"Favorite season?" I ask quickly, desperate to keep the conversation moving and give myself something else to focus on.
"Winter," she says without hesitation. "I love staying inside… while it's snowing. It's…cozy. Huddling in a pile of blankets… with hot drinks… watching anime or playing games…"
"Same," I agree. "There's something perfect about winter. You can always add more layers if you're cold, but in the summer, there's a limit to how much you can take off before it becomes illegal."
She laughs. I'm taken aback by how nice it sounds. High-pitched and melodious like a song, but still quiet, like she's holding herself back slightly.
We move on to the scones. They're warm and fluffy, and the clotted cream is dangerously good.
I scroll further down my phone. "What about aspirations? Like, what do you want to do?"
Luna's expression becomes more serious, thoughtful. "I want to be a programmer... Make things that help people…" She pauses, then adds, "I'm actually working on an… AI Vtuber right now. I'm hoping it could act like a… companion for people who are lonely… or people who have trouble connecting with others... Something that could make them feel less alone."
I remember seeing her work on this in class. "Oh yeah, I've seen some of your code for that project. It looked really well-made."
Her face lights up. "Really? You think so?"
And here's where my mouth gets ahead of my brain. There's something about coding that just really riles me up, maybe because I love it so much.
"Although," I continue, "I saw a lot of problems with your work. I noticed your comments were really bad. You weren't really explaining what some of the more complex functions do, which is going to make it a lot harder when you debug later. And the way you styled it, ugh, I saw a lot of issues in your naming conventions. Most of your variables don't actually describe what they're used to store, which makes it a real pain to read. Also, I noticed that one of your algorithms was running at O(n²) complexity, but if you're planning to scale this up, you could switch to—" I'm gesturing now, getting into it. "—something more efficient. You could optimize this to O(n log n) if you used a different data structure. It would speed things up significantly."
I'm on a roll now, my brain fully engaged in problem-solving mode. "And honestly, the whole architecture should be way cleaner. Some of the functions are terrible, most of them are doing way too much. I mean, you should really take some time to break them down into smaller, more focused ones that each do one thing well. It would make your code way more maintainable and easier to test. Really, your ideas are so cool, but there are parts of your project and technique that are really disappointing."
I glance up, expecting... I don't know, maybe a discussion? Questions?
Luna is completely still. Silent. Her face is frozen in what might have been a smile a few seconds ago, but now looks more like she's trying very hard not to cry. Her eyes are fixed on the table, and her hands are clutched together in her lap.
Oh no.
What… What did I just do?
I stop talking mid-gesture, my hand frozen awkwardly in the air. "Luna?" I venture.
She doesn't respond. Doesn't move. She's so still that I'm genuinely concerned she's stopped breathing.
Shit shit shit.
"Luna, I—" I start, but I don't know how to finish. The silence stretches... until finally, Mr. Vale appears beside our table, moving with the unhurried grace of someone who always seems to arrive exactly when he's needed. He's carrying a plate of sandwiches.
"Here we are," he says warmly, setting them down with practiced precision. "Some extra sandwiches for you both." He arranges the plate with unnecessary attention to detail, as if ensuring perfect symmetry is somehow crucial to this moment. Then, speaking in a way that seems directed at no one in particular yet somehow meant for everyone, he continues.
"You know, seeing the two of you here reminds me of my younger days. I sometimes wonder if any of us truly appreciate the people in our lives until they're gone. But I find myself grateful for every relationship I've ever had… Each one shaped who I've become, for better or worse."
Pulling out his serving tongs, he adjusts a mispositioned sandwich. "The only regrets I carry are about how some of those relationships ended. When we're young, we tend to magnify every small disagreement into something insurmountable. But distance gives us perspective. Most of what seemed so important to me at the time... well, it was dust in the wind."
A gentle smile touches his lips. "Conflict is inevitable when two people spend time together, it's human nature. No two souls perceive the world in quite the same way, and isn't that wonderful? Other people show us angles we'd never considered, and reveal things we would have never noticed on our own. But here's the thing about conflict, it requires navigation, not avoidance."
He pauses, his warm eyes growing more serious. "We're all imperfect. We say things we shouldn't, cross boundaries we didn't know existed, hurt people we care about. And when that happens, we have a choice. We can pretend everything is fine, let the hurt fester like an untreated wound... or we can address it directly."
Mr. Vale's voice takes on a tone of gentle wisdom. "Communication is the remedy. When someone hurts you, tell them, but also ask why. Seek to understand before you judge. And if you notice someone is upset, have the courage to ask if you've done something wrong. Not every relationship can be saved, of course, but you'll never know which ones are worth fighting for if you don't try."
He finally looks up, meeting my eyes directly. "And when you realize you've made a mistake, when you've said something that's caused genuine pain, start by seeking to understand. Consider what you've done. Ask yourself why it hurt them, and if you'd feel the same in their place. Would you be hurt too? If you would, then apologize sincerely. But remember: apologies are only promises in words. It's your actions that prove you mean them."
With that, he gives us both a kind smile and withdraws as quietly as he arrived.
The silence he leaves behind is deafening.
I look at Luna, whose eyes are starting to get a little red at the corners.
Something in my chest twists uncomfortably.
"Luna," I say, and my voice comes out more desperate than I intended. "Did I... did I do something wrong?"
