Anye, back in Jakarta, was as shocked as Sarah. "What?" Her voice rose in disbelief. "What's Jandro doing in Bali?"
Sarah glanced at Jandro, who had chosen to sit in a chair. Although he pretended to be reading a magazine, she knew she was eavesdropping on their conversation. She wet her suddenly dry lips. Her mind refused to forget the terrifying sight moments before, when Jandro was as naked as Michelangelo's David. Now he was fully clothed, blocking Sarah's view of his broad chest and arms, with their incredibly masculine biceps.
Even so, even now, Sarah was still amazed.
Seriously. She'd heard stories of fairytale transformations a million times: from an ugly duckling to a beautiful swan with dazzling wings. In real life, this fairytale plot usually happens in a girl's life. But yeah, now, Sarah had to reluctantly admit her mistake. Unexpectedly, guys can also undergo such a complete transformation, from nerds with pale skin and skinny bodies to Greek statues with muscles and juicy buttocks—yum!
"You really don't know?" Sarah asked, even though three-quarters of her focus was now spent staring at Jandro's bare legs, which were lifted onto the chair next to her. Those muscular legs looked darker than the rest of his body because of the thick growth of fine hairs there.
"Just because he's my brother," Jandro said in an annoyingly flat tone, "doesn't mean you have to know every move, Anye. I'm 23, you know."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, your sister and I already know you're 23 AND can change your clothes." Sarah pouted, then approached the guy. She gently slapped Jandro's leg, then pulled out the chair he'd been using to stretch out for herself. As she sat down, Sarah placed her BlackBerry on the table. Of course, she didn't forget to activate the speaker function—so Jandro could hear too.
"So, what should I do, Nye?" the girl asked. "Should I just find a hotel?"
Jandro snorted. "It's okay to stay here. There are still empty rooms."
"Yes, Jandro is right," said Anye without losing his spirit. "You don't have to worry about staying there with Jandro. My brother is the only one who doesn't bite, right, Drong?"
"How many times have I told you, don't call me Jandrong!" protested the guy.
"Hihihi, is he angry?" Anye's voice, which was still laughing, was heard over BB's speaker. "What's wrong, Jandrong wants to be treated as an adult.... Uwh-nyuhhh!"
"Hihihihi, that's it," Sarah said, still holding her stomach which was a bit sore from laughing too much, "I'm not safe here anymore. Anyway, in Jandrong's eyes, Jandro," the girl hurriedly corrected before Jandro glared, "I'm your crony. Yes, yes, I'll just get along with your brother. Right, Jan?"
The guy grumbled softly, but he didn't seem to forbid Sarah from staying here with him. So...
"I think that's yes." Sarah smiled. "Yes, that's it. Sorry for interrupting your date preparations. Uh, uh, can you repeat the name of your new boyfriend? Ahhhh, it's so hard to call him an Irish boy?! Oh. He's been called Oggie too. Hehe, it's okay. Mwah. Greetings to the Irish man..."
After pressing the 'end conversation' button, Sarah realized her sitting position and Jandro could be considered too close. From where he sat, he could confirm how firm the boy's jaw was, with the greenish gray color of the shave. Jakunya that stands out in the district The neck, unexpectedly, was a sexy object that the girl couldn't pass up.
And his arms, oh my gosh... they really looked like something out of a historical romance novel! Sarah wondered how long it would take Jandro to achieve those sex-god-like arms. On the tops of his arms and shoulders (now covered by a shirt) were dark freckles, the same ones Anye also had—no wonder, she was mixed race. His late first wife—Anye and Jandro's mother—was said to be of European descent.
"Is Anye still with that Irish guy?" Jandro asked, out of the blue, instantly bringing Sarah back to reality.
Sarah nodded. "Yes, Jandro." Because Anye had caught on, the girl often teased Jandro until he got angry. And the simplest way was by calling him 'little brother'. Ugh, she hated that. In fact, even though it was clear that Anye and Sarah had quite a big age gap with Jandro, the boy didn't want to be called 'little brother". "It's better to call them names," he said at the time, which Anye and Sarah naturally took for granted.
"And right now the two of them are getting ready for a dinner-and-movie date," said Sarah again. "Pretty cute huh?" The girl's eyes sparkled. "Honey, I already included a date like that in a film script that year-"
"You're always like this, aren't you?" Jandro shook his head. "Never focused on talking."
Sarah immediately pretended to be hurt.
"Ouch! That hurts, little brother."
"Don't call me 'little brother!" scolded Jandro. "I'm not your brother."
a g a
"Cih! Ever since you took care of your bokap company, you've become so old, right?"
