the moon [h.s.] - EDITING

seventy-three.

Harry ends up in an alleyway. "Oh, you're going to let me go? I know how easy that must be for-"

The line falls dead before Harry could finish his hurtful choice of words. He sucks in a sharper breath because he's really hurting himself. He talked to Luna and it didn't go the way he's planned it in his head. She hung up on him and he must've hurt her back. He didn't want to hurt her in the first place, but spilt drunken words came out of him. He puts his phone in his pocket and then kicks at the garbage bin on the side of the alley. It hardly moves since he could barely lift his foot. He's lucky he didn't fall on his face.

»»

Did he talk to her?

Harry sits up in his bed where he's been sleeping alone. A hand runs up to his curls and he pushes them back through the bursting headache he feels. He sighs and looks around his room as he slowly begins to recollect memories of his lonely night.

Did she call him? Or did he call her? It wasn't a dream. He clearly remembers hearing her voice and the instant pain of a thousand cuts slicing him up that came with it. Unless he was imagining things.

He looks for his phone to check for confirmation in his call history, but he can't find it. He gets up and pulls apart his bed. He checks under it and around. He has no luck. He even goes over to the clothes on his floor to find it, but again no luck.

"Levi?" Harry calls after leaving his room half-naked. He's walking barefoot through their cold flat in just his underwear. He finds Levi in the kitchen dressed and ready to go into work as a school counselor for the first time now that his winter break is over. Harry should be dressed for work, too. "Can you call my phone?"

Levi turns to Harry. He was in the middle of preparing his lunch bag. "Your phone? Sure, man," he says while reaching for his own phone in his back pocket. He's eyeing Harry at the same time. He doesn't support Harry's drinking-to-forget episodes. He's already lectured him.

"Shit! It's on vibrate," Harry says. He goes back to his room to listen carefully for any muffled vibrations. He's so close to tearing his entire room apart.

"Harry!"

He jogs out to meet Levi in the kitchen again after he calls for him. He's talking on the phone.

"Oh, that's great news! Thank you for finding my roommate Harry's phone... What's your name?... Emilia, he can meet you at a Starbucks... Mm, the one on Sixth just before West 53rd. Got it!... Say thirty minutes?... Thanks, Emilia. He'll see you there!" Levi hangs up then rips out a piece of paper from a notepad. He hands it to Harry with every bit of information he had said written down. "You lost it on the subway. You're lucky it wasn't stolen."

Harry takes the piece of paper and frowns in confusion. He thought he took a cab home. Did he really take a subway shit-faced? How in the hell did he even make it home? He needs to get himself together. "I have to meet her there in thirty minutes?"

"Yeah... So better hop in the shower because you reek," Levi tells him. He puts on his coat, puts on his crossbody bag, and takes his thermal mug of sugary coffee into his hand. "I'll see you later, Harry. I hope we have a chance to eat dinner tonight. We haven't done that together in a while..."

Harry only nods as he watches Levi head towards the door to start his day. Once he's out, Harry sighs. He has to get ready for the day. Another day without Luna.

»»

He's late. Thirty minutes wasn't enough time. He missed the subway train so he had to wait almost another fifteen minutes for the next one. He hoped the girl who has his phone is still waiting for him. What if he's making her late for work? Harry's definitely going to be late for work, too.