After parting with Nadia and Bella, Bobby and I immediately entered our classroom. When the lecturer arrived, the class was very quiet. I was transfixed for a moment, staring at the lecturer who was explaining about the organs of the human body.
While looking at the projector, I looked at the human skeleton so carefully. Unfortunately, my neighbor Bobby disturbed my concentration with the noise he made with his chair.
"Nik," he called softly in a half-whisper.
"What the hell? You're just disturbing me, the course isn't finished yet!"
"Yes ela, just for a minute. I'm just asking a quick question."
"Ask what?"
Bobby moved his chair closer to me and half-whispered. "Have you ever been close to Nina?"
"Nina? Why?" I asked confused.
"I've seen Nina staring at you since the beginning of class. I think she has a crush on you," he said quietly while glancing behind him.
Reflexively, I also followed the direction of Bobby's eyes and looked towards the corner behind me. There, there was a woman who was smiling sweetly at me. Yes, she is Nina, our classmate.
Since the beginning of the lecture period, Nina has been quite close to me. Since attending the orientation period, we were always in the same group and depended on each other.
From the beginning, I admired a girl like Nina. She was a good girl and also smart, Nina was also beautiful. Many also liked her and wanted to make her their lover. But somehow Nina didn't like any of the men who liked her.
However, since one of the students found out that Nadia and I got married young one year ago, the friendship between Nina and I has been strained. I don't understand why Nina is avoiding me like that.
"You see, Nina is smiling at you."
"Nina and I used to be best friends. But ever since I got married, Nina has been a bit distant from me."
"It's obvious that Nina likes you. Nina's staying away because she's heartbroken that you're married. Automatically, her hopes of becoming your companion are dashed."
"What the hell are you doing? How could a girl as beautiful as Nina like me?"
"So what, Nik. Ever since I was in high school, girls at school have had a huge crush on you. From Lisa, who was obsessed with you, to Dewi, the nerdy golden child of Mr. Gilbert."
I just smiled and looked back at the projector in front of our class.
"Honestly, as a guy, I recognize that you're an almost perfect man, Nik. You're handsome, rich, smart, tall and nice to everyone. Yes, it's just that sometimes your ignorant nature often appears suddenly with people you don't know."
"Shut up, look ahead. I want to concentrate on studying first!"
"Aishhh, you're so annoying! Eh, but I'm still confused about you, Nik."
"What are you confused about, Bob? Let's chat later when the course is over."
Bobby played with his pen while thinking about something. Seeing the expression on his face like that, made me want to pinch his head and punch his silly face hard.
"Actually, do you love Nadia?" asked Bobby suddenly, making me pause and digest his words earlier.
"Nik, you and Nadia have known each other for a long time, so it's only natural that you'd grow to love each other. But, I see that you and Nadia don't like each other."
"What do you mean?"
"Nadia is your best friend since childhood, your girlfriend in high school and your wife in college. The metamorphosis of your life with Nadia is fairly neatly organized. But, haven't you ever told me that you don't actually have any feelings for Nadia? So, if you don't have feelings, why did you date Nadia in the past?"
I was silent for a moment. What Bobby said is true, my current wife is Nadia. We have been a married couple since 1 year ago.
Nadia is my best friend since childhood. I love Nadia as my best friend. I also consider her as my own sister. And, it's true that I don't have any feelings for her at all.
I'm not sure why I agreed to this arranged marriage. Marrying young is not an easy thing. We were still very young. Nadia and I were still 20 years old, but we had to live our lives as husband and wife. My responsibilities were already quite big because my dependents were now increasing.
My future is Nadia. She is my legal wife and Nadia is my sole responsibility. Whatever happens to her, I have to protect my little family. Not to mention, if Nadia and I have children, my life will be even harder because a household is not an easy thing to live in.
Even though I already know everything about Nadia, her status has changed. Uniting two heads in one principle is not an easy thing. I'm surprised to see people who easily say to marry young.
Marriage is an obligation, but building a household at an early age is not an easy thing. Marriage is also not only based on love, we also have to think a lot about our future.
Starting from household harmony, our daily expenses, uniting the differences of opinion between husband and wife, not to mention taking care of children's education costs later.
I myself haven't thought about many things for the future. I'm still in college and I'm still dependent on my parents. I can't make my own money yet and I still depend on my parents' money. How can I support my family, when I don't have a permanent job?
Sustenance is not going anywhere, but do they never think about those who marry young like me? Are they not ashamed to bear the costs of a household that still asks for parents? Even if they already have a job, is that enough?
It's hard enough to support yourself, let alone two people? Getting married is not like dating.