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If there was one motto to live by in the Widjojo family, it would be to always help a friend in need. So, when Surya heard a guest would be spending a night in their house, he was more than happy to oblige.
Mind lending her your room and crashing on the sofa? Joko asked him over the phone.
And why not? Surya's bedroom provided not only privacy, but an objectively comfortable bed. With the guest's own power having gone out, offering it up felt like the right thing to do.
Rain damage, Joko explained to him. We’ll have a closer look tomorrow, once it’s dry.
That part made sense.
What made far less sense, was why his mind was spinning at the thought of this specific guest sleeping in their house. In his room, nonetheless.
There was no reason to be nervous - they'd spent so many evenings in the lab: chatting about work, life and everything in between. Besides, it’s not like it was her first time coming over either. Be it a game of chess, a woodworking class or just a neighbourly visit - she was always a welcome guest to his family.
And sure, maybe he thought she was a bit cute, but who here wasn’t? Coral island was full of stupidly-attractive people. Hell, even the construction workers looked like they’d come off the runway.
So no, it shouldn't have been a big deal.
Yet, it simply was.
That is how Surya found himself standing in the living room, undoing and redoing the buttons of the duvet cover for the fifth time. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath.
Not a big deal.
Exhaling, he gave the task another try.
“Need any help?”
"AH!” Surya jumped, catching the edge of the duvet back into his hands. He looked at the doorway and spotted May - the local farmer, friend and the very guest in need.
“Didn’t mean to scare you,” she said apologetically. “I’ve been told my steps are quiet.”
“It’s ok!” he stuttered. “And nope, all done.”
He double checked the bedding, and with all the buttons having found their respective positions, Surya lifted the duvet, letting it gently settle down across the sofa-bed.
He looked up and watched May approach the sofa, both of her arms hugging a worn-out rucksack, securing it firmly against her chest. Normally concealed by a bandana and pulled back in a low bun, May’s hair was resting on her shoulder, allowing him to take in its length for the first time. Instead of her usual overalls, she was now wearing more comfortable clothes: a pair of navy linen shorts, paired up with a white Wabanana t-shirt.
“Thanks again for lending me this,” she said sheepishly, giving the t-shirt’s neckline a small tug. “I really thought I brought my own. It was a bit hard to see, with-eh… the whole light situation”.
“Hey, don’t mention it,” he reassured her with a smile. Somehow, despite it being a bit too loose, his shirt still suited her - a thought that Surya put aside to overanalyse later.
He leaned back in and began to smooth out the creases of the bedding. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted May going still, as if her thoughts went somewhere Surya couldn’t quite reach. Come to think of it, she’d been unusually quiet all evening and if he had to guess, the repairs were heavily weighing on her mind.
“I know today was stressful, but I promise - you’re in good hands!” he said. “Uncle Joko is everyone’s go to when it comes to fixing things around town.”
May looked up and blinked hard. “Sorry! Yes, you’re right.”
Surya’s eyebrows furrowed with concern.
“Just tired, that’s all,” she said as if she'd read his mind.
“Hey, no wonder. You must be beat!”, he moved on, deciding not to push. “Let me show you to your room."
“Room? Am I not staying here?”
“Hmm,” he pretended to consider. “I’m afraid the sofa's been reserved.”
May’s eyes narrowed, the corners of her mouth betraying her amusement. Before she could object, Surya was already on his way towards the doorway.
“Come on, this way!”
As they walked across the hallway, Surya suddenly questioned if tidying the room alone was enough.
Would it have been weird to rearrange the furniture too?
Could poor feng-shui choices cost someone a friendship?
Before Surya’s thoughts could spiral any further, they finally reached the bedroom. He opened the door, flicking the light switch and letting her enter first.
Staying behind in the doorway, Surya watched May slowly making her way across the room. He caught her eyes pausing on a framed picture - his graduation. When her lips curled into a smile, he felt a wave of goosebumps rising up. He knew he was right to be worried earlier: turns out the enemy that would drive them apart was hiding in plain sight.
He just hadn’t guessed it to be his old haircut.
“You sure this is ok?” May spoke up with a frown, snapping Surya back to reality. “I honestly don't mind sleeping on the sofa, it's your room.”
“Don’t worry! You've had a rough day and it's a bit cozier here,” Surya waved off, leaning on the doorframe. “Honestly, I’d much rather have you in my bed.”
He froze.
“I MEAN -”
“I know what you meant,” May smiled at him, tilting her head, the warm look in her eyes free of any judgment. “That’s very sweet of you, thank you.”
“Cool!” he said a bit too loudly, immediately resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. “Ahem! Yeah. Um. I'll leave you to it?"
Having had his fill of embarrassment, Surya slowly backtracked into the hallway. “Oh!” he remembered, “if you need anything else, just let me know, ok?”
For the second time this evening, it looked like her mind was somewhere else.
“May?”
