gracefully climbed on the trapezes. Leaning back by their knees, the trapezes and a net were lifted into the air.

They then proceeded to preform an incredibly complex act. Smiling, I closely followed their every moment. One lady flipped one, two, three, FOUR times in midair before catching the other woman's legs. My breath caught in my throat. You can probably count the number of people who can do quad flips, it's that difficult. I'm not able to do it.

After that, one man came into the stage alone. Behind him was a remote controlled bin with wheels that followed him. Then he completed an insane balancing act using the blocks in the bin.

I could tell the circus would soon fine to a close. I didn't really mind though, a lot of productions save the best acts for last.

Two men came on stage and sat at a table, as if they were at a meeting or having dinner, and perhaps conversing about the latest discovery or a new tech gadget. One had black hair, the other had blond. The blond haired man made eye contact with me and winked. I smiled a quietly laughed, earning an odd glance from the woman sitting next to me.

Along with the beat of the music, the men stood and danced over to the side of the stage, and took their suit jackets off to reveal their bare chests. They were by the side of the stage I was sitting right in front of.

The blond haired guy looked at me and nodded. I nodded back. All of a sudden two thick straps were lowered from the ceiling. My eyes widened with realization. The men hooked arms as they were lifted into the air.

Letting go, they flew apart. Then they performed a series of intense acrobatics. They summer-salted and twisted, hung from their feet, and occasionally did those while over the crowd. Some movements they did together, others individually.

Each fascinated me. I hung onto every moment, analyzing them and committing it to memory. The blond haired man and I made eye contact several more times, both of us smiling. Before I knew it, the men touched ground, and the crowd applauded.

This by far had been my favorite act yet. The movement was so familiar, I almost felt at home. And as much as I longed to take the place of one of those men, enchanting crowds of hundreds of people, the two performers were utterly flawless and deserved the job far more than I did.

One by one, the performers came on stage and did different tricks, such as flipping or walking on their hands. Once a set of performers finished, they bowed and the next set came out. I made sure to clap extra loud for the trapeze and strap acrobats.

Then once they were all out on stage, they're preformed a synchronized dance along to the music. Walking to the edges of the stage, they all joined hands and bowed for a final time. The entire audience, including me, leaped to their feet.

We loudly clapped as the performers left the stage. The light turned back on, and people began to file out. Smiling widely, I joined them. But instead of going all the way out to the parking lot, I went up to the nearest security guard. "Excuse me sir, do you know where I go for the backstage tour?"

"Go wait by the stage, they'll pick you up and check your ticket there."

"Thank you!" I went back to find around fifteen other people also waiting. A few minutes later when the theater was completely empty accept for us, an important looking woman came out.

"You are all here for the backstage tour, correct?" We nodded. "Great. Take out your tickets please." Then she wandered around and checked them. "We're good to go. Follow me."

We followed her as she led us backstage. Some people struggled to keep up with her long powerful strides and fell to the back if the group. "My name is Dr. Folkner, I'm the director of this production." I looked around in awe as we passed through thick black curtains.

People were running around doing different jobs. performers were washing off makeup by a mirror and sink, servers passed out sandwiches, crew members organized and put away props.

"This is the main area. Most preparation activities take place here. To your right is the prop storage area. If you follow me this way," we walked down a hallway, "you'll see the performer preparation areas. To your right is the makeup room." We went in.

There were around thirty desks with mirrors, and piles upon piles of makeup. It was an organized mess. Leaving the room, she said, "Now here are the dressing rooms." There were around fifteen doors lined up next to each other.

Dr. Folkner went up to one and knocked. Someone opened the door- it was the two men who preformed on the straps! "This is Christopher and Johnson, who preformed the strap acrobatics." They waved. "Why don't you show us around your dressing room?"

"OK, come on in!" the man with black hair said. They walked back in and we followed. The men had changed out of their costumes and into normal clothes. The blond's face lit up when he saw I was there. I smiled back.

The room was quite small, it barely fit everyone. "So yeah, this is it. There's two people per room. It's like our own miny apartment!" The blond haired man said. I looked around; there was a small couch on one side. On another there were two racks of clothing. The last side had a long desk with two chairs and a long mirror.

