Iting furrowed his brow, his eyebrows slowly lowering as his curiosity began to peak. “So how did it all start? What made you fall for that girl?” he asked, his eyes shining with enthusiasm.
Anggara, who had been sitting back casually, now leaned in too, shifting closer. This felt like a rare moment that couldn’t be missed. In all the time they had been friends, Arsenio had always been the reserved type, never once mentioning a woman or discussing romance. This time, for the first time, their bookworm friend was willing to open up, and Anggara had no intention of missing a single detail.
Arsenio only let out a long sigh, glancing toward the window as though recalling that moment. “Yeah... that’s just how it happened. The feelings simply grew on their own,” he answered briefly, trying to appear casual despite the faint flush he wished he hadn’t noticed.
“What do you mean, that’s how it happened?” Iting wasn’t satisfied and continued pressing him with intense enthusiasm. “Did you accidentally run into each other and collide? Or maybe you saved her life in some dangerous situation? That’s usually how it goes in the novels I read, full of destiny and beautiful coincidences.”
Anggara chuckled softly and nudged Iting’s shoulder with his elbow. “Oh, please. You’re always reading romance novels. No wonder your head is filled with scenarios about love, marriage, and the future. Wake up, this is the real world, not fiction,” he teased with a wide grin.
“Hey, it’s up to me! It’s its own kind of entertainment, and it really helps boost my mood and imagination when I’m bored,” Iting shot back defensively, tilting his chin up with exaggerated confidence.
Hearing their lively yet ridiculous exchange, Arsenio and Anggara could only look at each other before shaking their heads in unison. Iting’s innocent but wildly imaginative behavior always managed to lighten the mood, bringing a faint smile to Arsenio’s usually stiff lips.
Anggara propped his chin up with one hand, staring straight at Arsenio with an inquisitive yet serious look in his eyes. Of the three of them, Arsenio was known for being the most private about his feelings, so every word that left his lips felt precious and special.
“If I may ask one more thing, what was it that truly made your heart settle on Adiba? What made her so special, so different from all the other girls you’ve met?” he asked slowly, as though he wanted to understand every angle of his friend’s thoughts.
Arsenio lowered his head for a moment, his fingers moving slowly along the edge of the notebook lying on the table, as if he were arranging the best words to describe what he felt. There was both hesitation and sincerity in his movements.
“To me, she has something no one else possesses,” he answered quietly but firmly, as though the words had risen from the deepest part of his heart. “She feels so different, so unique, with a charm that’s difficult to explain in words. There’s a sense of peace and warmth I always feel whenever I’m near her, something that makes the world seem simpler and more beautiful.”
Arsenio then lifted his face and looked from one friend to the other before a faint smile formed on his lips. Suddenly, he turned the question around, as if he wanted to share the burden of the curiosity he had kept to himself all this time.
“By the way, you two... have you ever felt the same way? Has your heart ever fluttered because of someone? Or maybe there’s someone occupying your thoughts right now?”
The question hung in the air for a moment, turning the previously relaxed atmosphere into one filled with speculation. Iting, who had been listening enthusiastically, suddenly lit up as though he had received a clue he had been searching for a long time. He immediately pointed at Anggara, his face filled with certainty as if he had just solved a major mystery.
“Let me guess! I think I already know who’s in your heart, Angga,” he declared confidently, scooting closer. “You must have feelings for one of our classmates—a girl everyone talks about, the prettiest among all the girls in our class... Am I right?”
Anggara immediately looked away. He gently nudged Iting’s arm, as if trying to ward off the accusation before it could even be spoken.
“Don’t say things carelessly and make wild guesses like that. Who are you even talking about when you say the prettiest girl? I have no idea, and I don’t think about things like that at all,” he dodged, trying to appear casual.
Iting only grew more excited. He lightly slapped the table as if he had found the undeniable answer. “Who else could it be but Raisa? Everyone knows how stunning she is, and I often see people stealing glances at her during public lectures. I’m right, aren’t I? She has to be the one you like!”
