A beaming Luna skipped through the entryway to the mall, her hand held by Aster in fear she would get whisked away at the first object that intrigued her.

“Rocket!” She joyously exclaimed her free hand pointed at the rocking rocket ride. She tried to pull Aster ahead eager to take a turn.

“After we get you clothes,” Aster said, tightening his grip on her so she couldn’t make a run for it despite his disagreement.

“But…but…” Luna stuttered with a pout as she tried to wiggle her hand out of his grasp.

“It would be fun now, but think of how much more fun it would be with ice cream.” Aster knelt to eye level and adapted a soft expression to calm her. His voice low and slow like the narrator of an audiobook.

Luna still seemed distraught from the denial to ride the mini spaceship so Marlena quickly, and happily, offered a wat to break the tension, “How about we torture Aster?”

“What.” He blurted, his whisky eyes agape from her offer.

“That seems mean.” Luna was hesitant about the idea, her forest eyes looked up towards Aster’s face who in turn glared at Marnie. ‘I swear I will make you regret living if you say what I think you are.’

She was unfazed by the murderous gaze, accustomed to it since she forced him to watch the Bachelor with her, which means you must watch the Bachelorette afterward. Then Love Island and the time she was really wanted someone to bond over Desperate Housewives with. Whenever she brought up a show at this point Aster knew it was his time to be anywhere else.

“No, no, it is karma. Since he is removing enjoyment, it must be returned in some form. Hence the torture.” Marlena swiftly shot the retort like you held down A to make the text move faster in games.

“Kar…ma?” Luna anime head tilted.

Aster explained before Marnie could interject, “You do good things and good things happen. You do bad things and bad things happen. So if you are kind and give someone the last cookie karma says something good will happen to you, but if you steal the last cookie something bad will happen.”

Luna didn’t respond for a few moments as she tried to wrap her head around the concept, “So because Aster mean to me, Marly mean to Aster?”

“Wha-“

“Exactly!” Marlena interrupted.

“Marlena…”

“Luna, I have the perfect idea for how to get him back for this.”

“Dressing him up like a doll?” Luna suggested, in a fit of giddy giggles at the mental image of tan and lean Aster dressed in a European maid outfit.

“What, no! I contest to the very basis of this idea.” He vehemently denied the very idea of being forced to don whatever attire they may conjure up. It would immediately be posted in every group chat and he would never hear the end of it.

“I like the way you think.” She squatted beside him and her eyes were even more ocean blue than before under the mall’s skylight. Both hers and Luna’s enchanting eyes shimmered under the rays, a contrasting sight to their sinister yet sincere grins. “I do have a better idea though, hot sauce.”

Aster shivered at the thought of hot sauce, memories reemerged from the last time he did ghost peppers with Derrick and Luc. “You know what…let’s do the dress-up.” His eyes were clouded in horror, his voice weak and hoarse from his dried throat.  The recollection of pain veiled his face to all onlookers.

Marlena slapped his back in friendly support, “See Luna, doesn’t the hot sauce sound like such a great idea now.”

“Hot sauce!” Luna’s hand’s shot towards the sky with enthusiastic cheers.

“Hot sauce!” Marlena echoed raising one of Aster’s limp arms as well.

“Luna, I’ll give you more ice cream if you let me escape.” Aster plead for mercy from who he believed may be willing to listen.

His efforts fell on deaf ears as the pair of ladies cheered hand in hand marching their way to the Pepper Palace.

“Dear Past me, next time, let her ride the damn rocket.” Aster cursed his previous self. If he had only let her run ahead, it was only 50 cents for the ride. In some parallel universe where Aster said Yes, he doesn’t know the bullet he dodged.

===

“Sir, I hear you are looking to do The End challenge?” The salesman, Eric, greeted Aster who lagged between the pair.

“The End?” Aster nervously repeated.

“Yes, Sir, the young lady over there said you were looking to try our hottest hot sauce.” Eric explained with a wide smile.

Aster sighed, “That one is 6 million Scoville right?”

“That is exactly right, are you up to the challenge?”

“You can do it Aster!” Luna shouted, not knowing the fate she doomed him to.

“Yea you got this!” Marlena on the other hand knew exactly what was about to happen. She experienced it firsthand a little over two years ago because of Aster, and as they say, karma.

“I don’t exactly have a choice,” Exasperated Aster accepted his fate.

“That’s great to hear!” Eric was excited to have another vict- challenger. “To complete the challenge you must eat this spoonful and last one minute before drinking any milk. You can start whenever.” He handed the white plastic spoon that housed the black sludge that stung his nose when brought close. He knew hesitation was bad so with a deep breath he shoved the spoonful into his mouth and immediately was greeted by what he swore was fire.

Peppers have taste, as did the sauce, but all that remained at this level was liquid fire that moved through his body. He could feel every inch that it traveled, searing his internals that begged him to reach for the milk.

‘9…10…11…12’ He counted the seconds, for the longest minute of his life. The tears broke from his eyes his hands fanned his mouth in hopes to alleviate the pain in some form.

“Another thirty seconds!” Eric informed, the world felt louder as if all his earwax was evaporated.

“I hate this!” He exclaimed in pain, much to the amusement of Marlena. Luna while pleased at first was now worried given his violent reaction.

She tugged on Marlena’s hand, “Is he okay?” Her glossy eyes looked up concerned.

