Naira agreed to meet someone from her past, and together with her best friend, she waited for the man to arrive.
Naira sat in the farthest corner, fidgeting with the unopened straw. Nurul sat beside her, leaning back while keeping her eyes on the entrance. “Take a deep breath,” Nurul whispered. “You’re not alone.”
The café door swung open. The man walked in. They hadn’t seen each other in five years. His hair was shorter now. The white jacket Naira used to borrow was still exactly the same as before.
His steps slowed when he saw Naira. Their eyes met. The world suddenly felt incredibly small.
“Hi, Ira.” His voice was still the same, but Naira didn’t answer. Nurul spoke first in a flat tone. “Sit down.”
The man finally sat across from them. Silence settled over the three of them. Then the man finally spoke.
“I... I didn’t expect you to come,” he said at last.
Naira finally spoke, her voice low. “Don’t waste my time. Why did you contact me?”
The man lowered his head. “I want to tell you something important, but I don’t want Nurul here.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Nurul’s voice rose, making several people turn to look at them.
Naira immediately spoke softly to Nurul. “Enough. Keep your temper under control. If he doesn’t want to say it, then we should just go home.”
“Don’t.” That single word from the man made Naira and Nurul look at each other.
“Then say it here and now. Whether I’m here or not, you have to tell her now,” Nurul said firmly to the man sitting across from them.
The man let out a long sigh, then gazed at Naira sadly. “I want to marry you.”
Naira’s world seemed to stop. Her breath caught, and her eyes widened in disbelief at what the man had just said. What? Get married?
Nurul slammed her hand on the table, and once again, every eye in the café turned toward them. “What did you just say? You want to marry Naira? Did I hear that wrong?”
Naira took Nurul’s hand, trying to calm her angry best friend.
“Nurul, calm down,” Naira said softly. She was incredibly embarrassed with everyone staring at them.
“How am I supposed to calm down? That guy has some nerve saying he wants to marry you. Is he completely shameless or what? He already has a wife, and he still dares to marry another woman.”
The man lowered his head. “My wife and I now...”
Nurul cut him off. “Save it. We don’t need your ridiculous excuses.”
“We’re leaving now, Naira. Don’t talk to him anymore. There’s no point,” Nurul said as she took Naira’s hand to pull her away. But Naira remained frozen in her seat, making Nurul glare sharply at her.