That day, Dina was washing the dishes when the doorbell rang.
Ding. Dong.
Dina paused for a moment, staring at her soapy hands. The clock on the kitchen wall showed four in the afternoon. An awkward hour. The hour when people had not come home yet, but it was not really the time for important guests either.
"Diiinooo!" Dina shouted from the kitchen. "The bell!"
"Yeahhh!" Dino called back from his room. "I'm coming down!"
Quick footsteps could be heard from the second floor, followed by Dino hurrying down the stairs.
Dina was still busy with her chore when the front door opened.
"Finally, you made it!" Dino exclaimed enthusiastically. "Come in, come in!"
Dina, still in the kitchen, automatically stopped and peeked toward the front door. She saw Alfa walking in, a backpack slung over his shoulders, wearing a plain gray T-shirt and a relaxed expression. The moment his eyes caught Dina's, a smile appeared on his face. Not wide and not exaggerated.
"Hi," Alfa greeted.
"Hi," Dina replied instinctively.
This was his third visit that week.
And the reason was quite monotonous. If they were not working on assignments, then he was simply hanging out with Dino.
The two of them then sat in the living room. Dino immediately spread his laptop out on the table and opened his college assignment file, wearing a serious expression that rarely appeared on his face.
"So, let's just divide it up, yeah," Dino said. "Esa's already done the introduction and literature review. You take the methodology, I'll do the discussion."
"Okay," Alfa replied without much protest.
Dina took some drinking water from the kitchen, placed it on the table, then sat on the sofa behind Dino and Alfa.
Alfa turned toward Dina. "How are you feeling today?"
Dina blinked. "Huh?"
"Dino said you've still been getting headaches."
"Oh. It's much better now," Dina replied. "I can go back to school tomorrow."
Alfa nodded slowly. "Do you still have your medicine?"
Dina glanced at Dino, then back at Alfa. "Yeah, I do."
"It's already afternoon, so you only have one more dose tonight, right?" Alfa said casually.
Dina fell silent for half a second.
How does he know that?
Dino turned toward them while chewing on a biscuit. "She still has plenty. She's really stubborn, you know. She often refuses to take her medicine."
"Whose side are you on?" Dina muttered.
Alfa smiled faintly, then took something out of his backpack.
"Here," he said, handing Dina a large packet of lemon-flavored sour candy.
"This…" Dina narrowed her eyes at the packet of candy in Alfa's hand.
"You like sour stuff, right?" Alfa replied casually.
Dina looked up. "How do you know?"
She suspiciously turned toward Dino.
The person being stared at raised his hands and answered, "I didn't say anything. I'm not so short on things to talk about with my friends that I have to discuss my little sister's favorite food."
Alfa chuckled again. "You told me once."
"When?" Dina asked in confusion. Dino also looked somewhat interested.
"Through a text," Alfa replied.
Dina and Dino immediately stared at him, though for completely different reasons.
Now it was Alfa's turn to raise his hands. "Hang on, bro. Don't get mad yet," he said, quickly trying to calm Dino, who seemed angry because he had been texting his little sister. "I don't text Dina that often, okay? Just occasionally, and most of it is about Dina's assignments. I still remember quite a bit from high school."
Dino said nothing, only moved two fingers from his eyes toward Alfa in a gesture that clearly meant I'm watching you. After that, he returned his attention to his laptop.
Alfa then turned toward Dina, who was also looking at him.
"The candy is for when you take your medicine. To get rid of the bitter taste."
"Thanks, Alfa," Dina replied happily.
Alfa returned her smile, then focused on his assignment again.
The following days went by in almost the same pattern.
Alfa came over in the afternoon or at night. Sometimes he brought his laptop. Sometimes he only brought a backpack. Sometimes he brought an excuse.
"I'm too lazy to stay at the dorm."
"Dino invited me."
"I have a file I need to pick up."
And always, Dina was there.
At first, Dina thought nothing of it. Her brother often had friends over, after all. But gradually, she started getting used to Alfa's presence in her house.