"Ok, next area." We filed out of the room, down another hallway, and into a larger room. The room was filled with tables. Some performers were sitting at a table, eating. Dr. Folkner continued to discuss the different activities that took place in the room.

I zoned out and began to look around. All of the performers seemed so happy and at home. Two women sat in a corner talking, and a group of people played a card game. Three men were crying from laughter. I longed to be among them.

"Hey!" Someone said. I turned around to see the strap acrobat with blond hair.

"Hi! I’m Saint." I reached my hand out, and he shook it.

"Chris. So what brings you here, on New Year's Eve of all days? Ticket prices must've been really high, you must have a nice job." I awkwardly rubbed the back if my neck. "Uh, actually, I’m just a Starbucks barista. My mother got me the ticket for Christmas. I've loved the circus since I was a young child. It's my dream to be a performer."

"Oh, cool! What acts do you specialize in?" I started to answer but was cut off by Dr. Folkner walking up to us. "Excuse me sir, but the tour has ended." I was so caught up in talking to Chris I hadn't realized everyone had left.

"Don't worry, Grace. He's with me." She nodded and left. "Here, let's go sit down." I followed him over to an empty table. "So?"

"I specialize in trapeze and aerial strap acrobatics."

"Nice!" We high-fived. "Same here."

"Can I ask how you got this job?"

"I auditioned for the spot several times before actually getting it. I've been here for a year now, it's amazing. I saw my first circus when I was five years old and here I am now twenty five years later living my dream."

"That's so awesome! I should probably get going, but thanks for letting me talk with you!"

"No problem. Hey, do you maybe want to come back some time?"

"I mean, yeah, that'd be great, but I can't afford tickets."

"No, no. This is for you. I'm not going to force you to take it though." He handed me a piece of paper- I took it. I gasped as I read what it was. Two FREE circus tickets to a show on Saturday. "Thank you so much!" I exclaimed.

"It's my pleasure. See you later, Saint."

"Good bye!" I left, happily walking to the subway.

#utm #under the moonlight #mine #story #book #chapter 4

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underthemoonlightofficial · 8 years ago

Text

Chapter 3

Masterlist

I sat up with a jolt, covered in sweat. I put my head in my hands, willing my breath to slow. I had nightmares pretty regularly due to my anxiety, so I know by now how to recover.

Once my breathing slowed, I stood up slowly, and walked into the kitchen. To my suprise, Steve stood leaning on the counter, staring off in the distance.

“Steve?” I asked, confused. He looked up at me. “What’re you doing awake?”

“Just thinking,” he replied. I didn’t push him to elaborate; he didn’t seem in the mood to do so. “How about you?”

“I had a nightmare. It was at my wedding, and Laurey killed Dallon.” I poured myself a glass of water with ice, and took a big sip.

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned since becoming an adult, it’s that everyone is plagued by their own demons, demons they often create themselves . For you, it’s being denied true love. But as everything is in the world, your demons can be killed. You just need to have the courage to wield the sword, or realize your demons are actually your angels.”

I stared at Steve in shock, and he left the room without another word. When had Steve become so poetic? Usually he was full of humor and jokes. But this? This was new.

I took a last sip of water, then went into my room and went back to sleep.

-------

I woke up and ate breakfast. "You ready to go, Novak?" Moon asked me. She worked at a restaurant a few blocks down from the Starbucks I worked at, so we often rode the subway together. I grabbed my things and we left. On the train ride I texted Laurey.

'do you wanna go see a movie tonight?'

'sure! what time?'

'does 8 work?'

'yeah see you then!'

A few minutes later we reached out stop. "Bye Moon!"

"Bye." I walked in and put my stuff down. I said hello to the Matt and Katy, and got to work. It was the same as always- boring and uneventful. I was taking tomorrow off for the circus and because it was New Year's Eve, which helped push me along. I was practically exploding from excitement.

Finally my shift ended, and I went home. Most days I was the first one home, and today was one of those days. Steve worked for Nintendo as a video game designer and often didn't get home until six. Moon got off the same time as me, but she goes to the gym right after me. Dallon gets home an hour after me.

My friends came home one by one, and then at 7:30 I left to pick up Laurey. I knocked on the door, and smiled when I saw her. God, she was so beautiful. Her long blond hair was in a braid crown and she was wearing a black lace dress. I love her so much, and not just because of her appearance. I can't wait to be able to call her my wife.