"I like it. It's none of your business, right?" Jandro regretted his words in his heart. Why, God, why?! Why is it that every time I deal with this one girl, she comes out with a childish attitude that I desperately want to hide?
and t
"It's not," said Sarah casually. The body can be more rigid, the girl thought, but her judicious nature and unwillingness to lose has not changed until now. "Just, since I'm going to be staying at your family's villa for a long time, I'll tell you this: you don't need to act old in front of me. It's pointless. After all, my memory is still as strong as an elephant about the story about you once peed in your pants because of a dream about being chased by a mad dog-"
"FINE!" the guy cut in, not wanting Sarah to continue her story about her childhood shame. Shit, how could he still know about the peeing in his pants? Anye-this female demon must be the one telling Sarah stories! "You don't need to continue-I remember too." Jandro's face was set to a nine-pointed hunch. He was so cute.
Sarah laughed, then pinched the guy's cheek. "Hehe. That's how angry he is. Not sexy, you know!"
Compared to himself, who was merely the leader of 0515, Jandro was clearly at a disadvantage. He didn't feel physically able to compete with Sarah's exes. They were all insanely cool, like models (yeah, Krisna was a model, after all) in a clothing catalog.
"By the way, Jan, what made you like me?"
Jandro nearly choked on the piece of french fries he'd just chewed. "Well, err, how should I put it? Uh, maybe because, one, you're beautiful." Tsah, I-you... Jandro felt embarrassed. "Two, you're kind."
Sarah nodded. But her face suggested she wasn't too impressed with those reasons. Time to be honest, Jan, he told himself.
"But actually, there's another reason. It all started when..." Jandro told her about the day he witnessed the girl's sincere effort to help a woman struggling with her groceries. Sarah didn't even act like she was going to get a medal or anything. The girl continued to chat with the woman as she slowly lifted the cardboard box and cradled it in her arms. "It must be heavy, Miss," the woman said, a little worried.
Sarah just laughed. "Just think of it as burning some calories, Mom." The woman shook her head, then returned to her conversation with the girl.
"I didn't realize you were around."
The boy shook his head. "Indeed. I had no intention of saying hello at all. No offense, because you balk Anye, I assumed you were just as shallow as him. In her brain, there is only fashion, spending money shopping, and nonstop thinking about boys."
Sarah just laughed, completely ignoring what he had just said. "Don't get the wrong idea, ah, about Anye. She's a great girl, not as shallow as you think. You don't have to believe my words now-just wait and see."
Jandro is just mumbling.
"But, Jan, back to the content of today's letter," the girl said, "I'm really sorry I can't respond to your feelings."
At that moment, Jandro hoped to be swallowed by the earth.
"No, don't get upset like that. W-the problem is not yours, but mine." Hmmpf, cliche, Jandro thought. Even so, he swallowed the bitter pill of rejection manfully and he remained sitting listening to the continuation of Sarah's speech. "I've never dated someone younger—and I don't plan to. Somehow, I feel like I'm dating that young leaf... hmm... pervy?"
"Physically, I can still pretend to be a boy your age."
"Maaaaaa...?" Sarah put her hand on Jandro's hand. That touch of innocence can mean anything. His words are decisive. He was rejected. Rejected. Rejected. Rejected. Rejected. Rejected. Rejected. Rejected. Rejected. Rejected.
Rejected. Rejected. Rejected. Rejected. Rejected. Rejected. Rejected. Rejected. Rejected. Rejected. Rejected.
"Look at us," Sarah said. "You're wearing navy blue pants. People around us can't possibly think we're a couple. If we're not siblings, we're hanging out with our niece, or..."
"I get it. Let's not continue." Jandro's eyes fell on the large amount of food still in front of him. Heartbreak like this had suddenly made him lose his appetite.
"I'm sorry, Jan." He paused for a moment. "But trust me, there must be a girl your age who would gladly welcome your love and attention."
Jandro remained silent. His own head was already too full of disappointment.
That day, in his third year of junior high, Alejandro Putra Vimana felt the pain of heartbreak for the first time.
Jandro continued to watch her even as she crouched in front of the dispenser, filling a glass in her hand with cold water. They hadn't seen each other for years (Jandro had studied abroad for four years and, after graduating, was immediately recruited by his father into the Vimana Group). He hadn't noticed much change in her. Now Sarah's hair was only shoulder-length—what a shame.
This might sound really strange, but Jandro always found himself mesmerized by Sarah's long hair, which fluttered like a flag in the wind. The middle school version of Jandro thought that Sarah, with her hair flowing, looked like, ahem, the apparition of a goddess. Please, please, don't laugh. In middle school and falling in love, anyone can be overly exaggerated.
By the way, when he realized Sarah had come alone, not with some guy (Jandro had heard that Sarah was playing house with a cameraman), part of Jandro breathed a sigh of relief. He would rather leave this villa and stay at a hotel than be the mosquito repellent for a couple on their pre-honeymoon. Just the thought of it made him sick.
But wait.
