"Leave Niko, Nad. And, come to my side," he said again.
Hearing Maxime say that made me want to run at him and punch him in his handsome face. But I admit, Maxime is handsome, he's also rich, smart and I can see Nadia can laugh out loud when she's with him. Could it be that I'm jealous now? So, is this what jealousy feels like? It hurts!
I was tired of hearing and seeing them together again. I decided to leave the ugly scene. And, unfortunately, I collided with Dara, causing her to almost fall down. Fortunately, I quickly caught her so she wouldn't fall out of my hands.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"I'm fine, what's wrong with you? Do you look like you're upset?" she asked while smoothing her long hair.
"It's okay, I'm just in a bad mood."
I could see Dara turning her body around and could see Nadia who was alone with Maxime.
"Is it because of Nadia that you're grumpy like this?"
Degghh. . Dara's statement really hit the mark, making me look down slowly in embarrassment.
"No, it's not because of Nadia."
"Are you jealous of Maxime's closeness with Nadia?" she asked again.
"Who's jealous? It's normal," I shrugged.
"You don't have to lie to me, Nik!"
"I'm not lying, Ra!" I shouted suddenly, making Dara so surprised.
Seeing Dara's expression like that, I turned my face away because I couldn't bear to look at her face at the moment. Honestly, I was at a loss as to how to deal with Dara coming back into my life.
If I were to be the old Niko, I would have been very happy to have Dara. But, to be the current Niko I'm confused, should I be happy?
I really liked Dara. I admired her and loved her more than anyone else. The first time I knew what it was to be in love, it was when I was with Dara. My heart was pounding, my heart felt happy when I saw her smile and sometimes I was always sad if I saw her cry.
However, as time went by, that feeling started to disappear on its own. Where did that feeling go? Is it all because of Nadia? Is it because I started to like Nadia and forgot about Dara?
Nadia has been frustrating me lately. I can never sleep well. Every time I go to sleep, I always remember her. Whenever Nadia is not beside me, I always miss her and want to see her.
What's wrong with me?
I always feel happy when I see Nadia smiling and laughing because of my attitude. But not this time. Nadia started to feel distant in my eyes, since Maxime's presence everything changed completely. Is Maxime the right person for Nadia? Can Maxime make Nadia happy? It's true, jealousy is very painful and makes my mind disturbed.
"I want to be alone, Ra. I'll go first."
I guess, right now I really wanted to be alone and free from all my thoughts about Dara and Nadia. I sat pensively on the roof of the campus building. With a long sigh, I lamented my very sad life.
"Love is so complicated that you can see the wrinkles on your face!" exclaimed someone who suddenly appeared from behind.
"Nina? Why are you here?" I asked, surprised to find Nina in a place like this.
"When I want to be alone, I always go to this place. Because this place is very rarely visited by other students. Why? Are you fighting with Nadia?" she asked, looking at my face.
"Why do you see my bad and sad side so often, Nin? You're always there when I'm in a mess and need someone to talk to."
"There are times when humans need someone to talk to. Humans can't live alone, Nik. Humans are like a pair of hands. Maybe we can do things with one hand, but sometimes we always need the other hand to stand on and help us.
"99% of you can do many things. But, only 1% is what you can't do. No human is perfect, Niko. That 1% that you can't do, who knows can be done by your other hand. Just like you need a friend to stand on. One friend might be able to help, but with two friends, wouldn't that speed up problem solving?"
I was silent for a while. This is what I admire about a woman like Nina. She always thinks realistically, always plays with words and language. There was always a solution provided when I talked to her. I didn't tell her everything, but Nina always knew what was in my heart without me telling her.
"Niko, a friend is like a heart. Humans cannot live without a heart, because the heart is the center of human life. Similarly, you can't live without a friend. Because friends will always help, even though sometimes friends always make it difficult for us."
"And you are my heart, Nin," I said suddenly without realizing it, making Nina a little surprised to hear it.
"Wrong, Niko. Your heart is not me, your heart is your future friend, your future life companion. A friend who can always understand you in any situation. When you are between two very difficult choices and you have to choose one of them. Try closing your eyes for a moment, take a deep breath and start imagining whose face comes to mind first.
"After that, think carefully and feel with your own heart. Who is the person you really need now and in the future? Maybe, you know the answer because the answer is in your own heart," he explained and then left.
Suddenly, I felt like I was getting re-energized after hearing everything Nina had said earlier. After closing my eyes for a while and feeling what I was feeling right now, I knew what I had to do. Yes, I had found my answer and I had to go looking for someone who was on my mind right now.
While running around the campus corridor, I kept widening my smile. I think this is the right decision and I will not regret the decision I chose now. My choice is not because of mere compulsion.
Because my choice is. . . .