She's quiet for a long moment, and when she finally speaks, her voice is small. "I didn't like it… the way you were talking... Saying I had poor technique… and that my project sucked… I felt like... like you were insulting me."
The words hit like a punch to the gut.
I think back to what I said, really think about it. If Luna had looked at one of my freelancing projects or my personal code and said everything I just said to her, pointing out every flaw and inefficiency, telling me my architecture was messy, my commenting was inadequate, and my technique was poor...
Yeah. I'd feel like shit.
"Luna, I'm so sorry. I was completely wrong. I didn't mean…" I take a breath, trying to organize my thoughts. "I didn't mean to say all that."
"It's not that big of a deal…" Luna interrupts quietly, her expression remaining distraught. "Thank you for the feedback… I think I was just being sensitive."
Her words somehow make it worse. She's being nice about it, but that's just because she was born an angel, she's being polite while trying to bottle up her hurt.
"No," I say firmly. "I was in the wrong this time. I hurt you because of what I said. I talked disrespectfully about something you're truly passionate about. So again—" I meet her eyes. "I'm sorry. Please forgive me." I stare into her eyes intensely, refusing to break eye contact until she feels my sincerity.
Luna looks surprised by the intensity, but after a moment, her face brightens up a bit. She nods. "Okay, I... I accept… your apology."
The tension in my chest eases slightly.
"What I meant to say," I continue, more carefully this time, "is that I think you're incredibly talented. Like, genuinely impressive. I've never met anyone our age who's as good as you are. So, I was a bit frustrated when I saw small mistakes in your project, not because your project is bad, but because I saw how amazing it already is, and how much better it can become."
"Really?" Her voice is small.
"Really. I was trying to say that you're amazing and that with just a few more techniques under your belt, you'd be unstoppable."
Her expression brightens considerably. "Really? You really think I'm that good?"
"Are you kidding? Your AI project is insane. I can barely understand half of what you're doing with the natural language processing. You're definitely better than me in that area."
Her face lights up, and she smiles, genuinely smiles. "Then… then let's work together… on my project sometime… I wouldn't mind… some help."
"Of course! Just... maybe let me know next time if I'm being a jerk about it. Just slap me across the face if I ever go overboard."
She giggles. "Okay... I won't… hit you though."
Crisis averted. Thank you, Mr. Vale, you're a genuine saint.
We finish the last of the pastries, the awkwardness fading into something more comfortable. The conversation continues, and I ask her if she's involved in any clubs.
"Oh!" Luna says. "Yeah, I'm in… the computer science club."
"Yeah? I actually went to check it out on Monday. But it seemed pretty dead," I admit. "Just a couple of people working on… beginner projects."
"Oh…" she giggles gently. "That's because the experienced people… go on Fridays. Monday is… more of a casual day."
"Oh." I process this. "Wait, but it's Friday today."
I watch the realization hit her, and her face goes through several shades of red in rapid succession. "Yeah. I... I usually go on Fridays… But I… um, I wanted to spend time with you instead."
I see Mr. Vale in my peripheral vision, and I swear he's smiling to himself like he's watching his favorite wholesome TV show.
My own face heats up. She's too adorable. This is not fair. "I enjoy spending time with you too…"
We're both blushing messes now, and I'm sure we look ridiculous, but I don't actually care.
"You should come with me to the computer club," Luna says, her enthusiasm making her temporarily forget to be shy. "How about next Friday? I think you'd really like it when the dedicated members are there."
"Yeah? Okay. I'm down."
We finish the rest of our meal while talking about random stuff. The conversation flows easily again, the previous mishap completely forgotten. Well, forgotten in the moment, but I already know that I'll definitely be replaying this and cringing over it some random night at 3 AM.
By the time we're done, the sun is starting to set, painting the café in warm orange light. I pay and leave a very, very generous tip… Or, well, at least I try to. Mr. Vale, the absolute angel of a man, discreetly hands back the $50 I wanted to leave. It makes me feel bad. After all, Mr. Vale genuinely saved my life. If I'd seen Luna shed a single tear, I swear my heart would have stopped beating on the spot, killing me in an act of revenge.
"This was really fun," Luna says quietly as we stand to leave. "Thank you for... for inviting me."
"Thank you for accepting," I respond. "We should do this again sometime."
"Yeah." She smiles. "I'd like that."
"Thank you for coming," Mr. Vale says as we leave. "It was wonderful seeing you again, Adam. And lovely meeting you, Luna."
We say our goodbyes and walk back towards the school area where we'll split off to go home. We again fall into a comfortable silence, the kind that doesn't need filling with words. And I find myself sneaking glances at Luna every so often.
When we reach the point where we need to part ways, Luna turns to me. "See you Monday?"
"See you Monday," I confirm. "And Friday at the computer club."
"Mmhm," she agrees, then, with a tiny wave, she turns and heads off.
I watch her go for a moment, her black hoodie contrasting heavily with the afternoon light, before heading home myself.
My wallet feels lighter. One hundred dollars gone in a single meal. My freelancing earnings, sacrificed for two hours with Luna.
But you know what? Watching Luna's face light up when she saw the tower of food? Hearing her laugh? Hearing her nervously say that she'd rather spend time with me instead of going to the computer science club? Seeing her smile?
It was worth it.
Totally worth it.