‘I don’t mind you sitting with me, if you won’t get bored while I sketch.’

  ‘Of course not, Cooper. I’d love to watch you work.’ I sit next to him, leaving an arm’s distance between us.

  A side of his mouth lifts from my response. He takes out his wired earphones, connects it into his phone, and scrolls through the songs in his playlist. I turn towards the people around us, but he taps my shoulder to get my attention. He holds one side of the earphone in my direction, his eyes darting between my eyes and his hand.

  ‘Are you sure?’ I ask as I take the earbud from his hand.

  ‘Yes. I hope I don’t bore you with my playlist, it has all of my favourite songs.’

  I tuck the earbud into my ear, and the first song plays; Mystery of Love by Sufjan Stevens. I already know that I am going to have the best time listening to songs and watching him effortlessly whip up masterpieces with the casual flick of a wrist.

  ***

  Once Cooper finishes his sketch, which takes my breath away, he leads us to the best Pho he promised me. I have had a few Phos in my life, but nothing memorable. I am curious as to where he is taking me. We weave through the ever-existing crowd of London city and step into a narrow street, and reach the most unassuming restaurant. ‘Bowls of Magic?’

  ‘Trust me,’ he responds as we step into the place.

  He moves through the restaurant with the familiarity of a frequent visitor – acknowledging the owners, knowing the best tables to sit at and ordering the regular. I wait while he orders the chicken Phos at the till, after which he joins me at the table.

  It feels like no time has passed. Within minutes, steaming bowls of Pho make their way to our table, followed by a glass of a chocolate-coloured drink topped with a spiral mountain of whipped cream and a cherry on top. We thank the waiter and look at each other while the steam momentarily creates a wall between us.

  ‘Go on then, I am waiting to see your reaction.’

  I position the chopsticks between my fingers in my right hand and hold the soup spoon in my left. I twirl the noodles with my chopsticks and lift it to my mouth. I dip the soup spoon to fill it with the broth, and follow the bite with the savoury liquid. I chew on the al dente noodles and sip on the broth at the same time; a marriage of the different flavours and textures in my mouth. My eyes widen, and I let out a hum instinctively.

  ‘So, I take it that you love it?’ Cooper asks, smirking at me.

  ‘I will only say that you are off the hook.’ I lavishly add spoonfuls of chilli oil and pickled garlic and chillies to the pho to add layers to the flavour and be further comforted by the hands of this magical Pho.

  We let ourselves be fully engrossed in enjoying the dish, but after a while, Cooper bends to grab his bag and roots around in it for something. Seconds later, he grabs a CD and hands it to me. It is the CD of Parachutes, the album that the song Yellow by Coldplay is from. ‘This is for you. You can finally listen to the entire album,’ he says casually.

  I freeze, my mouth parted. I can’t believe that he got me the album. I only mentioned it once. How did he remember such a small detail? I grab it from his hand, and he smiles at me before he goes back to eating. He looks composed, as if it is ingrained in his personality to be observant and thoughtful.

  ‘Thanks, Cooper, that is so sweet of you.’ I feel like I'm perceiving this moment from outside my body; it doesn’t feel real. How is someone so intentional with their every single action? My heart settles; his presence steadies me. I might have made the right decision by saying okay to his invitation to spend more time with each other. But is there another shoe that is going to drop? I can never be too sure.

  ​7​

  Luna

  My decision to keep everyone at arm’s length has officially been revoked. Or rather, because of Cooper’s patience, understanding and thoughtfulness, he has shown me that it might not always be the worst thing to let someone into my heart. I can talk to him about anything. We are slowly learning about each other with late-night calls, texting and spending time doing activities that interest us both.

  I am going over to his house today to spend time with him and also to meet his Mum over dinner. Amy Murphy is usually busy and she has requested to meet me today, when she’s off from work. I am excited to meet her.

  I ring the bell, and I hear voices on the other side. The door swings open to reveal Amy standing there, her blonde bob swinging from the momentum of walking to the door, and she beams at me. ‘Come in, Luna. I have heard so much about you from Coop.’