I felt like her piercing blue eyes could see into my mind. She understood me; I felt safe around her. "You ready to go?" She smiled.

"Yeah," I replied. I took her hand as we began to walk. Our palms fit together perfectly. About twenty minutes later we arrived at the movie theater. We ended up getting tickets to a comedy romance movie.

"Why don't you go find us some seats while I buy popcorn?" I suggested. She nodded and left. "Can I please have a medium popcorn and two small cokes?" The man nodded.

"That'll be $11.29." I paid and left to find Laurey. I found her and sat down. "Here you go," I whispered handing a her drink. "Thanks."

The movie was actually really good, I didn't think it would be."Do you want to just walk around?" She asked me when we exited the theatre, holding my hand.

"Sure!" It was really cold outside, but we had warm clothes on and therefore were fine.

Snow glittered on the sidewalks, and wind was blowing softly. It was quite lovely, actually. We passed an ice cream store and decided to go in.

Then remembered this wasn't just any old ice cream store. It was where Laurey and I met oh so long ago. Six years to be exact. I looked over at Laurey. "Do you recognize this place?" She met my eye and smiled. "Of course." We kissed.

The memories rushed in, and suddenly I was 21 again. I was really depressed that day, so I thought maybe going to get ice cream would make me feel better.

While I was in line, the woman in front of me noticed how sad I looked. "Hey, are you doing ok?" She asked me. I shrugged, trying my best to hold back tears. She looked at me, thinking hard. "What were you planning on getting?"

"A scoop of cookie dough," I answered glumly. Her face lit up. "That's what I'm getting too!" A few moments later it was her turn to order.

"Two single scoops of Cooke dough please." I began to get lost in my toxic thoughts. I didn't notice that someone had grabbed my hand and led me out of the store. I shook my head to ground myself and noticed I was outside, and the same lady was looking at me.

"I'm sorry, I just zoned out a bit there."

"You don't need to apologize. It's not your fault. Anyways here you go!" She handed me a cup of ice cream. I looked at her, puzzled. "You said you wanted cookie dough, right?"

"Y-yeah. Sorry." I rescued for my wallet. "How much was it?"

"No no no, don't pay me back."

"Thank you. But- why?" She shrugged. "You looked like you could use some cheering up." She walked over to a bench and gestured for me to follow. We ate our ice cream silently for a few minutes. "Is there anything I can do to help?" She asked me.

"What do you mean?"

"You seemed really sad back there. Is there anything I could do to help?"

"Oh. No, you've already done enough. Thanks." I hesitated before adding, "You don't have to answer this if you don't want to, but can I ask what you're name is?"

"Laurey. What's yours?"

"Saint." We shook hands. "Well I'll let you be, but please call me if you ever need anything, OK?" She handed me a business card with her name and number, and after saying goodbye she left.

We hung out a lot after that. A year later I finally gathered up the courage to ask her out. Now here we are, almost fiances.

When it was our turn to order, we grinned at each other and ordered two single scoops of cookie dough ice cream. It was as good as I remembered it being. We quickly devoured it.

It was getting pretty late, so once we were done we hopped on the subway and went our separate ways. When I was home, Steve and Dallon were playing a video game. "Her guys."

"Hey, Saint," they replied in unison. I went into my room, grabbed sweatpants and a t-shirt, and went to take a nice warm shower.

When I came out, Dallon was in his bed reading a book. "So, how'd it go?" He closed his book and sat up.

"Great. How were things around here?"

"Pretty chill. So what's the plan for tomorrow?"

"I'm going to the circus at 10am which I still can't believe. And it's New Year's Eve do we should maybe do something?"

"Oh, right! I guess we'll talk to Moon and Steve about it tomorrow."

“Sounds good. Goodnight, Dall.”

“Goodnight, Saint.” I turned my lampp off and went to sleep.

#under the moonlight #utm #chapter 3 #story #book #writing #author #mine

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underthemoonlightofficial · 8 years ago

Text

Chapter 2

Masterlist

Today was my last day in Florida. We spent the day walking around town. I bought a few new vinyls, and my mom got a pretty necklace. We ate lunch at a local restaurant called Leo’s. Before I knew it, it was the next day and my mother was dropping me off at the airport.

