Her eyebrows raise in surprise.She folds her legs and rests her chin on her knees.‘Was there any particular reason?’
‘I wanted to see how much of his face I remembered just from memory ...’I smile as I say that, but a sharp sting goes through my chest.I wait for Luna to respond, but she nods and smiles back at me.She is giving me the same space that I gave her moments back.I appreciate that.
A slow tune begins – the beginning of a song – right behind us.We both turn our heads to find a young boy sitting with a notebook and a pen in his hand, his phone playingYellowby Coldplay.I smile without thinking and turn back to Luna to catch her reaction, but to my surprise, she starts singing along with the song.I watch her in awe as she sings the chorus effortlessly, her voice flowing as smoothly as a professional pianist playing a song they practised every day.I wait until she finishes the song before I talk.‘You sing beautifully.’
She smiles just enough for the dimple on the corner of her lips to appear.‘Thank you.’
‘Do you like Coldplay?’
‘I haven’t actually listened to any of their songs properly.My brother used to blast this song at home religiously; it stuck in my head like an earworm.I guess I had unintentionally memorised the lyrics.He always nagged me to listen to the entire album that this song is from, but I never got around to it.’
‘Right.’
Every relationship is transitory, and people leave someday or another.It’s easier for me to not make an effort to talk to people or spend time with them – even though I crave connection – than to risk getting hurt.But sitting here with Luna, talking about things, is teaching me how beauty lies even in ephemeral things or people.
An hour passes by, and a silence washes over us as we quietly watch the sunset rage and die down with a bluish black darkness chasing it down the horizon.Once the sun sets, we stand in unison and dust off our clothes.It is time for us to part for the day and allow uncertainty to sit between us.I have only spent a few hours with Luna, and I am already getting to know more about her than I did a month ago.I don’t know if or when we will meet again.But I just know that this isn’t the end.
6
Luna
Ilike talking to Cooper.He hasn’t pushed for us to hang out after the day at the river.It’s been a week, and we have been texting back and forth.He asks me questions about my interests and hobbies, and I respond when I get the time in between my busy schedule of attending classes, teaching Engineering Mathematics to the Bachelor’s students (as a part-time teaching assistant) and coming back home to work on my own project.I ask him questions too, I like how creative he is and the way he thinks about things – getting into the depth of it and with passion.
I pack my bags for today’s classes when my phone dings.What are your plans for today?
The usual.I have classes to teach today, and then I will probably spend the rest of the day studying.
Would you want to join me on a visit to the National Art Gallery?
The text cursor blinks on my phone as I contemplate my answer to his question.I don’t go to galleries that much, and I should be focusing on the research for my final thesis.Typing bubbles appear on the text chain.I wait for Cooper to send the message he is typing.
Can I bribe you with the most delicious Pho you will ever taste in your entire life?
A chuckle escapes me while reading his message.When I first met him, I would have never guessed how lively or funny he is, but he always says something to make me laugh.Icoulduse some time outside studying.Mum, for one, will be happy that I am spending time with people.
I will be holding you to that.And yes, I will join you.
