115 Don't Get too Attached

We made our way back to the hotel later that night at around 10:00 P.M. However, the hotel lobby was still quite busy, and on our way, we passed by many students who were heading out for some fun as well as other students who were returning to finish the day.

I entered the elevator with Luna and rode with her up to the thirteenth floor. There, I walked her to her room. As we walked, I wondered the reason why she does not reside on the eleventh or the twelfth floor like the other students but lives in a larger room on the thirteenth floor by herself. Therefore, I decided to ask her.

"Why?" she looked over at me with a smile on her face. "I don't want anyone to know about my disease. It's kinda hard to take my medications in secret when I have so many that I need to take."

"That sounds... reasonable," I said.

We then arrived before the locked door to her hotel room. My eyes followed her hand as she brought her phone up to the scanner and unlocked the door. I was hesitant and didn't know whether or not I should follow, so I stood there awkwardly as Luna entered the room and turned on the lights with her phone. She looked over her shoulders and observed me for a few seconds. Then, it would appear that she noticed my dilemma as an amused smile appeared on her face as she giggled.

"You can go back to your own room now," she said while chuckling. "I'm going to bed soon."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Yeah," she nodded. "I promised Erith that I'll spend tomorrow with her."

"Erith..." I muttered, looking through my memory for someone with that name. "That's your friend, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Luna nodded. Then, on her face was a calm smile. "My best friend, but... I never told her about my disease."

"You've mentioned that before..." I looked down at the floor as the atmosphere became extremely heavy with the mention of her relationship with others and her concealment of her disease. When it comes time to say goodbye, that girl, Erith, would probably have a very difficult time letting go...

"Alevian."

Luna's gentle voice dragged me out of that state of melancholy as I looked up and met eyes with her. On her face was a joyful smile and her arms were reached out towards me slightly at a wide angle. She stood there, holding that position as she waited for my response. With a soft chuckle, I brought my arms around her as she did so to me, and the two of us just held our embrace. From her body, I once again sniffed in that lovely scent of her hair as well as the fragrance of her body. The mixed smell had a calming effect on me, one that reminded me that her smell will be another thing that I will miss dearly when she does die.

"Goodnight," she whispered softly into my ear.

"Goodnight," I responded.

Then, we each took a small step back. However, she kept her arms on my waist as she stared deeply into my eyes. I know for a fact that she was communicating with the me that I had kept locked away in the prison cell within me. I allowed her carefree gaze to reach that lonely boy within me, allowing him to have another taste of what freedom was. Then, with a soft chuckle, Luna took a step back into her room and slowly closed the door. As she did so, she waved at me...

After parting ways with Luna, I felt that heavy feeling in my chest once again. It accompanied me everywhere that I went, even when I rode the elevator down to the eleventh floor and into my own hotel room. Like before, Loyd, Zaksus, and Noah were sitting about as they watched a movie on the television, and their gazes all were directed in my direction on my entry.

"Look who decided to come home to sleep," Noah nodded and said with a wide grin on his face.

"Where'd you go last night?" Loyd asked. "When we came home around 4 in the morning, you weren't here."

"Don't ask him that," Noah smiled and nudged Loyd gently with his elbow. "He was having fun."

"I wouldn't call that fun," I said, sighing as I walked over to my bed and sat down. Then, I looked over at Zaksus, who looked back and met eyes with me. "Why're you here again?"

"Now that's just mean," Zaksus laughed. "What's wrong with me choosing to spend time with my friends?"

"Well..." I sighed. "You can do what you want."

Then, I got up from my bed and walked over to my duffel bag and picked out my indoor wear. I desperately needed to change out of my current outfit since I've been wearing it since the start of yesterday. Therefore, I entered the bathroom and locked the door behind me.

I looked around our bathroom. Unlike Luna's, ours did not have a separate room for the shower and bath. Rather, it was a more old school bathroom where the shower is conducted in the bathtub that was also in the same space as the sink and toilet.

Without saying anything, I placed the clothing that I was going to change into on the sink counter and began stripping myself of my current outfit. I discovered that on my clothes, there still lingered Luna's scent. I blushed as I then realized that the others probably were able to smell it as well when I had first entered our room. That way, they would know I was with Luna! But... they probably won't know exactly since they never had the opportunity to smell her up close. I closed my eyes as I thought back on the embrace I shared with Luna and how I had sniffed her skin in the area where her shoulder and neck met... Only I had the chance to do that out of everyone here.

With my face still somewhat red, I proceeded to step foot into the bathtub and turn on the shower. Then, I bathed myself. Since the bathtub was slightly wet, I reasoned that the others must've decided to shower in our rooms instead of the hot springs. That I understand because the hot spring water was extremely hot, hence the name. Plus it takes a lot of time if one were to use the hot springs. For efficiency, I believe most students opted to use the shower in their hotel rooms to clean themselves.

I allowed the hot water to run down the length of my body as I thought back on the day I had spent with Luna. It wasn't exactly over the top exciting, but... it's definitely memorable. It will be a day that I will remember for the rest of my life. To be honest, every day I spend with her, I will probably remember until the day I, too, lay to rest... Will there be an afterlife? Is it possible that I could maybe meet with her once again when I die as well?

I finished showering after ten minutes. Then, after quickly drying myself and changing into my comfortable long sleeve shirt and sweat pants, I exited the bathroom. I looked about the room, scanning it in search of the angel that could answer my earlier question. Noah was simply sitting there and watching the movie that was being played.

I walked over to him. "Talk outside?" I whispered.

"Fine," he sighed. "You guys continue. Alevian here needs to ask me for advice on girls."

"So Alevian's finally got someone in mind," Loyd commented with a smile on his face as his eyes seemed to shine as they followed me as I left the room with Noah.

"You know you can talk to us as well, right?" Zaksus called out to us as we shut the door closed behind us. Then, it was just Noah and I alone in the hallway.

"So," he said as he leaned against the hallway wall and crossed his arms. "How was it?"

"It's... alright," I responded.

"Do you feel as if there's progress being made?"

I shook my head. "I'm just spending time with her..."

"I see..." he nodded.

"Noah," I then said. "Is there such a thing as an afterlife?"

"So this is the result," he sighed. Then, he looked into my eye and answered my question. "No... You die, your soul gets reincarnated."

"Is that so..." I frowned.

"Yeah," Noah said as he stood up tall and turned towards the door. "An advice for you... Try not to get too attached to her. The more attached you are, the harder it is to let go."

Then, he returned to the hotel room, leaving me standing outside alone. I clenched my hands tightly into fists as I sighed and gazed at the floor with sadness on my face.

"I know," I whispered to myself. "But I realized that I can't do it anymore..."