When they reached Dafa’s apartment building, he tapped his access card against the elevator sensor, and the button for the 35th floor lit up gold. Within seconds, the elevator glided upward without the slightest vibration, until the doors chimed open.
Dafa stepped ahead of Anggun and touched the smart lock on the large teak door. Beep! The door swung wide, greeting them with cool air-conditioning and the fresh scent of a brand-new interior.
“Come on in, Sis Anggun,” Dafa said softly.
Anggun stepped inside slowly. Her eyes widened even further. The room was dominated by an elegant, modern minimalist style in sophisticated neutral tones. And right in the living room stood a huge floor-to-ceiling window.
Without realizing it, Anggun walked toward the enormous glass. Outside, a vast sea of Jakarta’s city lights shimmered beautifully, pleasing to the eye. The magnificent city lights stretched out beneath her feet.
“Wow... this is incredible...” Anggun whispered unconsciously, utterly awestruck.
Dafa took off his jacket and walked over to Anggun. The tall man stood right beside her, gazing closely at the side profile of her face.
The reflection of the city lights in Anggun’s eyes made the thirty-year-old woman look a thousand times more captivating to Dafa.
“See... I told you,” Dafa murmured, his voice turning soft and warm. “I knew you’d like it, Sis.”
Anggun turned and looked up at him. From this close, Dafa’s sharp gaze and innocent face beneath the dim city lights suddenly looked incredibly attractive. For some reason, Anggun found it difficult to tear her eyes away from the tall man’s eyes beside her.
“Sis?” Dafa called softly.
Anggun jolted out of her daze. “Huh... yeah? What is it?”
Dafa rubbed the back of his neck, which had suddenly started feeling hot. Being stared at so intensely by a woman as beautiful as Anggun clearly made his defenses crumble, leaving him nervous as hell.
“S-Sis Anggun, what do you want to drink?” Dafa asked, trying to break the awkwardness that had suddenly settled over the air between them.
“Anything’s fine,” Anggun replied shortly, trying to act as naturally as possible even though her own heart had begun pounding wildly.
“Okay. I’ll make something first, Sis,” Dafa said with a faint smile.
“Mm-hmm.”
Anggun watched Dafa’s back as he walked toward the clean kitchen area. She let out a long breath while clutching her pounding chest. *Ugh, Anggun... get a grip! He’s your little brother’s younger-guy friend!* she scolded herself, desperately trying to push away the strange flutter that was slowly creeping into her heart.
A short while later, Dafa returned from the kitchen carrying two cups of hot chocolate, thin wisps of steam still rising from them. He handed one cup to Anggun, who responded with a quiet murmur of thanks.
“Careful, Sis. The chocolate’s still warm,” Dafa said as he sat down on the plush sofa not far from where Anggun was standing.
Anggun nodded and took a slow sip, letting the sweet warmth soothe her tense nerves. Then she followed him onto the same sofa, sitting at the very end and leaving a safe distance between them.
“Thanks, Daf. The chocolate’s good,” Anggun praised, her eyes drifting back toward the expanse of city lights beyond the glass. “Honestly, I still can’t believe it. Yesterday, you made me fall into an open drain until I yanked your hair, and this morning I scribbled all over your face with lipstick. But tonight, here I am in your luxurious apartment, drinking hot chocolate.”
“Well, that’s what you call fate—uh, I mean destiny, Sis,” Dafa replied quickly, correcting himself before he let the wrong word slip, making his cheeks turn faintly red. “But seriously, I’m really happy you were willing to forgive me. I promise I won’t cause any more trouble.”
Anggun turned and looked at Dafa with an amused little smile. “You’d better not cause trouble again. I won’t hesitate to leave you with a bald spot.”
“If you’re the one pulling my hair, Sis Anggun, I’ll just surrender,” Dafa teased with a mischievous grin.
“Change the subject, Dafa! Before I dump this hot chocolate on you!” Anggun threatened in exasperation, though the corners of her mouth couldn’t hold back her laughter.
Dafa chuckled at Anggun’s reaction, then rested his chin on the back of the sofa and stared intently at her. His eyes radiated deep curiosity.
“Oh, right... Sis Anggun, do you have a boyfriend?” Dafa suddenly asked.
The innocent yet piercing question made Anggun, who had just been about to sip her hot chocolate, choke lightly. She coughed for a moment before looking at Dafa with a confused furrow in her brow.
“Why are you asking me that? You’re so nosy,” Anggun shot back, trying to control her suddenly awkward expression.
“Of course I’m curious, Sis. What if I’m spending the night alone with someone else’s girlfriend? That’d be dangerous—I could get punched,” Dafa joked casually, though the seriousness in his voice revealed how badly he wanted a definite answer.
Anggun snorted, then leaned back against the sofa and folded her arms. “I’m busy. I work at the office in the morning, then I run the coffee shop from afternoon until night. When would I have time to think about guys or dating?”
“So... you’re still single?” Dafa pressed, inching his body a little closer toward Anggun.
“Yeah, single. Happy now?” Anggun snapped, though her cheeks slowly grew warmer under the intense gaze of the younger guy in front of her.
Dafa nodded repeatedly, grinning with satisfaction. “Very happy, Sis. So that means I still have a wide-open chance, right?”