The Luna Who Loved Twice

Regina had been pacing back and forth in her dorm room for over an hour.

She'd rehearsed it in her head at least fifty times. She even Googled how to pronounce it right.

Je t'aime.

Three simple words. French. Soft. Maybe less scary than saying I love you in English. A little more romantic, a little more... him.

When she finally saw Connor alone by the vending machine, messing with the soda buttons like they owed him money, she took a deep breath and walked up.

"Hey," she said, trying to sound casual.

He looked up and smiled. "Yo!! "

She hesitated.

"Je t'aime," she said quietly. There was a beat of silence.

Connor blinked. Then he burst out laughing. "Wait, what? You just said 'I love you' in French?"

Regina felt her face burn. "Yeah… I guess I did."

He shook his head, grinning like it was the funniest thing he'd heard all day. "You're so weird sometimes. Cute—but weird. I know I'm irresistible, but damn, Anderson. You're not drunk, right?" He winked.

"I guess not. "She smiled. At least, her mouth did.

Her heart, however, cracked just a little.

Later that day, she walked past the courtyard and saw him again—this time with Mandy.

They were laughing so hard they had to lean on the bench to breathe.

Mandy smacked his shoulder. He pretended it hurt. She shoved him. He leaned in close and whispered something that made her crackle.

Regina didn't stop walking, but her steps got faster.

By the time she reached the bathroom, she locked herself in a stall and sat down.

No tears. Not yet. But she felt it coming—the ache curling in her chest, the way her lungs felt too full, the sting behind her eyes.

She should've known better.

Love wasn't a language you could just learn and hope it landed.

Especially not with a boy who couldn't even say it back in English.

Let alone French.