“Bye Mom. I’m going to miss you." I said, hugging her.

“I’m going to miss you too Saint. I love you.”

“Love you too.” And with that I left. The plane ride was long and uneventful. Thankfully I didn't have and connecting flights; I was just going straight to the Manhattan Airport.

Putting my headphones on, I pulled out my book and read. A few hours later, a flight attendant came by with snacks, so I got coffee and some peanuts. Around two hours after that the and finally landed. Texting my mom that I had landed safely, I got off and went to claim my luggage.

I was passing the indoor pickup area when I heard someone call my name. "Saint!" I spun around to see Laurey walking towards me. I closed the distance and embraced her. "I missed you." She kissed me. "I missed you too."

Smiling, we held hands as we waited for my luggage. After what felt like eternity, my suitcase finally came and we were able to go. Laurey drove me back to my apartment. Kissing her one last time, I got out of the car. "Bye, I love you!"

"Love you too!" My apartment was empty, seeing as how Dallon was at work and Steve and Moon weren't getting back until tomorrow. Locking the door, I went into Dallon and I's room and unpacked. I was exhausted, so as soon as I was done I lay down and took a nap.

-------

Some time late I woke up. Stretching, I looked over at my clock, which read 6:30. That's great, now my sleeping schedule will be messed up. I then noticed that I could smell something cooking.

I quietly walked into the kitchen to see Dallon by the stove. I tiptoed over to him and put my arms around his waist. He jumped out of surprise, then turned around and hugged me back. We ended the embrace and he said, "I love you Saint put Jesus Christ you scared the crap out of me." I laughed.

"It's good to see you Dall."

"Good to see you too."

"So what are you making over here?" Pretty much everything Dallon made was delicious; he was an amazing chef. "Just some fettuccine Alfredo." I smiled; it had been my favorite dish for years. Once it was done we pilled some onto our plates and sat down.

Dallon stared at me intently as I rolled the first bite, awaiting judgement. "As always, this tastes amazing." He beamed. "Thanks!" We quickly devoted the rest. Once we were done I brought up our dishes and put them in the dishwasher.

"Hey Saint, let's watch a movie!"

"Ok. Do you have anything in mind?"

"Hmm,” He thought for a moment. “What about a Harry Potter movie?”

“Yes! Can we watch the fifth one?”

“Yeah.” He walked over to the cabinet under the television and pulled the movie out from our vast movie collection, and I went into the kitchen and made popcorn. Once it was done, I poured it all into a big bowl and poured on special popcorn salt. Then, I walked over to the couch.

“Ready?” He asked. I nodded, and he pressed play.

An hour into the movie, Dallon started leaning on me. About twenty minutes or so later, I noticed he had fallen asleep. I laughed, and turned the volume of the movie down so it wouldn’t wake him up.

Once the movie was over, I carefully stood, and slowly lowered Dallon down so that he was laying down. I covered him with a blanket, and plugged in his phone. I turned off the few lights that were still on, then went into my room where I went to sleep after setting an alarm.

groaned as my alarm went off, 7:00 was to early for my taste. I stood up and got ready for the day, and 15 minutes later I was in the kitchen. Dallon was sitting at the counter, drinking coffee and looking at his phone.

“Morning Saint,” he said.

“Good morning, Dall.” I put a bagel in the oven, poured myself a glass of coffee, and sat next to Dallon.

“So when are you going to the circus?” He asked.

"The morning of the 31st, so three days from now!"

"I'm so excited for you! That's going to be so much fun."

"Yeah. I haven't been to a professional circus show in twenty years which makes it even more special."

"Wow, that's a long time. I know it had been a while, but that long? Wow."

"Yeah. Tickets are extremely expensive, and my mom used that money to enable me to go to classes and camps."

“Ahh. Well, I’m off to work, see you later.”

“Bye.” Dallon put on his coat and hat, and left. I sat for a few more minutes, reading the news on my phone.

I put my plate and mug into the dishwasher, then after grabbing my stuff I left for work. I got on the subway, then walked for a minute or two. I entered the Starbucks I worked at, and was instantly greeted by my coworkers Katy and Matt.

“Good Morning!” They chorused

“Hello,” I replied. I put my apron on and got to work. The day was pretty uneventful, some of my regular customers came by. Eight hours later I was able to go home; it was now four. I went inside to find Moon was home.

