"Of all days for it to be a downpour, it just had to be today!" Matthew, a young blond man in his very early twenties, grumbled as he hurried through the streets of New York. He had just moved to the great Empire State just over a week ago, wanting to start a new life off on a clean slate. What better place to start than New York City?

Apparently, he could've made a better choice. Despite his short time living in the city, nothing good had happened to him. He popped a tire on his first day to work which made him twenty minutes late, he was given a small cubicle that was literally a five by five foot box of blah, his coworkers already hated him, and someone had taken his lunch he had saved for himself in the lounge refrigerator, which lead to a very unsatisfying bag of chips from the vending machine his lunch. And that was only his first day.

Over the course of the last week, though, the biggest problem he had was his stolen car. Granted, it was a piece of crap that he was ready to sell, but it was his only mode of transportation other than the buses and taxis. Now he had no choice. At least there was a bus stop right outside his apartment complex.

This is how Matthew was caught in the pouring rain, running down the streets and praying that he'd catch the bus at the next stop. He had missed his stop because he slept in. Of course, he had no umbrella, either, so he shielded himself the best he could with the newspaper that was carelessly stuck into his mailbox outside of his apartment complex that morning.

He reached the bus stop, but the bus left just as he reached the doors. "No! Hey, w-wait! Stop!"

"Yelling at it ain't gonna stop it, you know," said a voice behind him, mixed with the tapping of the rain hitting plastic.

Matthew turned around, seeing a pair of crossed legs. The owner of the legs was hidden behind an ad for the latest blockbuster movie. He approached the bus station, seeing the young woman behind the poster.

She was blonde with bright blue eyes. Blue as the sky on a summer's day. She looked very casual; she didn't seem like she worked in a cubicle like Matthew did. She had an ear-bud in her ear, which explained why her right foot, clad with a bright red converse shoe, moved to a beat unheard to the male. A deep grey messenger bag sat beside the woman, leaning slightly against her thigh.

Like a fool, Matthew jutted his thumb behind him. "I, uh… Um…" His mind stumbled over unsaid words. He couldn't speak all of a sudden! It was as if the English language had just disappeared like that from his brain!

The woman raised a brow, staring at him for a moment before another bus hissed to a halt in front of the bus stop. "Right… Well, see ya." She then stood, pushing the other ear-bud into her ear and slinging her bag over her shoulder as she boarded the bus.

Matthew stood in total shock as the bus drove away. It took him a moment before he realized that he missed the second bus that could've taken him to work. Yet, he didn't feel upset about it. Actually, he felt… he felt pretty nice.

He ended up calling a taxi and coming in very late to work. His boss gave him a warning, but otherwise didn't punish the employee. The blond went straight to work, catching up on time. However, he'd notice himself pausing once in a while to think about that woman at the bus stop. She was just… beautiful. He wish he would've made at least a short conversation with her, but instead, he had stuttered like a moron before she left.

A frown crossed his face once in a while. That was probably the only time he'd ever see her. The only reason he met her in the first place was because he missed the first stop. Oh, well. He should've guessed that a meeting such as that would be once in a lifetime.

When work ended nearly eight hours later, Matthew picked himself up off his seat and walked to the bus stop down the block from his job. He sat on the bench with his jacket in his lap. The rain had finally stopped, though it left puddles everywhere. Knowing how bad his luck had been lately, he was just waiting for a car to drive by and soak him in dirty street water.

Never did he expect to see a familiar face. "Hey there, Ol' Yeller," a female voice chuckled beside him.

The young man looked up, seeing that blonde from before staring down at him with a grin. "Mind if I sit here?" she asked, adjusting the messenger bag on her shoulder a little.

Matthew hesitated a moment, frozen in disbelief that they had actually met again! "No. I-I mean, yes. Er-… Yeah, you can sit."

She rolled her eyes a little and sat on the bench, keeping a little space between them. She moved her messenger bag onto her lap and sighed, leaning back a little.

Matt bit his lip, staring at the dull puddles on the streets. Should he try and make conversation? Or would it end up like that morning? He sighed quietly; he had to calm down. She was a human being, just like him. It shouldn't be that difficult to make conversation, right?

"… Rain finally cleared up." Well, that was a dumb starter.

The unnamed woman glanced to Matt. "Yeah. Stopped around lunchtime."

He nodded. "Ah."

He wasn't getting anywhere! He had to try harder, say something that would get an actual conversation rolling.

