Make Me Moan, Daddy-Chapter 34

REINA

The first day back at school after two years wasn’t exactly fun.

It wasn’t bad either, just... overwhelming. The kind of day that reminded me how much time had passed while I was busy surviving everything else.

The campus was alive with noise, students laughing, sneakers slapping against the pavement, the smell of coffee, expensive perfume, and fresh paper hanging in the air. It was almost too much, too loud, too bright, too full of life I wasn’t sure I still knew how to keep up with.

I had forgotten how noisy this place could be.

By the time my last class ended, I was exhausted. My head throbbed faintly from all the chatter and the hours of pretending I fit in.

Everyone seemed younger somehow, freer. They talked about assignments and weekend parties, and all I could think about was how different my life had become.

Still, I was proud of myself. I’d made it through the day without running away. That was something.

I gathered my notes, stuffed them into my bag, and stood up. The lecture hall buzzed with leftover conversations, the low murmur of students who had nowhere else to be. The sunlight poured in through the high windows, cutting across rows of seats in long golden stripes.

The last time I was here, I was a lot younger, single. Reina Moretti. But now, I wasn’t that free. Married. A Mrs.

I slung my bag over my shoulder, stretched, and was about to leave when someone suddenly jumped on my back.

I let out a startled gasp. "What the... Fuck!"

A laugh rang out right by my ear. "Gotcha!"

I twisted around, heart still hammering, and there she was.

"Tessa?"

She grinned, wrapping her arms around me before I could react. "You didn’t think you could come back and sneak past me, did you?"

"Tessa!" I laughed, finally hugging her back. "God, you scared me half to death."

"That was the point," she teased, stepping back to look me over. "You look so grown! Look at you! My girl’s back!"

She poked my side, and before I knew it, she was tickling me, the same way she used to in high school whenever I ignored her texts. I yelped, laughing helplessly, trying to swat her hands away.

"Stop! You’re going to make me drop my bag!"

She finally let me go, giggling. "You’re still terrible at defending yourself."

"And you’re still a menace," I said, breathless but smiling.

We linked arms as we walked out of the lecture hall, falling into an easy rhythm like nothing had changed. Students brushed past us, voices echoing down the hall. The air smelled faintly of marker ink and sanitizer, that familiar scent of academic survival.

"So," Tessa said, flipping her hair over one shoulder, "what was up with you yesterday? You sounded weird on the phone. Like, really weird."

I hesitated before shrugging. "Nothing. I was just... bored."

"Bored?" she repeated, giving me a look. "Since when do you get bored? You always find drama to entertain yourself with."

I smiled faintly. "Guess I’m losing my touch."

She squinted at me but didn’t push. Instead, she looped her arm tighter through mine and dragged me toward the courtyard.

Outside, the afternoon sun painted everything in beautiful glow. The campus buzzed with life, students sprawled on the grass, someone playing guitar near the fountain, laughter spilling from the café by the library. The scent of roasted beans and vanilla syrup drifted on the breeze.

Tessa breathed in deeply. "God, I missed this," she said. "The chaos. The noise. The caffeine addiction."

I laughed softly. "You never left, Tessa."

"Yeah, but it’s not the same without you. Who else was I supposed to whisper gossip to during boring lectures?" She nudged me with her elbow. "Speaking of, spill. What did you do all this time? You disappeared like you joined the witness protection program."

I rolled my eyes, though the question made something twist inside me. "You know most of it. Family stuff. Life. Just... things."

"Things?" she repeated, unconvinced. "That’s all I get after two years of radio silence? Things?"

I sighed, giving her a half-hearted smile. "Trust me, it’s not a fun story."

She tilted her head, studying me. "You look different," she said after a moment. "Older. But, like, in a good way. You’ve got that mysterious grown-woman energy now. The kind that scares men who still live with their moms."

That made me laugh, a real, full laugh that I hadn’t heard from myself in a while. "You’re ridiculous."

"Thank you. It’s a gift." She grinned. "But seriously, I’m glad you’re back. This place has been boring without your chaos."

I rolled my eyes again, but the warmth in her tone made my chest ache a little. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed this, missed her.

We found a bench under a jacaranda tree, the purple blossoms carpeting the ground like soft confetti. Tessa dropped her tote bag dramatically beside her and sighed. "So. Do you have any classes with cute professors yet?"