“Hi, Saint!” She greeted.

"Hey Moon!" We embraced. "How was Chicago?" I asked her.

"It was beautiful. How was Florida?"

"It was hot, and moist. But it was nice to visit my mother."

"Yeah, I imagine so. Do you know when the others get back?"

"Like usual, Dallon gets back around five, and Steve's train comes at around ten, I think."

"Ok, cool. I'm gonna go to the gym, wanna join me?"

"No, thanks."

"OK. I'll be back in an hour or so. Bye."

"Bye." Moon spent a lot of time at the gym; it was pretty much her second home. It's where she went in the majority of her spare time, and I sometimes went with her. Her dream job was to be a personal trainer, and she wasn't going to stop pushing herself until she got there.

Half an hour later I heard the front door open. "Hey Dall!" I called from our room.

"Hey Saint." He came into the room. "I bought us some chocolate bars," he said tossing me one.

"Thanks!"

"Is Moon back?"

"Yeah she got back an hour or so before I came home from work. She's at the gym right now."

"Ah, I should've known." Dallon put his bag down and sat in his bed. We are our chocolate in silence. "How was work?" He asked.

"Boring and uneventful. You?"

"Work was crazy today. This dude wants to throw a hunting party to celebrate his grandma's life after the funeral."

"Wow, ok then." We laughed. Dallon got a lot of weird clients. He once told me, "I enjoy the weird ones more, they're fun." His favorites though were weddings. He didn't get them very often, seeing as how most people prefer to plan their own, but when he does he gets excited and happy. He loves seeing people in love. I had already asked him if he could help me plan Laurey and I's, and Dallon of course had agreed ecstatically.

I'm so glad Dallon had his dream job, though. A lot of people aren't able to get theirs. I was one of those people. Seeing as how it's incredibly hard to get a job at a circus as a performer, I would probably live my whole life as a Starbucks barista. I had a degree in psychology, so maybe I'd do something with that someday.

As if sensing my thoughts, Dallon said, "Don't worry Saint. You'll make it to the circus someday." My friends always assured me if this. I wanted to believe them, I really did, but I couldn't.

I specialize in doing aerial strap acrobatics, as well as trapeze acrobatics. The thing is both of these require an immense amount of strength, and one day I'll reach the point where my body becomes too old to do these things anymore. And if I hadn't joined the circus by then, then I'm just out of luck.

All of a sudden we heard the door open. "I'm home!" Moon called out. Dallon and I went to greet her. She and Dallon hugged; they had not seen each other yet. "How was the gym?" I asked.

"Same as usual. Tiring and strenuous, but worth it."

That night for dinner Dallon made spinach and cheese ravioli. Like usual, it was delicious. Later that night we decided to play Monopoly. We were all super competitive, which makes things interesting. Our games of Monopoly often lasted several hours, if not days.

Three hours later, Moon placed a hotel on Boardwalk, meaning certain death for anyone who landed on it. Half an hour after that I was about to land on it when someone unlocked the door.

"Thank god," I muttered under my breath right as Steve walks in. Moon's face lit up. "Steve!" She jumped up and hugged him tightly. Dallon and I followed, saying our hellos. "How was your trip Steve?" Dallon asked as we sat down.

"It was fun. I think Eliza's family liked me, so that was relief."

"Oh good! Did you like them?" Moon aksed.

"Yeah they're very nice. Her dad is very funny, too." We talked for a little while longer and then went to our rooms. Moon and Steve shared a room. They had been best friends as long as Dallon and I, so they couldn't care less that they weren't the same gender.

"Do you know when you're going to propose to Laurey?" Dallon asked.

"I don't know, but not yet. I want to go on one last normal date first, to make sure this is definitely what I want to do, and to calm my nerves. So maybe next week?"

"OK. Cool, cool. Goodnight Saint. Love you."

"Goodnight Dall. Love you too." He turned if the lamp and we went to bed.

That night I had a dream about my wedding. I was standing at the altar, with Dallon and Steve by my side. Laurey was walking down the aisle, a veil covering her face. We said our vows, and at the end I lifted her veil. Instead of her enchanting blue eyes, she had coal black eyes.

