“You sure she’s home in the middle of the day like this?”
Stela nodded firmly. She had already made sure her old friend wasn’t going anywhere. The girl had sent Awan messages and threatened him with all kinds of words.
The fact that the police had learned about Ramon’s business would sooner or later drag both him and Kiko down. Stela had given them quite a speech when the two friends decided to work for Ramon. Having everything they needed in various aspects had swept them away with offers and jobs that weren’t too complicated.
Stela had once received the same offer. She had even accepted it, before the tragedy that happened to Keya. The girl’s trust crumbled when she realized Ramon was no longer the same. She immediately left the bar and cut off every avenue of communication. Stela had learned from her friend’s mistake. Disappointment and fear blended together.
The two of them walked very slowly. Every now and then, they looked left and right to make sure no one was following them. The midday heat was enough to send sweat streaming down their foreheads, mixing with the sweat of nervousness.
Knock, knock, knock.
Stela worked up the courage to knock on the door while Simon stood guard behind her. There wasn’t a sign of life anywhere inside. Maybe Simon’s hunch was right—Awan was outside. Stela knocked again, this time raising her voice.
“Awan, it’s not cloudy today, is it? I brought water vapor from the river.”
Simon chuckled when he heard Stela’s voice. It had been a long time since he’d heard her poetic lines. The girl didn’t always show off that talent; she only played around with phrases when she was with Awan and Keya.
The door opened slowly. Stela smiled when she saw the man who remembered their ridiculous conversations from the past. Awan immediately pulled Stela inside. Simon followed, still looking behind him.
“Stel!” Awan called.
The girl melted into Awan’s embrace. The man simply let her, not resisting at all. Fed up with the scene unfolding in front of him, Simon left the living room and chose to rummage through the refrigerator instead. He took out a bottle of wine and two empty glasses.
“Thanks for letting me know,” Awan said as he released Stela from the hug.
“How’s Kiko?”
Awan didn’t answer Stela’s question right away. He chose to sit on the sofa, followed by Stela and Simon. The two of them stared intently at Awan, waiting for an answer.
“I made a deal with Kiko. We agreed to help you guys, but one of us has to stay with Ramon and pass along any information about where he is.”
“Why would Kiko take that kind of risk?” Simon asked this time.
“No one can guarantee that Ramon will disappear from Tangerang, Jakarta, or even Indonesia after this. If both of us run, we won’t have an informant at all, Mon. You know what your cousin is like.”
“But Simon’s right, Wan. It’s too risky. If Ramon finds out, Kiko could die at his hands,” Stela said worriedly.
“Relax. Kiko and I believe Ramon won’t get suspicious of us that easily. Kiko and I have shown enough loyalty at the bar.”
“So Ramon doesn’t know that you’re with us now?” Simon asked.
Awan shook his head. He lowered it, ashamed that he had lied to Stela. When the girl contacted him, Awan had told her he would leave Ramon because he himself was already sick of the new system Ramon had put in place.
Stela’s expression was no longer relaxed. Her brows drew together, and she was seeing red. She hated being lied to, especially about something this important.
“I know you’re mad, Stel. But this is the best way. I promise I’m loyal to you. I’ve changed, and so has Kiko. You both have to trust us.”
“What makes me have to trust you two, huh? You’re already lying to me this early on,” Stela snapped.
“Lying about what? I was honest about still being with Ramon. The reason I initially lied to you about this was so you’d feel free to tell me everything, Stel.”
Awan gripped Stela’s hand tightly. Simon merely watched the classic drama while drinking the wine he’d taken from the refrigerator. He had no intention of interfering with Stela’s plan.
“Watch yourself, Wan. I won’t stay quiet anymore if anyone tries to pull something.”
Stela flopped down onto her favorite bed. Her body bounced several times thanks to the force behind it. She let out a relieved sigh because her business with Awan was settled. The girl tried to trust him so she could live peacefully, without suspicion.
She reached into her bag and searched for the rectangular object she had turned off earlier. As soon as she found her phone, Stela turned it on and waited for all the messages and calls to come in. She was that confident so many people had messaged her. Not just official accounts. The girl set her phone down; it would take a long time for the device to display all the notifications.
Just as she’d expected, Sanas was the first person to fill her notifications. From calls to messages across all her social media, the woman had gone through everything. Stela could only shake her head at the effort.
The rest of the spam notifications came from none other than R. The girl was still baffled about how R had gotten her phone number. Messages packed with worried questions also filled her social media. Stela opened the conversation and immediately scrolled down. She didn’t want to waste time reading R’s messages, which meant nothing to her.
Meet me at the Indomart across from gancit, Kak.
Stela sent a message to Sanas. She grabbed a towel and went to clean herself up. The girl had deliberately ignored Sanas’s messages and calls because she didn’t want to talk through a screen. Words in a message could never reveal what someone truly felt. Emoticons weren’t enough to represent a person. At least, that was what Stela believed.
Stela didn’t want anyone to misunderstand because of a single message on social media. It would be much better if they discussed everything face-to-face. Not only would verbal messages be conveyed, but nonverbal messages like body language would strengthen the argument. How honest would the person facing her be this time?
After showering, the girl quickly got ready. Stela went with a simple hoodie and sweatpants this time. She put on her favorite hat and a mask, then left the house after locking the door. She had only fifty thousand rupiah on her. Even the sandals she wore had no brand; they probably cost around twenty-five thousand.
With her mask on, Stela could walk more freely. She didn’t have to worry about how people would react when they saw her or what would happen if someone recognized her. The girl walked confidently toward the place she had mentioned in the message. Although Sanas hadn’t replied yet, Stela was sure the woman wouldn’t leave her waiting for long.
Stela’s steps stopped when a hand grabbed her. The hand gripped her wrist rudely and pulled her back. Startled, Stela turned around to find out who had dared touch her.
“You!”
“Hey!”
Once again, Maria had to face medical results that left R lying weak today. He had even needed someone else’s blood to stay alive. As a mother, Maria would much rather deal with R’s mischief than see him helpless like this. R often gave her heart attacks because he never took care of himself. Even knowing he had a blood disorder, R had chosen bullying as his hobby.
“Hey, don’t worry. R’s strong.”
Farhan got up and put an arm around his cousin, trying to calm her down. He understood Maria’s position because she had raised R since he was little. He had even specialized in the field so he could take care of his own nephew.
“If it happens this often, that’s not good for R, right, Han?”
Farhan nodded. “Yeah, but R’s still safe. He’s in good hands.”
Maria anxiously rubbed her face. “Tsk, the only thing he inherited from his father was that damn disease. If I’d known from the beginning, I would’ve—”
“Shh, don’t talk about it.”