the moon [h.s.] - EDITING

fifty.

"Baby... I mean, Luna. If you could just call me back then... I don't know. Call me back, yeah?"

"Hey... Could you at least let me know you're home safe, please?"

"It's me again... I don't mean to blow up your phone, but- actually, yeah I mean to. You won't answer my calls and I'm starting to worry. Please, please call me back."

"Luna, please... I won't stop calling. I can't. Not until... Fuck, I don't even know."

"It's Harry, again. I know it's late... I hope you're sleeping. I hope you wake up tomorrow and think of me and I don't know, give me a ring back? I want to talk and maybe open up. Luna... Fuck. Alright, I'll let you sleep. Goodnight and I... Goodnight, bye."

Harry lays on his bed throughout the several voicemails he has left for Luna. It's past midnight and his hands feel numb. His fingertips are buzzing and it's because of the one too many beers he had from drowning down his embarrassment in front of his guests.

He's trying to breathe. In and out. He can't seem to relax though. He's about to give her another call, but his phone slips from his grasp. It hits his chin and he groans. He doesn't know what else to do so he rolls onto his belly and closes his eyes instead.

He's out within a few seconds. Sleep overtakes his numbing body all through the night.

»»

It's nine in the morning and Harry checks his phone first thing. It's disappointing for him to see no texts or missed calls from Luna. He takes in a deep breath then forces himself to get out of bed. He rubs the back of his neck as he makes his way into his bathroom.

He starts a running shower and gets in after stripping out of his clothes.

What is she sick from? Harry is wondering again as he stands under the showerhead. The warm water runs all over his body.

He's staring at the white tiles in his shower all while scrubbing his body with a soapy loofah. He closes his eyes after a moment and takes in a deep breath. He's thinking.

Show her there's nothing to be afraid of.

How? He didn't get to ask Zavier because he was too occupied with feeling all his emotions. He doesn't know how to show her. It would be hard since she probably doesn't want to see him. She won't answer his calls. If Harry goes to her flat to see her, he doesn't think he would be able to handle a door shut in front of his face. That would hurt.

Harry finishes showering after washing his hair and rinsing himself off clean. He shuts the water off and then he's cold. He steps out of his shower and dries off with a clean white towel.

Again, Harry checks his phone the moment he steps into his bedroom. His white towel rests on his hips as he looks for something... anything... from Luna.

He sighs when he receives nothing.

»»

He hears giggles from where he's standing in the kitchen. It's Levi and Jade's giggles haunting him from the hallway. They must be up, cuddled up, and happy. He wants to be happy for them, he does. Instead, he's jealous. He's jealous because the woman he loves is ignoring him.

He can't drink coffee comfortably so he decides to leave. The living room is kind of a mess, Harry notes. There's empty beer bottles, empty cups and crumpled up napkins on the coffee table. He could pick it all up later... Or, maybe Levi can. He's not too worried about it.

He hits the streets of New York wearing a colorful sweater with flowers printed all around tucked into his white trousers. As he's walking, he notices how crowded it is. More crowded than usual. That says a lot for such a busy city. Of course it's unnecessarily crowded. It's Black Friday, he remembers. It's the day after Thanksgiving where people go nuts for the most flimsy deals there are. He sighs and heads underground to take the subway.

Harry holds onto a pole with his sleeve after he enters the crowded subway cart. He's heading out to see Luna. He doesn't know what to expect. She might close to the door, or she might not. He just knows he can't sit at home and wait for her call. He has to see if she's alright, at least.

He arrives momentarily to the right stop and steps out of the subway cart along with many other people. He follows the crowd towards the exit.

When he makes it to the open sidewalk, he crosses the street to get to the flat building. He takes the lift and suddenly he's at flat 308. He knocks.

"Hey," Zavier says as he opens the door. "I'm afraid you just missed Luna and Santi, mate."

Harry licks his lips and lets himself sigh. "Oh," he says with his hands tucked into the pockets of his pants. "Do you know where they went?"

"Luna said she was going to show him around New York. She didn't say where exactly," he says. "Wanna come in?"

Harry nods as he steps into his old flat. He gives him a smile, but it's short and it doesn't last. "They're okay, then? She's not mad at him?"

Zavier leads Harry over to the couch. He grabs the remote of the television and pressed pause on whatever he was watching before he arrived. He then takes a seat and invites Harry to sit as well. "So after I left your home, I came straight here and found them crying together at the kitchen table. I couldn't walk away, so I asked what was wrong and we had a very long emotional talk. They've made up. Luna apologized for yelling at him."

"Oh, that's good," Harry says and glances over at the kitchen table to his left. He could see them sitting all together in his head. He looks at Zavier again. "What did you talk about?" He was curious.

"About... you know, her health, her past and struggles."

"She opened up to you about it all?" He asks.

"Yeah."

Harry looks down at his hands. He's running them back and forth against his white pants. He didn't even know he was doing it. When he stops, he feels a tingle in his palms. "What did she say?" He has to know. He's being left in the dark. He doesn't want to feel jealous over the fact that Zavier might know everything he doesn't, but he does. It's a little upsetting for Harry.

Zavier looks Harry in his eyes. They look sympathetic. Why? "I think it's better if she tells you."

"Why?" Harry sits up straighter and an uncomfortable laugh escapes him. "You can't tell me yourself? Is it that bad? Zavier, she won't tell me a thing. I've tried calling her, texting her... she's ignoring me. She kept that she was sick from me and who knows what else. What is she sick from? She doesn't look sick... Dammit, how bad can it be? Zavier, please just tell me. Be my friend and just tell me," he's pleading. He takes in a breath while searching his friend's caramel eyes for some answers.

"Harry, I've known you for years. You're my best friend, but I can't tell you. Luna's my friend, too... I care for her a lot, so this is something only she can tell you," Zavier says.

Harry pushes his hair back and closes his eyes for a moment when he hears what he didn't want to hear. He stands up and starts walking towards the door. "I'm gonna go find her. Maybe she's at her job?"

"Harry, maybe you should wait," Zavier tells him, but Harry's already out the door.

—
hi! i thought i'd update a chapter since we're close to 8k reads. i know it's short, but bare with me. we're about to dive all in!

also, i'm sure you have heard about what is happening in Lebanon. apart from the tragic explosions, Lebanon is under trying times with political unrest, economic crisis, and the fear of famine. it's heartbreaking and they need us more than ever.

if you cannot donate, please spread the word and find out about more ways you can help.

visit:
helplebanon.carrd.co
lebanoncrisis.carrd.co
arab.org (a lebanese pound is given per visit/click)

thank you,
mila.