“These are my first cookies. Try them.” The memory echoed through Naro’s mind once more—the first time the girl who had captured his attention gave him a box of cookies. Back then, they were still college students in their third semester. Even the slightest eye contact made their hearts pound with a strange, powerful flutter.
“You made them? By yourself?” Naro narrowed his eyes suspiciously. He knew Naiva was the type of girl who prioritized logic over being hopelessly lovestruck. Believe that she had made them herself? Hmm, that seemed unlikely.
“Of course. You don’t believe me?” Naiva narrowed her eyes right back.
“It’s not that I don’t believe you. I just really don’t believe you,” Naro replied, immediately earning a sheepish grin from Naiva, like someone who had just been caught red-handed.
“You really know me so well, Naro,” she said between laughs. “But I did keep Mbak Min company while she was making them. I shaped some of them, too. So, yeah… it’s basically the same, right? I helped out, too,” she continued, unwilling to give in.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. You helped. But you mostly just watched, right?”
Then they both burst out laughing, making fun of the ridiculous excuse Naiva had offered in Naro’s eyes. Still, he appreciated the gesture, accepting the cookies and eating them happily. From that moment on, he began to love those cookies.
Without realizing it, Naro smiled as he remembered it all. It had been such a sweet beginning to their love story. And now, everything returned to his memory as he stared at the clear jar Sofia had brought him earlier. The longing that had briefly fallen asleep in his heart suddenly awoke and took over his entire mind.
“Naiva. What is she doing right now?” he murmured. It had been almost a week since he’d heard his sweetheart’s voice. Their messages had consisted almost entirely of how much they missed each other.
No longer able to hold back, Naro reached for his phone on the nightstand not far from his desk. His fingers moved nimbly as he found Naiva’s contact number—the one he had only been able to stare at for the past few days. Yes, holding back his longing was incredibly difficult. That was why he had chosen to keep in touch through messages. But tonight seemed different. Naro, usually patient and inclined to keep himself under control, could no longer contain the surge of longing in his heart.
The call connected. Before it had even rung twice, the owner of the number answered Naro’s call.
“Six days, eighteen hours, ten minutes, and forty-three seconds. I never thought you could be this cruel to me. Yes, it’s only been six days, but to me, it feels like six years since I last heard your voice. You’re awful, Naro!” Naiva rattled off instead of greeting her boyfriend sweetly.
“But I’ve still been keeping in touch with you through messages, sweetheart,” the man replied with a broad smile. He understood Naiva’s personality very well. She seemed tough, but she was actually gentle and caring.
“Then how is that any different from calling? It’s obviously better because I can hear your voice directly, right?” Naiva refused to back down, stubbornly defending her point.
“Yeah, it is different. But that just makes me even crazier.”
“Why crazy?”
“Do you know how hard I’ve been suppressing how much I miss you, Nai? If I heard your voice often, do you think I’d still be strong enough not to run straight to you?”
“Oh, really? Hmm… I don’t think so. I thought you were an extremely logical man who wasn’t ruled by his feelings. And this whole missing me thing… I’m sure it’s just your way of making me feel a little better. Right?”
“Don’t provoke me, Nai,” Naro said, pretending to remain calm. In reality, his heart was pounding as he struggled to contain his desire to see her.
“No, I’m not provoking you. I’m just telling you the truth—what I think about your claims of missing me. And as far as I’m concerned, you weren’t serious at all when you said that just now. You said you were crazy? Ha-ha, that sounds hilarious. It makes me want to laugh.”
“Nai, come on. Don’t make me do something absurd tonight.”
“What kind of absurd thing could you possibly do, young master?” Naiva challenged him. She was certain Naro wasn’t the kind of man who would simply obey his heart’s desires.
“Nai, you know what? To me, a distance of 150 kilometers isn’t something difficult to tame.”
“So? Are you going to tame it and come see me right now?” Naiva pushed him further. She wanted not only to see Naro fight for their love, but also because she missed him terribly.
“I will. Because you want me to do it,” Naro answered. His voice sounded more serious than before. Without waiting any longer, he ended the call. He hurriedly grabbed a small bag containing his wallet and car keys. With his long strides, he went out through the front door and pulled it shut carelessly.
The resulting slam was unavoidable, startling Sofia just as she was about to move to the bed.
“Oh my God, what was that?” she exclaimed. The next second, she heard the roar of Naro’s car as it drove out through the front gate and gradually faded into the distance. “Where is he going this late at night? Is something wrong?” she continued, wondering aloud.