Sometimes Alfa brought her snacks like candy, chips, or drinks. Sometimes Alfa would sit and chat with her for a while before actually focusing on Dino. It started with the usual questions like, "Tired today?" or "Have you eaten?" and continued into other topics.
One afternoon, Dina had just entered the house when she saw a pile of shoes scattered around the front door. She immediately knew Dino's friends were visiting. Strangely enough, she recognized Alfa's shoes among them. Her steps slowed.
In the living room, Dino's friends were gathered together, working on their assignment. The moment Dina appeared, Alfa turned toward her. "Just got home?"
"Yeah."
"Why so late?"
"There was an extracurricular meeting."
Alfa nodded.
"Where's Dino?" Dina asked.
"He went to his room to get a book."
Dina nodded back. "Oh."
She then went into her room, changed clothes, and came back out. Alfa was still sitting on the floor, leaning against the sofa, with his laptop on his lap. Beside him, Dino sat with an open book. They looked serious as they discussed something while the others were busy with their own assignments.
While they worked on their assignments in the living room, Dina watched television in the family room. Every now and then, her eyes met Alfa's, who was also looking in her direction. It happened far too often to be called a coincidence.
---
Dina's daily life had returned to normal. She was back at school as usual, walking without any pain, and her head no longer throbbed. Her days flowed easily: assignments, little bits of gossip from Icha and Nia, and the art project that was now down to building the model and decorating the booth. Everything felt stable again.
The break bell had just rung when Dina's phone vibrated in the pocket of her school skirt.
Alfa: Din, this Sunday, me, Dino, and the others are going to Taman Sakura at Cibodas Botanical Garden. Just a day trip. Wanna come?
Dina read the message twice.
Not because she did not understand it, but because her brain needed a moment to process the invitation.
Her heart beat a little faster.
She typed a reply, deleted it, then typed again.
Dina: Is it okay? Dino already told me, but he didn't invite me.
The reply came in less than a minute.
Alfa: Of course. I'll be the one to ask Dino for permission later.
Dina stared at her phone screen for a while.
A smile slowly appeared on her face without her realizing it.
Dina: Then I'm in.
"Well, look at you, smiling all by yourself," Icha's voice suddenly came from right beside her.
Dina flinched. "What?"
Icha narrowed her eyes, then glanced at Dina's phone. "Why are you so happy?"
Dina locked her phone screen. "I'm not. I'm just normal."
"Being normal doesn't make someone smile so much that their eyes are smiling too," Icha argued.
Dina sighed, then gave in. "Alfa invited me to Taman Sakura."
Icha's eyebrows immediately shot up. "The one in Cibodas?"
Dina nodded.
"Whoa, that sounds fun. I've never been there. People say it's really beautiful," Icha replied enthusiastically. She moved closer. "So? You're going?"
"Of course. When else am I gonna get the chance?" Dina answered just as enthusiastically.
Icha smiled widely. "Good."
"What's good about it?"
"You need to get out," Icha replied firmly. "After leaving the hospital, it's like your soul still hasn't fully come back."
Dina playfully smacked her friend on the head.
"Seriously," Icha continued. "Your body, your mind, everything is tired. A little refreshing can get you energized again."
Dina fell silent, then gave a small nod.
"So, is this a date?" Icha asked, her teasing mode returning.
"Here we go again," Dina rolled her eyes. "We're going with a group, Cha. It's Dino and his friends' thing."
"But it's weird that Alfa was the one who invited you, not Dino," Icha said mischievously.
"Enough. Are we going to the canteen or not?" Dina asked, cutting the conversation short.
Icha simply laughed as she linked arms with Dina and led her out of the classroom.
From the back row, Ando watched them. His gaze lingered on Dina's face as she turned to the side, happily chatting with Icha. The wide smile was still on Dina's face, whether because of whatever they were talking about or because of the trip plan that Ando had vaguely overheard. The moment he heard Alfa's name, his mind immediately replayed the scenes between Dina and Alfa at the hospital.
And for some reason, his desire to go to the canteen disappeared completely.