Wednesday morning, Alina's family accompanied her to the airport. Dad, Mom, and even Geo came along to see her off. It wasn't a big deal, but this was Alina's first time traveling out of town alone without her family. Even though she was twenty-six, in her family's eyes, Alina was still a little girl they were afraid to let go. She was only going to be in Jogja for a month. Alina sighed and shook her head at her family.
Not long after, Alina spotted Raysa sitting in the airport cafe, drinking an iced Americano while holding a sandwich in her other hand. Alina led her family over to the cafe to meet Raysa, who was still focused on her food.
“Hi, Ray. Have you been here long?” Alina asked, gently patting Raysa on the shoulder.
“Lina? Oh, there’s an uncle and auntie—” Raysa cut herself off when she saw Geo. She nudged Alina and whispered, “Who’s that?” while sneaking a glance at Geo.
“Oh, you’ve never met Geo before, have you? This is Geo, my older brother. Geo, this is Raysa, a writer at my company,” I said, introducing them.
“Hi, Geo,” Raysa greeted him. Geo responded with a smile and a slight nod.
“Oh, Lina, I think we can go inside now. We have to check our suitcases, right? I’m worried the line will get crowded later,” Raysa said as she put her bread back into its paper bag.
“Yeah, you can go in now. It’s already seven, so you won’t have to rush through the check-in process. Just eat some bread like Raysa. You can eat inside while waiting to board. Mom bought these earlier.” Mom handed me a paper bag filled with several pieces of bread. I had no idea when she’d bought them.
“Oh, when did you buy these? Thanks, Mom. Well, Raysa and I are going inside now, Mom, Dad.” I hugged and shook Mom and Dad’s hands.
“Uncle, Auntie, I’m stealing Lina for a month,” Raysa teased. Raysa really was outgoing and found it easy to interact with all kinds of people.
After taking care of check-in and checking their luggage, Alina and Raysa waited in the departure lounge for twenty minutes, chatting until they were called to board the plane.
‘I’m on the plane now. We’re taking off soon. Wish me a safe trip.’
Sent.
After flying for a little over an hour, the plane carrying them to Jogja finally landed safely.
“Lina, let’s be among the last people to get off later. I don’t feel like pushing through everyone else,” Raysa said, still busy playing with her phone.
“Sure. It’s hard to get your things from the overhead compartment when everyone’s crowding around.” Alina began checking beneath her seat and the seat pocket in front of her to make sure she hadn’t left anything behind.
“Okay, I didn’t leave anything behind. Did you check your things? Everyone’s already getting off,” Alina continued when she saw that there weren’t many people left in line.
“I’m good, Lina. I only brought one backpack. Which bag is yours? I’ll help get it down.”
“The cream-colored backpack with the pink bear keychain.”
Alina was sitting in the middle seat, while Raysa was seated on the aisle, making it easier for her to grab the bag from the overhead compartment.
“It’s kind of heavy, Ray. Can you get it? Or should I call a flight attendant?”
Alina, who was petite and only 155 centimeters tall, had struggled to put the bag away earlier, so a flight attendant had helped her.
“It’s fine, Lina. I’ve got it.” Raysa slowly pulled Alina’s bag down, though she also had a little trouble getting it out. It had been pushed farther inside than expected.
“Excuse me, can I help?” A voice suddenly came from behind Raysa, offering assistance. Alina and Raysa turned to find a tall, tan-skinned stranger.
“Sure, thanks,” Raysa said, immediately accepting his help and taking Alina’s bag from his hands.
“Excuse me.” The stranger walked away.
“Sorry, Lina. I didn’t realize it would be so hard to get your bag. The flight attendant pushed it way too far inside, so it was difficult to pull out.” Raysa walked along, grumbling.
“Haha, it’s okay. You didn’t leave anything behind, right, Raysa?”
“Nope, I’m good. By the way, that guy was handsome, huh? He looked like a model. I should’ve asked his name and exchanged Instagram accounts with him.”
“You’re unbelievable, Ray. You still had time to focus on his face.”
“He was really handsome, though.”
After getting off the plane, Alina and Raysa collected their suitcases and boarded a shuttle van that took them to downtown Jogja. The ride lasted about an hour.
They arrived at the hotel at eleven in the morning and checked in right away.
“Ah, finally, I can lie down.” Raysa immediately threw herself onto the hotel bed.
“Do you want to go find something to eat right away, or what, Ray?” Alina asked while unpacking her things.
“I think I’m going to rest first, Lina. I ate quite a lot on the plane, so I’m still full. Are you hungry?”
“Not really. I’m still full too. I even still have some bread my mom bought at the airport.”
“Can we sleep first, Lina? I’m exhausted. We can find something to eat after we wake up and walk around for a bit.” Her eyes were already drooping, nearly closed.
“Sure, go to sleep. Your eyes can barely stay open.” Alina let out a quiet laugh at Raysa’s antics.
As the only daughter and only younger sibling in her family, Alina had always wanted a little sister. She had once had a younger sibling, but it turned out her sibling had gone on ahead to wait for them in Heaven. After working with Raysa, whose personality was outgoing and charming, Alina came to see her as a little sister.