"So… Um… Where do you work?" That was… slightly better.

She turned her head again, this time looking completely at him. "Across the street and down the block." She pointed to a small shop down the street. "I serve tables at that little restaurant."

"Hm. I work in the office over there." He pointed to the tall building that he had came from.

She looked up at the building. "Sounds boring. Sitting in a cubicle all day doing papers and calling people? Blech."

Matt looked down. "It is pretty boring… But it's good pay."

"What good is pay when you can't even enjoy your job? At least I like working at the restaurant."

Before he could say anything else, the bus arrived and stopped in front of them. The woman put her ear buds in and stood, bringing the strap of her messenger bag over her shoulder and heading for the steps.

The male sighed and boarded the bus behind her. She sat in the seat behind the driver; Matthew sat a few rows behind her. She was… different from other girls he had gone out with. They just accepted the facts given to them without questioning or even giving their own opinion. She, however… She seemed independent. He was sure that she had an opinion on just about everything. He kind of liked that.

But if he wanted to, say, meet with her again (on purpose this time), he would have to get her name and number. That shouldn't be too hard, though, right?

His stop came first. He stood once the bus stopped and started getting off. He paused beside the blonde's seat and smiled down at her, tapping her shoulder. She hesitated before taking out an ear bud and looking up at Matthew. "Yeah?"

"I was, uh… wondering if we could go out sometime…?" He felt like an idiot asking, but he had to at least try. Besides, his day seemed to be taking a turn for the better so far.

She stared up at Matthew for a moment, blue eyes seeming to be searching the amethyst. It seemed like forever until she finally responded.

"No."

No? That was it? No reason? No "sorry"? Just… no? Matthew didn't know what to say without sounding like an idiot- or more of one, actually- so he just nodded and got off the bus. He draped his jacket over his shoulder and headed inside. Maybe he'd try again some other time after they talked some more.

—-

A month passes by, and Matthew still hadn't gotten very fair with the beautiful blonde; he had only succeeded in two things. First was finding out her name: Amelia Jones. She told him her name a week after their meeting, at the bus stop down a couple blocks from his apartment. He started going to the other stop so he could see her more. It only required him to get up a few minutes earlier; he didn't mind.

His other success? Falling hopelessly in love with Amelia Jones. Sure, they only spoke before and after work in very short conversations, but he couldn't help it. He fell a little farther each and every day. But every time he tried to ask her out, he was always shot down. He wouldn't give up, though. All he wanted was one date. At least one.

So, he decided to do something a little different.

He remembered Amelia telling him a few days before that she was being moved to the night shift on weekends at the restaurant she worked at, which turned out to be a cheap, local version of a certain non-Italian restaurant chain. So, the next Saturday night, he went out to dinner. Just as she said, she was working that night serving tables. Luck was in his favor once again, for she was the only waitress available to serve his table.

"Well, if it isn't Ol' Yeller," Amelia chuckled.

Matthew smiled, a bit fond of the nickname, honestly. "You're still calling me that?"

She grinned and nodded, flipping open her order book and handing Matthew a menu. "Well, first impressions are always lasting ones. Anyway, what can I get ya tonight? Would you like to hear about our specials?"

The male shook his head, holding his hand up and refusing the menu.. "No, thank you. I'll just have a salad with ranch sauce, please."

"M'kay. And a drink?"

"Water's fine."

Amelia finished writing his order before tearing out the paper. "Alright. Be back with your water."

She was only gone for about a minute before she returned, setting the glass down in front of Matthew. "So, is there anything else I can do for you, Ol' Yeller?" she asked.

He took a sip of his water and took a deep breath before speaking. "I just want to have dinner… And ask you out again."

She groaned and rolled her eyes. "Matt, come on. I've already said no a billion times!"

"Please? I'll do anything! I'm only asking for one date, okay? I swear, I'll do anything for you!"

Blue eyes blinked. "Anything, huh?" She turned toward the window Matt sat in front of, looking up at the night sky above the apartments and skyscrapers. "Well… Okay. But on one condition."

Matthew smiled brightly and nodded. "S-Sure! What's the condition."

There was a short silence between them, the sound of murmuring customers and clinking glasses filling the gap. He watched, waiting and curious. She stood, hesitating and thinking.

It felt like hours before she spoke. "… Bring me the moon."

Matthew blinked in surprise. "What?"

