Chapter 3 : Luna

I was sitting in front of my computer and staring at the blank document opened up on it, and all I could think about was the invitation that was burning a hole through my purse.

My birthday party was wonderful and so much fun but now, I had ‘responsibilities.’ André had made good on his promise of deadlines, but even with that, I couldn’t stop thinking about the Lush House and what River said.

She was right. I needed to take a chance and give this place the opportunity to surprise me. I just had to actually make that call.

What could go wrong? I mean, yes, there was the possibility that I would find something negative about each of the matches and most likely reject them. But I could get interesting material for my future books as a nice bonus if things did go south.

They do say to write what you know. Hmm, a romance novel, slow burn, friends to lovers, though it might end up as more of a pulp fiction book then a best seller, but that was alright. It would be fun to write and doing some hands-on research would give me some nice insight.

I'd been stuck on a writers block for so long that the inspiration felt stronger than usual, or maybe it was procrastination. Either way I was starting to feel a bit excited.

A romance would be fun, even though I probably wouldn't be experiencing any romance myself.

The thought made me smile and shake my head. If my friends heard about it, they would hate it and throw a fit.

‘Anais, you’re supposed to be meeting hot guys, not writing about fantasy ones!’ or ‘Anais, instead of writing about men why don’t you go out and get one?’

“Maybe a female lead then,” I muttered to myself when my phone buzzed again. It was Vera, checking for the 5th time if I had called the Lush House yet.

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. Yeah, there was no way I was going to be able to bail on it either way, and I had already given my word, even if SOMEONE thought I needed a bit more prompting to do it in a ‘timely manner.’

No use beating around the bush anymore. It wasn’t like I was having a productive morning anyways. The blank document in front of me was staring me in the face and mocking me, so I spun around in my chair and put the number of the agent into my phone.

After the second ring, a woman with a charming and elegant voice answered.

“Good afternoon, this is Luna.”

I hesitated a little. was I ready? Should I wait a bit longer and give this a bit more thought?

“Hello?” I answered. I cleared my throat. There was no backing out now, otherwise the second call my friends would make me do would be way too embarrassing. “Hello Luna, this is Anais Crawford.”

“Miss Crawford!” Her voice was now raised two octaves. “I knew I was going to get your call in less than a week.”

I could’ve put this off for LONGER? Damnit, River.

I could practically see her laughing and smirking in glee at this little victory of hers from across town.

The fact that Luna assumed I was going to call in such a short time put me in a defensive mood and although she couldn’t see me, I made sure she could hear it in my tone.

“I see. And what else have you assumed of me?”

She stuttered. Did I hit a nerve?

“Please, don’t get me wrong, Miss Crawford. I am a big fan of your work, and I did a bit of research on you when Miss River contacted me. I knew that you were going to call because you’re curious about this, and probably more interested in doing research for a future book rather than dating.”

I was baffled and stunned. This woman really did her homework, and now, I felt like I should be apologizing to her. Or perhaps, I should play dumb, but I admittedly wasn’t very good at the last one.

“I understand, Luna,” I began, taking the neutral ground. “And I’m impressed by the fact that you take your job seriously. I AM interested in this experience for many reasons, and River’s own personal experience convinced me to at least try out the Lush House.”

There. Vague enough, I think?

I heard some shuffling and a drawer being pulled open before Luna spoke again. “Wonderful,” she started, he voice finally settling. “Please tell me when you can visit the house so I can explain everything about how the Lush House works, and so we can narrow down your interests in the opposite sex.”

“I’ll be there in an hour, if that works for you, Luna,” I said without any poison in my voice this time. I really needed to learn how to control my temper, or at least give people the benefit of the doubt.

It’s just that doing so hadn’t worked out so well for me last time.

“In an hour?! I can…” Her voice faded and I heard a keyboard suffering from the force against the keys. “Yes, I can definitely see you in an hour.”

“I’ll see you then. Goodbye for now!” I said cheerfully before hanging up the phone.

I shook my head at myself, feeling like I put that woman through too much already without even knowing her.

I saved the very empty file on my computer and turned it off, heading to my closet to find something decent to wear. It was a task that wasn’t so easy to achieve, considering most of what I wore were comfortable and soft, homestay outfits. I worked from home; what else would I want to wear?

Of the four racks in my closet, only one held suits, dresses, and fancy clothes to go out. I tried to rush and put together a red pencil skirt with a white blouse that was a gift from Karena, hoping to look somewhat presentable. I matched it with a red purse and black heels, and I was already regretting using it to see the agent instead of one of my future matches.

Look at me, already thinking about my matches.

With my car in the shop, I had to take an Uber, which dropped me off in front of a very fancy building. I was a bit disappointed that the Lush House was only a name and not a real house. For some reason, I figured it would be something like an old town residence, or one of those grandstanding manors.

I walked inside and stepped into the elevator, still thinking about what I could possibly ask the agent, but I didn’t really have much to go off of.

When the doors opened, a young man in a suit greeted me with a smile. “Good afternoon Miss Crawford, please follow me.”

The fact he knew who I was made me feel rather put on the spot, but I quickly forgot about that as I took a look at my surroundings. The whole floor was covered in black velvet with golden accents and different types of dark oak furniture and sober paintings were scattered around the room. I was in awe.

There was a sense of space and it was very well used, with good distance between one office and the other. I was absolutely in love with the decoration as well and wanted to move in. The interior design was off the charts and I needed the number of the person who did it.

I struggled to keep up with the man guiding me as I took in the complete atmosphere created for their premises. It held very spacious offices and there was a lot of privacy between them, with each having a special waiting area with its own privacy screens.

Discrete and professional—you wouldn’t be able to guess this was a business that specialized in matchmaking.

The man suddenly stopped and I almost crashed into him. He seemed amused as he looked at me.

“Miss Crawford, please take a seat. Luna will be with you shortly.”

I nodded and followed his direction as he turned and headed out of the room.

I only sat down for a few seconds when the door in front of me opened and a tall woman walked through. She had a very contagious and honest smile, and I felt comfortable already.

“Miss Crawford,” she began. “It’s so wonderful to finally meet you. My name’s Luna, as you know, and I honestly think it’s a treat to be able to work with you!”

She held out her hand and I shook it as I stood to greet her, returning her smile.

Maybe this wouldn’t be such a bad experience after all.