The Fading Moon Chapter 2: An Unwanted Friend

Read chapter 2 of The Fading Moon by MananTayal on NovelPedia.

The next morning, Mike woke up feeling strangely restless. Sunlight streamed through the small window of his apartment, illuminating the cluttered room. Empty coffee cups sat on his desk beside unfinished design projects. Clothes were draped over a chair in the corner. Everything looked exactly the same. Yet somehow it felt different. Mike rubbed his eyes and sat up. For several moments he simply stared at the ceiling. Then a certain face appeared in his mind. Brown eyes. Shoulder-length hair. An annoying smile. Jessika. Immediately, Mike groaned. "Why am I thinking about her?" He had met countless people before. Customers. Coworkers. Neighbors. Random strangers. Most of them disappeared from his memory within days. So why was he remembering a high school girl he had spoken to for less than half an hour? He shook his head. It didn't matter. He would probably never see her again. Tokyo was enormous. Millions of people crossed paths every day without ever meeting twice. That was simply how cities worked. Satisfied with that explanation, Mike got dressed and headed to work. Or at least he tried to. The universe apparently had other plans. As Mike exited the train station near his office, he heard a familiar voice. "Good morning, Grumpy Guy." Mike froze. Slowly. Very slowly. He turned around. Standing beside a vending machine was Jessika. She wore her school uniform and carried a backpack. Most importantly, she was smiling like she had just won a lottery. Mike stared. Jessika waved enthusiastically. "Good morning!" "..." "Wow." "..." "You really look shocked." Mike blinked several times. "What are you doing here?" Jessika tilted her head. "Existing?" "That's not what I meant." "I know." Mike sighed. "Don't tell me you followed me." "What?" "You somehow figured out where I work and decided to annoy me." Jessika gasped dramatically. "You think I'm a stalker?" "A little." "I am deeply offended." "You should be." Jessika laughed. Mike immediately regretted speaking. The more attention he gave her, the more energy she seemed to gain. "Relax," she said. "My school is nearby." Mike looked around. Now that he thought about it, there was indeed a high school several blocks away. "See?" Jessika crossed her arms triumphantly. "You're not that important." Mike rolled his eyes. "Good." "Ouch." For a moment they stood there awkwardly. Well, Mike stood awkwardly. Jessika seemed perfectly comfortable. Eventually she pointed toward a vending machine. "Coffee?" Mike frowned. "What?" "You look like you need coffee." "I always need coffee." "Then buy some." Mike stared at her. "You called me over just to tell me to buy coffee?" "Pretty much." Mike couldn't believe this. He had somehow encountered the strangest person in Tokyo. Possibly the strangest person on Earth. Without another word, he walked toward the vending machine. Jessika followed immediately. "What's your favorite?" "What?" "Drink." "Coffee." "That's boring." "It's coffee." "Still boring." Mike selected a canned coffee and inserted money. A second later the can dropped. Before he could grab it, Jessika pointed excitedly. "Try the strawberry milk." Mike looked horrified. "I'm not drinking strawberry milk." "Why not?" "I'm twenty-three." "So?" "I'm an adult." "Adults can drink strawberry milk." "They shouldn't." Jessika laughed so hard that several nearby pedestrians looked over. Mike regretted everything. The entire conversation. The previous evening. His life choices. All of it. Eventually Jessika calmed down. "You really care about weird things." Mike opened his coffee. "No. You care about weird things." "Like the moon?" Mike paused. The amusement in her voice faded slightly. For a brief moment, her expression became thoughtful. Then she smiled again. "Yeah. Like the moon." Something about that answer lingered in Mike's mind. Before he could ask anything, a school bell echoed faintly from the distance. Jessika glanced toward the street. "Oh." "What?" "I'm late." Mike nodded. "Good." "Wha