It all began on that day. More precisely, when Arka was still a junior in high school.
As student council president and captain of the school basketball team, Arka's firm, intelligent personality and athletic build made him an almost perfect dream guy in the eyes of the female students.
His academic scores were always near the top of his class. No one could count how many science olympiad trophies and basketball championships he had brought home for his school.
Yet behind his popularity, Arka wasn't the type of teenager who was friendly toward girls. He tended to be cold, indifferent, and reluctant to deal with anything related to romance. Countless female students had been forced to swallow their disappointment after he ignored them.
"Don't tell me you're not interested in girls at all, Ka?" Yoga baited him as they rested along the edge of the court after basketball practice.
"Are you crazy? I'm perfectly normal," Arka shot back, offended. He snatched up his water bottle, drained it quickly, then poured the remaining water over his head, making his wet strands of hair accentuate the handsome lines of his face.
"It's just that you've never once seemed close to a girl, bro. Right?" Yoga winked at Taki, their Japanese-descent teammate.
"Exactly! Just be honest. If you're not into girls, let us know now so we can stop being friends. I'm scared, eek..." Taki chimed in jokingly.
"What the hell are you two talking about?" Arka grumbled irritably as he tossed the basketball in his hand. Beside him, Niko, usually the calmest of them all, simply listened with his arms folded across his chest.
"We need proof that you're a normal guy. How about we go clubbing tonight?" Yoga suggested enthusiastically.
"I'm in. We could use the break, and it's been a long time since we went," Taki added.
Arka stared at the three of them, his brow furrowed. "Are you kidding?"
"Why? Scared?" Niko suddenly challenged him with a mocking smile. This guy was definitely the quiet-but-dangerous type. "Don't tell me the student council president the entire school dreams about is actually just a cowardly homebody."
"You're supposed to enjoy your youth, Ka. If your life is nothing but studying, student council meetings, and basketball practice, when are you ever going to have fun?" Yoga pressed, deliberately provoking him.
Arka fell silent, spinning the basketball on his fingertips.
All this time, he really had been raised under immense pressure by his father, Mr. Bambang. As the only son and sole heir to an incredibly wealthy family, Arka had been molded into a perfect person. He had never been given room to socialize freely, let alone date. Even joining the basketball team had required him to work hard to persuade his father.
Have I been too obedient all this time? Arka wondered, turmoil churning inside him.
"Relax, Ka. We're just hanging out and having a few drinks. Some popular girls will come over eventually, too. I guarantee you'll understand how good it feels to enjoy life," Yoga coaxed him again.
"Yeah, besides, no one will find out..." Taki added.
"Come on, just go with us. It'll prove you're not some stiff, boring guy," Niko concluded casually.
Arka let out a heavy sigh. The basketball court where they had practiced was already starting to empty out, since the final bell had rung some time ago. His pride and the curiosity of a repressed teenager slowly wore down his defenses.
"Okay. Where are we meeting?" Arka finally said.
Yoga smiled in satisfaction and gave him a thumbs-up. . . That night, Arka carefully snuck out of his luxurious home. As luck would have it, both of his parents were away on business in another city for several days. Even so, Arka still had to stay alert for the guards and security personnel around the house.
Fortunately, because Arka had always been an obedient son, the watch over him wasn't especially tight.
Arka deliberately left his luxury car behind to avoid leaving a GPS trail or arousing the guards' suspicion. He ordered a rideshare a few hundred yards from his residential complex and took it to the agreed meeting point.
"Hey! You actually made it!" Yoga greeted him when Arka arrived in front of an exclusive nightclub downtown. Niko and Taki were already there, along with another teenager Arka didn't know.
"Meet Dodi, from the high school next door," Taki said.
Arka merely gave a brief nod. He swept his gaze toward the club entrance, feeling uneasy. The pounding EDM music pierced the glass walls, reflecting flashes of colorful neon lights through the dimness.
"Let's go in!" Niko urged, leading the way.
The five teenagers walked through the entrance.
A strange and dangerous new world instantly welcomed Arka. Honestly, he felt deeply unsettled. His heart raced, and a powerful urge rose within him to turn around and go home. The smell of alcohol mixed with the sharp scent of perfume, stinging his nose. The sight of people dancing freely beneath the dim lights only deepened the dark atmosphere.
Niko headed straight for the bar and ordered several glasses of high-proof liquor. Then they settled onto a sofa in the VIP corner.
"Relax, Ka. It's awkward at first, but you'll get used to it," Yoga said, patting Arka on the shoulder as he sat rigidly beside them.
Before long, several scantily dressed women approached their table. One of them immediately tried to sit close to Arka. But Arka instinctively turned his face away and moved back, feeling extremely bothered and uncomfortable with the situation.
Their drinks arrived as well. Niko, Yoga, Taki, and Dodi downed theirs without hesitation, laughing with the women.
"Drink up, Ka. Don't just stare at it," Dodi urged, holding out a glass to Arka.
"Come on, why are you being so stiff? It's just one sip. What, you scared?" Niko sneered sharply.
Arka let out a heavy breath. Niko's taunt struck a nerve. Reluctantly, Arka took the glass and downed it quickly. The bitter heat instantly scorched his throat, making his head swim within seconds.
"I... need to use the bathroom," Arka said, holding his head as it began to feel heavy.
"Okay. If you come back and we're not on the sofa anymore, don't worry—we're just going to find somewhere more private," Yoga joked, prompting laughter from his friends.
Arka paid no attention to their teasing. He truly couldn't stand being inside the stuffy, noisy room any longer. He regretted giving in to his teenage pride more than anything. Instead of going to the bathroom, Arka walked straight toward the emergency exit at the back of the building.
Huff... puff...
He drew in a deep breath of night air as soon as he made it outside to the deserted garden behind the club. The music from inside now sounded faint. Arka lowered himself onto a wooden bench beneath the shade of a leafy tree, leaned back, and closed his eyes, letting the night breeze soothe the dizziness in his head.
"Hi... Are you here all by yourself?"
A soft voice whispered gently. Arka flinched in surprise and immediately opened his eyes.
Standing before him was a beautiful girl, her face bathed in the gentle moonlight that night. She smiled sweetly as she gazed at him.
For the first time in his life, Arka was utterly captivated by a woman—a woman who would one day change the entire course of his life, a woman who would later give Arka a precious gift named Caca, before fate separated them forever.