The days that followed went on as usual. Luna kept working. Lana stayed busy with her own things. Nothing changed drastically. They didn't always talk every night. Sometimes a day passed without a message. Sometimes two. And yet, strangely, whenever their conversation started up again, it never felt like it had truly been interrupted. As if they were simply continuing a sentence that had paused.
9:56 p.m. Western Indonesian Time. Luna had just finished eating. She opened her phone while sitting on her bed. There was no message from Lana. She didn't think much of it. At least... that's what she wanted to believe. Luna opened another app. Scroll. Stop. Scroll again. Then, without realizing it... her finger opened RandomChat. She stared at the screen for a few seconds. There was nothing there. Luna was about to close the app when a message appeared. Lana: You still alive? Luna immediately laughed. Luna: Astaghfirullah 😭 Lana: Lol. Luna: I thought something happened to you. Lana: Hey, I was wondering what happened to you too. Luna: Why? Lana: You didn't show up for two days. Luna stopped. Two days. So Lana had noticed. She tried to act casual. Luna: I've been busy. Lana: Really busy? Luna: Yeah. Lana: Tired? Luna smiled. Luna: A little. Lana: Liar. Luna: How do you know? Lana: When you say “a little,” it means a lot. Luna let out a small laugh. Luna: You think you know everything. Lana: I'm learning. Luna read the message with a smile. Who knew when it had started... they had begun memorizing each other's ways of answering.
That night, their conversation lasted quite a while. They started talking about things that were actually very simple. Food. Sleeping habits. How Luna preferred quiet settings. How Lana didn't really like crowds. What each of them tended to do when they were angry. The little things that made them happy. Luna only then realized one thing. They actually had a lot in common. Luna: Do you like quiet places? Lana: I love them. Luna: Me too. Lana: You don't like crowds? Luna: Not when they're too crowded. Lana: Same. Luna: Do you like rain? Lana: Yeah. Luna: Me too. Lana: Why do we have so much in common? Luna laughed. Luna: Don't tell me you've been copying me. Lana: Actually, I was going to say you're the one copying me. Luna: Full of yourself. Lana: Lol. They laughed. The conversation began to flow again.
Then Lana asked: Lana: What do you usually do when you have free time? Luna thought about it. Luna: Sleep. Lana: Besides sleeping? Luna: Read. Lana: Books? Luna: Sometimes. Lana: What do you read? Luna listed a few things she liked. Lana then shared that she also liked reading something whenever her mind was overwhelmed. They started exchanging recommendations. Books. Articles. Videos. Even a few quotes they had come across. Neither of them realized that their conversation had already been going on for hours.
11:42 p.m. Western Indonesian Time. Luna suddenly asked: Luna: Are you the kind of person who easily opens up to other people? Lana answered: Lana: No. Luna: Why not? Lana: I'm afraid of being a burden. Luna fell silent. The answer felt familiar. Luna: Me too. Lana: You're also afraid of burdening people? Luna: Yeah. Lana: But when someone else talks to you, you're willing to listen? Luna answered quickly. Luna: I am. Lana: Exactly. Luna: What do you mean? Lana: That means we're weird. Luna: Why? Lana: We always have room for other people, but it's hard to make room for ourselves. Luna fell silent. She read the sentence over and over. We always have room for other people, but it's hard to make room for ourselves. As if Lana were describing her. And maybe... herself too.
Luna finally said: Luna: I guess we're both too used to being independent. Lana replied: Lana: Yeah. Luna: To the point that we forget we're allowed to accept help too. Lana: Exactly. Luna: But it's hard. Lana: Why? Luna typed: Luna: Because we've been used to handling everything ourselves since we were kids. Lana read it. This time, she didn't joke. Lana: Me too. Luna: Then we're the same. Lana: That's not all. Luna: What else? Lana: We both hate imposing on people. Luna laughed. Luna: So true. Lana: We both think about other people first. Luna: Yeah. Lana: And when someone asks, “Are you okay?” we both answer, “I'm fine.” Luna laughed even harder. Luna: Oh my God. Lana: But it's true, right? Luna was quiet. Luna: Yeah.
That night, they finally understood something. Maybe it wasn't because their lives were the same. Their wounds were different too. The ways they dealt with problems weren't always the same either. But there were certain feelings they shared. The feeling of exhaustion. The fear of disappointing other people. The desire to be strong. The reluctance to trouble anyone. And the simple wish... to sometimes have someone say: “You don't have to be strong all the time.”
12:27 a.m. Western Indonesian Time. Lana asked: Lana: Luna. Luna: Hmm? Lana: Do you believe that someone can feel comfortable with another person even if they've never met? Luna fell silent. The question sounded a little different from usual. She thought for a while. Luna: It's possible. Lana: Why? Luna: Because it's not just someone's face that makes us feel comfortable. Lana: Then what is it? Luna: The way someone treats us. Lana read the answer. Then asked: Lana: Even if you've never heard their voice? Luna: It's still possible. Lana: Never seen their face? Luna: Possible. Lana: And you don't even know their real name? Luna smiled. Luna: Didn't we agree we didn't need to know? Lana let out a small laugh. Lana: True. Then Luna added: Luna: But feeling comfortable with someone doesn't mean you have to possess them. Lana fell silent. The sentence sounded like a boundary. Simple. But clear. Lana: Agreed. Luna: We're just friends who talk. Lana: Yeah. Luna: Don't get any ideas. Lana: Got it. Luna smiled. She felt relieved. They both knew where the line was. Neither of them was looking for a relationship. At least... not yet.
1:03 a.m. Western Indonesian Time. Luna looked at the time. Luna: I'm going to sleep. Lana: Okay. Luna: Don't forget to work tomorrow. Lana: You too. Luna: You got this. Lana then sent: Lana: You too, okay? Luna turned off the screen. She lay down. That night, she smiled before falling asleep. Not because she was falling in love. Not because she was waiting for something. Only because... she had found someone who, as it turned out, had so much in common with her. Someone who didn't ask her to be anyone else. Someone who didn't judge her. Someone who simply listened. And somewhere else... Lana did the same thing. She stared at the screen, now dark. Then gave a small smile. Two strangers. Two different lives. Two wounds they hadn't fully shared yet. And yet, somehow... they could understand each other. They didn't know yet that the comfort they considered so simple... would slowly become something they would find difficult to let go of. Because sometimes... the heart doesn't fall all at once. It simply grows accustomed. Accustomed to waiting. Accustomed to sharing. Accustomed to being heard. Until one day... we realize that someone we didn't know at first... has already claimed a small place in our everyday lives. And when that day comes... even losing a simple conversation can feel like losing something. —To be continued—