She started laughing menacingly. She reached into the folds of her long white dress, and pulled out a short dagger. My breath caught in my throat as I staggered back in fear.

"Don't worry Saint, I'm not going to hurt you," she cackled. Then she spun around and plunged the knife into Dallon's chest. I screamed as my best friend fell to the ground. I sprinted forwards, not caring about getting myself hurt.

I felt his wrist for a pulse; there was nothing. He was gone. Tears fell from my face as I slowly stood and faced Laurey. "How could you do this?" I asked. She walked towards me.

Putting her hands on the sides if my face, she kissed me hard and forcefully, without an ounce of love.

#under the moonlight #book #story #mine #chapter 2 #utm

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underthemoonlightofficial · 8 years ago

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Chapter 1

Masterlist

Ever since my mother took me to see the circus when I was seven, I had been fascinated with the circus. I watched movies and documentaries, read books, and made my mom sign me up for circus camp.

As I got older my fascination didn’t dim; instead it seemed to intensify. Instead of circus camp, I took classes several times a week. As my skills grew, my need to put them to use quickly developed.

And that leaves us here, on the 25th of December, twenty years later. It was Christmas day. I was visiting my mom in Florida. We were sitting at the table, stuffing our faces with food. “Mom, this food is amazing!”

"Thanks!”

Finally I reached the point where I could not consume any more food. “Oh my God I’m so full,” I wheezed.

“Me too, Saint. Me too.” I lit up as I remembered I hadn’t yet given her the present I got for her. “I’ll be right back Mom, I have to go grab something.”

“Ok, honey!” I ran to my room, grabbed the wrapped gift, and headed back to the table. “Here you go!”

“Aw, thank you Saint! You didn’t need to get me anything. You’re so sweet.”

“Yeah right,” I replied, rolling my eyes. “Besides, it’s the least I could do. Go ahead and open it!” She opened the card first. In it was a gift card to her favorite restaurant, The Lighthouse, which was a locally run seafood restaurant.

“Thank you so much! Although it hurts to think about food at the moment, I can’t wait to be able to use it!” She exclaimed, beaming. Next she unwrapped the present. It was a book I remember she mentioned she wanted. “Thanks, Saint,” She smiled. “I’ve wanted to read this for a while!

“You’re present is under the tree. Why don’t you go grab it?”

“Ok.” I stood and went over to the tree. Picking up the present, I saw that it was a small envelope. Curiosity filled me. Sitting down, I opened it. In it was a note that read ‘20 years is far too long.’ Confused, I looked back in the envelope, pulled out a folded up piece of paper, and gasped.

“Circus tickets!?” I jumped up and hugged my mom. “Thank you thank you thank you!”

“You’re welcome, Saint. But please relax, you’re suffocating me.” I let go. “Also! It’s a VIP ticket so get front row seats and a backstage tour at the end!” I squealed like a small child.

We spent the remainder of the evening sipping hot cocoa while catching up and telling stories from our childhoods. “How’s Laurey doing?” Laurey was my amazing girlfriend of five years. My mother had met her several times before. Laurey and I both preferred to spend holidays with our own families, though.

“She’s great, actually! She recently picked up a fun, well paying job.” My mom smiled at that. She knew how much I loved Laurey and that her success were like my own.

“Aw, that’s great!”

I inhaled, preparing myself to tell her what I’d been holding in.“I’m going to ask her to marry me in a few weeks. I’ve already bought the ring too.” She was silent for a beat, and then she was hugging me. “Saint I’m so happy for you!

“Can I see the ring, please?” I nodded, running to my room, grabbing the box, and running back. Opening the box, she gasped. “Saint- this is so beautiful.” And it was. The ring has five small diamonds- two white diamonds on each side of a bigger, blue diamond.

“Thank you! Moon helped me pick it out. It wasn’t hard though; we both knew this was the one from the moment we saw it.” Moon, along with Steve and Dallon, are my best friends, as well as my roomates.

“This is so stunning. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. Laurey is going to be one lucky girl! Can I ask what your proposal plans are?”

I smiled. I had been scheming for weeks to make sure everything would be perfect. “Yeah. I’m going to pretend it’s a regular date and take her to Davidson’s, our favorite restaurant. Then we’re going to go on the ferris wheel and I’ll ask her. The city is going to have lights up since it’s holiday season and it’s going to be beautiful.”

