Night began to creep in, wrapping every corner of the room in a quiet softness. Adiba sat on the edge of the bed, opening the pages of notes Arsenio had handed her that afternoon—the notes that had become her study guide. Yet her gaze seemed fixed on a single point, her thoughts drifting far from every line of writing before her. In the back of her mind, a fleeting image remained: a small sheet of paper she had glimpsed tucked away, only for Arsenio to quickly hide it again as though it had never existed. She had no idea what it contained.
Adiba slowly shook her head, trying to drive away the questions beginning to creep in. “What am I actually thinking about? Calm down, Adiba… Maybe it was just an ordinary note belonging to Nio that had accidentally slipped between the pages of the book. I’m probably reading too much into something simple…”
Before she could refocus her attention, the bedroom door slowly opened. Alya and Zahra stepped inside, bringing with them the remnants of the light conversation they had been sharing outside. Without looking at the book any longer, Adiba quickly closed it tight, as though she wanted to hide the unease that had briefly settled over her as well.
“What are you studying now, Diba?” Alya asked, her voice casual but warm with familiarity.
“Just this… I’m only reviewing the notes we went over this afternoon,” Adiba replied with a faint smile, trying to turn her full attention toward her two friends.
Zahra walked closer, her eyes lighting up the moment she saw the book cover still clasped in Adiba’s hands. “Oh, isn’t that the summary Nio gave you? He really is such a meticulous and thoughtful man. He even puts that much effort into something as small as organizing notes. I’m jealous. I wish someone would prepare an observation summary like that for me,” Zahra said, her eyes drifting toward the ceiling as she suddenly imagined the fantasy.
Before Zahra could add another word, Alya promptly gave the girl’s arm a gentle pinch, making Zahra hold her breath while grinning in amusement.
“Ow, Al… I was just indulging in a little fantasy,” Zahra protested with a bright laugh.
“Then save that fantasy for when you fall asleep. That’s when it can come true however you want,” Alya replied with a teasing smile before turning toward them both. “It’s already late. We should get some rest. We still have assignments and activities waiting for us tomorrow morning.”
Adiba and Zahra exchanged a brief glance, then answered together in obedient voices, “Okay, Al. We understand.”
The lights gradually dimmed, leaving behind a muted glow that watched over the remnants of Adiba’s thoughts about Arsenio, the secret note, and the feelings she was finding increasingly difficult to name.
Time spun like the hands of a clock that never stopped ticking. Days became weeks, weeks passed into months, until the long break awaited by all the college students finally arrived. Arsenio eventually decided to return to his hometown, carrying the longing he had held back for so long for the person he loved most—his mother. The demands of college combined with his heavy work schedule left him barely any free time, especially with the trip home taking nearly three hours by motorcycle. Staying in a boarding house had been the wisest choice, since it was much closer to both campus and his workplace, saving time as well as the energy that was so often completely drained.
At last, he made it through the winding, breezy roads and turned off the engine in the yard of the house that had never changed. The simple yet well-kept building looked peaceful, quiet but still radiating a warmth he would never find anywhere else. Its walls were clean white, and neatly arranged on the porch were pots of jasmine and roses now in bloom. At the front corner hung a wooden welcome sign, complete with a Bible verse that served as his family’s guiding principle. A small teakwood cross hung there as well, a symbol of the faith preserved through generations.
Arsenio knocked softly but firmly. Not long afterward, footsteps slowly approached from inside. Then the door opened, revealing the face he had missed so dearly.
“Nio…?”
The name escaped in a soft whisper accompanied by an incredulous gaze. In the very next moment, Arsenio’s mother spread her arms and embraced her eldest son, whom she had not seen in person for so long, except through her cell phone. Beside her stood a teenage boy who had only recently entered middle school, staring at his brother with shining eyes. Arsenio returned the warm embrace without hesitation, his hand moving gently over his mother’s back as he tried to convey all the longing he had never managed to put into words.
“It’s really me, Mom… Nio’s home,” he said softly, as though unwilling to disturb the happy silence that had just formed.
His mother tightened her grip around her son’s arm, studying his face intently as though she needed to make sure his presence was real and not merely a shadow. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? I would have prepared to welcome you properly.”
Arsenio smiled faintly, little wrinkles appearing at the corners of his eyes. “I wanted to bring you a little surprise, Mom.”
Then he turned toward the teenager who was still standing quietly and casually draped an arm around his younger brother’s shoulders. “Hey, how have you been lately?”
“Good. Everything’s been going smoothly,” Adrian replied with an awkward but friendly smile.
Arsenio gently ruffled his brother’s hair, letting the closeness that distance had interrupted begin to return.
“Come on, let’s go inside first,” his mother said gently as she moved aside to make room.
Arsenio’s steps paused for a moment on the threshold. His eyes swept over the room, which was exactly as he remembered it from two years ago. In the living room, a long wooden table stood neatly arranged. On it lay the family Bible, opened every Sunday, flanked by two church candles and fresh flowers that were always carefully set out. On the wall hung a painting of the Last Supper beside a family photograph that had been there for years. In one corner were several small chairs where they usually prayed together. Nothing seemed to have changed at all, as though time had chosen to stop moving only here, in the place where he had learned about love and hope as a child.