“Sorry!” she jumped. “Will do! Sleep well, Surya."
Despite the cheerful tone in her voice, May’s smile did not reach her eyes.
With a small wave, Surya exited the room. When he closed the door, right before its edge fully settled into the frame, he could have sworn he saw her shoulders drop. Surya stood facing the door, his palm hovering over the doorknob. He lowered his hand but instantly retrieved it, turning around and heading back to the living room instead. With a frown, he spared the door one last glance.
Being fussy was not a quality Surya would have ever ascribed to himself, but every person had their limits. Tonight, he was discovering his too.
The goddamn pull-out sofa.
One would have thought it was impossible to find a bad piece of furniture at a carpenter’s house and, until recently, Surya would have been inclined to agree. However, even the most exquisite looking sofas could be converted into torture devices.
Finding any comfortable position was becoming less and less achievable: the poor excuse for a mattress barely concealed the metal bars underneath, making every toss and turn provoke a mocking screech.
After another round of squeaks and creaks, having exhausted all possible positions, Surya finally settled on laying on his back. Staying as still as humanly possible, he exhaled sharply through his nose and closed his eyes. He was beginning to drift off, when the memory of May's defeated face flashed in his mind. With eyes still shut, Surya quickly shook his head - if she needed space, he had to respect that.
Desperate to get some actual sleep, Surya scrambled for ways to wear his mind out, eventually settling on the obvious activity - recounting names of demersal sea fish.
Common group names only, best not to get too wild.
He sighed. Was he actually a nerd? Not ready to tackle that question just yet, Surya began his mental recital:
- pufferfish, goby, halibut, flounder, snapper, flathead, toadfish...
He paused, corners of his mouth twitching upwards at a pleasant memory:
Back in the lab, during one of their many debriefs turned hang-outs, he once showed May a video of Bocon toadfish. What made them memorable, goofy appearance aside, was the type of sound they emitted, closely resembling the buzzing of a phone. Not realising the noise was coming from the video, May’d spent a good few minutes frantically checking all her pockets. Still oblivious, she’d kept on furiously tapping on her phonescreen, only stopping when Surya’d pointed out the obvious - a situation he definitely wouldn't let her live down.
Stop it! she’d pushed his shoulder in mock offense, trying and failing to look stern, just to give into their shared fit of laughter.
Wait.
The phone.
Surya quickly jumped up, the loud screeching (would it ever stop?) following his motion. Flicking the lamp switch back on, he glanced around the living room and, after flipping the pillows and duvet one last time, he exhaled with a big groan.
It’s in the bedroom.
Surya turned his head towards the dark hallway.
Would anyone call him during the night?
Unlikely.
Could his alarm disturb May’s sleep and ruin her whole day?
Possibly.
Standing in the doorway, he took a glance at the wooden floor, spotting soft hues of light emitting from the bedroom’s door creek. Putting all awkwardness he felt aside, he headed to her rescue.
Surya gave the door a few polite knocks and waited for his cue. Shortly, a hesitant, barely audible voice invited him in.
“Didn't mean to disturb. I think I left my -” Surya was half way through the door, when he spotted May sitting up against the wooden headboard: nose bright pink, eyes puffy, trails of tears still wet on the apples of her cheeks, “-phone.”
Before May could attempt to blink her tears away, Surya was already rushing towards the bed.
“I might have lied about being ok.” - she looked up apologetically, still managing a sheepish smile.
“Hey,” Surya slowly kneeled down, propping up his chin and elbows on the edge of the mattress.
May wiped her cheeks and sniffed. “Sorry, I’m not normally like this.”
“You don’t have to apologise, silly,” he said softly, giving her shoulder a gentle poke. “What’s on your mind?"
May pouted and scooted to the side, lifting the edge of the blanket in an invitation. Catching his cue, Surya leaned on the mattress and stood up, the warmth beneath the fabric enveloping his legs once he joined her.
Now sitting next to her, he gave her a warm look, patiently waiting for her to speak.
And so she told him:
The oil spill disaster had driven away most of Starlet town’s tourists, leaving its days of prosperity far behind. Luckily, the farm seemed to be thriving, and with that, it breathed in a new hope.
The Harvest Festival. We could really use a win, Mayor Connor had told her.
So, she’d jumped into the opportunity head first, just like she always did. Coral Island was now her home and for its people, she would go above and beyond. But, the days had been flying by, making her confidence slowly turn into doubt. Getting a win meant presenting only the best, and with so many other tasks at hand, her best was shaping up to be like someone else’s worst.
She’d tried to persevere and keep her head up high, staying positive for the folk who still needed her help. The lab, the museum, the requests - nothing could be left out. The power outage was the last straw.
“What if I helped you?”
May’s eyes widened.
“I might not know anything about farming, but you’re always there for other people,” Surya continued. “Let me be the one you can rely on too.”
And he meant it, for her, he would try his very best.
