Blood Supermoon

19. The Only One Who Comes to Mind

For the remainder of the week, Josandra didn't see much of Lue. She suspected that she was with Zaria instead. For what, she wasn't sure. Those two seemed close, but in front of her they acted like they weren't. Josandra didn't want to think of it. After all, Zaria grew up with her so there wasn't any way she could compete.

She met some of the nurses that lived in her house, May and Jean. They were a little older than her. May was 22 and Jean was 24. Both of them were engaged to army men. Apparently, that was the norm around here and so they decided to base themselves in Cedar, too. As soon as they got married, they'd share rooms with their partners.

She could tell they were madly in love with their fiancés because they never stopped talking about them as they walked through the woods. Still, they were nice to Josandra so she didn't mind.

"Are you seeing anyone, Josandra?" May beamed, but Josandra shook her head. "Well, don't you want to?"

"It sounds like you didn't know a lot of guys back in your hometown. Well, there's so many here to choose from. I think you'll get lucky," Jean added.

Josandra stuck a thumb in her belt loop. Their words went in one ear and out the other.

"Don't you think about love? About spending the rest of your life with someone?" May asked.

"No," she chuckled, kicking at some dirt.

The three of them stopped walking as May tsked-tsked, stepping up to her. Amused, Josandra raised a brow.

"There has to be someone. You can't go months, weeks, or even a day without seeing them," May pestered.

Josandra's eyes flickered to the side. Since the rumors of the raid started back in Ingrich, she always tried to be by one person's side. And her persistence always prevailed. It was how they came to Winnie together and eventually here.

But that was just as friends. It was okay to want to be by a friend's side forever, right? That was all she wanted.

She thought about that last day in Winnie. They had held each other, thinking they would part ways. And in that moment, longing surged through her. Inexplicably, painfully, fiercely did she yearn to draw closer to Lue.

"Look!" Jean shouted, hopping up and down.

Josandra sucked in a gust of air. She stuffed her hands into her pockets and walked over to where May and Jean were standing. They had come to a sturdy-looking wooden bridge. Down below was a stream.

"Where does it lead to?" Josandra asked.

"A shrine. You follow the trail and up the stairs there's a gazebo where people go to pray. They call this bridge the bridge of eternal love," May explained.

"What?" Josandra asked.

May nodded, "They say it's unwise to pass it if you're alone, because then you'll be alone forever. The only time you should pass is when you are with your lover."

A fog hovered over the end of the bridge, so Josandra couldn't really see the gazebo from here, but there was something calling her to the other side. She didn't laugh or question May's words though she should've.

Again, Lue came to her mind. For a matter like this, why did she think of her? They were just friends. That's it. How many times did she have to tell herself this until her heart believed it? It was because of Zaria that she was thinking this way. Lue finally has someone else to hang out with. All this time, it was just her. Now, she was worried...but Lue had said they'd stay together from now on.

Disgusted, she huffed. She didn't want to think any more about love. None of this was that anyway. She clenched her fists and stepped on the bridge.

"Whoa!"