  My nerves settle from the warmth and genuineness radiating from her. Once I step into the house, she pulls me into her and gives me the biggest hug. I relax in her arms, and the same comfort I feel with Cooper washes over me. He must have learnt it from her. I like learning more about Cooper and his family.

  Once she releases me from her arms, my eyes travel across the room, searching for Cooper. ‘Is Cooper—’

  ‘He is in the kitchen, getting the plates ready for us to eat.’

  Amy and I walk over to the kitchen, and Cooper is placing three plates on the table and setting the food down. He looks up at me, and his face immediately brightens. ‘Hi, Luna.’

  ‘Hi,’ I respond. I have a feeling that there isn’t anyone else joining us for dinner, but I don’t want to assume. ‘Um, is Cooper’s Dad joining us?’

  Cooper freezes in the middle of setting the cutlery down, and the room falls silent, as if the sound got sucked into a vacuum. Cooper’s Mum walks towards me and gently places a hand on my shoulder. ‘He isn’t a part of our lives, love.’

  ‘I’m sorry.’ Guilt courses through me for asking the question, but it confirms what I suspected about the situation from what Cooper told me at the riverside. I don’t want to impose on either of them to talk about anything they don’t want to. I move past the subject. But the guilt steadily seeps into my thoughts.

  Amy smiles softly at me. ‘It’s okay, Luna, you didn’t know.’

  We take our places at the table. I sit down, and Amy and Cooper follow suit. Cooper sits next to me. I stare into the distance, my eyes unfocused, still feeling bad for the question I asked. I didn’t want to even accidentally make them upset, especially when they are such lovely human beings.

  Cooper extends his hand, his fingers tap my elbow. ‘Hey, you alright?’

  ‘Yeah, I’m sorry again. For asking about your Dad,’ I whisper, not wanting Amy to hear.

  ‘It’s okay, really.’ He whispers back, he places his hand on top of mine and squeezes gently before taking it away. His fleeting touch both lulls my overthinking and also leaves a tingle in its place.

  I eat a bit of everything that Amy and Cooper have made, and my taste buds have the best day ever. At the end of the dinner, Amy brings out a tray of freshly baked pan au chocolats, and I internally scream with joy. They look perfectly flaky and golden, and trying one only confirms my expectation that they taste delicious.

  I thank her for the decadent pastry, and she suggests I join her and Cooper for their monthly baking session, to which I vehemently nod my head as an acceptance of the invitation.

  After I help them clean up in the kitchen, Cooper takes me to see his room for the first time. I have always wondered what posters he had on his wall, what colour his wall would be and what things were showcased. When I step in, I am exposed to the navy-blue walls, a double bed and a wall full of posters – of paintings, artists and chess.

  He spends the next hour showing me all of his hobbies. I patiently listen to him talk about his interests and also try my hand at learning Chess, the hobby that he is obsessed with. I learn the basic rules, but he checkmates me in two to three moves for the first five games we play, so he empathises with me and puts away the chessboard.

  I go through his collection of vinyls and CDs of albums from his favourite artists, and he explains when he discovered that artist and what about them he likes. I spent most of my time for the past year being focused on the world of academics but being here with Cooper, enveloped in his world and interests, shows me that I can experience more by getting out of my room once in a while.

  ​8​

  Luna

  Cooper and I are walking beside each other after a late-night movie in the cinema, and the warm summer air kisses our skin. It’s only been three weeks since I’ve known Cooper, and it already feels like a lifetime has passed. We’ve learnt a lot about each other; we’ve spent so much time together, as if we were making up for all the years that we didn’t know each other.

  At the end of the movie, a character’s sibling was killed, and I was crying profusely. I tried to quickly wipe off my tears, but Cooper slipped his hand into mine and held it, rubbing soft circles with his thumb until I felt better. He never prodded further about why I was crying. My heart burst from his thoughtful gesture.

  I am grateful for his quiet reassurance during the movie; it screams about the person he is. I walk quickly to match his pace, move closer to him and gently intertwine my fingers with his. He goes rigid next to me and colour rises in his cheeks, but we both keep walking forward. He immediately softens, turns towards me and bends his neck to meet my eyes.

