The air of the campus field that afternoon felt humid, a mix of the smell of wet soil after the morning rain and the sweat of dozens of new students. I stood in front of the team I was mentoring, trying to focus on the rundown paper that was already a bit crumpled. But my focus? It vanished completely. As if forcibly sucked into a single point.Her.The beautiful and graceful creature who almost made me stumble earlier. Standing in the back row, slightly hunched, like she was trying to hide herself. But useless. There was an aura that could not be hidden. Her long black hair was tied in a simple ponytail, a few strands loose and sticking to her sweaty temples. Her skin was fair and clean, sharply contrasting with the dull gray orientation shirt we were all wearing. Her eyes? Big, sparkling, though I could see a hint of tiredness there. And her lips… perfectly shaped. Damn, focus! I scolded myself inwardly."Okay, friends!" my voice came out louder than planned, trying to cover my nervousness. "Next, we're going to practice the chant for the orientation closing event later. Now you divide yourselves into groups of four to look for ideas, and you have to perform them in front. The group that gets the most enthusiastic applause, their chant will be used for this team during the orientation closing event."I explained the rules briefly, while occasionally glancing in her direction. She listened seriously, nodding from time to time. When it was time for group discussions, I walked around supervising.Akmal, after coming back from the bathroom, immediately stood near the group of the Beautiful and Graceful Creature. He was busy chatting and laughing softly with her, but… for some reason, my eyes kept being drawn to her, that graceful creature. She looked a bit confused holding and working on the task of making the chant.Opportunity.I slipped closer to her group. "Need help?" I asked, trying to sound relaxed.She turned, startled. Her big eyes widened for a moment, then creased shyly. "Yes, Kak. This… I don't really understand the rules, there have to be mandatory words but they don't really connect, right?" she said. Her voice was soft, clear, like drops of water. It immediately made my heart pound faster."It's easy," I replied, trying to stay calm. I took the pen and notebook from her hand. On purpose our fingers touched briefly. Her skin was smooth. Cold. I felt my ears getting hot. "Here, look, this word 'concrete' can be combined with 'know'. Our task is to make it fit as a chant, something good and energizing." I showed her carefully, standing very close to her. I could smell her simple, fresh shampoo. "Try continuing."She took over, her hands slightly trembling. I watched her effort to arrange the mandatory words that really did not connect. Her lips puckered in concentration. Very cute."Good! There, like that, it's almost a chant now," I whispered near her ear. She smiled softly, happy. The first smile I saw from her. Light. That was what crossed my mind. Her smile made her whole face glow. My chest felt tight."Thank you, Kak," she whispered back shyly."You're welcome," I replied, smiling widely. "By the way, my name is Randi. Randi Pranata. Civil Engineering senior class of 2003. You? Is it okay if we use gue lo when we talk? I just realized, since the beginning we've been using formal language, it's stiff like rice paper that hasn't been wet."She lifted her face, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. "I… I'm Cantika, Kak. Cantika Putri Jelita. Civil Engineering too, class of 2005. Hmmm, yes Kak it's okay if Kak Randi wants to use gue lo, but I don't feel comfortable with the others so I'll keep using formal language, okay Kak."SMACK!Whaaaaaaaaa???? It felt like the world stopped spinning. Cantika Putri Jelita? That was the name Akmal mentioned! This was the girl who made Akmal crazy? The Cantika Jelita who was said to be 'more top'? Oh my God. I just realized, all this time Akmal was focused on talking and getting close to his 'Cantika Putri Jelita', I never actually checked her face properly! And it turned out… it turned out…She really was beautiful and lovely. More than I imagined. And I… I had just felt a spark, a fire spark I had never felt before, with the girl who was the official crush target of my own best friend! This was a big problem, Randi!My face must have gone pale. "O-oh… Cantika Putri Jelita…" I muttered, trying to swallow. "Ehm… a beautiful name. It fits." So stupid, Ran!She smiled again, shyly. "Thank you, Kak Randi.""Just Randi, no need for Kak-kak. We're only two years apart," I teased, trying to return to relaxed mode though inside I was in chaos. What should I do? Akmal…The rest of the practice session went on with me in a half-conscious state. I watched Cantika, now I knew who she was, as she became more confident handling the tools. But every time she laughed softly or chatted with her group mates, a feeling of guilt toward Akmal appeared. I also watched Akmal, who was clearly chasing Cantika, always near her, pretending to help, laughing loudly. Cantika seemed to respond normally, friendly but nothing special.The clock already showed four o'clock. Time to go home. "Come on everyone collect your name tags, after this you can go home. Collect them all and put them on the table!" I ordered, trying to project my voice to the whole team.