 “He will be fine, I’ve been through this myself and I’ll have you know he was on the floor laughing at that time.” Marlena comforted vengeful from the resurfacing trauma. She failed to last the minute at that time, and she hoped he would as well.

“Another 15 seconds, you got this!”

Numerous expletives coursed through his mind but he didn’t voice any since Luna was in earshot.

“5…4…3…2…1…We have a winner!” Eric bellowed thrilled to have a victor. Instantly Aster chugged the glass of milk provided to him. It lessened the pain, but he still internally suffered.

“I’m sorry Aster…” Luna apologized, downcast in sorrow and fear.

“Hey, now. It is perfectly fine. I ever got a free shirt from this.” Aster suppressed the pants beneath a forceful normal voice.

“He even gets his photo up on the wall.” Marlena added while Aster was handed a second glass of milk and Eric returned with the camera. This didn’t ease Luna’s nerves.

“Hey Eric, it okay if she is in the photo with me? I wouldn’t have done it without this munchkin.” After the second glass the pain was mostly removed but his red flushed face remained.

“What…” Luna uttered in a stupor.

“It’s no problem,” He generously smiled. He handed the black victory shirt to Aster that in white text read, “I’ve survived The End challenge.”

“Smile for the camera then Luna!” Aster didn’t give her a moment to protest, and Eric quickly snapped the photo. Luna was not looking toward the camera but at Aster with dumbfounded but a sincere smile. His pant leg tightly in her white-knuckle grip. It wasn’t hard to tell how much she cared for him at that moment.

===

As promised Luna was riding the spaceship once they finished the clothes shopping, an uneventful adventure once they finished Aster’s punishment. No expense was spared for her new wardrobe as numerous bags were carried by him from the stores. Aster handed Luna a handful of quarters in case she wanted to go multiple times while him and his torturer were off to the side.

“I see what Kelly meant now by her cryptic statement Luna is color. Like even if she were lines on a piece of paper, people would still be able to hear her chirpy energetic voice. The voice that charms the listener and a bubbly face that enchants the passerby.” Marlena gushed as she watch the giggling girl rock back in forth in the small cockpit. She didn’t care about the rickety machine or the sideward glances by the crowd, instead absorbed in her own world.

“The child with iridescent eyes is what I titled her in my new book. Eyes that change between blue and green between on the light you look at her in. Meaning she is special from the moment you first meet her. From that first glistening light that changes your life.” Aster spoke monotonously as if reciting a poem.

“You damn poet. You already have the hair and light beard, just need your whisky candle light to complete the mood.”

“A glass of whisky does sound good right now,” Aster teased with a laugh.

“The lone author who sought meaning in his life and it was only when he wasn’t looking that he found it. A story we have all read and heard thousands of times.”

“Cliches are cliché for a reason, sometimes we aren’t looking for the most depth story but the one that makes us smile. The one just separated from reality enough that we escape and forget that the world is painful.”

“For the best story you will ever write is the one you love.”

“Glad you remember.”

The pair fell silent both watching as Luna found the mini carousel and sat atop the unicorn before putting in the quarters.

“You tell Aroura yet?” Marlena questioned.

“No.” Aster bluntly replied.

“Scared of her reaction?” She prodded.

“I don’t want to get her hopes up before it is all finalized.” Aster admitted as he slumped in his chair with a groan.

“Finalized?”

“Everything is done with Luna’s adoption. Still have to do a home interview before I can move forward with the orphanage. I don’t want to tell Aurora and then for it fall through. She would be devastated.”

“When is the interview?”

“I don’t know yet, going to assume I’ll be told more in the coming weeks.”

“Call me if you ever need any help with the process.”

“Absolutely, thank you.”

“Aster! Marly! Look at me, no hands!” Luna beckoned for their attention as her arms were held to the sky while the ride went round and round.

===

“If you turned your life into a story where would you make the first chapter? I asked myself that question a lot growing up because I always felt that life was truly meant to be like the books I grew up immersed in. Reason for a long while I titled my life, raised by books. I wouldn’t start my story there though. I’d start it where life changed, not where it stayed the same. I once told myself that was when I got my first girlfriend and started serially dating. I deluded myself into thinking it was when I read my first book and found the tutelage my parents never gave.

Of course, none of these are right. My life didn’t change then, it was always the same, I only lied to myself. Those are my history that make me who I am for her, giving my character life for the introduction. Where my story starts is the day I met her. As it was from her I accepted what many others tried to tell me, I wasn’t living. Today I would have sat around all day and done nothing, interacted with no one, and wasted away the hours to the newest television show. Instead, she gave the world color, and the world is much more beautiful when not in black and white. So that is where I would start my story, the day she entered my life.” Aster monologued to himself as he typed away at his computer.

“You should get some sleep.” Marlena yawned, as she collapsed in the bed beside unconscious Luna.

“Soon, I have a little more I want to write.” Aster whispered back with a small but genuine smile. The unintentional kind of smile that spreads when you get a text from the person you love. Or when you are lost in thought and you hear their phantom voice.

“And even when the chapters feel like filler as not enough happened to make worth telling for generations, you will still look back at least once and say, I miss that time and your lips will curl into a smile.” He closed off with quiet clicks to not disturb the cuddled pair.

Bronzeapollo

Hope you have all enjoyed this chapter, of Aster's suffering for the enjoyment of the others. It is known this story is a romance which begs the question who is the love interest? You will find out in dear time, but for now enough the fluff of Luna, she is the main character here. Thank you all for reading.