Amelia nodded. "You heard me. The moon. Bring me the moon, and I'll go on one date with you." And without another word, she went back to the kitchen.

Matt stared after her. The moon? Of all things she could've asked for, she asked for the moon? How was he supposed to do that?

Amelia returned moments later with his salad, setting it in front of him and leaving without a word.

Matthew poked at his salad for the majority of the night, deep in though and confusion. How would he get her the moon? Was it even possible? More importantly, why did she want the moon? Of all the things she could've asked for, she asked for a giant ball of rock that circled the Earth. Why couldn't it be a diamond necklace or a trip to some exotic island? At least he would eventually be able to get those for her. But the moon?!

Nearly an hour passed before he felt a tap on his shoulder. "We're gonna be closing up soon, Ol' Yeller," said Amelia softly. "You want a box?"

Matt shook his head and sighed; he had only eaten half of his salad. "No, I'm good. Thanks, anyway." He looked at the bill she had left on the table and pulled out his wallet. The bill was only about five dollars, but he left a ten for her and left without even attempting to find her and say goodbye.

He returned to his apartment, flopping on the couch and turning on the TV. He ran a hand through his hair as he flipped through the channels. "Maybe she thought it'd get my hopes up," he mumbled to himself. "It's gotta be impossible, though."

None of the channels he watched seemed to catch his attention, so he settled on some arts and crafts channel. Well, an art show, anyway. He watched as a man with a bit of an Afro painted a beautiful lakeside scene with majestic mountains in the background. "Jesus," Matt breathed under his breath, staring at the in-progress painting in awe.

"We don't make mistakes. We just have happy accidents." The man graciously moved the brush across the canvas. He seemed very optimistic, and almost reminded the blonde of the hippies he had seen in movies. The show seemed old; the video quality wasn't that great and there was nothing special added to it. It was simply a man painting in a plain black room. Nothing else. It was relaxing, though. Very relaxing.

"Maybe I could paint her the moon?" Matthew said, thinking out loud. "No… I can't paint for the life of me. But what else can I do?"

As if on queue, the man spoke again as he added more depth to his mountains. "The secret to doing anything is believing that you can do it. Anything that you believe you can do strong enough, you can do. Anything. As long as you believe."

Matthew thought as the painter continued his brush strokes and calm conversation. "Maybe I will paint her the moon," he murmured, "but I'll have to learn how to actually paint…" He hesitated a moment before nodding, a grin growing on his lips. "I can do it. I'll give Amelia the moon!"

—-

Two months passed since he saw the show. Matthew had signed up for painting classes at the local rec center, and had attended every one of them since. Three times a week; Monday, Wednesday, Friday. After about a month into it, he bought his own art supplies and started practicing in his flat. He began watching the painting show online once in a while, which he had discovered was The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross.

Matthew remembered the words the painter told him the day Amelia had made her request. "Anything that you believe you can do strong enough, you can do." He just had to be confident and keep trying.

Finally, the blond started working on the moon. It had to be perfect for her. Every line, every color, everything. He printed off dozens of pictures of the moon, hanging them on the wall behind his canvas for constant reference. However, he was displeased with his project on more than one occasion, and ended up starting anew multiple times. One moon was too big, another was too small. The lines were crooked on his fourth one. His fifth got a black smudge right in the middle. With all his supplies and restarts, though, money was starting to get tight. The male knew he had to slow down and do this carefully.

Finally, on his seventh try, he completed the painting. It was a glorious image of the glowing moon. It was perfectly round, extremely detailed, and complemented wonderfully with the space and stars around it's faint glowing light.

It was perfect. Just as perfect as the real thing.

He let the paint settle and dry overnight. He hurried out the door as usual the next morning, taking a moment to smile at his artwork before shutting the door behind him.

Just as he had done for the past three months, he ran down the few extra blocks to meet Amelia at the next bus station. Sure enough, she was sitting on the bench, listening to her music and tapping her foot on the ground, messenger bag on her lap. In her hand, a baggie with dry cereal that she was eating.

"Running a little late?" he asked with a smile, sitting next to the young blonde.

Amelia nodded, pulling her earbuds out completely and letting them rest over her shoulders. "Yeah. Didn't have time to sit and eat my cereal because I slept in. I had a hard time sleeping because I'm so excited about the new planetarium in town. It's opening today, and I want to make sure I get in there!" The excitement in her voice reminded Matthew of a small child. "I heard it's gonna be really packed."

