"Still dizzy?" asked Ali attentively when we passed in front of the bathroom
I stared at him, stunned, then shook my head and looked at him without a smile. It was strange to see him greet me so gently and attentively. I walked back to the room I occupied without paying attention to him.
"Miss, eat first," said mbok Tu, mak Ijah's maid, as I crossed the kitchen.
"Wait a minute, Aunty. Have you got the others yet?" I smiled kindly at the woman who was about forty years old.
"Some have, Miss."
"Yes, I'll follow soon. Thank you, Aunty." I said then.
"Okay, Miss, excuse me." Aunty Tu smiled and went out into the backyard.
I rushed to my room. After tidying up my appearance, I immediately headed to the dining table. Only Ria and Atikah enjoyed their lunch while the others gathered in the living room and started discussing. I immediately joined Ria and Atikah, enjoying rice, mixed vegetables with spicy grated coconut, and a side dish of salted fish provided by the host, which tasted very delicious this afternoon.
After eating, we joined the others in the living room. According to the plan we agreed on the street, we would draw a data collection partner and the place. Dusun Sambi consists of four Citizens Associations. That's why we will form four groups consisting of one male and one group of three women.
"I'll choose only three," I said over their boisterous voices. Actually, I feel less comfortable if I partner with Ali, even though it seems that the other side of my heart is now starting to be filled with him.
"No way! We have agreed to a draw," said Ria.
"Yeah, I don't agree either!" this time, Airin and Seri sounded almost at the same time.
I pursed my lips, and my gaze immediately met Ali's, which I couldn't decipher. I immediately turned my eye to the girls who protested my proposal, but they ignored me.
Airin wrote the numbers one to four on a small piece of paper with two sheets each except for groups of four which consisted of three sheets, and separated the scroll containing the numbers into two parts. One part consists of the numbers one to three for the boys and the girls and the numbers one to three plus three pieces of paper with the number four.
Ali ordered us to each take a scroll according to gender. I struggled with Airin when I took the role of paper and hoped that I would get a number four until I was in a group of three, but my wish was not fulfilled because I got a number three. I can only hope that Ali is not my partner.
"Okay, who gets the number one?" asked Ali after we unrolled the paper.
Ria lifted and showed a small roll of paper opened in front of her chest while Lucky put the paper on the table.
"Group one, Ria and Lucky," Ali looked at the two in turn. "Group two?"
"Group two, Airin and Rendi," Ali continued after seeing the two showing the number two.
I frowned. That means Ali and I are in group three because group four consists of three girls. Instantly I felt my chest beat faster.
"Group Three?" Ali swept his gaze at my three friends and me, and I crumpled the small paper in my hand.
"Group of four?" since the four of us didn't respond, Ali immediately called out the next group with suspicious eyes looking at me. He must have guessed that I was in the same group as him.
Seri, Atikah, and Ani immediately showed the paper they were holding.
"Group of four, Seri, Atikah, and Ani, mean group of three are Zie and me," said Ali with a smirk on his lips.
Instantly I wanted to protest the draw we had just done but Ali's cold gaze intimidating me made me feel uncomfortable. I immediately wanted to protest the stalemate. His cold gaze threatened me and made me feel uncomfortable.
Airin recorded our names by group on a whiteboard propped up on a chair. Airin rolled up the paper with the numbers one to four on it again and put it in the bowl.
"Can I change partners?" I asked. After a while, I looked around for approval from the others. I immediately froze as my eyes met Ali's cold eyes.
"I will, Zie," Airin smirked. I could tell that she was looking forward to being with Ali because she had been in love with him for a long time.
"Okay, that means I'm with Rendi, and you're with him," I smiled with satisfaction.
"Decision is inviolable!" Ali said coldly. "What's the point of us making a lottery if it ends up being swapped."
I looked at Ali with annoyance, and he looked back at me with his cold stare. Suddenly a mischievous smile appeared on his lips. Seeing that I felt helpless, all my bones seemed to be pulled out of place, and my breath seemed to stop.
Rendi and Lucky smiled at Ali's decision while Airin immediately pouted because she was disappointed that Ali couldn't want. Whispers immediately sounded among the girls because they knew that Ali and I hated each other. They assumed I didn't want to partner with Ali because of it and thought Ali's refusal was because he wanted to mistreat me.
For a moment, the atmosphere turned tense because of Ali and I's disagreement.
"Forget your eternal enmity. We are here to work together," Rendi chirped to lighten the mood.
"Yeah, Zie. We don't have much time here," added Seri.
"In half an hour, the cadres will come. So don't let the two of you still argue."
"I didn't start the fuss," Ali said nonchalantly, his gaze still on mine.
I stared back at him until my eyes bulged with irritation, but Ali ignored me. He even ordered each group to retake another lottery paper to determine the data collection location.
Seri, Atikah, and Airin took one roll of paper and left one there, and it means that the roll of paper that is still there is where Ali and I did the data collection. I took the remaining piece, and by opening it, my chest pounded. I hope I get an easy field and not far from this place, but I have to bury my hopes when one by one, the group opens lottery numbers for data collection locations.
I breathed a sigh of relief when I read the writing on the paper and found the number four written on it. The number four means that Ali and I got the farthest location with the most challenging terrain. The houses are somewhat separated from other residents' homes, located right under a protected forest.
***