Between Her and the Moon

Lena had always believed that the moon made people honest. Maybe it was because she spent so many nights looking at it. Whenever the world became too loud, she climbed to the rooftop of her apartment building, sat against the old brick wall, and watched the moon hang above the city. Tonight was no different. The city glittered beneath her. Car headlights moved along distant roads. Music drifted from somewhere several buildings away. The warm lights of apartments flickered like tiny stars. Lena opened her notebook. She had been trying to write for almost an hour. Nothing. She sighed and closed it. "You're getting worse at this." She looked up. A stranger stood near the rooftop entrance. Lena immediately sat straighter. The girl was beautiful in a way that didn't seem intentional. Dark hair fell loosely around her face, and she wore an oversized black jacket and faded jeans. She held a small camera against her chest. Most importantly, she looked lost. "Sorry," the girl said. "I didn't know anyone was up here." Lena raised an eyebrow. "You didn't answer my question." The girl smiled nervously. "What question?" "Why are you here?" She glanced toward the moon. "To take pictures." Lena looked at the camera. "At midnight?" "The moon doesn't care about time." Lena smiled despite herself. "Fair point." The girl walked toward the edge of the rooftop but stopped several feet away. Lena noticed how carefully she kept her distance. "What's your name?" Lena asked. The girl hesitated. "Aria." "Lena." "I know." Lena frowned. "You know me?" Aria quickly shook her head. "No. I mean... I've seen you around." "Where?" "The café downstairs." Lena's expression changed. "You've been watching me?" Aria immediately looked embarrassed. "That sounded much worse than I meant it." Lena laughed. "Relax." Aria smiled. For a moment, they simply stood beneath the moonlight. Then Lena noticed something. Aria wasn't taking pictures anymore. "You came here for the moon," Lena said. "Yes." "But you're looking at me." Aria's cheeks warmed. "I was just..." "Just what?" "Never mind." Lena smiled. She liked making Aria nervous. Not because she wanted to embarrass her. Because there was something adorable about watching someone so composed suddenly lose their words. "You're shy," Lena said. "I'm not." "You are." "I just don't talk much." "That's different?" "Very." Lena laughed. "Okay. I'll believe you." Aria looked at her. "You don't seem shy." "I'm not." "I noticed." Lena smiled. "I say what I think." "That's dangerous." "Sometimes." The moonlight fell across Aria's face. Lena suddenly understood why the girl had come upstairs. There was something peaceful about the night. Something that made strangers feel less like strangers. Aria lifted her camera. "Can I take your picture?" Lena blinked. "My picture?" "Yes." "Why?" Aria lowered the camera. "Because..." She looked toward the moon. "You're standing right where the light hits." Lena smiled. "That's your excuse?" Aria laughed. "Maybe." "Take it." Aria lifted the camera. The shutter clicked. Then again. And again. When she lowered it, Lena asked, "Can I see?" Aria hesitated before showing her. Lena looked at the photograph. It was beautiful. The moon behind her. The city lights in the distance. Her face softened by the silver glow. "You made me look different." Aria smiled. "Maybe that's how you really look." Lena looked at her. "What does that mean?" Aria shrugged. "Sometimes other people see things in us that we don't see ourselves." The words stayed with Lena. She closed the camera screen. "You always talk like that?" "Like what?" "Like you're secretly writing poetry." Aria laughed. "No." "Good." "Why?" "Because I'd have to start competing." Aria looked surprised. "You write?" Lena held up her notebook. "Trying to." "What's it about?" Lena looked down at the notebook. "A girl who doesn't know what she's looking for." Aria smiled. "And does she find it?" "I haven't decided." "Maybe she should." "Maybe." A comfortable silence settled between them. Then Aria looked at the moon again. "My grandmother used to tell me that the moon connects people." Lena smiled. "That's a strange thing to say." "She believed that two people could be under the same moon even when they were miles apart." Lena looked upward. "That's actually beautiful." "She was beautiful." "Was?" Aria's expression softened. "She passed away last year." Lena's smile faded. "I'm sorry." "Thank you." They stood quietly. Lena didn't try to fill the silence. She simply stayed. After a while, Aria looked at her. "You're different." "That's what everyone keeps telling me." "I mean it as a compliment." "I'll take it." Aria smiled. Then the wind became colder. Lena noticed Aria shivering. "You should go inside." "I'm okay." "You're freezing." "I'm not." Lena removed her jacket. Aria immediately shook her head. "No." "Take it." "I can't take your jacket." "Why?" "Because then you'll be cold." Lena held it out. "I'll survive." Aria hesitated. Then she accepted it. "Thank you." "You're welcome." Aria slipped it on. It was slightly too big for her. Lena smiled. "It suits you." Aria looked down at herself. "Really?" "Really." Their eyes met. For a second, neither looked away. Something changed. Not dramatically. Not loudly. Just enough for both of them to notice. Aria looked toward the moon. "I should go." Lena nodded. "Okay." Aria took a few steps toward the door. Then stopped. She turned around. "Will you be here tomorrow?" Lena smiled. "Maybe." Aria laughed. "You copied me." "Maybe." Aria shook her head. "Goodnight, Lena." "Goodnight, Aria." Aria disappeared through the rooftop door. Lena remained beneath the moon. She looked at her notebook. Then at the door. For the first time in months, she knew exactly what she wanted to write. She opened the notebook. At the top of a fresh page, she wrote: The night I met the girl who borrowed my jacket. She paused. Then added: I think I might want to see her again. Above the city, the moon continued to shine. And somewhere downstairs, Aria was walking home wearing Lena's jacket. Neither of them knew it yet. But that night was only the beginning.