"Thank you, Sir for today's discussion. I hope to see you again at another time, Sir."
"You're welcome," Veer's answer sounded very short and clear.
After he finished with the uninvited guest, Veer rushed to tidy up his books and stationery. Then, he slung his bag over his back and walked out of the room.
It was already evening. The clock on the office wall showed three past thirty. Maybe because of the weather which was extremely so hot, it made this afternoon felt more like a noon.
Veer intended to go just straight home. Then, because Selvi asked Veer to buy her some snacks, he couldn't help but have to stop by the mini market first.
There's no need to bother himself looking for a far mini market, Veer just came to a mini market near the campus. He and other lecturers, also the students often visit this minimarket.
Veer is just like the other normal guy. It didn't take a long time for him to do a shopping sesh, especially just for buying a snack. Selvi would also just take whatever the snacks Veer gives to her tough.
That's because Selvi has a motto: As long as it's free, any kind of food people give to her, she'll definitely take them all.
"Thank you and have a nice day!" said one of the cashiers after Veer paid for his groceries.
After being at the outside of the mini market, Veer stopped his footsteps when he saw two people who looked familiar in his eyes.
Not knowing the both of them, Veer only recognized the one of them. If his guess didn't wrong, there was something they were arguing about.
"Okay. Now what do you want? You want me to accompany you to have lunch together? Yeah?" Galang asked while looking intently at the girl in front of him.
"I know I'm your boyfriend, Kal. But that doesn't mean I have to do everything you want, right? Especially, mostly everything you want's not that really important. You're already an adult, Kal. You don't need to be accompanied by just for having a lunch, right. Please, don't act like you can't live without me. We're no longer teenagers who have time to do every silly things like that."
Kalila squeezed her hands tightly. His heart felt pretty disapproved by all of Galang's words. You know, that's not what literally Kalila wants to hear from him mouth.
She didn't that just want neither for being accompanied for having meals together with him. Nor for being picked up every day. And also nor to be prioritized by him.
Kalila just wanted her existence could be appreciated by Galang. Kalila is Galang's girlfriend. But even just once, he never agreed to do any of Kalila's request.
Galang always refused whenever Kalila asked him to meet her, with his boring excuse as always, saying to her that he is busy as if. But for his friends, Galang always had a time to play with them. What all Galang did with his friends was just playing and doing nothing important sesh, not looked like he's carrying out his obligations as an active member in his club as he said.
Isn't playing also included in the unimportant sesh? Then, how is it different from what Kalila asked for? Both of those are not important in Galang's eyes but Galang would always choose his friends over Kalila.
"I have a gathering with my friends. You better go home asap. I'll order an online taxi for you," said Galang. He reached for his phone from his pocket.
"No need," said Kalila. "I can order it by myself."
If you think Galang will still book a taxi for Kalila, then congratulations! Your answer is one hundred percent and absolutely WRONG!
"Okay, then. I'll go first," Galang put his cell phone back.
That guy then got on his motorbike and rode it right away from the place where he met Kalila.
She's so stupid, isn't she? Kalila could only just keep herself silent whenever she was ignored by her lover. His heart wanted to let her anger but his mouth couldn't make a sound.
"Excuse me. One vanilla ice cream, please," said Kalila to an ice cream seller who usually sells it near the campus.
"Thank you sir."
After she got her ice cream, Kalila looked for a place to enjoy her ice cream. Her eyes decided to the bus stop near the ice cream seller.
"Why the heck I didn't bring my motorbike to campus, hufft. You make it hard by yourself, you know?" Kalila started her monologue while enjoying her favorite flavour of ice cream.
It was getting night, but the sun was still shining as if it wanted to give more encouragement to the people who haven't returned from their works yet tough.
For a long while, Waiting and just sitting at the bus stop literally made her bored. Maybe It's way better for her to just order an online taxibike.
"Geez! Why should I run out the internet data at a time like this? Tsk, really annoying!" Kalila annoyed while staring at her phone's notification.
Never mind, if Kalila recalled Galang's offer earlier, it would only hurt her again. Kalila refused Galang's offer only to stay maintaining her own pride. Kalila didn't want Galang to think of herself as a spoiled girl.
Tin!
The sound of a car horn that stopped in front of Kalila, made this girl looking up. Kalila didn't recognize whose car that was. She even never seen it either. So that, she could assume the person inside that car wasn't giving an interruption to her.
Then, it turned out that what Kalila's guess was wrong! Right after the window of the car was opened, Kalila was surprised by the face of the person who's inside the car.
"Mr. Veer?" Kalila muttered.
Veer? Why did Veer's stopping his car in front of Kalila. Was that possible if Veer will offer a ride for Kalila? Impossible. Kalila was only meeting Veer once. They weren't that close enough to give each other a ride.
"Come in."
Literally just a single phrase that went out from Veer's mouth sounded so clear in Kalila's ears. How could Kalila not hear it if he said it with a pretty loud voice.
For a few moments Kalila was silent in her place. She's literally confused. Should she just entered his car or not.
"No, no way. You don't need to think anything bad," Kalila said to herself.
"For all of my clothes that are still at the outside, I'll just get into his car. Yes, that's a right decision. Before it's getting dark, I must arrive at my boarding house asap."
With the hesitant steps, Kalila walked towards Veer's car. She opened the car door, then went inside and sat next to him.
"Thank you, Mr. Veer" said Kalila after fastening the seat belt.
"Your address," said Veer while starting to drive the car.
"Purple Cost. at Gang Pisang Number 21," Kalila said mentioning the address of his boarding house.
The distance between her boarding house and the campus is quite far. Kalila deliberately chose her boarding house the farthest one so that she could get the cheaper price. And also, Kalila has lived in there since she was in the second year of high school. Kalila was comfortable with her current place.
Five minutes passed….
Silence. One word that could describe the atmosphere inside the car. That silence made Kalila feels pretty awkward in there. She glanced at Veer several times but she didn't see any sign that this guy was about to speak.
"Pardon, sir," with her courage that wasn't fully gathered yet, Kalila tried to start the conversation.
"How did you know that I's on my situation that helplessly needed a ride? I mean, You know, I was sitting at the bus stop earlier. And people usually sitting there waiting for the bus. Not for a ride," said Kalila, lowering her voice.
Waiting for Veer's answer made Kalila so tensed. Then, suddenly a question just pops up in Kalila's mind: Is it polite for a student like her to take a ride in the lecturer's car?
Even though Veer wasn't the lecturer in Kalila's department, Veer was still a lecturer at the campus where Kalila studied. That's now made her regretting all of her acts earlier.
"Your ice cream," said Veer when his car was stopping by at the red light.
Kalila, who didn't understand what Veer meant by her words, could only frowned. She didn't know how to respond it.
"Eat it asap before it melts," Veer said with a briefly glance at the ice cream in Kalila's hand.
Kalila immediately covered the ice cream with her palm. "Shame on you, Kal! You're idiot!" Kalila said to herself.
"Just eat it right away," Veer who was aware of Kalila's actions spoke again.
"Some girls would choose ice cream, chocolate, or other foods as an way out for being ignored by someone. And I think you are one of them."
Way out? For being ignored?
How did he know that she was being ignored by someone? Could it be that he saw Kalila's arguing with Galang earlier?
"I will not interfere in something that's none of my business, anyway. I just happened to pass by and saw a friend of my sister's who seemed like needed a help ," said Veer, answering the questions that Kalila's already saved on her mind without letting herself to ask them out to him.
***