I was left alone with a half eaten bowl of meatballs. It felt like a loss. A big one. Akmal played a strong card. An offer of data help that Cantika needed. And he clearly showed who had access to Cantika right now. You're good, Mal. I'll give you that.
I paid and walked out. The drizzle was still falling lightly. The night wind felt cold. My phone buzzed. Not Akmal. Not Cantika.
From: DeaMessage: "Randi! Tomorrow night there's a small get together at my boarding house. I'm inviting one friend. A girl. She's really nice, smart, and funny. You should come. So you won't be single all the time. 7 p.m. Don't bring Akmal okay. I don't want to invite him. ;)"
I stared at the screen. From Dea? At a time like this? But one sentence made me think. "Don't bring Akmal." That meant this was an event without Akmal. And Dea knew my relationship with Akmal was tense right now.
I read the message again. "A girl. Really nice, smart, funny." Definitely not Cantika. But… this could be a chance to step out of this vicious circle. Or at least, a place to dump my wounds for a while.
But the image of Cantika's smile at the meatball stall earlier, her sparkling eyes when talking about Korean dramas, her innocent complaints about assignments… all of it stuck hard in my head.
I typed back to Dea: "Whoa, Dea. You're trying to set me up with your friend? Hahaha. Seriously? Where is she from? Does she even want to meet a broke engineering kid like me?"
Her reply came very fast: "Shut up! She's a Psychology student, final semester. She also needs a distraction from her thesis. I already told her a bit about you. She's curious! You won't regret it. Please come, okay? To keep me company too, since the others are busy. PLEASE? I'll treat you to martabak!"
A Psychology student from UI. Not Cantika. But… no Akmal. And Dea treating martabak.
I took a deep breath. This might be a lifesaver. Or it might create a new problem.
I looked toward the road leading to Cantika's boarding house. My eyes fixed on one house. A room light on the second floor was on. Maybe that was her boarding house. Maybe that was her room. I imagined what Cantika was doing there. Working on assignments. Watching dramas. Or thinking about Akmal's data offer.
My feelings were all mixed up. Angry at Akmal. Guilty for making things awkward for Cantika. And now, a blind date offer.
I lifted my phone and replied to Dea: "Alright then. But the martabak better be good! Tomorrow night at 7. Where exactly is your boarding house? I forgot."
Ding. The address reply came instantly. I put my phone away.
I kept walking. The drizzle wet my face. In the middle of the road, my phone buzzed again. Not Dea.
From: CantikaMessage: "Randi, sorry about earlier… Akmal suddenly showed up. And thanks for the discussion. By the way, I might have an idea for Pak Dani's assignment. Can we talk a bit tomorrow? Not for long. Maybe during break time?"
I almost crashed into the road divider. SHE texted first? Asked to talk? Tomorrow?
I stopped at the side of the road. The rain grew heavier. Two choices:
Meet Cantika tomorrow during break time. High risk of Akmal finding out. Possible world war.
Meet the Psychology girl at Dea's event tomorrow night. A distraction. No Akmal. But… not Cantika.
I bit my lip. My fingers typed a reply to Cantika, very fast: "That would be great, Tik! Break time during orientation is 10.30 right? I'll wait at the garden near the volleyball court okay? It's usually quieter there. Besides, this assignment really does need serious discussion."
I used the excuse "serious discussion" just in case the message got leaked. You're really sly, Randi Pranata.
Her reply came almost instantly: "Okay! See you tomorrow. Thank you Randi :)"
There was a smile emoji. I could imagine her real smile. The feeling of losing to Akmal earlier instantly disappeared, replaced by new excitement. Tomorrow I would meet Cantika alone again. Take that, Akmal!
But just as I was about to put my phone away, my eyes caught another chat from Dea: "Don't forget tomorrow night, Rand! Maya, my friend, is ready! ;)"
I stopped again. Tomorrow night. A blind date. Maya. Psychology.
Tomorrow afternoon, meeting Cantika. Tomorrow night, a blind date with Maya.
Damn it, Randi. You're insane. My life suddenly turned into a soap opera. And the next episode? Tomorrow would be a day that would be busy. And full of ticking time bombs. Between Cantika's smile, Akmal's sharp glare, and Maya's mysterious smile. I could only pray the martabak would be good and that I wouldn't create a bigger disaster. Wish me luck. I revved my motorbike, cut through the rain, with a stupid smile and guilt just as big.