the moon [h.s.] - EDITING

thirty-two.

They playfully argued over who pays the bill the moment they have finished eating. Carlos came by to tell them it was on the house, but in the end, Luna insisted and Carlos gave in. He let her pay because she wouldn't take no for an answer.

The waitress has returned with Luna's receipt and she thanks them for the tip. Luna smiles. "Alright... I would take you somewhere else, but it's snowing and there's literally nowhere to go in this town," Luna tells Harry and she giggles. She stands up and puts on her coat. Just as she is adjusted and ready to go, her smile falls.

A girl approaches Luna. She has a smile on her face. She's really young, but she kinda reminds Harry of Madison. Maybe it's just the blonde hair. "Luna, didn't you move to New York?! I thought you were way too good for this town." She laughs but pulls her into a hug. She sounds a little like Madison, too.

Luna presses her lips together after awkwardly returning her hug. "I did. I came-"

"Should I tell Todd you're back? Wait, why are you back? Oh, god... Are you alright?"

Luna puts a hand out to touch her arm lightly when the girl pulls out her phone. "No... Don't tell Todd I'm back. I'm leaving tomorrow. I came to visit my mom and Santi, is all."

"Oh," she says. The girl finally pays attention and sees Harry. "Oh. You're right... I probably shouldn't tell Todd you have a new boyfriend already, huh? That was quick."

Harry stands there and this girl baffles him. How is Luna keeping her cool over how this person talks to her? He doesn't know.

She awkwardly laughs. "Alright! You take care of yourself, Ellie. I'm gonna go." Luna walks past her and holds onto Harry's arm. She leads him out but waves goodbye again to Carlos before leaving. They're outside again and they both have put their winter gloves back on.

Harry follows her and he has so many more questions. He gets in the car then tugs on his seatbelt. He looks over at Luna when she sits in the driver's seat.

"I'm sorry about that," she finally addresses it.

He nods and he can't help but ask. "Who's Todd?"

Luna starts the car and then straps on her seatbelt. She lowers the volume down of the radio the moment it turns on. She leans her head back and looks at him. "My ex," she says.

"And, who was she?"

"His younger sister, Ellie. She's always been so obnoxious." She bites her lip.

He nods, but he still has way more questions. "How long were you and Todd together?"

"Uh," she starts and then frowns a little. "Like a year, maybe two?"

Harry's surprised. He's never heard Luna mention having a serious relationship before. He didn't really think of it, so it's surprising. "Two years?" He repeats in disbelief.

"So, let's go back to the hotel?" She wants to change the subject.

"Luna," he says and reaches for her hand before she moves the gear to reverse. "It's me you're talking to. Why haven't you told me about him?"

She looks at him and sighs. She then shrugs. "I don't know. I guess I kinda erased him from my memory because he's a bit of an asshole. I don't know why I stuck around so long, but I did. There isn't really much else to tell."

Harry listens to her then nods. He wants to persist in asking her questions. He wants to know what made her ex an asshole or what his sister had been concerned about when she asked if she's alright and he wants to know about the medication her mum had mentioned. Something tells him he shouldn't persist on it. He reminds himself again that maybe Luna will tell him eventually. Maybe he needs to build her trust in him. He needs to show her how much he wants to be around her. As for now, he's hoping someday she'll open up to him. "Yeah, let's go to the hotel. We can rent movies. How does that sound?"