Saka POV
“Where are we going?” I asked Arjuna, who handed me a helmet. He was already ready atop a red sport bike. “Hop on. We’re going to pick up a car at my uncle’s house first, then pick up Saskia and her friend. Just come along. It’ll definitely be more fun than sitting alone in your boarding house.” Saskia... Was that Arjuna’s girlfriend’s name? I followed his instructions. The red motorcycle carried us out of the campus parking lot and left it far behind.
Arjuna’s uncle’s house was large and luxurious. I waited in the carport while Arjuna parked the motorcycle and went inside. There were plenty of items bearing the brand of an Indonesian-made three-wheeled vehicle and electric motorcycles in his uncle’s house. Maybe his uncle was one of the company’s executives. He said he wouldn’t be long, and just as he’d said, Arjuna came back out soon afterward. No one followed him from inside. Arjuna got into a white city car and started the engine without closing the door, then leaned his head out to look at me and called out a little loudly.
“Come on!” I followed his command. “Does your uncle work at Xavier?” I asked once the car was moving along the main road. “Yeah,” Arjuna replied. “If you want to buy an electric motorcycle or a commercial motorcycle, just tell me. I’ll help you get the best price.” I nodded. A motorcycle wasn’t my top priority right now. If I wanted to, I could ask Dad to send my motorcycle here to Sibaru. But that would leave Sita without her everyday transportation to school.
It turned out Saskia’s boarding house wasn’t very far from Arjuna’s. I’d been to Juna’s boarding house twice before. It was only one block away, to be exact. Arjuna led me outside and waited on the porch while he called Saskia. Not long after, two girls came out. I didn’t need anyone to tell me which one was Arjuna’s girlfriend—the girl named Saskia went straight over to Juna. She raised her hand, and Juna immediately met it with his own. They linked hands.
“Let me introduce you. This is Saskia, my girlfriend. Kia, this is Saka, my best friend.” “Hi, Saka,” Saskia greeted me with a smile. “Hi, Saskia.” She didn’t offer her hand, so I just smiled at her. “Just call her Kia. This is my friend Winda. Winda, this is Saka.” Saskia introduced me to the girl standing beside her. I turned to her. “Hi, Winda.” Unlike Kia, Winda offered her hand, and I shook it. “Saka, are you an accounting major too?” Winda asked pleasantly. “Yeah.” “Okay. I’m getting in. Let’s go,” Arjuna called. We followed him to the white car.
Of course, my seat had changed, and I sat in the back with Winda. Arjuna and Saskia looked completely comfortable talking and joking with each other in the front, while Winda and I seemed like the exact opposite—or at least, that was how it felt to me. Winda was a friendly girl. She asked me a lot about myself, where I was from, college, and so on. Those were exactly the things I’d been hoping to avoid. I tried to match her by asking questions in return, but beyond that, I didn’t know what to say. I was truly hopeless with girls.
From Arjuna and Saskia’s conversation, I learned that we were going to see a movie. But before that, we were going to eat at the same mall. We walked like two couples, Arjuna and Saskia in front, followed by Winda and me. Winda stayed friendly the whole way. Maybe she was already cursing inwardly about having to be paired with me. At the restaurant, Winda and I sat across from Arjuna and Saskia. Whether I wanted to or not, I ended up looking at Saskia’s face more often. Her beauty was different from Winda’s. Winda was beautiful too, but Saskia’s face radiated gentleness. She spoke politely, and her smile never seemed forced. Arjuna was incredibly lucky.
“Do you have a girlfriend, Saka?” Winda’s question startled me. “Not yet.” I answered quickly, then picked up my food. “Why not? Arjuna said a lot of girls in the accounting department like you.” I looked at Arjuna. What had he told Winda... or Saskia? “I don’t know. Maybe Arjuna was wrong.” “There’s no way Arjuna’s wrong,” she continued. “He’s very experienced, but he’s already got himself a keeper.” Winda smiled as she looked toward Saskia, who responded with a quiet joke. “Saka’s still shy, Win. Once he gets used to life as a city college student, plenty of girls will be lining up for him. He’s handsome and hardworking too. All he has to do is choose which one he wants, right, bro?” “You’re something else.” Why were they talking about me? But when I saw Saskia toss me her sweet smile, some of my awkwardness faded. At least I’d managed to make her smile at me. “When you’re not shy anymore, let me know, okay? I’ll be first in line.” Winda’s words startled me. Was this what city girls were like? Or was I just too much of a country bumpkin? But I didn’t want to stay a country bumpkin forever. I gathered my courage and answered Winda confidently. “Deal.” Everyone chuckled before continuing their meal.
