Running [h.s.]

twelve | luna

The fire dances in the center of our circle of bodies, each flicker sending sparks of light into the air, illuminating everyone's face in a warm orange glow. The night has turned out nothing like Tyler's other parties, and for that I am genuinely thankful. I am not the party type anymore, I would much rather relax around a fire with some friends and listen to music. My body is so relaxed right now, I almost find it hard not to close my eyes and drift off to sleep, succumbing to the exhaustion in my body.

Harry is seated next to me, his long legs stretched out in front of him and his arms behind him holding him up. He rolls up his sleeves up past his elbows, his body glistening in a thin layer of sweat from the heat of the fire.

We sit in silence for what feels like an eternity, in reality we are all only outside for about an hour before Harry's phone begins to buzz uncontrollably. After declining the caller twice and still receiving another one, he excuses himself before wandering off to answer his phone. I take the time to look back around at everyone gathered around the fire. Like me, everyone seems perfectly content sitting around the fire, some of them relaxed due to the calming effects of marijuana, some relaxed from the alcohol they consumed. But me, I'm relaxed from the warmth of the fire and the chill of the night breeze, mixing and touching my skin.

I twist my body to find where Harry walked off to, and I catch his figure standing near the back door of the house. In the moonlight, I can make out the serious features on his face. The way his eyebrows pinch together and his nostrils are slightly flared give away his frustration, and I wish I knew who he is talking to and what is making him react this way.

He glances back over in the direction of the fire and catches me staring at him. I quickly turn my body back to the flames and close my eyes, inhaling the heavy smoke cascading into the night air. After another minute, I feel the warmth of Harry's body return next to mine, and I open my eyes to see his large frame towering over me.

"Luna, I have to run." He tells me, his face still holding the stern expression from when he took the phone call.

"Is everything okay?" I ask him, my head tilted almost flat back so I could look up at him standing in front of me.