I snorted. "That’s your first question?"

"Of course. Priorities, Reina."

I laughed. "No, none that I’ve noticed."

She gasped. "None? You mean to tell me you didn’t check out Dr. Pearson in the English department? The man is literal poetry in human form."

"I think he’s married."

"Yeah, well, so was Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic... to his ego. Doesn’t mean we can’t admire."

I shook my head, smiling helplessly. "You haven’t changed at all."

"Why would I? Being me is a full-time job."

We spent a few more minutes catching up, gossiping about mutual friends, new clubs on campus, the girl who’d shaved her head and started a feminist zine that everyone pretended to read. It was light and silly and exactly what I needed.

Then, as conversations often do, it drifted somewhere deeper.

"So," Tessa said, glancing sideways at me, "you seeing anyone these days?"

The question made my fingers still around the strap of my bag. I forced a chuckle. "No. Definitely not."

She raised an eyebrow. "That sounded suspiciously defensive."

"It’s not," I said too quickly. "I’ve just... been focused on other things."

Tessa hummed like she didn’t believe me but didn’t pry. Instead, she leaned back against the bench, eyes closed. "You know, sometimes I forget how weird it feels to be our age. Everyone’s either getting engaged, or dropping out, or suddenly starting a skincare line. Meanwhile, I still panic over exam dates."

"That’s because you procrastinate everything," I said, teasing.

She opened one eye. "It’s called ’creative timing.’"

We both laughed again, and for a few blissful minutes, the world felt simple.

Then she spoke, almost too casually: "So... what was that thing you said earlier? About being bored? Because yesterday, when we talked, you didn’t sound bored. You sounded—I don’t know—off."

I froze for a moment. She always noticed things too easily. "It’s nothing, Tess. Just a rough night."

She looked unconvinced but didn’t push, thankfully. "Alright," she said slowly, standing up and brushing imaginary dust off her skirt. "If you say so."

We began walking again toward the campus gates. The air had cooled, the breeze brushing softly through the trees.

Sometimes I wanted to tell Tessa that I was married, that the two long ass years break I took, assisting my Aunt financially wasn’t all I did with it. I was now married, a Mrs. But I couldn’t tell her, I couldn’t tell my best friend that I was now married into a crime family. I feared she’d judge me.

Tessa hadn’t really judged me about anything in the past, not exactly. But this was different.

Trying to change the subject, just to hide my guilt, I asked, "How’s your uncle doing? You mentioned he wasn’t well."

Her smile faltered. "Yeah. It’s been rough. The doctors said he shouldn’t be alone anymore, so my cousin’s coming back to help out."

I frowned. "Your cousin? Which one? You have two cousins, Tess."

She gave me a look like I should already know. "Andrew."

I stopped walking. "Wait... Andrew?"

Tessa nodded, watching my reaction closely. "Yeah. He’s transferring to the university here so he can be closer to his dad."

For a moment, everything went silent, the chatter around us, the birds in the trees, even the breeze.

"He’s coming back?" I asked quietly.

"Yep." She popped the ’p’ for emphasis. "Apparently, he already got his paperwork approved. He’ll be here next week."

I blinked, trying to process it. "Wow. That’s... fast." 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"Yeah. I only found out this morning."

My chest tightened. Andrew. The name alone hit like a bruise pressed too hard. Memories I’d buried clawed their way up, laughter in the dark, whispered promises, the feel of his hand in mine, and then the empty silence that followed. The betrayal. The vanishing.

Tessa’s voice softened. "You okay?"

I nodded too quickly. "Yeah. I just... didn’t expect that."

She touched my arm gently. "I know it’s weird, but don’t freak out, okay? That was years ago."

Years ago.

She said it like time erased the sting, like the ache didn’t linger somewhere deep inside me.

"Yeah," I said quietly, eyes fixed on the path ahead. "Years ago."

We walked the rest of the way in silence, the hum of campus life fading behind us. My mind spun faster than my steps.

Andrew was coming back.

To this city.

To this university.

And no matter how hard I tried to tell myself it didn’t matter anymore, a small part of me—the one I’d buried under guilt and chaos—whispered that it did.

Because he wasn’t just an old memory.

He was the first man I ever loved.

And the first to break me.