Ding!
A notification appeared on Adiba’s phone. The sender’s name was unmistakable: Arsenio.
“Are you free tomorrow?” he wrote.
Adiba didn’t take long to reply. “Yes, I’m free tomorrow. Is something wrong, Nio?”
“I’d like to show you something. I think it’s exactly what you need.”
Adiba narrowed her eyes and read the message over and over, as if she couldn’t believe it. Is this really an invitation from Arsenio? she wondered, her heart pounding erratically.
Before she could think any further, another message appeared. “So? Can you make it?”
Adiba took a brief breath before typing her reply. “Hmm… sure. But don’t take me anywhere too far, okay?”
“Don’t worry. I understand.”
Adiba replied with nothing but a period, then slowly set her phone down. She dropped onto her bed and stared at the ceiling, hiding a smile she couldn’t hold back. Without realizing it, her two roommates had been quietly watching her from behind the door.
“Well, well, well…”
The voice made Adiba jump. “Astaghfirullah! Alya, Zahra, you scared me!”
“Scared you? Just look at yourself. You look like you’ve just done something secret and suddenly got caught,” Alya teased with a smile.
Zahra chimed in playfully, “Or did you just catch someone’s attention? Could that message have come from someone special to you?”
A blush immediately spread across Adiba’s cheeks. She tried to lower her head, but the faint smile on her lips refused to disappear, making her friends even more delighted.
“Oh my gosh, Diba. Just look at those cheeks. Anyone who saw them would want to pinch them,” Alya said, holding back a laugh.
“Exactly,” Zahra added. “Especially with those dimples and that little beauty mark. They make you look even sweeter and cuter.”
Without waiting, the two of them gently pinched Adiba’s cheeks and poked at her dimples.
“Ouch, don’t pinch so hard!” Adiba complained, clutching her cheek.
“How can we go easy when you’re this adorable?” Alya replied casually.
“Exactly. Once you start enjoying the sight of them, it’s hard to hold yourself back,” Zahra chimed in.
Adiba shook her head slowly, smiling. “But remember, my cheeks aren’t soft steamed buns. If you want something to pinch, I’ll buy you both some steamed buns later so you can pinch them to your heart’s content.”
The three of them burst into laughter, filling the room and warming the atmosphere that night.
Arsenio was momentarily stunned. He hadn’t expected Adiba to invite her two friends along.
“Oh, you invited them too?” he asked casually, though he was slightly surprised.
“Yes… You don’t mind, do you, Nio?” Adiba answered softly, looking at Arsenio with uncertainty.
“Um, it’s fine,” Arsenio replied, even though deep down he had hoped they could walk together, just the two of them. But seeing how things had turned out, he realized he had no choice but to accept it graciously.
Alya noticed Arsenio’s awkwardness and gave a small laugh before reassuring him. “Relax, Nio. We won’t get in the way. We’ll just follow from a distance so the two of you can talk freely.”
At those words, Adiba’s eyes widened. A blush slowly spread across her cheeks, and her heart began to race. She hadn’t expected Alya to say something so openly, leaving her flustered in an instant.
Arsenio merely gave a faint smile at his classmate’s teasing. Then he turned his attention to Adiba, who stood frozen, clearly overwhelmed by both embarrassment and nervousness. Hoping to ease the growing awkwardness, Arsenio spoke again.
“All right, then. Come on. I want to show you something that might be useful for you, Diba. Let’s go ahead.”
Adiba nodded slowly in agreement. The two of them walked side by side along the broad, shady pedestrian path, a place people often visited for leisurely strolls and fresh air. Behind them, Alya and Zahra followed at a safe distance, occasionally exchanging meaningful glances as they struggled to hold back their smiles.
They walked slowly along the path beneath the lush rain trees. The fading sunlight filtered through gaps in the leaves, forming shifting patches of light that moved with the breeze. The rustling leaves and birdsong created a soothing backdrop, making the atmosphere feel more intimate even though a respectful distance still remained between them.
Arsenio led the way, occasionally stealing a glance at Adiba walking beside him. He seemed to be searching for the right words, unwilling to let his invitation feel ordinary.
“You’re probably wondering why I chose this place instead of a reading room or a bookstore like usual,” he said, opening the conversation. His voice was calm, yet carried a desire to share something with her.