Matt nodded. "Well, I hope you get in. You'll get to see the moon twice today!" He flashed a bright smile toward the young blonde.

"Twice…?" It took her a moment before she remembered. "Wait, you didn't really-?"

The male nodded. "I got the moon just for you. Sorry it took me so long, but I-"

The bus hissed to a stop in front of them, interrupting Matthew. Amelia shook her head and quickly stood, rushing onto the bus and taking a seat. Matt followed behind at a slower pace. When he boarded, she already had her ear buds in and was staring out the window. He would have sat next to her, but she set her messenger bag next to her.

Matt frowned slightly and sat a few rows behind her. Did he do something wrong? Maybe she had changed her mind and didn't want the moon anymore? He bit his lip as worse thoughts came to him. What if this was all a big joke? All that work… for nothing?

He stared down at his lap during the ride to work. When his stop arrived, he silently got off after Amelia, pausing for only a moment to look over his shoulder. She was moving quickly as she crossed the street. A sigh left his lips as he shook his head, Maybe it was just a joke.

That thought broke a little piece of him inside.

The work day seemed to fly by due to his hurt that day. Maybe it was for the best, he thought. Maybe we were just never meant to be.

He clocked out at the same time he usually did and boarded the bus, riding home. He noticed that Amelia wasn't riding. Had she gone out of her way just to avoid seeing him? He wouldn't doubt it now.

He got home, kicked off his uncomfortable shoes, and flopped on the couch, turning on the TV. The news was on, showing clips taken at the new planetarium that she had mentioned that morning.

Seems the whole town's come to see the planets, said the interviewee. Might have to stay open late tonight so everyone gets a chance to pop in.

The corners of Matthew's lips curled up just slightly. "Well… At least she'll be getting the moon," he sighed. "… Maybe I'll stop in later, though."

He glanced over to his painting of the moon. His gift to the woman he tried so hard for. He stood and walked over to the painting, smiling a little more. "Maybe I should try painting for a living," he chuckled, joking with himself. "But I think this deserves a frame…"

Matthew checked his wallet. Twenty bucks should be more than enough for a decent frame. He quickly took measurements of his canvas before pulling on comfier shoes and heading out again.

He walked down to the local craft store, roaming the aisles a bit. After picking a simple 30x40 frame, he also picked up some more paints and another, smaller canvas. He paid for his items and started walking home.

Instead of the route straight home, he thought he'd stop by the planetarium really quick to take a peak at some of the exhibits. Matthew glanced down at his watch. Time had flown, and it was almost eight. "Jesus, I didn't think I was in there for so long," he murmured to himself, looking up and noticing the darkened sky. "Just a quick visit, though."

He crossed the street, looking up the directions to the planetarium on his phone. In just five minutes, he arrived. The lights were still on, so he assumed that it was still open.

Pushing open the door, he found that the planetarium was completely empty. The only sound he heard was the door opening and the faint buzzing sound of numerous devices working. He was greeted by a large model of the Earth, rotating slowly above the ground at an angle. "Whoa…"

He continued forward, seeing the stands that surrounded the oversized globe with numerous facts about Earth's atmosphere, what it was composed of, and so on. He explored other exhibits as well. He saw Jupiter, Mars, Venus, even Pluto (despite it's removal from the main list of planets).

An older man with a nametag reading "George" on it stopped Matthew as he left the exhibit for Uranus. "Excuse me, sir, but we'll be closing in about ten minutes."

Matthew nodded. "Okay. I won't be long. I just have to see the moon really quick. Could you point me in the right direction?"

George nodded and turned a bit. "Head back to Earth, then go down the hall to the immediate left of the main doors. Thanks for stoppin' by."

The male waved to the kind employee and followed his directions, taking the said hall to see the moon.

He turned a corner and looked up, seeing that the ceiling had been adorned with stars, their constellations mixed in subtly. "Wow," he breathed absentmindedly.

He heard the click of a heel against the hardwood floor, then his name. "Matt?"

He blinked and looked in the direction of the voice. "… Amelia?"

She stood in surprise and slight embarrassment, staring at him. She was still in her work outfit, explaining the low heels. "What are you doin' here?"

"I should ask the same." He approached her cautiously, hoping he wasn't bothering her.

