The sky looked so bright. Yet it wasn't nearly as bright as the heart of the woman sitting lost in thought on the comfortable foam mattress where she usually rested every day.
That woman was often called Revina. A fifth-semester college student, she was currently missing someone. Her beloved boyfriend, Alan. They had been in a long-distance relationship (LDR) for almost a month because Alan had to continue his master's degree in China.
"Alan, I miss you so much. What are you doing over there? Do you still remember me? Do you miss me just as much as I miss you right now?" Revina murmured to herself.
Revina's longing for her boyfriend often sent her into flashbacks of the beautiful moments they'd shared in the past, when she and Alan could still laugh and experience the beauty of love together, just the two of them, without being separated by distance and time.
"Baby... What are you doing? Thinking about me, right? Right?"
"Oh, Kak Alan. What are you talking about? You're so full of yourself..."
"If you're not thinking about me, then what are you thinking about? Or don't tell me you're thinking about some other guy? Come on, who is it?"
"Alan, what are you talking about? As if I'd dare think about another guy."
"Fine, then. But what's wrong? Is there some difficult schoolwork?"
"You know me so well. Help me with it, okay? Please..."
Before they started their long-distance relationship, Alan often helped his girlfriend with her college assignments. Alan really was a kind senior. His kindness and attentiveness over the years made it impossible for Revina to bear being apart from him any longer.
Revina always pictured the last time she had met Alan, when he said goodbye before leaving for China to continue his studies.
"Baby... Please don't be this sad, okay? It makes it even harder for me to leave you, baby."
"Why do you have to go, Kak? If only we'd graduate at the same time, maybe we could both continue our master's degrees in China."
"Revina, even though we're separated by distance and time, you know I would never forget you. As long as we keep communicating, I'm sure everything will be okay, baby. I promise...!"
"Kak Alan, don't be gone too long, okay? I'm definitely going to miss you."
"Me too, Rev. Take good care of yourself here, okay? Don't fall into another guy's arms. Okay?"
"I'm going to wait for you here, no matter what."
"When I get back, I hope your thesis goes smoothly so you can graduate soon and I can propose to you right away, baby. I love you, Revina." Alan kissed Revina on the forehead, then pulled her into a hug.
That moment had passed quite some time ago. Now, the two of them missed each other terribly and longed to be together again. Fortunately, Alan could still make time between his classes to contact Revina every now and then.
Time continued to pass. The reality was that things weren't as easy as they had imagined. A relationship separated by distance and time couldn't run as smoothly as they had expected. Revina felt increasingly lonely because she had been having a very hard time hearing from Alan for the past few days. She even started to think that Alan had forgotten her and was too absorbed in his own world over there.
At times like that, if someone came along and showered her with an abundance of attention, it would be very easy for him to become a cure for her loneliness and the most comfortable shoulder to lean on.
A handsome campus activist who was always busy and rarely got close to women was now by Revina's side, constantly cheering her up and making her happy and smile again. His name was Irsyad.
"Hey, Rev!"
"Kak Irsyad?"
"Hey, you don't have to call me 'Kak'! Relax. I'd rather you just call me by my name."
"Okay, Irsyad."
"What's wrong? Still thinking about that nobody? Come on... Instead of staying sad like this, why don't you just come with me?"
"Where?"
"Just come along. As it happens, I have a gathering with some friends from my organization outside the faculty, and I'm allowed to bring anyone I want. It'll be fun. You should join us, okay?"
"Okay. I'll go with you."
"That's more like it! You can have fun there too. All right, let's head to the parking lot. My car's over there. Let's go!!"
As the days passed, Revina and Irsyad seemed to grow increasingly close. Revina felt comfortable by Irsyad's side. The same was true for Irsyad, who enjoyed every moment he spent with Revina. Revina was the first girl who had ever managed to melt Irsyad's heart.
"Irsyad, thanks for today."
"You're welcome, Revina. I was happy you came with me to the gathering earlier."
"All right, Rev. I'll take you home now."
Irsyad drove Revina home. When they arrived at the front door, Rosela, Revina's mother, warmly welcomed them. Irsyad had originally intended to drop Revina off and go straight home, but he now had to stay at her house for a while.
"Vina, oh, my baby is home."
"Yeah, Mom. Oh, right, Mom, let me introduce you. This is Irsyad—my senior on campus."
"Irsyad, ma'am..." Irsyad shook Revina's mother's hand.
"I'm Rosela, Vina's mom. Irsyad, thank you for bringing my daughter all the way home safely."
"Ahem, you're welcome, Auntie."
"Why don't you stop by for a bit, Irsyad? Come inside. I'll make you something to drink."
"Mom, it's already late afternoon, you know. It's almost evening. Irsyad will end up getting home really late." Revina cut in.
"It'll only be for a little while. It's not polite to let a guest leave without inviting him in first. Besides, Irsyad's a guy. It's fine if he goes home a little late, right? Unless you'd rather not, Irsyad?"
"Hmm, it's fine, Auntie, as long as I'm not imposing. There's no way I could turn down an offer from you."
"There, now it's settled. You heard him yourself, Vina. Irsyad doesn't mind."
"Yeah, yeah, okay, Mom. You win."
Rosela and Irsyad chuckled over Revina's defeat in the argument. They went inside. Rosela prepared a drink for Irsyad, while Revina excused herself to her room to change clothes. Irsyad waited in the living room.
"Irsyad, this is all I can offer you." Rosela brought a glass of strawberry juice and several jars of cookies from the kitchen.
"Oh, Auntie, you really didn't have to go to all this trouble. Thank you."
"Of course. Have some to drink, and help yourself to the snacks too. Don't be shy here. Mom's happy whenever one of Vina's friends comes by."
"Yes, Auntie."
"Irsyad, Vina's been doing better than usual lately. Maybe that's thanks to you."
"What do you mean, Auntie? Why would that be because of me?"
"For the past few months, Vina has been sad and gloomy all the time. It's because of the man who's in China now. Vina said he hasn't been contacting her."
"You mean Alan—Revina's boyfriend, Auntie?"
"Yes. I had actually given my blessing to their relationship, but with Alan acting like this now, making Vina sad and seeming like he doesn't care about her anymore... I can't accept my daughter being treated that way. Vina would be better off with you, Irsyad."