Ever since his conversation with Raka that morning, Arvian's thoughts had never truly been at peace.
All the way home, he kept thinking about one name.
Nayla.
A name that had once been so close to him, yet now felt like the name of someone he'd only just met.
It felt strange.
How could someone mean so much in his life, while most of the story about that person had disappeared from his own memory?
When he got home, Arvian went straight to his room.
He set his bag on the table, then opened the wooden box Dimas had given him again.
This time, he wasn't just looking at what was inside.
He wanted to search for something.
Anything that might help him remember.
He took the items out one by one.
An old photo.
A moon bracelet.
A letter.
A notebook.
Until finally, he found a small piece of paper tucked beneath everything else in the box.
The paper was already a little crumpled.
There were only a few lines written on it.
"If I ever forget, come to the place where we first met."
Arvian read the sentence over and over.
The place where they first met.
He tried to remember.
Nothing.
Blank.
He picked up his phone and opened his old conversation with Raka.
"Rak."
Raka replied soon after.
"What?"
"Do you know where I first met Nayla?"
There was no answer for several minutes.
Arvian began to grow restless.
Then a message came in.
"I know."
"Where?"
Raka took a long time to type.
"The old city library."
Arvian frowned.
"The library?"
"Yeah."
"Why don't I remember?"
"Because after everything that happened, you never wanted to go there again."
Arvian stared at the screen.
The place actually wasn't far from his house.
In fact, he often passed along the road in front of it.
But it had never once occurred to him to go inside.
"You coming?" Arvian asked.
Raka answered quickly.
"Don't go by yourself."
Arvian gave a small smile.
"So you're coming."
"Yeah."
That afternoon, they went to the old city library.
The building was still the same as Arvian remembered. Faded white paint, a large wooden door, and a small courtyard with several old trees.
As soon as he got off the motorcycle, Arvian immediately felt that something was different.
The place felt familiar.
As if it had once been an important part of his life.
Raka stood beside him.
"You feel anything?"
Arvian nodded slowly.
"Yeah."
"What?"
"Don't know."
They went inside.
The library was fairly quiet. Only a few people were reading at the long tables.
Arvian walked slowly.
His eyes took in every corner.
Bookshelves.
Tables.
The large window on the right.
Then he stopped.
A table near the window.
His heart began to beat faster.
"I've sat here before."
Raka looked at him.
"With Nayla?"
Arvian nodded.
This time, he didn't just feel it.
He saw it.
A small shadow appeared in his mind.
A girl sat across from him, reading a book.
"Do you like quiet places?"
The voice sounded clear.
Arvian closed his eyes.
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"Because in crowded places, I often forget to think about important things."
Nayla gave a small laugh.
"So what are you thinking about now?"
The Arvian in the memory smiled.
"You."
The memory stopped.
Arvian opened his eyes quickly.
Raka immediately asked,
"You see something?"
"A little."
"What?"
Arvian looked at the table.
"Nayla and I used to sit here."
Raka smiled faintly.
"Finally."
"Finally what?"
"You're starting to remember."
Arvian didn't answer.
He was still trying to dig deeper.
There was a small scratch on the tabletop.
Without realizing it, he touched the surface.
Then another memory appeared.
"You can't forget so easily."
Nayla's voice.
The Arvian in the memory smiled.
"Why not?"
"Because you always forget little things."
"Like what?"
"You forgot to bring an umbrella when it rained."
"That was only once."
"You forgot your mom's birthday."
Arvian laughed.
"That doesn't count."
"See? You really do forget things easily."
The memory made Arvian smile.
But a few seconds later, his expression changed.
Because after that conversation, another image appeared.
Nayla was crying.
He stood in front of her.
It was night.
The sound of rain.
"I'm sorry."
Arvian's voice.
"I don't know what to do."
Nayla only remained silent.
Then everything disappeared.
Arvian held his head.
"Vian?"
Raka immediately moved closer.
"I saw something."
"What?"
Arvian stared at the floor.
"Nayla and I had a fight."
Raka fell silent.
"Why have you never told me?"
"Because that wasn't my story to tell."
"What do you mean?"
Raka looked hesitant.
But in the end, he answered.
"Because Nayla asked me not to."
Arvian stared at him.
"Nayla?"
"Yeah."
"What did she say?"
Raka took a breath.
"She said not to let you keep blaming yourself."
Arvian fell silent.
Again, the same words.
Blaming himself.
"Rak."
"Hm?"
"What really happened back then?"
Raka didn't answer right away.
He looked around to make sure no one could hear them.
"Five years ago, before Nayla left..."
Arvian waited.
"You two had a plan."
"What plan?"
"To leave together."
Arvian froze.
"Leave?"
"Yeah."
"And then?"
Raka looked at him.
"But the night before you were supposed to leave, there was an accident."
Arvian's world seemed to stop.
"An accident?"
Raka nodded.
"Nayla was the one who got hurt."
Arvian covered his mouth.
Suddenly, fragments of memory appeared.
Vehicle lights.
The sound of panicked voices.
His hand gripping someone's hand.
Crying.
And the words that kept repeating.
"I'm sorry..."
Arvian took a step back.
"No..."
Raka grabbed his shoulder.
"Vian."
"Why don't I remember all of that?"
Raka didn't answer.
Because the real answer might have been far more painful.
Arvian looked out the window.
The afternoon sky was beginning to darken.
For the first time, he began to understand.
The longing he'd felt all this time wasn't only because someone had left.
It was because there was a story that had stopped halfway through.
And now he had to find out how that story ended.