Adiba nodded slowly, glancing around with curiosity. “I did wonder about that. But this place feels so peaceful—much quieter than the hustle and bustle around campus.”
“Exactly,” Arsenio replied with a faint smile. “What I want to show you isn’t an inanimate object or a textbook. It’s a perspective you may not have had the chance to notice before. As college students, we often get trapped in routines, chasing grades and targets until we forget to observe the little things that can actually teach us so much.”
A few steps later, they reached a simple wooden bridge stretching over a small, clear stream. On the other side stood rows of medicinal plants and wildflowers, neatly tended as though someone was caring for them in secret.
“Here we are,” Arsenio said, stopping. “I found this place a while ago. Beneath its simplicity, every plant here has a purpose and usefulness no less important than the knowledge we study in the lecture hall. You’re working on a paper about local wisdom and the use of natural resources, aren’t you?”
Adiba was stunned, her eyes widening at the realization that Arsenio remembered the small detail she had mentioned in passing while working on her paper a few weeks earlier. Her heart beat a little faster, warmth spreading through her chest.
“You remembered that?” she asked, her voice softer than usual.
“I listen carefully whenever you speak,” Arsenio answered honestly, while still maintaining a respectful boundary. “I thought bringing you here would be much more useful than simply lending you written references. Seeing, touching, and experiencing it firsthand will give you a fuller understanding.”
Behind them, Alya and Zahra watched from a distance and exchanged glances, holding back broad smiles. They knew what Arsenio was doing was more than ordinary academic help. It was a subtle way of drawing closer and showing his genuine concern.
Adiba stepped toward the bridge railing and gazed admiringly at the spread of plants below. The afternoon breeze brushed gently against her hair, carrying the refreshing scent of damp earth and flowers.
“Thank you, Nio. This is much better than I imagined,” she said sincerely, turning toward Arsenio with a more open gaze. “You’re right. Sometimes we’re so busy running that we forget to look to the side.”
Arsenio stood beside her, keeping a reasonable distance while still feeling close. “We can take our time. There’s no need to rush. Besides, this journey isn’t only about finding material for your paper. It’s also about seeing how vast the world really is beyond the pages of a book.”
At that very moment, without either of them noticing, the wind carried a dry leaf down between their feet, as though signaling that this meeting was no mere coincidence, but the beginning of a story that had only just started to take shape.
Adiba wrote down everything she heard, one point at a time, occasionally asking thoughtful questions while Arsenio answered patiently and directly. Time seemed to move incredibly slowly, yet somehow just slowly enough, as though the afternoon had deliberately been stretched out so they could absorb everything around them.
When the sky began to turn a soft orange, Arsenio paused.
“We should head back. Evening is closing in, and the road to the gate will be darker if we’re late,” he said calmly.
Adiba quickly closed her notebook and nodded. “You’re right. I learned so many things today that I never would have imagined. Thank you for bringing me here.”
They walked back along the same path, the atmosphere more familiar now while their manners remained polite and restrained. When they reached the gate to the area, Arsenio took a thick sheet of paper from his bag. It had been folded neatly and tucked between the still-intact edges of a dried leaf.
“This is just an additional note I wrote yesterday. There are a few details I may not have had time to explain aloud,” he said, handing it to her casually. “Read it once you’re back in your room so you can focus on understanding it.”
Adiba accepted it carefully and tucked it between the pages of her notebook. “All right, I’ll read it later. Thank you again for your help.”
Arsenio merely smiled faintly, then looked toward Alya and Zahra, who were already waiting a little farther ahead. “You’re welcome. I hope it helps with your assignment.”
They continued the journey home together. Along the way, their conversation stayed focused on light topics about campus activities and the surrounding area, never venturing beyond the boundaries of the new closeness between them.
But when Adiba stole a glance at Arsenio beside her, one thing made her wonder. When he handed her the note, his eyes had lingered on her for a moment, as though there were something he wanted to say but ultimately left unspoken. And when she touched the folded paper, she had the feeling that there was writing added along the edge, hidden from view.
Did it contain nothing more than scientific information, or had he added a little sentence as a sign that their afternoon together had been more than an ordinary meeting? Adiba decided not to open it yet, holding her curiosity at bay until she was truly alone that night.
Note: Readers… Be sure to check out the author’s second novel, titled The Page Yet to Be Opened 👏