moon between us

Hidden Things

By the third night, it had become a routine.

Swastika finished her evening chores faster than usual, fixed her hair in front of the mirror, then immediately frowned at herself.

Why was she checking her hair?

It wasn’t like she cared what Kai thought.

At least, that was the excuse she kept repeating.

Still, she found herself smiling slightly while walking up the hill.

The air was cooler tonight. A soft breeze carried the scent of wet grass and distant flowers.

When she reached the top, Kai was lying flat on the grass, hands behind his head, staring at the stars like he owned the entire sky.

“You look lazy,” Swastika said.

Kai turned his head and grinned.

“You look late.”

She sat beside him, pretending to be annoyed.

“You’re very annoying.”

“And yet you keep coming back.”

Swastika ignored that comment.

She opened her notebook, though she barely wrote a word these days. Most of her attention somehow ended up drifting toward Kai.

He always seemed relaxed, but tonight something felt different.

He was smiling less.

“You’re quiet,” Swastika said.

Kai shrugged. “Maybe I used up all my talking yesterday.”

“I don’t think that’s possible.”

That made him laugh a little, but it disappeared quickly.

Swastika noticed.

She closed her notebook.

“What’s wrong?”

Kai stared at the sky for a moment before answering.

“Nothing.”

“That’s a very suspicious answer.”

He sat up slowly.

“You ask a lot of questions.”

“You avoid a lot of answers.”

Kai looked at her, almost surprised.

Then he smiled faintly.

“Fair.”

For a while, neither of them spoke.

The silence between them had become something comfortable now, not awkward like before.

Swastika watched the moon.

It was only half full tonight, softer and less bright.

“My mother used to tell me the moon changes shape depending on people’s moods,” she said suddenly.

Kai blinked. “That sounds scientifically questionable.”

Swastika laughed.

“I know.”

“But kind of nice,” he admitted.

She leaned back on her hands.

“When I was little, I believed the moon followed me home.”

Kai nodded thoughtfully.

“I used to think stars were holes in the sky.”

Swastika turned to him, amused. “That makes absolutely no sense.”

“I was five.”

“Still concerning.”

Kai placed a hand dramatically over his chest.

“You’re very judgmental.”

Their laughter echoed softly into the night.

But once it faded, Kai became quiet again.

This time, Swastika didn’t let it pass.

“You’re thinking about something.”

Kai picked at a piece of grass.

“My family moves a lot,” he said finally.

Swastika listened carefully.

“How much?”

“A lot enough that I stopped unpacking properly.”

Something in his tone made her chest tighten.

He said it casually, but the meaning underneath felt heavier.

“That sounds exhausting.”

“It is.”

Swastika looked at him.

“Do you hate it?”

Kai was silent for several seconds.

Then he nodded.

“Yes.”

It was the most honest answer he had given her.

Swastika didn’t know why, but hearing that small confession felt important. Like he had quietly handed her a piece of himself.

“That’s why you said you’re afraid of leaving,” she realized.

Kai glanced at her, surprised she remembered.

“You remember random things.”

“It wasn’t random.”

The words slipped out before she could stop them.

Kai stared at her for a second longer than usual.

Swastika quickly looked away, suddenly very interested in a patch of grass.

The wind moved between them.

Then Kai smiled softly.

“Well,” he said, “for what it’s worth, this town is slightly less terrible now.”

Swastika raised an eyebrow.

“Slightly?”

“Don’t get too confident.”

She shook her head.

“You’re impossible.”

Kai stood up and stretched.

Before leaving, he reached into his hoodie pocket and pulled something out.

It was a tiny silver keychain shaped like a star.

He placed it in her palm.

Swastika stared at it.

“What’s this for?”

Kai shrugged.

“So you don’t forget me if I’m ever late.”

Her fingers curled around the small star.

The metal felt cool in her hand.

Something warm spread quietly through her chest.

“I wasn’t planning to forget you,” she said.

Kai smiled in that small, genuine way that made him look different.

Softer.

“Good,” he replied.

As he walked away, Swastika looked down at the star keychain in her hand.

Tonight, her notebook remained closed.

Some things were becoming too real to fit neatly onto paper anymore.

And for the first time, that scared her just a little.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***