Anggara quickly shook his head, waving his hand through the air as if trying to erase the entire theory. “Don’t start a baseless rumor. I don’t have any feelings for her whatsoever, honestly.”
“If it isn’t Raisa, then who is it?” Arsenio joined in, looking at his friend with just as much curiosity. “It’s time you told us too, Angga. We trust each other, after all.”
Anggara was silent for a moment, his lips pressed tightly together. Then the corners of his mouth slowly lifted into an enigmatic smile that was difficult to interpret. He rested his head on one hand and gazed out the window as though he were looking at something only he could see.
“That... is a secret,” he answered softly, accompanied by a teasing little laugh that left both his friends dying of curiosity.
Iting immediately snorted in annoyance, his face falling as his curiosity only intensified. He pointed at Anggara’s face in a playful threat.
“Ugh, you and your secrets! Just wait. If you keep refusing to talk, I’ll set up a loudspeaker right here so the entire campus can find out which girl you’re hiding,” he threatened, half joking.
Anggara only laughed harder, pleased with himself for getting his friend so worked up. “It’s a secret, so of course it has to stay locked away in my heart. If everyone already knows, then it isn’t a secret anymore,” he replied casually.
“You’re no fun! I’ve been patiently waiting for your answer this whole time,” Iting complained, folding his arms across his chest, his intense curiosity still unsatisfied.
Anggara merely shrugged, then stuck out his tongue slightly in his trademark teasing gesture. “Just enjoy being curious. Think of it as a little seasoning for life. Have fun trying to figure it out, hahaha.”
Iting let out a long sigh, glaring at Anggara as he laughed in triumph. Deep down, his curiosity raged. He promised himself he wouldn’t stop until he discovered who the girl was who had managed to capture his friend’s attention.
The atmosphere, briefly tense with curiosity, instantly loosened at the sound of a carefree laugh escaping Arsenio’s lips. He looked from one friend to the other, his eyes sparkling with amusement at the way they always managed to bring the room to life.
“That really is a rare sight,” Arsenio said. “I never would have expected Angga to get Iting this curious, to the point of completely exhausting his patience. What a rare spectacle.”
Anggara grinned broadly, his eyes narrowing as he held back his overflowing satisfaction. He leaned casually against the wall and folded his arms across his chest, his calm attitude only making him even more infuriating.
“Sometimes it’s necessary, right?” he replied quietly but confidently. “Almost every day, we’re the ones who get made to laugh and entertained by Iting’s antics. It doesn’t seem fair that only Nio and I should be the objects of his amusement. Now it’s his turn to be kept busy by curiosity, so he can experience what it’s like to be dying to know something. Consider it fair payback, just to balance things out between the three of us.”
Hearing that, Iting straightened in his seat, both hands waving rapidly as if he wanted to issue a firm rebuttal. His expression changed instantly, trying to look as serious as possible, though the glimmer of humor was still obvious in his eyes.
“Hey, hey, hold on! Don’t judge us so carelessly,” he cut in quickly, his voice rising slightly while remaining warm and friendly. “Remember this well: behind my humorous, laid-back attitude, I also have a serious side that’s just as impressive. Don’t think I only know how to joke around.”
He paused for a moment, then changed his expression to one of complete confidence. Leaning forward, he looked from one friend to the other with a broad smile.
“Besides, if I wanted to, believe me... finding the best woman to share my life with, to become my beloved wife and the mother of my future children, would be incredibly easy for me,” he said, raising and lowering his eyebrows repeatedly.
“Just look at my appearance and handsome face. I’m practically perfect. You could say I’m devastatingly handsome. Don’t you agree? I’m right, aren’t I?” he added with a hearty laugh, his round, curly hair bouncing along with him.
Arsenio and Anggara exchanged a brief glance, then both formed faint smiles that conveyed equal parts agreement and amusement. They slowly nodded, simply going along with their friend’s words. To them, Iting’s unique, endlessly surprising behavior was the most beautiful color in their friendship—something they would never want to lose.
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