"Oh... the food..." Luna says, standing up.
I follow her downstairs, keeping my gaze pointed deliberately upward at the ceiling, the walls, the chandelier, anything except Luna's figure as she walks in front of me. I'm doing my best to reel in my hormones for today. We're having a nice time as friends, and I'm not going to ruin it by being a creep.
We open the front door of the suite, and there's a trolley parked outside with no one nearby. Luna pulls it into the apartment and toward the dining table, and I help her move the food from the trolley onto the table.
Oh lord, she ordered a feast.
There's a massive ribeye steak, probably as big as my head, glistening under the lights like it's posing for a photoshoot. Next to it is a massive plate of sashimi, arranged in this elaborate flower pattern, each piece looking like a beautiful, ornate gem. And then there's a bowl of steaming ramen that's been plated so delicately it looks like art: the noodles are organized in the center of the bowl, with pieces of dried seaweed on the side, topped with chashu pork and a perfectly soft-boiled egg that's been sliced in half to reveal the golden yolk inside.
"Luna, this is insane," I say, staring at the spread. "You didn't have to order all this."
"Let's... eat..." Luna smiles, grabbing utensils from the trolley and sitting down. She pushes the steak toward me. "I remember... you said... you liked steak... and sashimi..."
My heart does a weird little skip. "You remembered that? I only mentioned it once."
"Of course I remembered..." She says it like it's obvious.
We begin our feast. The steak is a perfectly cooked medium-rare, the outside seared to perfection while the inside is this beautiful pink color. I cut off a piece and, without thinking, offer it to Luna on my fork.
She's working through her ramen, and she looks up with her cheeks slightly puffed, tilting her head to one side in a way that's almost illegally cute.
"Wanna try a piece?" I ask.
She finishes her bite, swallows, and smiles at me. "Okay..." She grabs my offered piece of steak with her chopsticks. "You should... try the ramen... too..."
She pushes the bowl toward me, and I take a forkful (which is definitely not the traditional way to eat it, but Luna doesn't judge). It's absolutely delightful, meaty and warm and delicate all wrapped into one. It tastes like an explosion of flavor in my mouth, layers of complexity I didn't even know ramen could have.
"This is really good," I say honestly. Though if I'm being completely honest, it still isn't quite as good as Mom's carbonara from last week, but this comes close. Very close.
We finish the rest of the meal, talking about games and anime between bites. I demolish my steak, and then we both work through the sashimi together, dipping pieces in soy sauce before eating. It's wonderful: an assortment of tuna, salmon, scallop, sweet shrimp, and other luxurious seafood goodness.
"You don't... like wasabi?" Luna asks at one point, noticing I've been avoiding the little green mound on the plate.
"Not really my thing," I respond casually. "Too spicy. Makes my nose feel like it's on fire."
Luna picks up a small amount with her chopsticks, and there's a mischievous glint in her eyes that I've never seen before. "You should... try it though... Just a little bit..."
"Luna, I know what wasabi tastes like, and I don't—"
She holds her chopsticks closer to me, and she's doing this thing with her eyes that's completely unfair. They're big, violet, and hopeful.
"...Fine. But if I die, I'm haunting you."
"You won't die..." she says, and is she enjoying this? "Come on..."
I lean in and eat the wasabi off her chopsticks, and immediately realize my mistake.
Yup. I still hate it.
The heat hits like a truck. Like a truck made of fire that decided to park in my sinuses. My tongue feels like it's melting, my nose is burning, and I'm frantically fanning my mouth with my hand.
"Ow, hot, why, betrayal—" I manage between gasps.
Luna laughs. Actually laughs. Not a giggle, not a soft chuckle, but a real, genuine, melodious laugh that rings out at normal volume. She's covering her mouth with one hand, but her eyes are sparkling with amusement, and her shoulders are shaking.
Still laughing, she stands and heads to the fridge. "I'll get... a drink..."
"Yes please, anything, I'm dying," I manage through my burning mouth.
She comes back with a sweet fizzy drink that I immediately down like my life depends on it.
After the burning finally subsides and I can feel my face again, I point at her accusingly. "You. Are. Evil."
"Sorry..." Luna says, but she's still smiling. "I just... wanted to see... your reaction..."