Once everyone had finished eating, Arjuna stood up first. We got up to leave the restaurant. Arjuna stopped at the register and gave the employee our table number. The cashier told him the total, which Arjuna paid with his debit card. I felt small again. Even though I’d chosen the cheapest meal, the total was more than I earned working three shifts over the weekend. After leaving the restaurant, we headed straight to the theater. Arjuna stood at the front again to buy the tickets and snacks. He ordered two medium popcorns and four soft drinks. I didn’t know the exact total this time, but just from the snack prices displayed above the counter, I could already guess that everything cost more than our entire restaurant bill. The back of my neck suddenly felt cold. Of course, a guy like Arjuna was exactly the kind girls dreamed of dating. I glanced at Saskia and saw her affectionately clinging to Arjuna’s arm. I also looked at Winda, who seemed to be gazing at Arjuna enviously. Maybe she’d forgotten what she’d said to me at the restaurant table—or maybe she’d only been joking. She must have been joking.
Inside the theater, I couldn’t fully concentrate on the movie. I didn’t touch the popcorn sitting between Winda and me even once. I only took occasional sips of my soft drink to ease my thirst or the dryness in my throat. My stomach was still full. I felt guilty. I should have been at the boarding house working on my assignments. I could have made use of Arjuna’s laptop before Thursday. I could have copied down my other notes, but instead, I was here. If I’d been paying, I would have spent two weekends’ worth of wages. I hadn’t lost a single cent, but I still felt guilty.
On the way home, Winda and I exchanged phone numbers. Saskia and I barely spoke at all, except when we both chimed in on Arjuna’s jokes. Arjuna dropped Saskia and Winda off at home, then we returned the car to his uncle’s house and picked up the motorcycle. Unlike when we’d picked up the car, Arjuna’s uncle came out to meet us this time. They talked briefly about Arjuna’s college life before we said goodbye and headed home.
“Thanks, Juna. How much do I owe you for the food and movie tickets?” I asked. I knew Arjuna wouldn’t ask me for anything, but my pride told me to ask anyway. “No need. I already told you not to worry about anything. I’m heading home, Saka. Good night.” “Good night. Be careful.” Arjuna’s motorcycle roared as he left the place where I stood.
It was ten past nine when I finished showering and went back into my boarding-house room. I was already lying on my bed when my phone’s notification sound rang out. “Winda seems to like you,” Arjuna texted. “I’m sure she’s just being friendly.” “What if she really does like you?” “I don’t know. I’m not good with girls.” “Maybe that’s exactly what she likes about you. Who knows?” “I don’t know, Juna. I don’t want to think about it.” “Fine. If Saskia invites Winda along again, do you want to come with us? Kia often hangs out with Winda, and if you’re there, I won’t be the only guy with two girls.”
It took me a while to answer Arjuna’s message. Refusing him outright felt too harsh, especially since Arjuna was always kind to me and I didn’t spend any money when I went out with him. But that was exactly what I didn’t like. I felt uncomfortable. “We’ll see. If I don’t have assignments or work, I’ll come with you guys.” That was all I could offer as an answer.
Winda was interested in me? Was that really true? Why did it feel so ordinary? I couldn’t even believe it. What could make a girl interested in me when there were so many other college students who were far better? Back when I was still in Winota, there had been girls who liked me. A few had even confessed their feelings. But that was in the countryside. I stood out more than the other boys because I was the top student. I wasn’t ugly, and on top of that, I had a motorcycle I rode to school every day. Sometimes a girl would shyly ask me to give her a ride to a certain road. Some teased me by sending texts or passing greetings through my male friends. But I’d never taken any of it seriously. Even now, I’d never felt particularly attracted to any specific girl. I’d been busy studying for my annual scholarship, helping Dad at the store, and climbing mountains with my friends whenever I had time off. That was my routine, and I’d been perfectly happy with it. Mountain climbing... It had been a long time. I’d already joined the Nature Lovers club on campus, but the earliest mountain-climbing trip would be held at the end of the semester, of course, so it wouldn’t interfere with our study schedules. I couldn’t wait. I’d invite Arjuna.
My phone rang again. “Good night, Saka. Sleep well. Winda” Winda... She was pretty aggressive. Did she really like me? “Good night, Winda.” After putting my phone down, my thoughts drifted instead to Saskia. From their conversation earlier, I knew Arjuna and Saskia had been dating since high school. They were from the same city, Palagan, a major city. But Saskia wasn’t like Winda. She was quieter—or shy, gentle? Even with her boyfriend, Saskia didn’t seem aggressive. Why was I thinking about someone else’s girlfriend?”