That night, Alya told Arka the news—that she and Raka were officially dating. The three of them were in a group chat together.
Alya: Guyssss, hello? I have some exciting news.
Alya sent the short message to the group.
Arka: What? Are you pregnant?
Arka replied. Naira, who didn’t understand, immediately furrowed her brow.
Alya: What the heck! Don’t just say stuff like that.
Alya replied irritably.
Not long after, a message came in from Raka—the man who had officially become her boyfriend that very day.
Raka: Don’t joke like that, Ka.
Arka: Fine. What’s the news? Seriously this time.
Alya typed for a few seconds, then sent the message.
Alya: Raka and I are dating now.
The message was read immediately. But Arka didn’t reply right away. A few seconds passed. Then a minute. Alya waited. Finally, his reply appeared.
Arka: Seriously?
Arka asked, wanting to make sure.
Alya: Seriously.
Arka: Congratulations.
Just one word. Yet Alya smiled when she saw it.
Alya: Thanks, Arka.
Arka stared at his phone screen for a long time. Then he set it on the table. He leaned back in his chair.
His smile was still there. He was happy to hear that his two best friends were now in a relationship.
Truly happy. Raka was his best friend. If Raka was happy, then Arka should be happy too.
But that night, for the first time, Arka felt something he couldn’t explain. Something small. Very small.
Yet it was enough to make his chest feel heavy. Arka closed his eyes.
“It’s just weird because I’m not used to it yet,” he muttered.
He tried to convince himself. Alya was Raka’s girlfriend now. And to Arka, Alya was supposed to remain a friend. Nothing more. She couldn’t be anything more.
Arka hadn’t realized that the feeling he’d always mistaken for comfort had slowly changed into something much deeper.
Something that would one day make him question the meaning of friendship.
That morning, Alya had just stepped out of her room when a car horn sounded from the front of the house.
Once. Then twice. Alya stopped in her tracks. She walked to the living room window and peeked through the curtains.
A car had stopped in front of the gate. Alya immediately knew who owned it.
Raka.
She smiled faintly. Her phone vibrated. Alya opened it and read the message.
Raka: I’m out front.
Alya quickly replied.
Alya: Wait a minute.
She grabbed the bag she had left on the sofa.
“Mom, I’m leaving!” Alya called out to her two best friends.
“Okay. Be careful!” Alya put on her shoes on the porch, then opened the gate. Raka immediately got out of the car.
“Morning, Al,” Raka greeted her nervously.
“Morning,” the girl replied.
Raka glanced at his watch. “You’re almost late. After talking on the phone last night, did you end up watching K-dramas instead?” he asked, narrowing his eyes.
“Ugh. It was getting really good last night. I didn’t want to miss anything, Rak,” Alya replied.
She really had watched K-dramas until two in the morning the night before.
“Hmmm. Talking to you is really difficult. Come on, get in. I’m afraid we’ll be late. We’re running out of time,” Raka said as he looked at his watch.
“We’re not late yet. There’s still plenty of time,” Alya replied, even though the truth was that they were already cutting it close.
Flick!
“Ow! Hey, that hurt.”
The girl grumbled as she rubbed her forehead, which her boyfriend had just playfully flicked.
Inside the car, the atmosphere immediately fell silent. Neither of them had started a conversation yet, until Raka was the first to speak.
“Al, what would you have done if I hadn’t picked you up earlier?” Raka asked his girlfriend.