10:36 p.m. Western Indonesian Time.
Luna had just finished dinner. She sat on her bed with her back against the wall. The day hadn't been too bad, but it couldn't exactly be called easy either. As usual, there was work. There was family. There were things to think about. But for some reason, that night her thoughts kept returning to one small thing. RandomChat. Luna picked up her phone. Opened the app. There were no messages. She let out a small sigh. Then closed it again. “Why am I waiting around?” She gave herself a quiet laugh. Weren't they just strangers? They had no promise to always talk. No obligation to look for each other. If Lana didn't show up tonight, there shouldn't be anything to think about. Luna set her phone down. A few minutes later... Ding. A notification appeared. Luna reflexively grabbed her phone. Lana: Not asleep yet? Luna smiled. Luna: Not yet. Lana: Busy? Luna: Nope. Lana: So we can talk? Luna read the message. For some reason, her smile grew wider. Luna: Sure.
Their conversation that night felt lighter. It wasn't like the previous two nights, which had been filled with stories about pain and exhaustion. This time, they only talked about simple things. The food they liked. What they did when they were bored. The little things that annoyed them. They even teased each other a few times. Lana: Your texts are always so short. Luna: What, you want them longer? Lana: Yeah. Luna: Too lazy. Lana: See? Luna: You too. Lana: This is just how I am. Luna: Excuses. Lana: LOL. Luna laughed softly. Only then did she realize something. Talking to Lana didn't always have to mean discussing problems. They could laugh. They could be quiet. They could tell each other stories. They could simply be two ordinary people. Without always having to carry their wounds with them.
11:50 p.m. Western Indonesian Time. Lana suddenly asked: Lana: Is Luna your real name? Luna fell silent. The question was actually simple. But she immediately realized that they had never talked about each other's identities. She typed: Luna: What do you think? Lana: Probably not. Luna: Why? Lana: I don't know. Feels like a pseudonym. Luna smiled. Luna: What if it is? Lana: Then who cares? Luna: What about you? Lana: Lana isn't my full name either. Luna: Oh. Lana: Aren't you curious about my real name? Luna thought for a moment. Then replied: Luna: A little. Lana: Want to know? Luna's finger stopped on the screen. She was curious. But something made her not want to go any further. Luna: You don't have to tell me. Lana read it. Lana: Why not? Luna typed slowly. Luna: Because we don't need to know everything. Lana: What do you mean? Luna: We met here, after all. Luna: I don't need to know your real name to listen to your stories. Lana fell silent. The words made sense. Most people got to know someone through their name, job, family, appearance, or life in the real world. But they were doing things differently. They got to know someone through... their story.
Lana: What if one day we stop talking? Luna read the message. A faint, strange feeling stirred in her chest. But she answered honestly. Luna: That's okay. Lana: Seriously? Luna: Seriously. Lana: How can you say that so easily? Luna smiled faintly. Luna: Because we haven't had anything from the start. Lana fell silent. It was true. They had no relationship. No promises. No reason to make demands of each other. They were just two strangers who happened to meet on a night when they were both exhausted. Lana: How would you feel if I didn't show up tomorrow? Luna: It'd be okay. Lana: Sad? Luna stopped. The question made her think. Luna: Maybe a little. Lana smiled. Lana: Finally, some honesty. Luna: Don't get a big head. Lana: LOL. They laughed. But behind the jokes... something had begun to change. It wasn't a feeling yet. It wasn't longing. But a sense of comfort had begun to emerge.
The days that followed went on as usual. Luna worked. Lana worked. They didn't talk every night. Sometimes two days passed without a word. Sometimes there were only a few messages. Sometimes their conversations lasted until midnight. Sometimes it was just: Lana: How was your day? Luna: Tired. Lana: Get some rest. Luna: You too. That was it. There were no demands. No questions like, “Why did you take so long to reply?” No, “Who are you talking to?” There was no sense of possession. And maybe... that was exactly why their conversations felt safe.
One night, Luna was sitting at work when a message came in. Lana: Working? Luna: Yeah. Lana: Don't forget to eat. Luna read the message. She smiled. Luna: You too. Lana: I already did. Luna: Liar. Lana: How do you know? Luna: Just a feeling. Lana: LOL. Luna set her phone down. But a few minutes later, she looked at the screen again. For some reason, that simple sentence was still on her mind. Don't forget to eat. There was nothing special about it. Plenty of people could say it. But maybe because it had been so long since anyone had paid attention to the little things about her... that simple sentence felt different.
Lana was beginning to feel the same way. When she opened her phone after work, she didn't immediately open social media. Her hand sometimes automatically searched for one particular app. RandomChat. Not because she wanted to meet someone new. Quite the opposite. She wanted to see whether someone she already knew was still there. Someone who didn't know what she looked like. Didn't know her family in full. Didn't know all her problems. But knew that behind the words: “I'm fine.” there was often someone who was actually trying very hard to keep going.
12:08 a.m. Western Indonesian Time. That night, they talked again. Lana suddenly asked: Lana: Luna. Luna: Hmm? Lana: If we ever met in the real world, would you recognize me? Luna fell silent. The question made her smile. Luna: No way. Lana: Why not? Luna: I don't even know what you look like. Lana: Then we'd just have to meet. Luna: No. Lana: Why not? Luna typed: Luna: We shouldn't meet. Lana read it. Lana: Seriously? Luna: Yeah. Lana: Why? Luna thought for a moment. Luna: So it can stay a good story. Lana didn't answer right away. The words were simple. But they both knew there was a boundary they didn't want to cross. They shared the same principles. They didn't want an unclear relationship. They didn't want to get too close. They didn't want to possess each other. They only wanted to talk. To support each other. Then return to their separate lives. At least... that was what they intended at the time.
12:31 a.m. Western Indonesian Time. Luna yawned. Luna: I'm going to sleep. Lana: Okay. Luna: Don't forget to pray if you haven't yet. Lana fell silent as she read the message. She hadn't performed the night prayer yet. In fact, her worship had still been irregular lately. She replied: Lana: Okay. Then, a few seconds later: Lana: You too. Luna smiled. Luna: InshaAllah. That night, they ended their conversation. Luna didn't know that her brief message about prayer would stay in Lana's thoughts. And Lana didn't know... that the simple words she gave Luna were slowly becoming a place where the woman felt heard. They were still strangers. There was no love yet. No longing. No desire to possess each other. Just two people who happened to meet in a virtual space... and discovered that there was someone out there who understood. But the more often they talked... the harder it became to say that their meeting truly meant nothing. Because without realizing it... that stranger was beginning to feel not quite so strange anymore. —To be continued—