That night, Nadine was back in her room.
After spending quite a while in the kitchen, she finally returned to her room and chose to lie down on the bed. The room light was already on, while the fan in the corner turned slowly and her phone rested in her hand.
For the past few minutes, she had only been opening various apps without any clear purpose. Reading messages in group chats, checking the latest posts on Instagram, then closing the app and opening it again a little while later.
When she opened WhatsApp, her gaze stopped on one of the names in her chat list.
Rafka.
Nadine tapped the conversation.
Their last messages were still related to what they had done that afternoon. There had been no long conversation. Rafka had only sent a few messages after they finished cooking, while Nadine had replied as necessary.
Nadine actually already knew that she had communicated with Rafka long before they started seeing each other so often like they did now.
At least, that was what she remembered.
According to Nadine, their first conversation had taken place in May 2025, not long after Rafka moved into the boarding house. At the time, Rafka had contacted her to ask about some of the rules there.
Their conversation had been brief.
Once his questions were answered, they had nothing else to discuss.
Nadine had never thought about it again.
She started scrolling up through the conversation.
Messages from the past few days slowly gave way to older conversations. After scrolling through the screen several times, Nadine finally found the conversation she was looking for.
The date displayed between the messages showed May 2025.
Nadine stopped.
It was true.
She reread the brief messages they had sent each other back then. There was nothing interesting about them. Rafka had asked, Nadine had answered. After that, the conversation simply ended.
Nadine almost closed WhatsApp.
However, whether because she was curious or simply because she had nothing else to do, she scrolled up again.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Her finger suddenly stopped.
Nadine furrowed her brow.
She read the date that appeared on the screen.
January 2023.
Nadine stared at it for quite a while.
“Wait.”
She looked at the date again.
January 2023.
Not May 2025.
Nadine tried to remember.
She felt certain she had never spoken with Rafka before 2025. At least, that was what she had always believed. Yet the messages in front of her clearly showed otherwise.
She read the first message.
Rafka had asked whether there were any vacant rooms in the boarding house.
That was all.
Nadine then answered his question. They exchanged a few brief messages before Rafka thanked her and the conversation ended.
Nadine continued staring at her phone screen.
She tried to remember what had happened.
Slowly, her memory began to return.
There really had been someone who contacted her to ask about a vacant room. However, Nadine had never imagined that person was Rafka.
Or perhaps she had known at the time, but the conversation had been too brief to leave any impression.
“Seriously, 2023?” she muttered.
Two years.
As it turned out, their first message had been sent two years before Nadine’s motorcycle broke down.
Two years before Rafka actually moved into the boarding house.
Two years before Nadine started seeing him frequently as he passed through the yard.
Two years before they finally spoke in person.
Nadine looked at that earliest conversation again.
It was kind of funny.
All this time, she had thought everything began in 2025. She had thought Rafka first appeared in her life as a new resident asking about the boarding-house rules through WhatsApp.
As it turned out, the man had appeared in her life even earlier.
She had simply forgotten him.
She scrolled back down until she reached their newest conversation.
The old messages, which contained nothing but brief questions, were now mixed with much more casual new ones.
About going out together.
About the market.
About soy-sauce chicken.
Nadine smiled faintly.
It felt strange to see that change within a single conversation page.
Back then, Rafka had only been someone asking about a vacant room.
Now, the man could suddenly show up in the kitchen and help peel garlic.
Nadine’s phone suddenly vibrated.
A new message came in.
Rafka: Haven’t gone to sleep yet?
Nadine stared at the name on the screen.
Then, without realizing it, her gaze drifted back to their first message.
January 2023.
Nadine still didn’t know that the brief conversation about a vacant room would become one of the things she would eventually remember.
Because after two years had passed, the man who had briefly appeared in her message list was now much closer to her.
Not merely as a name in her phone.
But as someone who lived in the same place as she did.
Someone who, lately, always seemed to appear in the gaps between her days.