She shrugged, looking down a bit. "I told ya I wanted to see the planetarium. One of my coworkers was having some issues, though, so I had to work a few extras hours until she came in. I'm lucky this place is still open." Amelia turned back toward the model of the moon that hung from the ceiling. Like the Earth in the main lobby, the moon was quite large, and had a few signs with facts surrounding it. The blonde leaned against the railing that kept visitors from getting too close to the model.

Matt set his materials down on the floor beside him and leaned against the railing, as well. "Well… I'm glad you got in."

Amelia raised a brow and tried to glance around him. "Whatcha got there?" She asked curiously.

"Hm?" he glanced beside him. "Oh, just some stuff… I took up a new hobby."

"Ah." She nodded and looked back to the model once again. A long silence passed between them as they watched the model spin. It simulated the glow it gave off from reflecting the sun, making their faces a bit more pale. The strange thing, however, was that the silence did not seem awkward to either of them. They enjoyed it, actually. They weren't sure what it was, but just the other's presence was enough for the time being.

The silence was interrupted by George clearing his throat, making the two jump. "Don't mean to interrupt, but it's closing time."

"Right. Sorry," Amelia said as Matthew picked up his things.

The employee shook his head and lead the two out, holding the door open for them as they left and waving them goodbye.

Just before they went their separate ways, Amelia noticed the frame hanging around Matthew's arm. "What's that for?" she asked.

He looked down to the said frame and blushed just slightly. "It's, uh… for the moon I was supposed to give you."

She stared at the frame for a moment before lifting her gaze to stare Matt in the eyes. "I wanna see it."

He blinked in surprise, violet eyes widening a bit. "Y-You do?"

Amelia nodded with a small smile. "Yeah. I mean, we barely talked for a long time. I'm guessin' you were getting me the moon all that time?"

"Heh… Yeah." He nodded a bit before waving for her to follow. "It's back at my apartment."

She followed beside the male, walking with him to his apartment. He opened the door and stood aside to let her in, following behind her. He set his things on the coffee table in the living room before leading her to his bedroom. He hesitated a moment before opening the door and grabbing the painting he had leaning against the wall. "It's a bit big. Sorry," he said as he handed to her.

Her blue eyes widened as she took it gently into her own hands. "Wow," she said breathlessly. "It's… I-It's…"

The blond shrugged and shoved his hands in his pockets. "I know. It's not a lot, but I hope you like it. I'm not the best artist, so it's probably not as good as-"

"I love it."

"I'm sorry. You don't have to- Wait, what?" Again, she surprised him. "Y-You really do like it?"

Amelia nodded. "Yeah! It's awesome! You really painted this?"

Matthew nodded and moved closer to her to get a better view of his work. "Yup. I mean, I had a bunch of screw ups, but I finally got it right."

"How many were there before this?"

He paused to think. "Um… I think six?"

"Shut up!" Amelia exclaimed. He shook his head. She looked back to the painting. "And… you did all that work… for me?"

"You wanted the moon… What kind of guy would I be if I didn't get you the moon?"

She smiled softly, admiring the work. "I love it, Matt… I really do…" She carefully set it on the floor, leaning it against the wall before turning and hugging the male tightly.

Matthew was caught by surprise from the embrace, but hesitated only a moment before hugging her back. "I'm glad."

She nuzzled into his shoulder a little before pulling away, smiling up at him. Their closeness only lasted another few seconds before she pulled away, though. She picked up the painting again. "Mind if I hang this up at my place?"

"S-Sure! Here, let me frame it for you." Matthew led her back out to the living room and took the painting, placing it in the frame and making sure it was securely in place before handing it back to her.

"Thanks, Matt… Y'know, this… this really mean a lot to me." She looked down at the painting in her arms. "I'll admit that when I asked you to give me the moon, I… I didn't really think you'd try. I thought you'd just give up or even forget about it. I was real surprised when you told me I'd get to see the moon twice this morning. I seriously thought you just gave up."

The older blond shook his head. "I'd never do that."

Amelia blushed slightly and looked up at him, smiling. "I'm glad you didn't…"

They shared another silent moment together. Amelia was the first to break her gaze away, clearing her throat. "Well, I… I should be gettin' home." She started for the door, stopping with her hand on the handle and glancing back to Matthew. "Say… You wanna… maybe… have dinner with me Friday night?"

Matthew nodded, a warm smile on his lips. "I'd like that. Meet you by the moon?"

She laughed and nodded. "Sure. I'll meet ya by the moon at six, Ol' Yeller."