“That sounds so lovely.” She hugged me again. Squeezing me tighter, she said, “I love you so much Saint. I’m so happy you get to have the wedding I never got the chance to have. Laurey is an amazing girl, she won’t let you down like Robert did.”

Robert was her boyfriend thirty years ago. She loved him probably more than I love Laurey, which is really saying something. Then had been dating for seven years, and then he broke up with her so he could be with another girl. My mom never loved anyone again;she hadn’t even dated.

After a few more hours of talking, I suggested we watch a movie. "Why don’t we watch Nightmare Before Christmas?” She replied, to which I happily agreed with, seeing as how it’s the greatest movie in existence. By the time the movie was over, it was 11 pm. We said our goodnights and went to our respective rooms.

Pulling out my phone, I dialed Laurey. “Hi Laurey!”

"Hey Saint. How was your Christmas?“

"It was great. My mom got me a VIP circus ticket! I also ate my body weight in food. How about you?”

"Ha same. I got some clothes and jewelry. And guess what! All of my co-workers are very nice. Especially my boss, his name is Alex.“ I could hear her smiling, causing me to smile too. I know she was scared that everyone was going to be mean- I’m glad she found otherwise. We talked for the next hour, and then Laurey got tired, so we said goodbye and hung up.

Next I called Dallon. The two of us often stayed up till 2 am so I knew he would be awake, seeing as how it’s only 12. "Hey Dall."

"Hey Saint! How’s it going?”

"Good. My mom got me a VIP circus ticket!“

"Holy crap dude that’s amazing! I’m so happy for you! June got me a few Moleskine notebooks and Johnson got me a few vinyls.” June and Johnson were Dallon’s siblings. June lives in Detroit,and Johnson goes to college in North Carolina, but they’re were both visiting him in our apartment in Manhattan.

“That’s awesome! So how was your Christmas?”

“It was pretty good, but kind of uneventful. Have you told Maggy you were going to propose to Laurey?”

"Yeah. She was super happy about it. She loves the ring and thinks the plans will be lovely.“

"And they will be! They were co-planned by the master of lovely plan making, AKA me!” We laughed. It was true though. His job was planning events for people, he was that good. “Hey Dall?”

"Yeah?“

"Can you be my best man?”

"Yes!“ He squealed. "Of course! I was hoping you’d ask!”

"Thanks Dall.“ A few minutes we said goodbye. Plugging in my phone, I went to bed.

———–

I woke up to the heavenly scent of freshly baked cinnamon rolls. Stretching, I wandered over to the kitchen. "Good morning Saint! I made some cinnamon rolls, take as many as you want.”

"Thanks Mom.“ I grabbed a plate and placed two on it. I quickly devoured them. "Go get dressed, we’re going out today!” I happily obliged. Ten minutes later we pilled into her car. “Where are we going?"

"Ice skating!” She replied,I smiled. I loved ice skating. My friends and I went all the time back at home. When we got to the rink, we put on rented skates and entered. “Race you!” I yelled and sped off.

A few moments later I slowed and went back to be with my mom; she wasn’t very fast. In fact she had to hold on to the side to prevent herself from falling over. “I’m not so sure I’m ready to race yet,” she laughed.

“It’s ok, don’t worry." About forty five minutes later, she had gotten good enough where she no longer had to hold the wall. Still not race ready, but it was improvement and I didn’t mind. "Why don’t we take a quick break and grab a snack?” She suggested.

“Sounds good to me.” We got off the rink and walked over to the snack bar. “I’ll have a coke and a pretzel, please. No salt,” I told the lady at the register. “Can I have a diet come and popcorn?” My mom asked. “Sure thing- that’ll be $8.71."

We paid and sat down. Once we finished we skated for another hour and left. "Thanks for taking me ice skating, Mom."

"No problem. It’s my pleasure.” That night we ate leftovers from Christmas dinner the night before.

And once again I called Dallon and Laurey before going to bed. I texted Moon and Steve as well. Moon was in Chicago visiting her family, and Steve was meeting his girlfriend’s family for the first time in Queens. Both were doing great. After another hour of browsing social media, I went to sleep.

#chapter 1 #chapter #under the moonlight #utm #book #story

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