Luna nodded to his first comment, her mood instantly falling at him calling them jerks. She asked coldly, her coldness returning to her in unbearable waves, “What did I do?” Her eyes settled in the fire, losing themselves in the smoldering Orange blaze.
Hector blushed at her squeezing his hand, only magnified by her admitting her attraction to him. It hit him in the heart, it touched his soul. So Luna hadn’t been lying. It took almost a minute for him to regain his composure, before he whispered quietly “I feel the same way Persepolis. You’re so..beautiful.” He finally faced her, finding enough confidence to do so.
Persepolis blushed deeply at his compliment. She whispered, "Thank you. That means a lot me." She added, "You're very handsome, yourself." She met his gaze when he faced her. She was honestly in love and now she was so glad that he knew she was attracted to him.
Luna attempted one last desperate attempt to combat her coldness before it swarmed over her. She explained calmly, hurt by his words, “I’m not friends with the murderers, and the thief said she was sorry and offered to give you back the guns today.” She saw he got hurt, and muttered bitterly, still hurt by what he had called her after she had taken the time to come out here and heal him, “If I was a jerk I wouldn’t have come back and tried to help you. I’m sorry I came.” She kept gazing into the fire, not bearing to look anywhere else.
Hector held her gaze, stopping their walk and watching hers eyes instead. His blush accompanied hers, as they stood there in silence, which was finally broken by his own quiet “Thank you.” He felt this tingly feeling around her, like he couldn’t speak and had to stop himself from saying too much at the same time.
Persepolis held his gaze, feeling a little more confident. She felt comfortable around him, and happy. She responded quietly, "You're welcome." She wanted to move a little closer to him, but was hesitant in case it wasn't okay. Eventually, she decided to take a small step closer, rubbing her thumb on the back of his hand she was holding in a silent question of, "is this okay?"
Luna’s coldness slowly melted away, as if consumed by the warmth of the fire. She looked up at him finally, a sympathetic look o her face. She then began, “You’re not a jerk. You’re just trying to survive out here like everyone else is.” Her gaze pierced his, her honesty showing in her eyes. She wanted him to know she didn’t think he was a jerk either. She knew he was someone else under all those layers of toughness.