Not long after, the ring of an incoming call reached her ears. She quickly grabbed her phone and stared at the name on the screen.
“Naro? Why is he calling?” Sofia frowned. Then she swiped the screen to the green button to accept the call.
“I asked Mrs. Rima to stay with you while I’m gone. She’ll be arriving at the house soon. Just wait for her.”
After saying that, he ended the call with an audible click. Sofia had just been about to ask why and what was going on, but all she could do was fall silent, her words stuck in her throat.
“Did something happen? Some kind of family emergency, maybe?” she wondered aloud. “But…”
The woman remained silent, wondering and imagining every possible reason for Naro’s sudden departure to an unknown destination.
“Hmm, whatever. If it’s important and has something to do with me, he’ll tell me later.”
Sofia hurried outside to open the door for Mrs. Rima. Several knocks had sounded while she was murmuring to herself. From the way the visitor knocked, she knew it was the woman who had spent so much time with her over the past week.
“Sorry, miss. I took so long, didn’t I? I had to lock up the house first,” she said as soon as the door opened. Her breath sounded ragged, proof that she had hurried over.
“It’s okay, ma’am. Besides, Mr. Naro asked you at the last minute. I’m the one who should apologize for bothering you this late at night.”
“Oh, it’s no trouble at all, miss. I live alone anyway, and it’s close by. I only had to walk.”
The two women went inside. Mrs. Rima, who had prepared to spend the night, began arranging the sofa in the living room. She planned to sleep there tonight.
“Um… where did Mr. Naro go, miss? Why was it so sudden? And this late at night, too.”
“He had something important to take care of, ma’am. Hopefully, it’ll be resolved quickly,” Sofia answered as though she knew for certain. She felt that was better than giving another answer that would only raise more questions from Mrs. Rima.
“Ah, I see. Yes, miss, amen. Hopefully, the problem gets resolved quickly. Poor newlyweds, already leaving each other behind.”
“Hm? What was that, ma’am?” Sofia pretended not to hear.
“Oh, nothing, miss. It’s nothing. Um… we should just go to sleep. It’s late.”
Mrs. Rima then pushed Sofia toward the bedroom. The young woman sitting calmly in her wheelchair merely smiled faintly, amused by Mrs. Rima’s flustered behavior. Although she often couldn’t suppress her curiosity, the woman’s habit of making lighthearted comments was amusing to Sofia.
Meanwhile, the person they were discussing was focused on driving. Thanks to his skill behind the wheel, Naro had already covered half the distance to Naiva. Calls from the girl had been ringing for some time now. Naro knew Naiva would only try to stop him and ask him to turn back. She would certainly worry about him driving this late at night. For that reason, it was better not to answer. Besides, the longing in his heart had already overpowered his logic. He could no longer stop or postpone seeing her for even a second.
The car sped along the black asphalt, which gleamed beneath the light drizzle and reflected the streetlights. The air outside looked colder, as shown by the beads of condensation beginning to form along the edges of the windows. For safety’s sake, Naro was forced to turn up the air conditioning inside the car. His heart raced faster in time with the vehicle’s increasing speed. He was incredibly impatient to arrive at Naiva’s place and look directly into her eyes with his own.
Yes, that was what love felt like. It arose from the reaction of the pink virus, mixing with emotion until it spread throughout the body. Slowly but surely, it closed off the walls of logic, until the person possessed by that feeling saw it as a struggle worth undertaking.
It was almost midnight. After exactly two hours on the road, Naro finally arrived in the basement of Naiva’s apartment building. With his heart still pounding, Naro called the girl.
“Are you coming down, or should I go straight upstairs?” he asked bluntly.
“Y-you’re really here?” Naiva asked in return, as if she couldn’t believe what Naro had just said.
“If you ask me that one more time, I’m coming upstairs right now. I don’t care if you get mad.”
“No way. Okay, wait there. I’ll come down,” Naiva said quickly. In all the time they had been dating, Naro had never once set foot inside her apartment. It seemed impossible, considering they lived in a metropolitan city known for being free and individualistic. But that was simply Naiva. She was an idealistic girl who valued reason over acting recklessly.
Naro’s heart pounded harder as he waited in the car. He repeatedly let out rough breaths to clear his head. Like a man completely wrapped in longing, he was trying desperately not to act beyond the bounds of propriety.