  ‘Hi’ His lips lift into a smile.

  ‘Hi,’ I respond, feeling the goosebumps that his touch is invoking.

  My chest feels heavy because I trust Cooper, and it has been a while since I’ve felt like that about anyone. I look up at the clear sky, and a new star appears every second as my eyes slowly adjust to the darkness. The sky speaks to me in a way that nothing else does. Looking at the stars grounded me instantly; I know my place in the universe, and I am grateful to be alive. I look down at Cooper, and I am happy that he exists. I can’t comprehend how infinitesimal the chances would have been for us to be in the same timeline.

  ‘Hey, Cooper, how come you never asked why I was crying that much in the movie?’

  ‘I knew it was something painful. I didn’t want to make you talk about it if you weren’t ready to.’

  ‘I think I want to tell you now.’ My heart races because, as much as I want to tell Cooper, it still makes me nervous to talk about it.

  ‘I want to listen to whatever you want to tell me, Luna.’ He looks straight into my eyes.

  ‘So ... um ...’ My voice cracks already. ‘I lost my brother last year,’ I say the words out loud for the first time to someone else. Most of the time, I don’t even let myself think about it but it is finally time to address it. I can’t keep Apollo alive in my head by refusing to accept that he is dead. Gone. No longer within the reach of my hands. No longer a wall apart at home. My eyes water. I look at the ground, not wanting to look at Cooper. I won’t be able to keep it together if he looks at me.

  Cooper squeezes my hand as a reminder that he is right here and he has been right here to listen to me talk, like always. He guides us to a bench right next to the toppling telephone booths for us to sit on. Once we sit down, I stop crying, and it turns to sniffles. Cooper is sitting there patiently waiting for me to talk and is also holding a tissue for me. His attention hasn’t wavered for a second. He is looking at me; he is present, there is no denying it.

  ‘Do you still feel like talking about it?’ he asks.

  I nod my head and proceed. ‘He was my best friend, two years older than me, but I never felt a difference because he was always willing to do whatever it was that I wanted to do. He was a talented guitarist; he had the power to excite the calmest minds yet he put to sleep the chaotic ones. But two years back, he had an accident while he was rock climbing when he slipped and fell, which caused nerve damage to his hands. He couldn’t play anymore. He wanted to go to Trinity, but his dreams were shattered. And one day he just—’

  I pause for a second; it is hard to speak through the thickness in my throat. Cooper rubs the skin of my hand in a rhythm – automatically calming my nervous system. I continue. ‘One day, he took his own life, and that was it. My parents’ hearts broke, but they try so hard to stay strong for me. Honestly, they both kept each other from entirely fading away. I was empty after that; my soul left with Apollo. He was my sunlight; there is no moon without the sun.’ The tears flow rapidly down my cheeks, droplets racing each other. ‘I wanted to talk to someone, to fall apart in someone’s arms because I couldn’t burden my parents further. I had Charlie, my best friend from when I was five. But he left. He couldn’t handle me when I was grieving; he only wanted the version of me that was happy.’

  Cooper’s eyebrows were creased tightly, his eyes glistening with tears but not falling. ‘I couldn’t talk to anyone again, except my parents. I lost my brother and my best friend; it is a wound that still runs deep within me. I isolated myself and focused on studies ... Until you found me,’ I say as I look at Cooper with a smile on my face and eyes full of tears. A sliver of joy coexists with my pain and I want to hold on to that.

  Cooper’s hand leaves mine – a loss that I mourned silently – and cups my cheek. He wipes the tears with the pad of his thumb. ‘Thank you for finding me, Cooper,’ I add.

  ‘Hey, there is nothing to thank me for. If anything, I need to thank you. You helped me, too. Thank you for telling me about your brother, and I’m sorry you had to go through that. I hope you know that I will always listen to whatever you have to share with me,’ he says as he looks back and forth between my eyes.

  ‘I know,’ I say. Cooper’s eyes are locked onto mine, his pupils are overflowing in his iris, like an oil spill in the middle of the ocean. It makes my heart flutter how he always looks at me like he is drinking in the sight of me, learning each of my features and committing them to memory. I look away at something else; tension weighs the air between us. He is still holding my face.

