"Are you okay?" asked Maxime who came over to me.
"Do you think I'm wrong?" I asked, looking at Maxime's face intently.
"Sooner or later your marriage with Niko will definitely be known to him. Leave Dara alone first, she needs peace for a while. Later she will understand what you two mean by keeping your status a secret from her."
"Will Dara think what you think, Max? If only everyone thought like you."
Maxime smiled. He held my right shoulder as he looked up at the sky.
"Love is complicated, Nadia. But, in every problem you face, I'm sure you'll get through it well," he said meaningfully and then left.
Yes, every problem has a way out. But, is it possible that this time I can just get through it? Can I still maintain my relationship with Niko?
"Nad, don't be so gloomy!" Bella exclaimed when she saw my face looking gloomy when we were eating together at a café near campus.
"What did I do wrong, Bell? Do I have to prostrate myself in front of Dara and then she'll forgive me?"
"Actually, none of this is your fault. It's just a matter of time and time has proven it, right? The circumstances that made you lie to each other to cover everything up. But, you lied for your own good too."
I put my head on the table. I knocked my head on the table so many times, it felt like my life was getting harder and harder.
"Calm down, Nad. You're not alone, there's still me and Bobby who care about you. All you have to do now is fix your problems."
"How?" I asked while looking at Bella's face.
"Face reality, talk to Niko and Dara slowly."
"Am I up to it? Just looking at Dara's face makes me feel so sad and regretful."
"You have to get up, Nad. If you don't talk about it, it's going to come back to bite you in the ass. After all, Dara is your friend, our friend. Bobby and I can't get involved in your problems. All we can do is support and pray. We always wish you the best so that we can get together again like before."
"That's really sweet of you to say, Bell."
"Come on, Nadia. Learn to grow up and face this reality. You can do it, you must be able to get through this."
"Talking is easy, Bell. It's the practice that's hard."
"I'll help you until your problem is solved. Trust me, you can solve your problem as soon as possible. We love you all, we love you. So, don't ever think you're alone. You have me, if necessary I'll help you talk to Dara."
I shed my tears of joy. Bella hugged me so tightly. I was so grateful to have such an amazing friend like her. Thank you God, thank you for giving me the best friend so far.
After my conversation with Bella, I felt a little calm. It turns out that it's true, when we're down like this, we really need a discussion partner. And, Bella is one of the most loyal friends when I'm in a heavy problem like this. She can always calm me down and give me the best solution.
I walked towards the parking lot. Trying to be brave in facing this bitter reality. However, suddenly someone came up to me as I was opening my car door.
"Nadia?" he called out.
"Nina? Hey, why are you here?"
"I was just going home. I just ate, did you eat too?"
I nodded slowly. Since we had already met, we both decided to sit together in my car while talking.
"Have you been having problems with Niko lately?" Nina asked, opening her voice.
"It's obvious, isn't it?"
"I don't know what problems you're facing right now. But I hope you won't put Niko under too much pressure."
"Depressed? What do you mean?" I asked confused.
"Lately, Niko often doesn't concentrate when studying in class. In fact, he is often reprimanded by the lecturer for submitting assignments late. His test scores have also dropped drastically. I'm worried that Niko won't be able to get his master's scholarship."
"How much has Niko changed in class?"
Nina nodded, making me feel very guilty about what was happening to both of us lately. Was Niko thinking too much about our problems that his grades had dropped so drastically like that?
"Do you love your husband?" asked Nina suddenly, making me surprised to hear her question.
"Why are you asking me that, Nin? Do I not seem to love my own husband?"
Nina shook her head. She smiled slightly and grasped both my hands tightly.
"Nad, if you love someone, you have to fully trust the person you love. Because by trusting each other, you indirectly trust them as your partner. If there's no trust in each other, why would you keep your relationship? Instead, you'll hurt each other."
"So, what should I do, Nin? I trust Niko completely. But, I'm not sure about Niko himself."
"Believe me, Niko really trusts you. Niko often tells me a lot about you," she said softly, causing me to stare at her in disbelief.
"Niko told you a lot about me?"
Nina nodded her head and smiled slightly.
"Do you know what it means that people you like often tell you a lot of things? You're a psychologist, you must understand what I mean."
"Niko likes me? Is that possible?"
"Nothing is impossible in this world, Nad. Do you remember the self-motivation seminar on managing relationships with others? The outline is that the answer to your life's problems is there."
"Seminar?" I asked, still looking confused.
"I'll go first," she said and left.
After Nina left, I thought hard about what she had just said. Wait, now I knew where I had met Nina outside the campus. As it turned out, we had met during a seminar the other day.
"Thank you very much, Nin. Thanks for the enlightenment."