the moon [h.s.] - EDITING

forty-nine.

"I, um... I don't have plans," Luna then says. She smiles at his mother. "I would love to see where Harry's from. And, of course, meet you in person."

"Great! Oh, that's amazing news. Now I can sleep well tonight! I can't wait to meet you in person too, love. I'm off to bed now. Give me a ring tomorrow, Harry!"

Harry takes in a deep breath then nods a few times. "Alright, mum... Goodnight. I'll see you soon." He says his goodbyes then waves one last time before eventually ending the call.

"I was, um... just going to ask you where you kept more dish soap, but I think the girls found it by now so I'll be-" She backs up and turns before she could finish what she's saying.

Harry watches her awkward demeanor walk away. Now that he thinks about it, he didn't warn her. He introduced her to his mum without letting her prepare. It was out of the blue. Way to go, he tells himself.

He's about to pull her aside to talk about it and their abrupt Christmas plans, but he sees Santiago sitting alone. It looks like he's watching the game, but he could also be lost in thought. The last thing he wants is for her brother to be bored or feel left out during his trip. He goes over to him.

Harry puts a hand behind the velvet emerald-colored chair Santiago was sitting on. He looks down at him. "Hey," he tells him. "Is everything good? I can't help, but notice you look a little down."

He takes in a deep breath and looks up to acknowledge Harry. He nods slowly, but after a moment he shakes his head. "I want to go home," he tells him.

Harry raises an eyebrow. "You do? Isn't this technically your first day here? There's a lot to see here. Before you go home, I'd love to show you around."

Santiago sits up after glancing over at Luna's direction. She was still in the kitchen with the rest of the girls and Nolan, who decided to join them. He then looks at Harry. "Can I talk to you privately?" He then asks.

Harry straightens his posture and he's left wondering what he wants to talk to him about in private. Of course, he assumes it's about Luna. He gives him a short nod. "Sure. Maybe we can... go out on the balcony? C'mon," Harry tells him. He leads him over to the sliding door in the living room they were in. He lets Santiago walk out first.

Santiago stands by the railing of the balcony and lets his arm rest against it. He takes a good look around. The city looks busy underneath them and it's loud. People tend to honk their horns every damn second.

"What is it that you wanted to talk about?" Harry asks after sliding the door close.

"My sister," he starts and takes in a deep breath. "Look, my mom let me come here to check out how she is doing. If she's living a good life, if she's safe, and all that... From what I see, she's not."

Harry leans against the railing as well and looks over at Santiago. He frowns a little, only out of concern. "Why do you say that?"

"She'd kill me if I told you," he whispers to himself as he looks out. He doesn't say much after that.

Harry presses his lips together and he feels worried over her all over again. He feels like how he did in Iowa, confused. "Tell me what?" He's desperate to know.

"She has to know I only told you because I know she cares about you. She told me she loves you and so it wouldn't be fair for her to let you go over something stupid," Santiago says.

"She loves me?" Harry asks and his heart is racing. It's racing a little too fast. "Let me go? What are you trying to tell me, Santiago?" He wants to know so badly. He might just yell if he doesn't get answers soon.