-chapter three-
-present day-
Adya sits in the restaurant and playing with the leftover of her alfredo sauce. She keeps glancing at her watch
“Is it any good?” the voice from across the table chimes in. It wakes Adya’s train of thoughts, and making her realizes that she is on a date, the one that was set up by her cousin. She couldn’t say now, for the simple fact that she rarely say no. The other fact was she is almost on her mid-thirty and still single. A big no-no in Indonesia.
Adya gives the guy a polite smile and shrugs, “It’s okay.”
“Tika told me you’re an announcer.”
“Ex announcer,” she points out, “I used to do that before. But I quit when I got the school.”
“Ow, okay, you must meet a lot of celebrities.”
She lets out a polite chuckle, “Back in the days,” she says.
“That’s really cool!” he says.
Adya, still on her polite mode, smiles. It was a generic questions and response. She gazed to the rain outside, she smiles, rain always brought smiles to her face.
-sometime last year-
Adya just wrapped up a session for her assistantship for Geography of Asian Cities. She was packing up her stuff when she felt a shadow in front of her. She looked up and surprised, it was a face she wanted to see in a while. It has been a week since their ‘drink date’ and he couldn’t make it to lunch the next day because of there was a change in his schedule. They talked almost everyday of the week, sometimes he called her late at night, which she didn’t mind, at least he made the effort. But he hadn’t told her that he was coming that day.
“I have a nagging question about the cities in Thailand,” he said to her.
Adya laughed, “What is it?”
“Which ones are designed for a getaway?”
“I’d say the northern cities, they’re really secluded, and the landscapes are just amazing.”
“If say, I’d take a girl there for a second date, would things go my way?”
“If your date is a geeky Geography TA you might be in luck.”
He chuckled, “Hey you.”
“Hey, what you’re doing here?”
“Taking you out to lunch, I’m off today, so I figured I’d spend it with you, if you have nothing else to do that is.”
Adya smiled. Her heart felt light, she couldn’t believe he was there. “How do you know where to find me?”
“I’d always find you.”
She gave him a look for the corny respond.
He laughed, “And the man downstairs told me this is where I’d find you.”
She smiled, “Have anyone told you that you’re so frickin’ charming and it’s not healthy.”
“Yes, a lot lately.”
“Good.”
He laughed, “Shall we?”
“Let’s,” she was about to take her backpack, but he snatched it away from her.
“I’ll get that.”
“Charming and chivalrous, deadly combo.”
“Don’t forget hopeless romantic.”
“Ah, right.”
“So where should we go?” he asked her as he held the door for her.
She looked at him, “You want to eat near campus?”
“Why not?”
“You’re sure?”
“Dude, I’ve eaten college food in my college years, they’re not bad.”
She laughed, “Well there is this good Chinese restaurant just down the street, you want to go there?”
“I love Chinese…food I mean.”
Adya rolled her eyes, she was enjoying his corny comments, for some reason, she found it adorable. “Uh huh.” She said and walked down the hall.
He laughed, “What?!”
-present day-
“Ya, Adya, you’re there?” her date’s voice takes over her concentration and brings her to the present.
She looks at him for a second, trying to remember why she was there and who is the guy sitting across to her. She is trying hard to remember his name. “Yeah Dhany….”
“Jimmy,” he corrects her.
“Ow yeah, I’m sorry, Jimmy, what was it that you’re saying?”
He looks at her in disbelief, “You’re obviously not in here.”
She choses not respond.
“God, this has been a waste of my time isn’t it?”
Again, she choses silence.
“Nice knowing you,” he says and leaves. She watches him as he pays the cashier for their dinner. She waits for him to exit the restaurant and then she gets up and leaves the table. When she gets out, the rain had been pouring really hard. She’s waiting for the kids with rented umbrella for a while, but there is none. She looks up the sky and lets out a deep breath as she steps in the rain.
-sometime last year-
“You’re right, that was a good Chinese,” Darren said as they finished up their lunch. The lunch had been pleasant, Adya had enjoyed their conversation, and she would glance at him when he’s not looking. He gave her this warm feeling inside her heart, one that she had not feel for a long time. But she was still afraid to the feeling. She had been down this road far too many times, just to end up in the same bed, tears streaming down her eyes, and a couple drunken calls.
“I’m rarely wrong when it comes to food, I have a very good palette.”
“Um, mixing grilled cheese sandwich with chocolate milkshake?”
“Ow shut up.”
He laughed, “Shall we get out of here?”
“Yeah, let’s.”
They got up and when they got to the door he stopped.
“It’s raining,” he said.
“No shit.”
“You packed an umbrella inside this bag?” he asked her. Her backpack is a huge backpack, filled with lots of things, but umbrella was not one of the things. She hated umbrella for some reason, and had never carried one in more than ten years.
Every time someone asked her if she had an umbrella ready she would responded, “I don’t carry one around, I have a reputation to maintain.”
He scoffed, “That is….”
She stopped and trying to find a comeback. No one really ever asked her what kind of reputation that she had to maintain. They would just assume. “Um…the girl who isn’t afraid of getting wet.” She realized that it sounded like something else entirely out of context.
“Er…”
“Ow come on Darren, it’s just water.”
“My car is parked three blocks from here.”
“Come on it’s fun,” she said as she opened the door.
“Your stuff??”
“My bag’s waterproof,” she said as she came out to the rain, “why do you think I carry a backpack instead of girl bag?”
He shook his head.
“Come on!”
He rolled his eyes, as if he can’t believe what he was about to do. She laughed at him, waiting for him in the rain, and he came out and they started running and laughing. She played with the puddle, she splashed him good in his face.
“Oh now you’re calling for a war!” he said and chased her. They ran to Darren’s car and then drove off to her place.
“Gosh, I’m like soaking wet,” Darren said when they arrived on her apartment complex. “And not in a good way,” he said as she opened the door.
“Ow come on, it was fun!” she said and they came inside, “Let’s find something for you…” she stopped at midsentence as he grabbed her waist and they face each other.
He looked intently to her eyes for a minute, and then he leaned in to kiss her. He had caught her off guard, a typical him. She was surprised at first, but she returned his kiss. The kiss got deeper and deeper, and they began removing the wet clothes.
“Bed?” he said in between kisses. She nodded and pointed to the bedroom. He carried her without breaking the kiss, and shut the door behind them.
-present day-
Adya arrives at her home, soaking wet. She parks her car, and walks into her house. Her house is so quiet, even the refrigerator is not making any noise. She puts her bag down, takes off her glasses, her watch, and the bracelet she’s wearing. She begins to remove her coat and leaves it on the floor. She is about to walk into the bathroom when she stops and breaks down. She cries on the floor for a long time. She reaches her bag and scrolls down for a number. She waits as it connects her to the other side of the world.
“Hello,” she hears a voice on the other line.
“Estelle, it’s me,” she says in between sobs.
“Adya, what’s wrong?” Estelle seems to always know instantly how she was.
“I miss him Estelle, God I really miss him,” she says and starts to sob.
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