Alina went back to arranging her belongings. Once she finished, she made the tea provided by the hotel and walked out onto the room’s balcony. She watched people coming and going along the streets.
‘Ah, I just remembered that Vano used to go to college in Jogja. I wonder if he’s still here.’
‘Or maybe he’s staying in Jakarta now? I met him in Jakarta last month.’
‘I wonder if I could run into him here.’
Alina thought about Vano. She herself had no idea where he was. Her meeting with Vano last month had been completely unexpected. A small part of her still hoped she could see him again.
‘I want to see Vano again. Do you think I can?’
‘Oh, no, I can’t. I already promised myself I’d forget Vano.’
‘I can’t keep thinking about him, or I’ll never be able to get close to another guy.’
‘Should I try to get close to Vano? No, no. Vano’s had way too many exes. I couldn’t handle his past, especially with all those beautiful ex-girlfriends from wealthy families. Come on, move on.’
Alina clenched her fists to encourage herself. She convinced herself that she could forget Vano.
“I can do it!”
“Do what, Lina?”
“Ah! Raysa, you scared me. When did you wake up?” Alina answered Raysa with a half-scream, startled when Raysa suddenly responded to her.
“Just now, Lina. You suddenly shouted, ‘I can do it!’ so I came over. What can you do? Is there a new project?”
“It’s nothing.” Alina was surprised that Raysa had just woken up but was already bursting with energy. Maybe waking up was the reason she was so energetic.
“Are you hungry? Come on, let’s go downstairs and check out the angkringan stalls. Maybe you’ll find something you like.” Alina continued speaking as she walked back to the table to set down her cup.
“Sure, Lina. My stomach’s been growling for a while, so that’s what woke me up. I’m going to take a shower first.” Raysa grabbed a towel and went straight to the bathroom, while Alina waited and worked on her tasks little by little.
“Lina, there are so many angkringan stalls. Which one do you want to go to? I’m fine with any of them.” Raysa was thrilled by all the food stands lining both sides of the street, like a child who had never been taken out before.
“It’s up to you, Ray. Or do you want to go to Jalan Malioboro first? In the afternoon, there are usually lots of vendors selling things along both sides.”
“Um, sure, Lina. Maybe there’ll be something I like to eat there too.”
“Oh, Lina, do you have any plans while we’re here?” Raysa continued, her eyes darting from side to side as she took in the crowds.
“Not really. I’ll just follow your schedule, Ray. Oh, but I want us to rest on Saturday and Sunday, okay? I have other work I need to finish.”
“Hmm, okay. Oh, Lina, you—”
Raysa’s voice suddenly grew faint in Alina’s ears. A faint woody musk scent that Alina could still make out stopped her in her tracks.
‘That scent again? Is Vano here?’
Alina swept her gaze around, searching for the source of the scent.
‘There’s no way he’s actually here, right? I don’t want to see him again. Otherwise, the dreams will just keep happening.’
Alina thought this while continuing to look around.
“Lina, what’s wrong?” Raysa patted Alina on the shoulder as she stood there looking confused, as if searching for something.
“It’s nothing. Come on, let’s keep walking. Have you decided what you want to eat?” Alina answered softly. Her breathing was still slightly hurried, though she tried to calm herself.
“I think I want to eat at a restaurant, Lina. I just remembered that you’re afraid of cats. If we eat at an angkringan, you might not be able to eat if a cat shows up.”
“If you want to eat at an angkringan, that’s fine.”
“No, it’s okay. I want to try gelato. There’s gelato at that restaurant that I’ve been wanting to try. Let’s go there instead.”
“Okay, sure.”
When they arrived at the restaurant Raysa had mentioned, they ordered food and drinks right away. Raysa also ordered one jumbo-sized cup of gelato. Alina could only shake her head when she saw it. They spent the rest of the day enjoying the city of Jogja and, of course, taking pictures. Even so, Alina still couldn’t focus because she kept thinking about what had happened before they ate.
Alina and Raysa returned to the hotel that night at exactly eight o’clock. Without saying anything, Raysa continued watching Alina, who had been acting strangely since that afternoon. Alina often spaced out and seemed distracted whenever Raysa spoke to her. Every so often, her expression made it look as if she were searching for something—or someone.
“Lina, can I ask you something?” Raysa asked cautiously.
“Sure. What do you want to ask, Ray?”
“Are you okay? You haven’t seemed okay since this afternoon. You know I’m not the kind of person who goes around talking about other people’s stories. You always listen to me when I have something to say. You can talk to me too. I’m worried about you. At least then I’ll know what’s wrong and what I should do.” Raysa asked in a worried, careful tone.
“Do you really want to know, or do you really, really want to know?” Alina joked, trying to lighten the mood.
“Lina, I’m serious.” Raysa’s serious expression immediately turned into an adorable pout.
“Raysa, you’re only the second person I’ve ever told about this problem. So please keep it to yourself, okay?”
“Yes, Lina.” Raysa brought her right hand to her forehead in a salute.
“So, a long time ago…”