  I swallow the nervous energy building within me. ‘Cooper?’ My eyes fixate on the button in his shirt.

  ‘Yes, Luna,’ he whispers.

  My eyes dart back to his. ‘What if I said that you want to kiss me right now?’ I ask boldly. I badly want him to kiss me, but I can’t be sure. I protect myself from being disappointed.

  A smirk appears on his face. ‘Then I’d say that you are making an educated guess,’ he says as he moves closer to my face, his lips hovering next to mine – a breath away. I squeeze my hand, my heart racing, and I inch my mouth forward. The next second, he connects his lips to mine and kisses me so hard that I melt into him. I involuntarily let out a long hum. When we finally pull apart, my eyes widen, and my hand goes over my mouth. I can’t believe I made that sound. My eyes meet his, and we laugh like idiots.

  ‘Wow,’ he says

  I chuckle at his response. ‘Wow indeed.’

  ‘I like you, Luna. I’ve been drawn to you since you dropped all your books at the sight of me.’

  I giggle and shake my head. ‘I like you too, Cooper.’

  ‘Would you like to be my girlfriend?’ Cooper asks as he pulls on the neckline of his shirt.

  ‘I thought you’d never ask.’ A shy smile coats my lips as I throw my arms over Cooper’s shoulders.

  ​9​

  Cooper

  The warm water runs down my body in the shower while my brain is hung up on my first kiss with Luna. The way that everything felt right, it was like the pieces fell into place when our lips touched. My brain was consoled after constantly overthinking my dynamic with Luna for the past few weeks. Her every touch was sending alarms to my brain, wondering if she wanted to be something more or if I was alone in this feeling. The way she leaned into the kiss said otherwise.

  I wanted to take her on a proper date as a boyfriend, but she strongly disagreed. You planned most of our hangouts when we were friends. Now, you are going to leave planning our first date to me. Looking at her adorable face being stern melted my heart; I couldn’t say no.

  I dry myself off and put on my best shirt and trousers, and spray myself with my favourite cologne that I only save for special occasions. I kiss my Mum on the cheek before I say goodbye to her and drive to Luna’s house. I make a pitstop at the florist to get her sunflowers.

  I ring the doorbell and take in deep breaths. In and out. I hide the bouquet behind my back so that I can surprise her. She opens the door, and my breath is stolen by how she looks. She is wearing a maroon velvet dress that reaches right above her knees. ‘Hi, Coop, you want to come in?’

  Warmth travels to my cheeks. She called me my nickname for the first time. I step forward and slip my hand behind her waist to hug her. I kiss her cheek before pulling back from her. The door closes behind me, and I reveal the bouquet, which gets me a squeal from her in return.

  We walk towards the living room, and the house is empty. ‘Are your parents not here?’

  ‘They are on a weekend trip to Scotland, on a date.’ She leads me to sit on the couch. ‘Did you want to do the activity first or eat first?’

  A chortle escapes me. Forever the organised-Luna. I shake my head. ‘Up to the discretion of the planner.’

  She smiles with a wide, mischievous grin. She is up to something. ‘Okay, give me a second.’ She walks up the stairs to her room and comes out a minute later. ‘Can you please close your eyes for me, Cooper?’ Her voice is faraway; she hasn’t yet reached the end of the stairs.

  ‘Okay ...’

  ‘Okay, now, open.’ Her voice is closer.

  I open my eyes, and my attention falls on the chess set that she is holding. It was a luxury chess set, the board made of metallic bronze with the checkers coloured blue and bronze.

  ‘This is for you.’

  I stay frozen, my mouth wide open. My hand is mid-air, reaching towards the chess set but not entirely grabbing it. ‘But why?’

  ‘Because you love chess.’ Her smile hasn’t faded. She places the board on my lap and sits next to me on the couch.

  ‘But this looks expensive, Luna. I can’t take this.’ I don’t deserve this.

  She places a hand on my arm. ‘Of course you can. This is a small appreciation for everything you do for me.’

 

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