Chapter 123: Noah saw his life flash before his eyes.

Noah felt that every previous rehearsal had lost all usefulness the moment he saw Yume standing there.

"Yume, this isn’t..."

She looked at Luna, then at Noah, then back at Luna.

"I saw you."

Noah stood up.

"We can explain!"

"I hope so."

Luna stood up as well, and Yume crossed her arms.

"Since when?"

Noah stayed silent, but Luna answered.

"For several weeks now."

Yume closed her eyes when she heard that.

Noah looked at Luna, since she had just gone straight to the point.

Yume opened her eyes again.

"So it was true."

Noah frowned.

"What?"

Yume looked at Luna.

"When you asked me if I would accept sharing Noah."

Luna nodded.

"That’s right."

"You were already with him."

"Yes."

Yume kept staring at Luna.

"And even so, you asked me as if nothing had happened yet."

Luna lowered her gaze slightly.

"Yes."

"That’s pretty low."

Noah stepped in.

"Yume, it was my responsibility too."

"I know."

She turned toward him.

"I’m not leaving you out of this."

Noah accepted the criticism.

"All right."

Yume breathed slowly.

"I want to hear everything."

Noah and Luna exchanged a look.

There was no going back now, so they sat down while Yume remained standing in front of them, and Noah began.

"Luna confessed to me that she was in love with me."

"I already knew that."

Luna looked at her, and Yume answered.

"I suspected it long before you told me."

Luna didn’t seem surprised, so Noah continued.

"I didn’t know what to do."

"You could have told me."

"Yes, but..."

"But you didn’t."

"No."

Yume crossed her arms tighter while Noah went on.

"I was afraid that rejecting her would cause something similar to what happened with you."

Yume frowned.

"Because of her powers?"

"Partly."

Luna spoke up.

"I pressured him too."

Yume looked at her.

"I don’t need you to defend him."

"I’m not defending him."

Luna held her gaze.

"I’m telling you it wasn’t only his decision."

Yume let out a breath.

"That doesn’t make me feel any better."

"I know."

"Then stop answering like you’re his lawyer."

Luna narrowed her eyes.

"And you stop talking to him like he’s the only one to blame."

Yume took a step forward.

"I don’t need permission to be upset with my boyfriend."

"He’s my boyfriend too."

Silence fell over the place, and Noah closed his eyes.

’Of all the answers you could have given, you chose the worst one.’

Yume looked at Luna.

"Say that again."

Luna didn’t back down.

"He’s my boyfriend too."

Yume clenched her fists.

"Not for much longer."

Luna stood up.

"That’s not for you to decide."

"I’m his girlfriend first."

"That doesn’t mean you get to decide for him."

"And you snuck into our relationship behind my back."

"Because you didn’t want to listen."

Yume’s eyes widened.

"Now it’s my fault!?"

"I didn’t say that."

"It sounded exactly like that."

Noah stood up.

"Both of you, enough."

Neither of them looked at him, and Yume pointed at Luna.

"I told you I didn’t want to share him."

"I know."

"And you went ahead anyway."

"Yes, that’s true."

"So you didn’t respect my decision."

Luna kept a serious expression.

"Because Noah’s decision existed too."

Yume turned toward him, so Noah felt that his turn had arrived.

"Yume."

"Did you want to go out with her?"

Noah hesitated, since the answer could fan the flames, but lying had already caused enough damage, so he decided to tell the truth.

"Yes."

Yume went still, and Noah continued.

"Not at first, because I was confused, scared, and felt guilty, but yes, I do have feelings for Luna."

Yume lowered her gaze, since the answer hurt her and it was obvious, so Noah moved a little closer.

"That doesn’t mean I want to leave you."

Yume didn’t answer.

"I love you."

She slowly raised her eyes.

"Then why do you need someone else now?"

Noah stayed silent for a few seconds.

"Because loving you didn’t make what I feel for her disappear."

Yume looked toward Luna, who remained quiet and who, for the first time since the conversation had started, made no attempt to intervene.

Noah continued.

"I don’t expect you to like it or to forget that we hid it from you, because that was wrong and we should have talked to you first."

Yume crossed her arms again.

"Yes, that’s what you should have done."

"But now I want to do it right."

Yume let out a small laugh.

"A little late."

"I know."

"And what do you want me to do?"

Noah breathed.

"Give us a chance."

Yume shook her head immediately.

"No."

Noah didn’t give up.

"I’m not asking you to change how you feel today."

"I don’t want to see you kissing her."

"I understand."

"I don’t want to imagine you sleeping at her place."

Luna looked away slightly, and Yume noticed.

"Has that already happened?"

Noah decided to step in quickly.

"That doesn’t help right now."

Yume’s eyes widened.

"I can’t believe it."

Noah brought a hand to his face.

"Yume, listen to me..."

"No!"

She started pacing back and forth.

"All this time I’ve been worrying because Luna wanted to get closer to you, and it turns out it was already happening."

Luna spoke.

"I don’t want to take your place."

Yume stopped.

"You said that last time."

"Because it’s true."

"You want the same place."

"No."

Yume looked at her, and Luna continued.

"I want one of my own."

That made Yume stay silent while Luna breathed.

"I’m not looking for Noah to break up with you, or to love you less, or to push you aside, because I only want to be able to be with him without hiding."

Yume lowered her gaze slightly.

"That still means sharing him."

"Yes, that’s true."

"And I don’t like it."

"I know."

Noah moved closer to Yume.

"You can set conditions."

Yume looked at him.

"Conditions?"

"Yes."

Luna looked at him as well, so Noah continued.

"If you agree to try, you don’t have to accept everything all at once, because we can set limits, talk when something bothers you, and nothing has to happen behind your back."

Yume remained silent, so Noah went on.

"And if anything makes you feel like you’re being pushed aside, you tell me, because I don’t want to replace you."

Yume looked at Luna.

"And you?"

Luna answered immediately.

"No, I’m not looking to replace you either."

Yume observed both of them.

"Really?"

"Yes."

They both said it, so Yume walked a few more steps to think about what she was going to do, because whatever she said next was going to change their relationship forever.