My eyes roam over thedifferent colourful flowers at the florist in Surbiton, and I try to choose the ones I want for the bouquet I am getting for Luna.I can’t meet her for the first time empty-handed.She deserves flowers.After a few minutes of my brain cells debating, I chose a mix of sunflowers, larkspur and lilies.It mimics Luna’s beauty in my eyes.I also stop by the grocery store to get a chocolate bar since she likes chocolatey things.
I walk towards the riverside to the exact place we decided to meet.We exchanged numbers at the cafe last week, and we chose to meet today because it is the beginning of summer and the weather is perfect, in addition to the amazing sunset that I can show her.As I reach closer to the spot, my eyes land on Luna standing there, facing the river.She looks ethereal in a white sundress, butterfly clips holding her hair up, and her honey beige skin looking golden in the sunlight.‘Hi,’ I say as I come to a stop behind her.
She lets out a soft gasp and turns towards me.‘Hi.’She smiles knowingly; an understanding passes between us that this has become our usual way of meeting each other – me shocking her every time she sees me.
I extend the bouquet in my hand towards her and watch her reaction.Her eyebrows raise in surprise, and she looks up at me.‘Are these for me?’
I simply nod in return.
‘You didn’t have to,’ she says, looking unsure whether to take it.
I hold the bouquet towards her and wait for her to take it from my hands.
She grabs it with both of her hands and lifts it to her face to smell it.She must like the smell because a soft smile appears on her face, and she lets out a hum.‘Thank you, Cooper.They are beautiful.I love sunflowers.’
I pull out the chocolate bar from the pocket in my jeans and hand it to her.Her face brightens at the sight of them.‘You didn’t,’ she says, her lips parting and her eyes widening.
‘I did.’I smile.
‘How did you know I like chocolate?’she questions me.
‘Drinking hot chocolate in the morning was a small hint,’ I respond coyly.
‘Thanks again, Cooper.It’s very nice of you,’ she says.
I nod again to acknowledge her.‘Shall we?’I ask as I point my hand towards the river.
‘Lead the way, your grace,’ she responds, hugging the bouquet and the chocolate close to her chest.
We walk towards the dock in the river, and once we reach it, I lay down the blanket that I brought, and we sit on it.I made sure we met closer to sunset because Queen’s promenade in Kingston always has the best sunsets.We watch the sky in silence as it roars in orange and pink, leaving us breathless.
I break the silence.‘Are you doing a bachelor's in aeronautical engineering?’
‘A master’s actually.’
‘Aah, what are your plans after?’
‘Probably a PhD and then go for astronaut training,’ she responds.
Just when I thought she couldn’t be more impressive, she reveals that she wants to become an astronaut.I stare at her in awe for having big dreams.I don’t know her much, but my gut tells me that she wouldn’t stop until she achieves her dreams, and I am happy to be one of those people who knew her during the early stages of her career.
‘That is amazing, Luna.Can I ask what made you want to become an astronaut?’I ask, letting my curiosity take over my words.
She takes a second before answering.‘It’s a funny story, actually.It started with my Mum naming me after the moon and showing me the stars often when I was little.I became obsessed with stargazing and wanted to watch all the meteor showers.I used to wake my brother for every single one of them.Eventually, he became interested in it himself, added all the meteor showers to his calendar, and set up picnics in our backyard for us to watch them together.He used to play the guitar while I lay on the ground and watched the meteors shoot by.’
A wave of melancholy passes over her face as she gently twirls one of the lilies from the bouquet.She saidused to,while talking about her brother.A deeper story lies underneath her words, like mine, but I didn’t want to push her to talk about anything that she wasn’t comfortable with.I stay quiet, giving her the space she needs as she shares this with me.‘Wow, I guess little Luna knew what she wanted to be at a young age?’I try to distract her from the feeling that was drowning her at this second.
‘Pretty much, you should ask my local librarian how many books I checked out about the sky and the stars when I was only ten.’
I like hearing about the nuances in her personality and the history of her dreams.She continues playing with the lily, and she hasn’t put down the bouquet since I gave it to her, which warms my heart.I am glad that I gave her something meaningful.
‘Tell me something about you.You know more about me than I know about you.’She cuts the silence between us.
It surprises me that she wants to know more about me.‘Alright, what do you want to know?’
‘Who was the first person you painted?’she asks, her eyes drifting from the flowers to me.
I catch my breath.She wasn’t joking when she said that she wants to get to know me.Nobody has asked me that question before, and now my interest in getting to know more about Luna’s thoughts and personality has increased tenfold.‘My Dad,’ I respond, my voice quieter.Watching Luna open up about her dreams makes me want to answer honestly.I wouldn’t have said it out loud in a million years.
