The next day, Daffa arrived at school earlier than usual. Not because he had an assignment to turn in or wanted to avoid the traffic, but because there was one thing that had been bothering him since yesterday afternoon.
Calista.
That name had suddenly popped into his head several times for no clear reason. Even Daffa found it strange. Usually, he didn't care much about new people, especially someone he'd met for only a few minutes on a rooftop. But his brief conversation with Calista had felt different.
“Why are you sitting there grinning to yourself?” Aldi asked when he saw Daffa sitting at his desk.
Daffa, who had been opening his book, stopped immediately.
“I’m not grinning.”
Aldi pulled out a chair and sat beside him. “Don’t lie. Your face has looked weird all morning.”
“My face always looks like this.”
“No, it doesn’t. Usually, you look like someone who just lost his wallet.”
Daffa closed his book. “You’re being dramatic.”
Aldi chuckled. “Seriously, what’s going on?”
Daffa was silent for a moment. He actually wanted to tell Aldi, but it felt too soon to bring up Calista right away. Especially since Aldi was notorious for never being able to contain his curiosity.
“I met a new student yesterday.”
Aldi immediately leaned closer.
“A new student? A guy or a girl?”
Daffa gave him a bored look.
“Why is that your first question?”
“Because whenever you talk about someone new, there’s always something going on.”
“There’s nothing going on.”
“What’s her name?”
Daffa fell silent.
Aldi immediately pointed at his face.
“See? That means there’s something going on.”
“Her name is Calista.”
Aldi broke into a wide grin.
“Wow. Her name alone already has you acting different.”
“Oh, come on.”
“So where did you meet her?”
“On the Rooftop.”
Aldi’s expression changed.
“The Rooftop you’ve been using to escape from the world?”
“Don’t be dramatic.”
“I know you, Daffa. You never bring anyone up there.”
“I didn’t bring her. She came on her own.”
Aldi nodded slowly. “Interesting.”
“It’s not interesting.”
“If it’s not interesting, why have you been talking about her this whole time?”
Daffa didn’t answer.
Aldi’s words left him quiet. He didn't know why his thoughts kept returning so easily to what had happened yesterday. Maybe because the Rooftop had always been a place for him to be alone, and then suddenly someone had come along and made the place feel different.
The bell rang before their conversation could continue. Aldi quickly returned to his seat while Daffa tried to focus on the lesson.
But a few minutes later, his eyes accidentally drifted toward the classroom door.
A girl was standing there with the homeroom teacher.
Daffa recognized her immediately.
Calista.
“Class, we have a new student joining us today,” their teacher said.
Calista stood at the front of the room with a small smile.
“Hi, my name is Calista Azzahra. I transferred here from my previous school. I hope you’ll help me while I study here.”
Several students immediately began whispering. Some were talking about her looks, while others were curious about why she had transferred.
Daffa just stayed quiet.
He hadn't expected the girl he'd met only yesterday to attend the same school.
The teacher pointed to an empty desk.
“Calista, you can sit over there.”
Daffa looked toward the spot she indicated.
The desk wasn't far from his.
Calista walked toward her seat. As she passed Daffa’s desk, she stopped for a moment.
“Morning, Daffa.”
Daffa was slightly startled.
“Morning.”
Calista smiled and sat down.
Aldi, who had witnessed the whole thing, immediately turned toward Daffa with a look full of questions.
“I’ll explain later,” Daffa whispered.
“Of course you will,” Aldi whispered back with a grin.
Throughout the lesson, Daffa heard Calista asking the classmate beside her several questions about the school. She seemed to adapt easily, unlike Daffa, who needed a long time to feel comfortable around other people.
When break time arrived, Daffa decided to go to the cafeteria with Aldi.
But they had barely taken a few steps out of the classroom when someone called his name.
“Daffa.”
He turned around.
Calista stood there holding a water bottle.
“Yeah?”
“Do you usually go to the Rooftop after school?”
The question left Daffa a little confused.
“Why?”
“No reason. I was just curious.”
Daffa slipped his hands into his pants pockets.
“Maybe.”
Calista nodded.
“If you go up there later, can I come with you?”
Daffa was silent for a few seconds.
He wasn't used to sharing that place with anyone else. The Rooftop was his private space—the place where he kept all the thoughts he couldn't tell anyone about.
But for some reason, this time he didn't mind.
“Sure.”
Calista smiled.
“Okay.”
After Calista left, Aldi immediately appeared behind Daffa.
“I heard everything.”
Daffa sighed.
“Were you eavesdropping?”
“Not eavesdropping. My ears just happened to be nearby.”
“That’s a terrible excuse.”
“But it’s true.”
Daffa started walking toward the cafeteria.
Aldi followed him.
“I just want to say one thing.”
“What?”
“Don’t get so caught up thinking about your problems that you forget how to be happy.”
Daffa looked at Aldi.
“Look at you, being wise for once.”
“I can be wise when the situation calls for it.”
“When does that usually happen?”
“Rarely.”
Daffa chuckled.
That day felt a little lighter.
Late afternoon settled in. After all his school activities were over, Daffa headed to the Rooftop as usual. But this time, his steps felt different. He wasn't going there to escape from the world.
He was going because someone was waiting for him.
When the Rooftop door opened, Calista was already there. She was sitting in the same chair as yesterday, reading her blue book.
“You’re early,” Calista said.
“I usually come around this time.”
“So now I know your schedule.”
“Don’t tell me you’re planning to follow my schedule every day.”
Calista laughed.
“No. I still have a life.”
Daffa sat in his usual spot.
For a while, they simply watched the sky.
The silence felt comfortable.
“Daffa,” Calista called.
“Hmm?”
“Why do you like this place?”
Daffa looked out at the city.
“Because I can be quiet here.”
“That’s all?”
“Sometimes people need a place that doesn’t ask them anything.”
Calista fell silent.
“What do you mean?”
“Out there, everyone’s always asking questions. Why are you gloomy? Why are you so quiet? Why have you changed? Sometimes I just want to sit without having to explain myself.”
Calista gazed at the sky.
“I understand.”
Daffa looked at her.
“You do?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
Calista held her book tightly.
“Some things are easier to keep inside than to talk about.”
Her answer made Daffa feel as though they had something in common.
Not the same story.
Not the same problems.
But the same feelings.
They both had something they weren't ready to share with the world.
The sun slowly sank.
Orange light once again filled the Rooftop.
Calista opened her book and showed Daffa a page.
“This is my favorite line.”
Daffa read the words on the page.
“Sometimes the best place to find an answer is somewhere that makes us feel at peace.”
Daffa smiled faintly.
“Not bad.”
“Not bad?”
“Yeah.”
“Why not say it’s good?”
“Because I don’t want to say it’s too good and make you big-headed.”
Calista laughed.
For the first time in a long while, Daffa felt that the Rooftop was no longer a place to hide his sadness.
It was beginning to become a space where he could make new memories.
And without realizing it, every sunset they spent together was slowly building a story that would one day become the hardest thing for them to let go.