Because it was Sunday, Clemira planned to get up early and jog around the neighborhood. But the moment she opened her front door, Arion was already standing there with his sweetest smile. Apparently, Arion had forgotten that he'd made a point of keeping his distance yesterday.
"So you're jogging? Then let's go together."
"You have your own neighborhood. Why are you jogging around mine?" Clemira grumbled, even as she grabbed Arion's hand and pulled him away from her front door.
"You know my neighborhood doesn't have any humans!" Arion complained. Clemira dragged him farther away before letting go of his hand,
because yesterday Jamilah had been openly crushing on Arion and had even asked Mom about her friend. Clemira refused to let a perfectly handsome guy like Arion end up with Jamilah, the neighborhood gossip.
"I heard someone new is moving into the house across from mine, right?" Clemira asked. She'd heard it from Mom and Jamilah yesterday too.
"Yeah, someone moving in from out of town. I don't know where from. Apparently he's a widower with two kids."
"Wait?" Clemira practically shrieked, she was so shocked. And not just any widower? No matter what the title was, a widower was always the kind of novel character Clemira loved, even though the reality wasn't nearly as exciting.
"A widower? No way! Maybe he's just claiming that, while actually having a wife overseas," Clemira shot back smugly. They jogged slowly around the neighborhood, where most doors were still firmly shut this early in the morning. Sunday was basically the day of freedom for stay-at-home moms, who usually slept in because it was a holiday.
"I don't know. Besides, it's the house across from yours, but you're the one asking me for information," Arion grumbled.
Clemira slowed her pace. "You are Pak Basuki's nephew. He owns that house!"
And it was true. Arion really was his nephew.
"Hm. Good point."
"Ar," Clemira murmured.
"Yeah?"
Clemira wanted to say something, but changed her mind. "I'm hungry! Let's get something to eat."
"You just ran a couple of feet and you're already hungry. How are you ever going to get healthy—"
"Being healthy isn't all about running. People who run from reality are actually sick!"
"Different concept, babe!"
Huh? Clemira immediately turned toward Arion in horror. He gave her a small smile and held up his fingers in a V. This was exactly what Arion liked about her: Clemira could be a little fierce, but she was so adorable that it made him want to make her his wife right away.
Unfortunately, Arion had to bury those feelings in the deepest pit of despair because Cle had rejected him time and time again. Her reason was that she didn't want to hurt Arion while she was still carrying unresolved feelings from the past.
Not unresolved, exactly. More like Clemira wasn't sure she'd truly moved on from Galang.
Even though ten years had already passed...
"Don't call me babe out of nowhere," Clemira grumbled.
"It slipped out. Sorry."
They had left the neighborhood and reached the main road.
"What should we eat?" Arion asked. He narrowed his eyes, trying to see which food stalls were open. As far as he could tell, there were only chicken porridge and soto stalls.
It was still early, not even six in the morning, and Clemira was complaining that she was hungry.
"There isn't any meatball soup or chicken noodles or something?" Clemira complained with a click of her tongue.
Tap!
Arion flicked Cle on the forehead, making her wince. "That hurt!"
"And you're already looking for chicken noodles this early?" Arion grumbled.
"Where are you going, Mas Ari?" someone called as she rode a motorcycle up to Arion.
"Uh—" Arion glanced at Clemira, whose face had already soured.
Of course Clemira was annoyed. Jamilah was her neighbor, not Arion's, and it was painfully obvious that she was just looking for attention.
"Hi, Cle!" Jamilah greeted her, though her eyes remained fixed on Arion's handsome face, where sweat dampened part of it and made him look even sexier.
Annoyed, Clemira left Arion and Jamilah to their stale small talk. She went into the soto stall without Arion and ordered herself breakfast.
"Cle, wait up!" Arion called, running after Clemira, who was sulking like a wife whose husband had left her for another woman. Her face was so sour that when Arion entered the stall and sat directly across from her, they looked exactly like two lime wedges facing each other.
"Why'd you leave me?" Arion protested.
Clemira tasted the soto broth to check the flavor, then shot Arion a sharp glare.
"Because if someone is going to leave me, I'd rather be the one who leaves first."
"Good grief, Cle. I only answered Jamilah's greeting. If I didn't, she'd think I was being rude. Besides, I was just returning a greeting, not returning her feelings!"
Clemira rolled her eyes, then went back to her breakfast.
Meanwhile, Arion was still waiting for his order, which looked like it would take a while because the line stretched forever.
"Cle!"
Clemira had already finished her soto. The stomach that had been staging a protest for food was finally satisfied. She looked at Arion, who had only just received his soto after waiting forever.
Then the creature from the house next to Clemira's showed up again. Jamilah unexpectedly sat down beside Arion, making Clemira, who had almost stopped sulking, even more annoyed.
"Mind if I join you, Cle? You don't mind, right, Mas Arion?" Jamilah asked with a coy wink, making Clemira, who sat across from her, suddenly feel nauseated.
"What's wrong, Cle?" Arion immediately held out a drink to her.
"I think my stomach just got nauseous," Clemira said curtly.
Arion scratched his perfectly unitchy head and stood up too, even though he hadn't finished eating.
"Where are you going, Ar?"
"Clemira feels sick, so I have to take responsibility!" Arion declared, making Jamilah blink in confusion. Could it be that Clemira was pregnant?
Jamilah tried to figure it out.
Watching Arion leave to follow Clemira, Jamilah sat there in a daze. She was heartbroken because the guy she had a crush on had gotten his neighbor pregnant first.
"Ugh, seriously? I'm the one who likes Mas Arion, so how did Clemira beat me to it? What a bitch." Jamilah clicked her tongue and stormed out of the soto stall, furious.
"Is your stomach still upset? If it is, don't run yet," Arion advised.
Clemira was out of breath. Her luck was terrible—she'd run into Jamilah, who was incredibly talented at ruining her mood.
But realizing she'd overreacted, Clemira took a good look at herself.
Why am I this sensitive whenever Arion gets close to another girl? she berated herself inwardly.
"Wait a second!" Clemira sat down beneath a tree with a long wooden bench beneath it. A cool breeze sent her hair flying into a mess. Clemira took something from her pants pocket.
A hair tie.
She twisted her short hair into a sloppy bun, revealing her long, smooth neck.
"I just realized your hair's been short ever since you broke up with Galang," Arion said. It wasn't a question, but a statement of fact.
Since then, Clemira had indeed refused to grow her hair out. Her reasonable excuses were that long hair was hot, uncomfortable, a hassle, and so on.
"I only realized that after you said it, Ar!" Clemira muttered. Suddenly she was getting all melancholy. Great, now she'd remembered her ex again. Ugh, what a demon.
"Why? You still look pretty with short hair. You actually look fresher. It just doesn't make you look like you're almost thirty."
"I look young?"
"No. You just look cute, like a little kid!"
"ARIONNNN!"
Before Clemira could unleash her fury, Arion saved himself and ran. But instead of going home, he fled to Clemira's house.
"Mom! Your daughter is being mean to me!"
Arion and Untari really were a package deal, so now Clemira was the one getting scolded by the middle-aged woman.