Yes, it's true, if I had known Maxime better than Niko, I might have fallen in love with him and dated him. Perhaps, I could have healed the scars that Maxime has right now.
I always hope that Maxime will find a good woman who loves him sincerely like his late girlfriend Anggi.
"Nadia, are you serious?" asked Maxime when we were both sitting together.
"I'm serious, Max. There's no way I'd lie to you. Besides, I think I'm starting to like you, Max. Are you willing to be patient?"
"Be patient for?" Maxime still didn't understand what Nadia was saying.
"To wait for me. I want you to be the man who can replace Niko in my heart."
Maxime laughed so much when he heard my words that I was confused when I saw him laughing like that. Why him? Is there something wrong with what I just said?
"Why, Max? Is there something wrong with what I just said?" I asked because I didn't understand the sound of Maxime's laughter which seemed very funny.
"Do you seriously like me, Nad? I didn't expect you to change your feelings like this so quickly." Maxime laughed again to mock me.
I laughed widely as soon as I heard his words. Am I one of those fickle women who easily falls in love with others? But, it's true. If only I knew Maxime better than Niko, I would have chosen him over Niko who is now my husband.
"So, the story is that now I'm the one who got rejected by you?" I looked sarcastically at Maxime's face.
Maxime smiled faintly as he ruffled my hair like the behavior of an older brother to his younger brother. I, who was annoyed, returned the favor, making us both laugh together with our behavior that probably looked like children.
"I don't want to be Niko's replacement in your heart, Nad." Maxime looked back at my face gently.
"So? How? I can't possibly make you number one in my heart. That's hard, Max."
"Just hearing that you like me is more than enough for me, Nad. I'm glad I finally got you to like me. Thank you for liking me." Maxime smiled and gently held my hair with a caress that was so warm like a father's caress.
"Yes, Max. You're welcome, and thank you for always being there for me whenever and wherever I am."
"It's only natural, Nad. As long as you need a shoulder to lean on, a hand to wipe your tears, I'm always ready 24 hours for you. I will always be there for you anytime and anywhere."
I was very touched to hear Maxime's words just now. He really is a kind-hearted man and very reliable. If only I could turn back time, I would love to be close to him as more than a friend.
"Max, I hope you can find a woman who is kind and loves you as much as the deceased Anggi, right?"
"Amen. Thank you very much, Nad."
"Sam-sama, Max. Thank you for everything too. Without you, I wouldn't be this strong."
Maxime smiled a little, he again held my head gently and lovingly. The look in his eyes was really soothing. I felt protected when I was with Maxime, a stranger who knew so much about me.
Thank you so much Maxime, thank you for being present in my life even with such complicated circumstances and situations.
After meeting Maxime and comforting each other, I walked towards the cafeteria. However, Dara suddenly came up to me with a very strange expression on her face.
"Nadia!" Dara called from a distance with her footsteps that seemed to be in a hurry to get to me as if she was waiting for something to come out of my mouth.
Dara approached me with hurried steps. I had a bad feeling about this. What's wrong, Dad? Judging from Dara's expression, she looks very upset. Did she know about my marriage with Niko again? This is bad!
"Dara? What's wrong?" I asked nervously.
"I want to talk to you about something," she said with a serious expression on her face.
Deggghh . . . is it possible that Dara already knows about my marital status?
"Something to say? What?" I asked carefully.
Dara's facial expression looked very cold. Her eyes were really sharp and pierced right into my ribs.
"Earlier, I saw a picture of you two in Niko's wallet."
I guessed right, did Dara already know everything? If not, why does her facial expression look annoyed and her eyes don't look friendly at all?
"A picture of me and Niko? In his wallet?" I shouted quite loudly because I was so surprised by Dara's statement just now.
"Yes, that photo was taken during the high school farewell, right? You're wearing a kebaya and Niko is wearing a suit. It looks like you're really close like you're dating. I want to ask you something, but you must answer honestly. Were you and Niko dating when you were in high school?" Dara asked, making me even more frantic and confused about what to answer.
I bite my fingernails. When I'm nervous like this, I'm like a thief caught in the act. My eyes wandered everywhere, now I was finished.
"Me. . I... . I... . . . "
"Yes Ra, Nadia and I used to date," replied Niko, who suddenly came out of nowhere, making me and Dara jump in surprise upon seeing him.
"What?" Dara shouted, not believing Niko's answer. "Is that true?"
"Hold on Ra, I can explain," I said trying to explain everything.
"I'll try to explain everything, Nad," he said, making the atmosphere turn very tense. I started to get nervous myself and broke out in a cold sweat. What would Niko try to explain to Dara?
"Ra, I used to date Nadia. I didn't expect to date her myself. In fact, all this time the one I liked was you. But, when you weren't around, Nadia was the one who always comforted me and kept me company.
"Maybe I was closer to her and I was comfortable with her, so that's why I dated Nadia. But, after that we broke up. There's only one person in my heart now," Niko said at length, making me nervous as I listened to his answer.
"Who is that person?" asked Dara, looking nervous too. And, I myself was also very curious as to what Niko would answer this time.