"My reaction? I almost died! I saw my life flash before my eyes!"
"You're... so dramatic..." She's giggling again, and I can't even be mad because seeing her this happy is worth the temporary agony.
"I'm not being dramatic. That was genuinely traumatic. I'm traumatized now."
She smiles at that, looking pleased with herself.
We finish the meal, and despite my complaining, I'm grinning too. There's something nice about Luna being comfortable enough to tease me, to actually laugh at full volume.
I help Luna clean up, placing everything back on the trolley and wheeling it outside, then wiping down the already-pristine dining table. Luna uses the app to signal we're done, and then we head back upstairs.
"Do you... want to watch... anime?" Luna asks once we're back in her room, and there's this shy hopefulness in her voice.
"Sure, that sounds great! What do you want to watch?"
"The new... Devil Killer... episode?"
"Yeah, I've been meaning to catch up on that. Sounds good."
"Do you... like to talk during anime... or do you prefer... quiet?"
"I can do either. What about you?"
"I like to... pay attention... so maybe... quieter?" She says it tentatively, like she's worried I'll be disappointed.
"No problem. My lips are sealed." I make an exaggerated motion of zipping my lips and throwing away a key, which gets a small giggle from her.
We settle on her bed, maintaining a respectful distance apart, and Luna queues up the latest episode of Devil Killer on her TV.
The episode is intense, full of incredible fight choreography and dramatic moments that have both of us leaning forward. When a particularly impressive sword technique happens on screen, I can't help but let out a low whistle.
When the episode ends, we spend a few minutes discussing it.
"That final fight scene was insane," I say. "The animation quality was through the roof."
"Yeah... the way they showed... the sword techniques... it was so fluid..."
"Right? You could actually follow what was happening, which is rare for action scenes these days."
"Mm-hmm..." Luna nods enthusiastically. "And the music... during that part... it was perfect..."
We talk about our favorite moments, debating character motivations and predicting what might happen next.
After our discussion winds down, there's a comfortable silence. Then something occurs to me.
"Hey Luna... Can I ask you something? You don't have to answer if it's too personal."
"Okay..." She looks at me curiously.
"Why do you live here alone? I mean, this place is huge. Doesn't it get lonely?"
"Oh..." Luna thinks for a moment. "It's not... too personal... My parents wanted me... to go to school here... for a better education... But they have to stay in Japan... for the business... so they visit... when they can..."
"That must be hard. Being by yourself in a place this big."
"Sometimes..." Luna admits quietly. "But I have... online friends... And now... I have you..."
The way she says that last part makes my chest feel warm.
"Well, you'll have to deal with me bothering you at the computer science club now," I say, trying to lighten the mood. "Sorry that I'm so annoying."
She smiles at that. "You're not... annoying..."
"Give it time."
There's another pause, and then my curiosity gets the better of me again. "Hey, I have another question. This one's probably dumb, but I've been wondering, you're clearly super rich, but last time at the cafe you didn't have enough money. What was that about?"
Luna looks embarrassed. "I... don't really use cash... that often... Everything here is just... charged automatically... So I only carry... a little bit... Maybe twenty dollars..."
I laugh at that. "That's actually kind of amazing. Like, you're so rich that you forgot how money works."
"It's not... like that..." she protests, "I just... don't need it... usually..."
"Hey, since we're doing questions," I say, "would you mind giving me a tour? I've only seen your room and the main floor. This penthouse is massive."
"Oh... sure! I can... show you around..."
We walk around the suite, and it's just insane how big this place is. She shows me the bedrooms: there are six of them. Six entire bedrooms in an apartment. What in the world.
Then the kitchen, which looks like it belongs in a professional restaurant, with marble countertops and a wine collection that probably costs more than a new car.
Finally, she opens the curtains in the living room to reveal not just floor-to-ceiling windows, but a glass door leading to a terrace with a pool and a fire pit.
"Luna, this is ridiculous," I say, shaking my head. "You have a pool. In your apartment. In the sky."
She smiles at my reaction, seeming pleased.
After the tour, we end up back in her room, sitting on her bed and watching random Bootube videos while chatting. It's comfortable. Easy.
"Hey," I say, and Luna looks over at me. "Thank you for today. For inviting me over, for the food, for everything. This was really fun."