Arsenio sat in the chair where the family usually gathered and exchanged news, taking off his heavy jacket and the backpack that had weighed on his shoulders for so long. His breathing felt lighter as he leaned back for a moment, surrounded by a warmth he had never found while living away from home.
“The trip must have worn you out, Ndo. I’ll get you something to drink,” his mother said, starting to rise.
Arsenio immediately raised a hand slightly, stopping her from getting up. “You don’t have to trouble yourself, Mom. I can get it later.”
Before he could finish, Adrian had already jumped to his feet. “I’ll get it, Mom.”
Without waiting for further approval, the teenager hurried to the kitchen and returned a moment later with a glass of clear water, holding it out to his brother.
“Here.”
“Thanks,” Arsenio replied gently as he accepted the glass. His fingers closed around the cool surface, and he looked at his brother with unmistakable pride. “You’ve gotten so good at helping Mom around the house.”
Adrian nodded slowly with a smile, then chose the seat right beside his brother, as though he did not want to lose a single second of their rare time together.
Their mother looked intently at her eldest son, as though trying to make sure that everything good had accompanied him while he was away. “How are your studies at that college, Ndo? Do you feel comfortable making friends and studying in an environment where most people have a different faith from yours?”
Arsenio tightened his hold on the glass, as though seeking calm in the answer he was about to give. “Everything’s going well, Mom. There haven’t been any significant obstacles or difficulties that made me feel excluded. In fact, I feel comfortable studying and making friends there.”
The woman let out a long breath, then smiled in relief, as though a small burden had suddenly lifted from her heart. “Thank goodness. I hope you’ll always be given the strength to keep your faith and conscience steadfast, wherever your feet may take you.”
“Nio will always try to do that, Mom,” he replied firmly, accompanied by a confident nod.
“Do you have a girlfriend yet?”
Adrian blurted out the question, innocent and guileless, without the slightest hesitation. Arsenio merely gave his younger brother’s sweet question a small smile, while their mother quickly responded in a gentle but firm tone, reminding him not to let the conversation stray too far.
“Instead of worrying about things like that, wouldn’t it be better to focus on your schoolwork first, Rian?”
The teenager immediately slapped his forehead, as though he had just remembered something urgent. “Oh, right. I almost forgot—I still have homework to finish. Well then, Mom, I’m going to my room.”
They both nodded to give him permission. Adrian’s footsteps slowly faded, and the living room fell silent again, leaving only Arsenio and his mother, who now looked at her son with a growing curiosity. Apparently, his earlier question had stayed on her mind.
“Is it really true that there isn’t a girl who’s captured your heart over there, Ndo?” she asked softly.
“Not yet, Mom. I’ve never rushed into a relationship like that,” he answered calmly.
His mother furrowed her brow slightly, not entirely convinced. “Really? There isn’t even one girl who’s caught your interest a little, Ndo?”
Arsenio was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded. “There is, Mom… There’s someone who makes me feel different.”
His mother’s face immediately brightened, her thoughts drifting to the assumption most comforting to her heart. “Oh, so that’s how it is. So there’s a girl at college who shares your faith, someone who’s Christian too, right?”
At that moment, Arsenio felt his breath catch in his throat. He neither answered nor denied it, allowing the words to hang in the air. In his mother’s mind, the person her son liked would surely share their faith and follow the family’s values. But the truth was very different. The girl he carried in his heart was Adiba, a principled Muslim woman whose faith and convictions stood in direct opposition to his own—a significant difference for this family, one they might see as a wall impossible to tear down.
“It’s only admiration and affection, Mom. It doesn’t necessarily mean she feels the same way about me,” he said, trying to divert the conversation and conceal the burden beginning to spread across his chest.
“How could no one like a hardworking, polite, handsome son like mine?” his mother countered gently with a smile. “Most likely, you just haven’t been brave enough to confess what you’re feeling, Ndo.”
Arsenio fell silent again, but this time his thoughts raced much faster. His mother’s words were like a mirror, revealing every obstacle that had not yet appeared but already felt sharp and distant in the future. So many things would stand in their way, so many things he would have to face alone. Yet he also knew that these feelings had taken root so deeply that he could no longer run from or avoid them.
“Enough. You should rest in your room for a while,” his mother said, slowly rising to her feet. “I’ll prepare some food in a little while.”
Arsenio nodded obediently, then walked toward the room where he had once spent so much time thinking about important things. Once inside, he slowly closed the door. Without wasting time, he reached into his backpack and took out his phone. In his messaging app, one name was still neatly saved—the name he always searched for, even though he had never dared send a single word. But this time, his fingers moved closer, as though something had just changed, something that could no longer be held back in silence.
Behind that glowing screen was a message that remained unfinished, and a courage that might only just have begun to grow. But no one knew whether the reply that came would become a bridge connecting them—or an abyss that separated them forever.