“Yeah, Mom believes you, Irsyad.”
Irsyad and Revina's mother both smiled. Revina could only sit there silently, watching Irsyad expertly win her mother's favor.
After breakfast, Irsyad went to campus with Revina.
“Thanks for dropping me off.”
“You're welcome, baby. What class are you taking?”
“Unit Operations.”
“Two credits, but it must be pretty exhausting. You can do it, baby.”
Revina only nodded.
“Go on, then! You'll be late and Professor Hargo will chew you out.”
“Wait, you're not getting out too?”
“No, baby. I don't have a morning class. I have one around two this afternoon.”
“Oh my gosh, Irsyad, you came to my house early in the morning, even had breakfast at my place, and then drove me to campus. I thought you had a morning class too. You didn't have to pick me up, Irsyad. I could've gone by myself. Your class doesn't even start for a while.”
“What's wrong with that, baby? I don't mind. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I let my girlfriend go to campus alone? Just relax! It's not like I'm taking you with just anyone, baby...”
“Then are you going back to your dorm?”
“No, I'm going to the student center. There's a student organization gathering there.”
“Hmm, another meeting... Okay.”
“Hehe... Aww, you're making me want to pinch you.” Irsyad pinched Revina's cheek.
“Ir, let go! That hurts...”
“Sorry, baby. You just make me want to pinch you.”
“I'm going to class now.”
“Okay, baby. Bye, Revina!”
As the days passed, Revina and Irsyad only grew more affectionate. Their relationship always seemed sweet. Even Irsyad's many commitments in various organizations couldn't stop them from making time for each other.
At that time, Revina and Irsyad were in the campus garden. They sat together on a bench, joking around. Irsyad was always making jokes that were painfully corny, but they could still make Revina laugh.
When Irsyad gently caressed Revina's cheek and gave the top of her head a quick kiss, they were both startled by a very familiar voice.
“REVINA!!”
Feeling herself being called, Revina whipped around toward the source of the voice. Her eyes immediately widened. She was utterly shocked to see the figure standing in front of her.
“I-I... Am I seeing this right? Kak Alan!”
“Yes, Rev. It's me. I came back because I really wanted to see you. I came back for you. Honestly, I've missed you so much. But... what I find now is...”
“Kak Alan, I—”
Irsyad immediately cut in. “Sorry, but don't say anything else to Revina.”
“Who the hell are you? Revina's side piece?”
“Watch your mouth! Revina isn't cheating. I'm her boyfriend now. None of this is Revina's fault. In case you didn't know, this is all your fault. You threw Revina away. You kept her waiting and holding on to an uncertain hope. Where have you been all this time? Did you forget you had a girlfriend here? Did you not care that someone here was waiting for you?”
“Just shut up! This is between me and Revina. Stay out of it.”
Revina tried to break up the argument between Alan and Irsyad.
“Kak Alan—Irsyad, stop! Why are you two fighting like this? Enough!”
“Revina, I won't accept him thinking all of this is your fault, Rev.”
“Irsyad, stop. I need to talk to Kak Alan. Please leave me alone with Kak Alan for a little while, Ir.”
“Rev, what if he hurts you? I don't want him to keep blaming you like that, baby.”
“Ir, I'm not going to get hurt. I promise. Please, Ir. Just for a little while.”
Irsyad finally granted Revina's request.
“So what else do you want to talk to me about, Rev?”
“Kak, I know I was wrong. I hadn't officially broken up with you, but I got together with someone else. I'm sorry, Kak. But when I accepted Irsyad, I had already thought everything through carefully.”
“And your thinking still led you to betray me?”
“I never meant to do that, Kak. I thought Kak Alan had really forgotten about me. I didn't hear from you for more than a year. Even though, from the moment you left, you promised we'd stay in touch. But what actually happened?”
“So just because of that, you turned to another man? I have my reasons for not being able to contact you, Rev.”
“You don't understand my position. All this time, whenever I needed someone by my side, whenever there were so many problems in my life, Kak Alan wasn't there. Irsyad was the one who was always there for me.”
“So he made it that easy for you to forget me? You betrayed our love, Rev!”
“Why do you keep blaming me, Kak Alan? This isn't fair. You're the one who made me this way.”
“Hmm, I think we've argued enough. Thanks so much for this ‘unforgettable’ welcome, Rev. WE'RE DONE!!”
Alan walked away, leaving Revina behind as sparks of regret began to stir in her heart. Did she regret being with another man? Should she regret the relationship she had formed with Irsyad in her life now?
“Rev... what's wrong, baby? Are you sad because of Alan?”
“Irsyad, this is all my fault.”
“It's not like that, Rev. If you think you're the one at fault, that's the same as saying our relationship is a mistake.”
“I don't know, Ir.”
Irsyad hugged Revina. “Rev, it's okay, baby. It's all in the past now. He's your past. Forget him! Let's move forward with our new life together. Okay, baby?”
Revina didn't understand her feelings anymore. She knew Irsyad loved her. She had also begun to feel comfortable with him. Yet she still regretted that she and Alan had ended things like this.
A new day had arrived. Revina hoped everything would get better again. She was determined to forget Alan and focus solely on her new relationship with Irsyad.
Revina had to attend an elective class that morning. She entered the classroom and chose the seat in the very front. She was so excited because the class was closely related to the topic she planned to use for her thesis.
A little while later, Revina was stunned. Her excitement seemed to fade right then and there. It happened after Revina saw a familiar man walk into her classroom. He was a new professor—and he was Alan.
“Good morning, everyone! Let me introduce myself. I'm Alan Raskal Affandra. I'll be taking over for Professor Agus and teaching this elective course, specifically Functional Food Technology. You can call me Professor Alan. I hope we can work well together. Does anyone have any questions before I begin this morning's class?”
Several students began raising their hands. But they only asked unimportant questions.
“Professor, how old are you?”
“How are you so ridiculously handsome, Professor? Where are you from?”
“Professor, can I get your Line ID?”
“What’s your Instagram account, Professor?”
“Professor Alan, do you have a girlfriend yet?”
Revina was shocked when Alan answered the last question.
“Yes. I mean, I used to have a girlfriend. But we just broke up. My girlfriend chose another guy while I was pursuing my master's degree in China.”