"I should... thank you too..." Luna says. "You're actually... my first friend... in high school..."
Something about the way she says that makes my chest tighten. "Really? Your first friend?"
She nods. "Mm-hmm... People don't usually... talk to me... And when they do... it's usually not... for good reasons..."
That's heartbreaking. Luna, this sweet, intelligent, amazing person, hasn't had anyone to talk to?
"Well, I'm your friend now," I say firmly. "And I'm not going anywhere."
Luna smiles, and it's one of the brightest smiles I've ever seen from her. "Thank you..."
There's a pause, and then I get curious again. "Can I ask... why me? Why did you let me be your friend? I can't have been the first person to try talking to you."
Luna is quiet for a moment, thinking carefully. "Most people... feel scary to me... Especially guys... They look at me... in ways that make me... uncomfortable... But you..." She looks down at her hands. "That first time you talked to me... you seemed just as nervous... as I was... And you looked at my eyes... not at... other things... So I felt... safe..."
Aww. That's both sweet and makes me feel a little guilty about the glancing I did earlier.
"I..." I don't know what to say to that. "I'm glad you felt safe. And for the record, you're my first real friend here too."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Really. So... thank you for being my friend too. But… I don't know if I deserve that much trust," I say honestly. "I mean, I try to be a decent person, but..."
Luna's smiling again, and then her expression shifts to something more hesitant. "Can I... tell you something?"
"Of course."
"I've noticed... you look sometimes..." she says quietly, not meeting my eyes. "At... my body..."
Oh god. Oh no. Time to pack my things and move to Antarctica.
"I—Luna, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, I tried to be respectful but—"
"It's okay," Luna says quickly. "I mean... I notice it... but you don't stare... You don't make me feel... like an object... And you've never said... anything inappropriate... So... I don't mind... Just... please don't stare... too much..."
"I won't. I really am sorry if I made you uncomfortable at all."
"You didn't..." Luna says. "Actually... you're one of the only people... who don't make me uncomfortable... That's why I wanted to tell you..." She takes a breath. "People say... mean things... about my body... All the time... Boys say... perverted things... And girls say I'm... showing off... or trying to get attention... But I'm not... I dress like this... because I want to hide... But it doesn't work... and everyone just... judges me anyway..."
My heart breaks hearing this. I move closer and, after a moment of hesitation, pull her into a hug. She feels small against me, vulnerable.
"Luna, those people are idiots," I say firmly. "Complete idiots. You're not doing anything wrong. You're just existing, and they're projecting their own issues onto you. That's their problem, not yours."
"Really?"
"Really. You're perfect exactly as you are. And anyone who makes you feel bad about yourself can fight me."
Luna actually laughs at that, her arms wrapping around me to return the hug. "Thank you... That means... a lot..."
We stay like that for a while, and it's comfortable. Safe. Eventually, I pull back slightly, smiling at her.
"I had a really great time today. We should do this again."
"I'd like that..." Luna says. "You can... come over... whenever you want..."
"Yeah? And you should come visit my place sometime too. It's way less fancy than this, but my family's great. They'd love to meet you. No pressure though, whenever you're ready."
Luna looks nervous at the thought of meeting more people, but she nods. "Maybe... someday..."
"Whenever you're ready," I repeat. "No rush. They'll love you though."
She gives me a small smile. "Okay..."
I glance at the time again, 11:30 PM. "I should probably head home before it gets too late."
"Oh... okay..." Luna stands up, and there's clear disappointment in her voice. "Text me... when you're... home safe?"
"Of course."
Luna stands up with me. "I'll walk you... to the elevator..."
"You don't have to—"
"I want to..."
We walk to the elevator together, and there's something bittersweet about the evening ending. When we reach the elevator doors, I turn to her.
"Seriously, thank you for everything. Today was awesome."
"Thank you too... for being my friend..." Luna says softly.
"Hey, let's make this official." I hold out my pinky finger. "Pinky promise we'll do this again soon?"
Luna looks at my pinky, then smiles and hooks her finger around mine. "Pinky promise..."
"Pinky promise," I confirm, grinning at her.
The elevator doors open, and I step inside. Luna waves at me, a small gesture that's somehow incredibly endearing. As the doors close, I wave back, and the last thing I see is her smile.