Chapter 7
"Hey, Nad, where's Rangga?" Nadeera's mom asked when Nadeera arrived at her house with Rena.
"Rangga wants to take a shower first, Mom. He'll come over later," Nadeera replied as she continued inside, then sat down beside her grandparent and Rena.
Nadeera's mom noticed the change in her daughter's expression. Despite her efforts to hide it, Nadeera clearly wasn't happy. Still, she chose to remain silent for the moment.
"Where are you going to school here, sweetheart?" Bunda Intan asked Nadeera.
"Ibu Pertiwi Public High School in Jogja, Bunda," Nadeera answered plainly.
"Oh, so you'll be going to the same school as Rangga," Bunda Intan said.
"She was the one who asked to go to the same school as Rangga," Nadeera's mom said, glancing at Nadeera with an exaggerated expression. Nadeera smiled shyly.
"Mom, don't tell people that!" Nadeera protested softly.
"What's wrong with that? You can even go to school together with Rangga," Bunda Intan said, successfully getting Nadeera excited again.
"Yeah, right, Bunda," Nadeera said eagerly.
"Assalamualaikum."
A voice came from the doorway, making everyone inside turn toward its source.
"Waalaikumsalam," everyone inside answered at once.
"Wow, Rangga, you've gotten so big," Nadeera's dad said after returning the greeting and realizing that Rangga was the one who had spoken.
"Hehe, yeah, Uncle!" Rangga replied as he walked over to Nadeera's dad and shook his hand.
"Wow, you're even more handsome now, Rangga," Nadeera's mom said.
"Hehe, you're too kind, Auntie," Rangga said before shaking her hand too.
"Of course he is. Whose son would he be?" Uncle Ifan said with a proud laugh.
"That's right, Fan," Nadeera's dad agreed, laughing at Uncle Ifan's joke.
"You two dads are something else," Bunda Intan said.
"Come sit here, kid, next to your aunt!" Nadeera's mom called to Rangga. Rangga nodded and sat beside her.
"Do you want to look at the dolls now?" Nadeera whispered softly to Rena beside her.
"Yes, big sis!" Rena replied excitedly.
"Okay, ask Bunda first, all right?" Nadeera told her.
"Bunda!" Rena called to her mother.
"Yes, Rena? What is it, sweetheart?" Bunda Intan asked.
"I want to play with dolls with Rara," she said.
"Later, okay? Let Nadeera stay here for a while first," Bunda Intan said.
"It's okay, Bunda. I'll keep Rena company. I already promised her, anyway," Nadeera said to Bunda Intan.
"Please, Mom!" Rena begged.
"All right, but don't be naughty!" Bunda Intan said.
"Yay! Come on, big sis!" Rena said, pulling Nadeera's hand.
"Come on!" Nadeera replied briefly, then glanced at Rangga, who was chatting with her mom.
As Nadeera left, Rangga watched her from behind, something Nadeera clearly didn't notice. Her mom, however, did.
"Rangga, I'm counting on you to look after Nadeera while she's here. Please take care of her!" Nadeera's mom asked him.
"Yes, Auntie. Where are you and Uncle going?" Rangga asked.
"We're going back to Jakarta this afternoon, kid. We can't stay here with her," Nadeera's mom said sadly.
"Why can't you just stay here, Auntie?" Rangga asked again.
"Uncle has a project in Jakarta. He can't leave it," Nadeera's dad added.
"Oh. Does Nadeera already know?" Rangga asked.
"She does, Rangga," Nadeera's dad replied.
"She's the one insisting on staying here, and she doesn't mind that we can't stay with her," Nadeera's mom said.
"You know what Nadeera's like, so you're the only person we can trust to look after her while she's here," Nadeera's dad added.
"Please help us, Rangga," Nadeera's mom said.
"Yes, Uncle, Auntie. I'll do my best," Rangga replied.
"All right, go after Nadeera. She seems mad at you," Nadeera's mom whispered to him.
"Okay, Auntie. I'll go over there first," Rangga said.
"Whoa, you have so many dolls!" Rena exclaimed excitedly when she saw how many dolls Nadeera had brought.
"Hehe, I know, right? Pick whichever one you like best!" Nadeera said, pinching Rena's chubby cheek.
"Really, big sis?" Rena asked excitedly.
"Really," Nadeera assured her.
Rena looked incredibly happy as she picked through the dolls in front of her. Her face glowed with rosy excitement, making her look even sweeter and melting the hearts of everyone who saw her. Watching her choose among the dolls made Nadeera want to pinch her cheeks again and again because she was so adorable, but she held back because she didn't want to make Rena cry.
"Big sis, why is that one in a different bag?" Rena asked when she noticed another doll set apart from the others.
"That's my doll. You can't take it!" Nadeera said, picking up the doll Rena meant.
"But it's already ugly, big sis," Rena said, having noticed that the doll Nadeera carried was much less impressive than her other dolls.
"That doesn't matter. His name is Timmy. He's been my friend since I was little, and I love Timmy very much," Nadeera said in a childish voice.
"Oh, Timmy? Rangga has a doll like that too, but his is named Miti," Rena said innocently.
Nadeera was slightly shocked to hear that. She remembered that they had matching dolls, one for her and one for Rangga. So Rangga had still kept his until now.
"Really?" Nadeera asked.
"Yeah, but he threw it away," Rena said honestly.
"Why did he throw it away?" Nadeera asked, her gaze filled with disappointment.
"He said he did. I wanted to ask him for it, but he threw it away instead!" Rena explained with an innocent expression.
"Oh," Nadeera sighed, then sat down on the bed. Her disappointment in Rangga grew, leaving her heart even more hurt.
Meanwhile, someone had been silently watching them from the doorway, observing Nadeera's every movement, expression, and word.
Without saying a single word, he watched Nadeera from behind. He realized how disappointed she was and wanted to make the beautiful girl feel better, but his enormous ego refused to let him.
A part of him wanted to hug Nadeera and hold her as tightly as possible, never allowing her to leave him again. But once again, his ego held him back. He was content just watching her for a while, then left the spot where he had been standing and returned to where he had been before.
"Have you talked to Rangga yet, Nadeera?" Nadeera's mom asked her when the two of them were alone in Nadeera's room.
"Not yet, Mom," Nadeera said listlessly.
"What? I already told Rangga to come after you. You still didn't talk to him?" her mom asked again.
"Come here? He never came!" Nadeera said, startled.
"I told him to come here, Nad," Nadeera's mom said.
"Did you have a fight with Rangga?" she asked afterward.