"Mom Intan!" Nadeera called, hurrying over to greet her and shake her hand.
"Wow, Nadeera, you've gotten so big! And even prettier," said the woman Nadeera had called Mom Intan.
"You always know what to say, Mom. Hehe. Oh, is this Rena? She's so cute," Nadeera asked about the little girl, around four years old, who had come with Mom Intan.
"Yes, Kak Rara, I'm Rena," the little girl replied, then shook Nadeera's hand.
"Rena, where's your big sister? Why can't I see her?" Nadeera asked.
"She didn't want to come. That's what she said," the little girl replied.
"Why not?" Nadeera asked.
"Nadeera, aren't you going to greet me?" called the man standing beside the little girl.
"Oh, right. I forgot, Uncle. Hehe," Nadeera replied, then shook his hand.
"How are you and Uncle Ifan doing, Mom?" Nadeera asked.
"Thank God, we're doing well, Nad," Mom Intan replied.
"What about you, Nad? How are you doing? Do you have a boyfriend yet?" asked Uncle Ifan, who was Rangga's father.
"Hehe, not yet, Uncle," Nadeera replied.
"Nadeera, how long are you planning to block the doorway? Let our guests inside already," Nadeera's mom called from inside the house.
"Hehe, right. Come on in, Uncle, Mom, Rena," Nadeera said, ushering them inside.
"Intan, how have you been? It's been so long since we've seen each other," Nadeera's mom said after they went inside, shook hands, and exchanged cheek kisses.
"Thank God, I'm doing well. How about you?"
"I'm doing well too." The two old friends, who hadn't seen each other in so long, began chatting about all kinds of things.
Meanwhile, Uncle Ifan shook Nadeera's father's hand and talked with him.
"Mom, why didn't Rangga come with you?" Nadeera asked Mom Intan, Rangga's mother.
"I told him to come this morning, Nad, but he went back to sleep instead," Mom Intan told Nadeera.
"Oh," Nadeera murmured, disappointment showing on her face.
"Just go over to his house, Nad. If you wake him up yourself, maybe he'll come."
"Really, Mom? Won't Rangga get mad?"
"Of course not. How could he ever get mad at you?" Mom Intan said, smiling at Nadeera.
"For real, Mom?"
"Yes, Nad. Tell Rangga to come over afterward."
"You got it, Mom. Rena, come keep me company!" Nadeera invited Rena.
"Go with Nadeera, Rena," Nadeera's mom said.
"Yeah, Rena. I'll give you one of my dolls later," Nadeera coaxed.
"Really?" Rena asked shyly.
"Yeah! I have lots of dolls. You can play with me later," Nadeera coaxed again, reassuring her as she gently pulled Rena along.
Rena and Nadeera headed to Rangga's house. It wasn't far from Nadeera's grandparent's house—only a few houses away. Nadeera looked excited as they walked, her heart pounding erratically, though she kept herself calm in front of Rena.
As they went, she looked around at the lush surroundings, so different from her home in Jakarta. But some things had changed since five years ago, when she still lived here. Memories she hadn't meant to recall flashed through Nadeera's mind as she passed places she used to visit so often.
"Rena, where's your brother sleeping?" Nadeera asked when they reached the front of Rangga's house.
"In his room, Kak," Rena answered.
"Which way is his room?" Nadeera asked more specifically.
"It's over there. Come on in, and I'll show you!" Rena said, pointing the way before pulling Nadeera inside.
"Hehe, okay, okay."
Rena pulled Nadeera into the house and toward one of the rooms in the middle, after they passed through the living room.
"Here it is, Kak. His room," Rena said.
"Oh. His room is still the same as before," Nadeera said without thinking. Apparently, Rangga's room hadn't changed since the last time they'd seen each other, making Nadeera remember her past all over again.
"You already knew?" Rena asked innocently.
"Hehe, I do. Come on, Rena, let's go in!" Nadeera said, opening the bedroom door in front of them.
Inside, someone was fast asleep on his back, one leg bent, his arm covering his eyes.
When Nadeera saw Rangga sleeping, she couldn't control the pounding of her heart. Without realizing it, her palms began to sweat, soaking Rena's hand as she continued holding it. The room was fairly spacious, its walls covered in posters.
"Ngga, Rangga!" Nadeera called once she was beside the sleeping Rangga, shaking his arm.
"Wake up, wake up! Kak Rara's here!" Rena said as Nadeera helped her climb onto Rangga's bed. She joined in, shaking Rangga's body to wake him from his afternoon nap.
"Mmph!" Rangga groaned softly.
"Go play outside. Don't bother me!" Rangga said, still keeping his eyes closed.
"Rangga, wake up first," Nadeera asked softly.
Hearing a voice that wasn't Rena's, Rangga instinctively lowered the arm covering his eyes and tried to open his still-blurry eyes to see.
"Who is it?" he asked hoarsely, rubbing his eyes before sitting up.
"It's me, Nadeera," Nadeera said briefly, her heart going wild as she looked at Rangga for the first time in five years.
Rangga looked shocked as he stared at Nadeera's face in front of him. For several moments, they gazed at each other without saying a word. Rangga's reaction was impossible to read, as if happiness, anger, and disappointment had all fused into one.
"Go away!" Rangga said curtly, then left Rena and Nadeera in his room.
Nadeera stayed silent, unable to respond to Rangga's words. She never expected him to react that way, and it left her disappointed.
"Rangga, Mom's the one who asked Kak Rara to come here. Mom told you to go to her house," Rena pleaded, chasing after him.
"Yeah, but I want to shower first. You two go ahead," Rangga said shortly before heading to the bathroom. Rena could still hear his voice from inside Rangga's room, so she quickly moved away from where she was standing and left the room.
"Come on, Rena. Let's go home!" Nadeera said, her heart already full of disappointment.
"But, Kak..." Before Rena could finish, Nadeera quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her outside.
She was disappointed in Rangga because their first meeting in five years hadn't gone the way she'd hoped. She'd thought Rangga would be overjoyed and hug her warmly, just like he used to. But nothing had gone the way she'd imagined. Rangga hadn't welcomed her when she came home, hadn't even gone to see her, and had acted coldly when Nadeera came to him at his house.
So after five years, was I the only one who missed you, Rangga? Was I the only one who kept waiting for us to meet again? Nadeera thought, tears pooling in both her eyes. With great difficulty, she held them back so Rena wouldn't notice.