He offered May to handle extra diving shifts, he offered her to help with the deliveries, he offered her to help with upgrades on the farm - whatever it took, they’d get that display done. The work was hard, but it was worth a shot, and if all fails - they’d try again next time.
May suddenly looked lighter.
“Thank you,” she said, squeezing his shoulder.
“I mean it. No matter what happens, everyone will still be proud.”
Her usual spark found its way back into her eyes, so he decided: they deserved to always shine.
They sat in comfortable silence, and just as Surya was about to offer to call it a night and resign back to the living room, May spoke up:
“By the way, you sure you want to sleep on that sofa?” she asked, playfully raising her eyebrow. “Sounded like it’s going to fall apart any second.”
He snorted. “You heard?”
“It was very hard to focus on my spiraling with all that screeching.”
“If I knew it was distracting you from being so down on yourself, I would have been less subtle with practicing my rolls,” he gave her shoulder a quick nudge.
“Your rolls? What are you, an armadillo?” she nudged back.
“Hey, don’t underestimate the power of a roll! You never know when you might need it to dodge or attack.“
“Sure. And in that scenario, would the mattress be already rolled out for you beforehand? Or would they wait for you to bring one out?”
“My shirt would have foam padding?”
May shook her head in disbelief, her laughter filling up the room and at that, Surya felt like he’d won a prize.
“But seriously…” May continued. “There’s enough space for both of us.”
She suddenly looked down at the blanket, and if Surya didn’t know any better, he would have thought she was feeling nervous.
“If you want to, that is,” she added hastily.
Something shifted.
Reading into this invitation wasn’t smart, that much he knew. But his brain was his brain, and before he could stop himself, the thinking gears were already set in motion.
May was always thoughtful, it’s one of the first things that he had noticed about her. Back when she’d just moved into town, she’d always been the one to start their conversations. In the past, he might have had some apprehensions. After all, new connections weren’t easy.
But, on Coral Island, where steps felt lighter and things came sharply into focus, he’d tried to be brave. And now, he had a friend - a person with a beautiful, giving heart; the one he hoped to equally give back to.
Still, May’s kindness extended to many people in the town, not just to him - a fact that no amount of bravery could change.
“Stay?” she murmured softly.
Anyone could have been in his place.
Only one reply could follow.
“Ok.”
May slowly leaned towards the nightstand and gently flicked the switch, letting the darkness replace the dim light of the lamp. With only moonlight shining through the clouds and sheer window curtains, they both lay in silence, side by side, facing the ceiling. The tapping sound of the leftover raindrops echoed through the room - a welcome disguise for the rapid drumming of his heart.
“Surya?”
Still laying on his back, he slowly turned his head, finding May’s eyes already locked on him. Even with this little light, Surya could still make out her features. He felt his face grow warm.
“It might be weird to say but uh,” May trailed off, her voice barely above a whisper, “you smell nice.”
She paused and leaned in closer. He swallowed, unable to look away from a loose strand of her hair. His fingers flinched and everything went still.
Then, she smiled.
“I might steal your shampoo,” May teased, turning her head away.
The air got light and Surya couldn’t help but chuckle.
“And there I thought you would be stealing our silverware instead.”
“Who said I can’t do both?”
They lay together shoulder to shoulder, conversation flowing easily without a hitch. They spoke about everything: from favourite films and dream destinations, to embarrassing school memories and pointless would you rathers. Surya found himself oddly at ease, each accidental brush of feet leaving him with nothing but calm and comfort. Everything felt right - that’s how it was always meant to be.
“I’m glad I moved here.”
He smiled. “Me too.”
“Life in the city… it was different. Who knows, you might have never noticed me if we passed each other there.”
He couldn’t have disagreed more.
The more they spoke, the more yawns started sneaking their way into May’s sentences. Dismissing Surya’s concerns and stubbornly insisting she wasn’t tired, May kept on chatting, the gaps between her replies growing wider with each passing minute. Eventually, the room went quiet.
“May?”
He turned his head and looked over: at least in her sleep, May’s worries would be kept at bay. Smiling to himself, Surya carefully moved his hands, grabbing the seam of the blanket and pulling it gently over her shoulders. He was about to roll-over to the side, when a sudden wave of warmth brushed against him.
…
Surya lay still, with only bird calls reaching him through the thick glass of his window. Desperate to get some sleep, he scrambled for ways to wear his mind out:
Sunfish, oarfish, mahi-mahi -
He tried not to focus on the way she clung to his arm, her chin resting delicately on his shoulder.
Mackerel, pompano, hogfish -
He tried not to focus on how peaceful she looked, lips slightly parted, her steady breaths causing the shivers on his skin.
Damselfish, mullet, barracuda-
He tried not to focus on the scent of her hair, the fruity notes already threatening to linger in his memory.
Marlin, tuna, lanternfish -
He tried to tell himself she was his friend.