The Luna Who Loved Twice

When Connor blinked again, he was back to 2025.

Same school courtyard. Same tree. Same warm breeze.

Regina was still sitting there, staring at him—only now, her face was pale.

He yanked out the earbud like it burned him.

"What the hell was that?" he whispered.

Regina opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She didn't expect him to come back so fast. She didn't expect him to know.

"Connor… you okay?"

He stared at her, eyes flickering. Like he'd seen something he couldn't unsee. Like he was piecing a puzzle that shouldn't exist.

She tried to laugh. "I told you it was kind of magical."

But Connor didn't laugh. Not this time.

That evening, Connor didn't go home right away. He stayed on campus, pretending to scroll through his phone while his mind ran wild.

The banner. 2024. The way she looked.

And the song. Here Comes the Sun.

He wasn't dreaming. He knows now.

She knows something too.And she's hiding it.

The next day, Regina walked through the hallway like someone was watching her.

Because someone was.

She could feel his gaze before she turned the corner. Connor stood by the vending machines, eyes trailing her like he was searching for a crack in her smile.

Regina's heart pounded.Did he remember everything?Would he tell Mandy?

She couldn't let that happen. Not now. Not when everything was finally starting to make sense.

So she did what she always did when her thoughts spiraled—

She went to find Julian.

Julian was in the empty theater room, trying to fix the broken light switch. When she burst in, flustered, he immediately dropped the screwdriver.

"Hey—Regina? What's wrong?"

"I think… I think he knows," she whispered.

Julian frowned. "Connor?"

She nodded.

Tears brimmed in her eyes. "He looked at me like I was a stranger. And also like he'd known me forever. Like I was lying. Like I was crazy."

Julian didn't hesitate. He wrapped his arms around her, grounding her panic. "You're not crazy, R. You're brave. Brave for still believing in something everyone else gave up on."

For a moment, she let herself melt into the hug. Into the warmth of someone who didn't look at her like she was broken.

From across the hallway, through the tiny window in the theater door, Connor stood frozen.

He had followed her.

He wasn't sure why—maybe part instinct, part confusion. But now, watching Julian holding her so closely, something inside him sank.

He watched Julian wrap his arms around her. Her face tucked into Julian's neck like it belonged there.

"Was this all I meant to you? Just warmth in someone else's arms? Just a coat you wear—touching only the surface, never the soul."

He turned away.

"Do you even know who I am? How could you just treat me like wearing a jacket—then throw me away?"

Maybe this was what she wanted all along.

Maybe she already made her choice.

And maybe… He was too late.