After that unexpected moment, I just couldn't move on. That soft, damp touch on my cheek left me frozen for a while. It only lasted a few seconds, but man, the impact was insane. Those sweet, gentle lips that barely brushed my cheek had me completely out of it all day. It felt like the kind of vivid, colorful dream you never want to wake up from.
The whole day, I couldn't stop smiling like an idiot. Even when I got home, my goofy grin stayed glued to my face. I'm pretty sure anyone who saw me would've thought I just won the lottery or something. But this "prize" came from that brief, unexpected moment earlier.
Once the euphoria started to wear off, I realized something important—I'd completely forgotten. I promised my girlfriend I'd take her out today, but that earlier moment had completely wiped it from my mind. Panic hit me hard as I imagined her waiting around, getting angrier by the second because I hadn't said a word.
With panic setting in, I quickly called her. Even if I could only come up with a flimsy excuse, I knew it was better than staying silent. Deep down, I just hoped she wouldn't be too mad. Still, the guilt wasn't going anywhere.
"Hello... babe?" I finally spoke after what felt like forever, the dial tone dragging on before she picked up. My voice was shaky, caught somewhere between nervousness and fear.
"Hello? Why are you only calling me now?" Rani's voice came through, not loud, but with just enough edge to make me even more nervous.
"Uh, sorry, I got caught up. The guys were talking about what high schools we're aiming for," I replied quickly, trying to sound casual. Honestly, though? That was a giant lie.
"Oh? Not with Teh Santi, then?" she pressed, her tone dripping with suspicion. My heart started racing even faster.
"Uh... no! No, not with Santi. We were just, uh, helping the teacher grab some mattresses from the storage room," I stammered, desperately trying to keep my cool even though my brain was scrambling.
"Really? You're saying it was just the teacher asking you to grab mattresses?" she asked again, her voice softening a little. But I could tell she wasn't fully convinced.
"Yeah, seriously, it was just that. Nothing else," I said, this time trying to sound as convincing as possible. It felt like I was taking an oral exam where one wrong answer could make me fail miserably.
"Oh, I see..." she replied softly, but I could still hear the doubt lingering in her voice. The tension in the air was palpable, and even the silence between our breaths felt heavy.
"Why are you asking like tha—" Before I could finish, the call abruptly ended. The sharp beeps in my ear cut off my sentence. I looked at my phone screen; the call had already been disconnected. She hung up first. I just stood there, frozen, my heart still pounding, now replaced with a bigger wave of panic.
I stayed caught in the tense atmosphere, trying to figure out what went wrong. Before I could even piece together any theories, my phone buzzed with incoming notifications. Not just one, but two messages. One from Rani. And the other... from Santi.
Rani: "Sorry, my phone died earlier."
Santi: "Can you come to my house? Just for a bit, it's important."
I froze for a moment, trying to process both messages. My heart was racing like crazy. If Santi's message was really about something important, I had to go. Her house wasn't far anyway—just about five minutes by bike. After a brief internal debate, I decided to head over.
I quickly texted Rani back, making sure she was okay and telling her I had something urgent to deal with—using the excuse of high school enrollment paperwork. Then, I replied to Santi, letting her know I'd be there soon.
Not long after, I pulled up in front of Santi's house. I parked my trusty bike, Si Item (Blackie), in her small front yard. As I hopped off, I noticed her already waiting for me on the porch. Her eyes held something unspoken, but her lips stayed shut. The atmosphere was thick, and I could tell this wasn't going to be a casual chat.
"So... what's up, San?" I finally asked, breaking the silence.
"Wow, that was fast," Santi said, her eyes widening a bit as she looked at me. She seemed a little startled by how quickly I'd shown up, almost like she wasn't fully ready to face me yet. Her hand, which had been resting on her hip, slowly dropped, and her face paled slightly. I could see she was still catching her breath, like my sudden arrival had thrown her off. But in her slightly anxious gaze, there was a faint glimmer of relief too.
"Alright, so what's the big deal?" I asked, getting straight to the point. No need to waste time with small talk.
"Well… for the senior farewell ceremony, you're gonna play the groom in the traditional performance," she said, though her tone hinted that this wasn't the real reason she'd called me over.
I could tell there was something else she wanted to talk about—or maybe I just hoped she'd bring up what happened earlier today. But for now, I decided to roll with it. "Why me? Can't they pick someone better looking?" I joked, trying to keep it light.
"Well, you're the coolest," she muttered, so softly that I almost didn't catch it. In fact, I didn't really hear it clearly at all in the moment. I only found out what she'd said much later, when we reminisced about the past. Then she added, "And besides, you got the highest exams scores."
"What about Angga? Didn't he get high scores too? Why not him?" I tried deflecting with a grin. The truth was simple: Angga looked like a K-drama actor. If K-pop had been as big back then as it is now, he definitely wouldn't still be single.
"Angga said he couldn't do it when I asked him earlier," Santi replied curtly.
"Well, I can't either," I tried to wriggle out again, but she wasn't having it.
"You can't back out. Everything's already set. The committee agreed," she said firmly. Then, with a sudden softness in her voice, she added, "Besides…"
"Besides what?" I asked, curiosity piqued.
She let out a slow breath, looking a bit nervous. "About earlier this afternoon," she said quietly, her gaze dropping to the ground.
"This afternoon, huh?" My heart started pounding faster.
"Yeah... it's because I..." She looked up, her eyes locking with mine. Her voice softened even more, but there was a certain bravery behind her words.
"It's because I like you," she confessed, staring straight at me. The words came out so simply, but they hit me like a whirlwind, leaving me overwhelmed with emotions I couldn't quite name.