Every Moment ── TOM HOLLAND²

25. "deserved better"

It was 7pm. And Luna Giraldo was waiting for a guy to come over her house with food.

But not just any guy.

Andres Giraldo.

The moment she blurted out the words, Andres went silent, and Luna was almost positive he hung up on her. But she heard a sniffle, and immediately tensed up, he was crying. Unsure of what to do, she cleared her throat, which made Andres apologize immediately.

He asked the girl if she was serious that she wanted to talk, and she almost hung up at that moment, prepared to back out and retreat to her bedroom to cuddle a pint of ice cream. But she didn't, instead she texted her address to the man she hasn't seen in fifteen years, telling him to bring food before hanging up. That last part she wasn't sure why she said it, but when her stomach growled, she decided it was a good decision.

She practically leaped off her seat when there was a knock at the door, but when she reached the door, she froze. Her hand rested on the doorknob, and she sucked in a breathe before opening the door.

She wasn't sure what she was expecting when she saw the man. She knew he wouldn't look old and crippled, he was in his late forties by now, and back then her father was always one to take care of himself. Andres wore a nice button up, neatly tucked in his dress pants, his hair was graying but it was still thick, and his scruffy beard look freshly groomed. There was no doubt in her mind that this was her father, and that scared her a little.

She didn't know how long the two stood there examining one another, but she was taken back when arms suddenly wrapped around her. She stood stiffly, unsure of what to do. He was hugging her. After fifteen years, he was hugging her. Her father was hugging her. Before she could fully process it, he already released her, a sheepish smile on his face. "Sorry." His voice hadn't changed the slightest, and that made Luna bite the inside of her cheek. He raised the bag in his hand, eyes bright. "I wasn't sure what you wanted, so I brought Dominican. You used to love it."

This was the man she's been mad at for the past ten years after finding out he abandoned them. In her mind, she'd made up scenarios of the moment they finally saw each other again, most of them involving Luna yelling a few choice words that her mother wouldn't approve of. But instead, she found herself smiling at the man who held up food with a nervous smile. "I still do," She said softly, stepping back to allow him in. "Come in."

They ate in silence, but she could feel his eyes constantly travel to her. It seemed as if he was just as in awe to be with him as she was with him. After years of people nagging her to try to find him, she finally was sat ten feet away from him. She knew that if he knew, Tom would have proud of her.

Their silence didn't last much longer, Andres clearing his throat as Luna began clearing the food. She glanced back at him, and he smiled slightly, "So I've watched your show on tv, how did that happen?"

It was an easy ice breaker. Or it should have been. But it quickly dulled the mood, Luna shrugging in response, "I've been doing plays since kindergarten." He would know. He attended her first play, even if she had one line and was dressed as a flower. "I kept it up, and eventually got noticed in college. My agent got me an audition."

Andres smiled softly, "It's a big step up from being a flower."

Luna quickly turned away as she frowned, a sigh leaving her lips. "Can I ask yet?" She released a shaky sigh, her fingers nervously fiddling with the ring around her middle finger.

Andres wasn't at all phased, in fact he was surprised it took her this long. Of all his kids, Luna was always the honest one, never afraid to speak her mind. He realized this when she was three, and would throw away ties after telling him they were ugly. He knew she wanted him here for answers, answers he prepared for the entire drive to her apartment. "Go ahead," He answered softly.

She hesitated for a moment, it's been fifteen years, did she really want to know? A small ounce of fear settled in as she thought about it, what if it was her mother's fault? Or her brother or sister's fault? What if it was her fault? What if she drove him away unintentionally as a six year old? "Why?" She blurted, turning back to him, her hand resting on the chair across from him. "Why did you leave?"

"Because I had to."

Luna's face fell, that wasn't the answer she wanted to hear. "You didn't have to leave," She shook her head. "You had to be there for your three kids, you had to help mami raise us. Not abandon us." With each word, her voice rose; now it was feeling more like the scene that'd played out in her head. "You had to be a father, why weren't you?"

Andres' features softened as he took in Luna. The girl in front of him was no longer a twenty-one year old with unleashed anger towards her father, instead she was the six year old girl that was heartbroken to wake up with all her dad's items missing.

"I couldn't Luna," He sighed, and Luna bit the inside of her cheek, not wanting her unshed tears to spill over. "I couldn't be around you kids at that time, I wasn't right. You were so young, you didn't know that I got laid off." Luna tensed up at this, Andres' head falling to his hands. "I was doing these side jobs, and your mother hated it. One night we got into a really big fight, and I told your mother I'd leave and come back when I could be the same man that she married. It took me so damn long to become that man again." She found herself stepping closer to him. "By the time I was that man again, you guys seemed better off without me. So I stayed away, sending money whenever I could; I was being a father from a distance."

Luna didn't hesitate to place a hand on his shoulder, Andres lifting his head at the contact. His own eyes were filled with unshed tears as Luna smiled softly at him. "You could have stayed," She whispered, "We always wanted you around." She looked away, tilting her head back slightly to blink away the tears. "They told me for so long that you got lost, and when mami would work at night, she was out looking for you. I waited for years for you to find your way back home, but then they told me, and I gave up."

"I'm sorry Luna," He sighed, "You deserved better."

"You're here now." She gestured for him to stand up, and when he did, she wrapped her arms around him. "That's more than enough for me."

FLASHBACK TO LUNA'S BDAY CARD FROM HER DAD WHERE HE LEFT HIS NUMBER

SMH YALL THOUGHT LUNA CALLED THAT GUY FROM THE RESTAURANT JOKES ON U

luna is evolving