10:47 p.m. Western Indonesian Time. Luna had just finished tidying up her work. It had been a long day. Her body was tired, but her mind was still filled with all the things left unfinished. She sat on the edge of her bed while opening her phone. There were no important messages. There was nothing she was waiting for. Just a small habit before bed. Opening social media. Scrolling for a bit. Then going to sleep.
But for some reason, her finger stopped on one app. RandomChat.
Luna stared at the icon. She remembered last night's conversation. About work. About exhaustion. About someone who apparently kept a lot of things to herself too. She smiled faintly. “Even a stranger can tell I'm tired.”
Then she opened the app.
At almost the same time... Lana had just finished dinner. The house was starting to grow quiet. She went into her room and stretched out on the bed. Her hand reached for her phone. For some reason, the app she'd used the night before came to mind again. RandomChat.
Lana opened it. Several strangers appeared. She skipped one. Then skipped another. None of them made her want to talk. Until finally... a conversation appeared.
The username was still the same. Luna.
Lana fell silent. Her finger stopped. She didn't know why seeing that name made her feel a little relieved. Even though it had only been one night. Even though they didn't even know each other's real names. Even though they only talked through a screen.
Lana typed:
Lana: You online?
Luna saw the message. She smiled a little.
Luna: Yeah. Lana: Not asleep yet? Luna: Not yet. You? Lana: Same.
The conversation began again. Simple. There was no special opening. No plan to talk for long. But that night... they didn't leave right away.
Lana: How was your day?
Luna read the question. She thought for a moment. Usually, when people asked that, it was just small talk. But for some reason, this time it felt different.
Luna: Not too bad. Lana: What does “not too bad” mean?
Luna laughed softly.
Luna: It means... not too bad. Lana: So you're tired. Luna: How do you know? Lana: You said the same thing yesterday.
Luna fell silent. Then she smiled. She'd just realized... Lana had been paying attention. It wasn't anything major. But it was enough to make her feel that last night's conversation hadn't simply passed by without meaning.
Luna: What about you? Lana: Same. Luna: “Not too bad”? Lana: Yep. Luna: So you're tired. Lana: LOL.
Luna laughed too. For a while, they only traded short messages. They didn't talk about anything heavy. Just work. Food. The weather. Small things that were actually unimportant. But it was precisely through those small things... that they began to learn each other's habits.
Lana: What do you usually do when you're tired?
Luna thought.
Luna: Go home. Lana: And then? Luna: Shower. Pray. Sleep. Lana: It's that simple? Luna: Yeah. Lana: You don't go out? Watch something? Hang out? Luna: Sometimes. Lana: When is “sometimes”? Luna: When I have the money and the time.
Lana smiled.
Lana: So, rarely. Luna: Very.
Lana typed again.
Lana: You're weird.
Luna frowned.
Luna: Why? Lana: You seem to take life way too seriously.
Luna read the sentence. For some reason, she felt slightly called out.
Luna: Life is supposed to be taken seriously, isn't it? Lana: It is. But don't forget to live.
Luna fell silent. The sentence was simple. But she read it twice.
Don't forget to live.
All this time, she'd been too busy surviving. Sometimes to the point of forgetting that life wasn't only about fulfilling her obligations.
Luna: You sound like a wise person. Lana: Even though I can't live by my own advice. Luna: Exactly. Lana: That's why you shouldn't believe everything I say.
Luna laughed softly.
The night grew later. But their conversation only began to flow more easily. Luna learned that Lana was the eldest child. Lana learned that Luna was the second of three siblings. They traded stories about their families. Not all of them. Just small pieces.
Lana told her about her younger siblings. About the responsibilities that often forced her to think more maturely than her age. Luna told her how she'd learned to be independent ever since she was in school. About working. About saving money. About helping her family.
Neither of them tried to look impressive. Neither of them said, “I've suffered more.”
They simply talked. And the other listened.
12:36 a.m. Western Indonesian Time.
Lana suddenly asked:
Lana: Do you believe that sometimes the person who looks the strongest is actually the most exhausted?
Luna stared at the screen. This time, she didn't answer right away. Then she typed:
Luna: I do. Lana: Why? Luna: Because maybe she has no choice but to be strong.
Lana read it. Her finger stopped on the screen.
Lana: Who are you talking about?
Luna smiled faintly.
Luna: I don't know. Lana: Yourself?
Luna fell silent. Then she answered:
Luna: Maybe.
Lana didn't press her. She didn't ask anything else. She only typed:
Lana: I hope that one day you'll meet someone who makes it so you don't always have to be strong.
Luna read the sentence. Her chest felt a little warm. But she quickly changed the subject.
Luna: You too. Lana: Me? Luna: Yeah. Don't think you're the only one who has to be strong.
Lana smiled.
Lana: Then I guess we're the same. Luna: The same in what way? Lana: We're both learning.
Luna stared at the screen. Then she typed:
Luna: I hope so.
Neither of them realized when their conversation had changed. At first, it had only been: “Hi.” Then: “How old are you?” “What do you do?” “Tired?”
Now... they were beginning to talk about things they couldn't easily tell other people. But there were still boundaries. They didn't ask for each other's real names. They didn't ask for photos. They didn't ask for personal numbers. They didn't ask for social media accounts. They didn't even know what the other person looked like.
And strangely... they didn't feel the need to know. At least for now.
1:12 a.m. Western Indonesian Time.
Luna checked the time.
Luna: We should get some sleep. Lana: We have work again tomorrow. Luna: Yeah. Lana: Don't stay up too late. Luna: You too.
A few seconds later, Lana typed:
Lana: Luna. Luna: Hmm? Lana: Thanks. Luna: What for? Lana: I don't know. Luna: LOL. Lana: It's just... I didn't realize talking to a stranger could be this comfortable.
Luna fell silent. Then she answered:
Luna: Maybe because we don't have any expectations of each other. Lana: Maybe.
Luna stared at the screen. There was something she wanted to say. But she decided against it. In the end, she only typed:
Luna: Good night, Lana.
Lana stopped. She'd just realized something. Luna had called her by her name. Until now, they'd only used their usernames. For some reason, that simple thing made her smile.
Lana: Good night, Luna.
Then they both set their phones down. The conversation ended. There was no promise to come back. No, “We'll talk again tomorrow, okay?” There was nothing binding them together.
Yet the following night... both of them opened the same app again. Not because they were looking for love. Not because they wanted someone to belong to them. Just because... for the first time, they'd found a small place to set down the exhaustion they'd been carrying alone all this time.
And they didn't know yet... that small place would gradually become something far greater than they could imagine.
—To be continued—