Stranger

The train's whistle made her jump to her feet. Her hands trembled, afraid she might pass out. This wasn't the moment for Tandru to find her lying on the ground.

A sudden gust of wind tousled her hair forcefully, and as the train glided into the station beside her, it screeched to a halt.

In the door's frame that stopped right in front of her, there he was.

Everything else faded, dimmed, and disappeared. The door opened, and in just two steps, he stood in front of her. His face seemed to mirror her feelings, inquiring and wondering, 'Who are you?'

How was it possible that he had grown so much? He exuded strength and an unsettling feeling of being a stranger. As they looked at each other she felt herself enveloped by his gaze as in a deep warm embrace, and couldn't bear it any longer and threw herself into his arms.

"Hi, there!" came his response, feeling him laughing lightly, squeezing her hard with one arm and stroking her hair with the other.

Tears welled up in Luna's eyes, and her heart tightened. The longing seemed to wrestle within her whole body. She had missed him so much.

The train whistled again, and in an instant, it vanished, leaving only the wind behind.

"Luna, say something!" He released her from the embrace and looked at her with worried eyes and a slightly furrowed brow. His face had almost lost all traces of the boy she knew, looking more manly now, with a more chiseled jawline that emphasized his full lips. She couldn't take her eyes off him.

His hair, now longer–reaching nearly to his eyes–was more disheveled than ever, and the contrasting colors stood out more than she was used to.

"Gush, you have—" he began to say as his eyes went over her features.

"Oh, my, my! That's quite a handsome fellow we have here! If I'd known, I would have told you to bring him earlier."

They turned to see Aria and Jef standing right behind them, welcoming smiles on their faces and a hint of teasing on her aunt's expression, seeming all set for lots of questions as she winked at her niece.

"He is Tandru!" Luna quickly introduced him, while Uncle Jef reached out to shake hands with him.

"You're welcome, son! Gimme that backpack; looks heavy."

Tandru started to protest, but Uncle Jef had already pulled it down. Luna looked at him reproachfully and showed with her eyes and a tilt of her head that he didn't try harder to get his backpack back.

"What?" his face was intentionally innocent, "I do listen to older people." 

Aunt Aria and Uncle Jef start laughing.

"Come on, let us hurry; our souls will freeze standin' out here." Jef gestured toward the parking lot and put a hand on Tandru's shoulder, pushing him gently forward. 

Luna stayed a couple of steps behind, beside Aria, who looked amused; without understanding why, she felt the need to turn her gaze away.

☆ .☽. ☆

Changed into warm and comfortable clothes, Luna hurried out of her room to go into the living. Tandru was sitting next to Jef on the couch in front of the fireplace, where the soothing sound of crackling wood came from. She looked from the doorway as they leaned over something on the coffee table in front of them.

"Luna is studying medicine?!" Tandru's guttural voice reached her, and Luna's ears turned red. She didn't know why she couldn't bring herself to tell him about her new aspirations.

"She didn't tell you?" Aria sounded surprised, entering from the kitchen with a tray of four steaming cups and a basket of freshly sliced fruits, which she placed in front of them. When she looked up, she saw Luna staring at them. "Why are you standing there?"

Tandru turned to look at her. His eyes were full of confusion or questions as they had been on the platform, as if he saw her after a long time–that look of surprise and wonder mixed with something she couldn't name.

"Oh…!" she said biting the corner of her lip and moving towards the armchair beside Tandru, in which she sat trying to appear nonchalant. "I haven't said anything yet because I'm not sure it's something I'm cut out for...

"You're being silly!" Aria countered while settling into her seat, facing Luna, and putting a shawl over her legs. "Although she's still at the beginning, sewing comes naturally to her, and medicine is a child's play."

"Don't make 'er feel embarrassed!" Uncle Jef said, winking at Luna.

Luna was aware that Tandru followed every move she made, and she couldn't look directly at him. 

Aria smiled looking at them, "We have some rules here, and I expect you to mind them while you're staying. The activities will be more relaxed now that it's holiday time, though they'll still be part of your routine. I'll let Luna explain them later to you in detail." Her raspy gentle voice reminded Luna of her first days in Ailopin, and she wondered how Tandru felt now; his face gave nothing.

"For tonight," Aria continued, "I thought you could relax as you like. I'm sure you have plenty to—"

Luna's phone rang right at that moment. When Aria gave a nod of approval, Luna stood up to retrieve it from the charging station.

"It's Jodi," she said, putting the phone to her ear.

"Hey, girl!" The cheerful voice chirped, "Please ask your capricious aunt if you can go out with us tonight."

"Jodi!" Luna scolded her, realizing too late that she should have turned down the volume. Aria's smile had already widened at the sound of the girl's voice. Jodi was her favorite of Luna's two friends.

"Oh, please!" Jodi continued more loudly. "Auntie, if you can hear me, we have plans tonight. The bowling alley has reopened."

"Jodi, I turned down the volume! Oh, your big mouth! I have a guest, so..." Luna tried to calm her down as she looked at Tandru with a fleeting glance.

"Don't tell me; your Tandru's here!" Jodi's strong enthusiasm exploded in Luna's ear, even with the lowered volume. "No! You can't do this! Put Auntie on the phone!"

"I'll talk to her and call you back," Luna muttered.

"No need," Aria said. "It's fine. I think it's a good idea for you two to go out."

Luna's gaze shifted to Tandru, who fidgeted in his seat next to Jef.

"Would you like to go bowling with my friends tonight?" she asked.

At the same time, Jodi exclaimed in her ear, "Tell me he says yes!" as he said, "I don't see why not!"