The guy suddenly realized. If she had been alone yesterday, there was only one logical explanation for Sarah's situation. "By the way, you didn't come here to hunt for a guy, did you?"
Sarah blinked like a doll. A moment later, she burst out laughing. Damn, why am I laughing? Jandro protested inwardly. Do I look like I'm joking right now?
"Ahhh!" The girl nodded. "Just because I'm here alone doesn't mean—"
"If it's not, then that's fine." The guy folded his muscular arms across his chest. "Rule number one in this villa: you're not allowed to bring guys over. I don't like strange guys hanging around here."
Sarah burst out laughing, which made Jandro even more annoyed. Even after she finished laughing, the girl didn't immediately comment, just stared at him with a look of, you know, who's this crazy guy in front of me? "Oh, oh, ohhhhh... Jandro, do you really think I'm THAT promiscuous?" the girl asked, holding back her laughter.
"It's better to say it now than forget it." Jandro wanted to say more than this, but the embarrassment of being laughed at earlier made him change his mind. The guy pretended to be busy, tapping his index finger on the table.
Sarah, taking a sip of her glass of cold water, walked until she was directly in front of him. She hissed a soft "ahh" and then placed the glass on the table, not far from Jandro's hand. "Fine. Then, you're not allowed to bring any girls to stay overnight either."
"This is my family's villa," Jandro felt the need to remind the girl of this. "I can do whatever I want if I want to have an orgy here."
"Mwahahahahaha! Jan, if by 'orgy' you mean 'a group of people studying together,' then fine. You can have as many orgies here as you like. Just remember, if you have an orgy, don't forget the time.
"Poor friends at your orgy, your parents scolded you for coming home late."
Jandro got up from his chair, feeling very offended "You're eleven and twelve like Anye? You're both bastards! I thought, by leaving Jakarta, I would automatically be far away from Anye. It turns out it's the same, I came here instead I met the clone of my devil brother."
The grin on Sarah's face grew wider. "I'll take that as a compliment." The girl was silent for a moment, then asked, "But, betewe, why are you going here all the time? Are you hiding from the police or something?"
"None of your business!" the guy replied curtly.
But Sarah wasn't about to give up. "Or, from being chased by angry parents because you got their virgin daughter pregnant?"
Jandro entered the room and slammed the door loudly. Haha, he's so angry, Sarah muttered, dragging her own suitcase.
Sarah chose the room on the second floor. The interior was just as luxurious as the other rooms in the villa; the difference was, this room had a large window overlooking the swimming pool (envy you more, Anye^^) and the green rice fields stretching beyond the rows of trees. And what was even more exciting was that beneath the window was a long rattan bench with decorative sari cushions.
Stacked in a corner against the wall, the girl imagined herself like Barbara Cartland in one of her interviews: writing a novel while occasionally gazing out the window of her chateau. Sarah couldn't wait for tomorrow, trying to write like Barbara (even though what she was writing now was a screenplay, not a novel).
The girl then threw her petite body onto the bed, which the bed 'replied' by bouncing on for a while. Her peacoat pocket felt heavy and unbalanced compared to the one on her right. When she reached inside, it turned out to be filled with BB files. There were no notifications or text messages, which was odd because Rifat should have been home today. If he had returned to the apartment, he would have known what Sarah (and Anye) had done with his belongings (they had been left with the receptionist). The girl had also requested that the electronic code for her apartment lock be changed. The key card she carried in her wallet had also been coded!
Sarah glanced at her BB again. Silence. Annoyed, the girl checked her inbox, her phone book, and even her BBM. No sign of Rifat or his phone number.
Oh, this is NOT fun, the girl thought, then selected Anye's number from her phone book.
"Why hasn't Rifat called yet?!" Sarah asked spontaneously as soon as she connected with Anye.
Be patient. Biiik, come here!" Suddenly Anye shouted, calling her maid. "It's okay, I'll chat while I get ready?"
"Oh, ready to go on a date with Oggie, okay?" Sarah bit her lower lip, trying not to sound jealous. When was the last time Rifat asked her out on a date? Ugh, after it happened, I never did. Just so you know, Rifat, just his body, is like the main character of a romance novel. Behavior? Bah. All this time, Sarah tried to think it was part of Rifat's character and instead realized that the guy was actually taking her for granted.
That's stupid....
"Yoi! Yes ollo, where is Bibik? Biiik! Help me, please—"
Thankfully, Sarah managed to move her ear away from the BB. "Ouch!" the girl protested after making sure Anye wasn't screaming on the stereo anymore. "If you're going to scream, don't do it near the phone, okay?"
"Sowwy." Anye suddenly remembered their original topic. "Oh, back to Burkot, trust me, M'Dear. As soon as he finds out you kicked him out of your apartment, he'll definitely call right away."
"But he should have called today." The girl snorted. "Because Rifat himself said he was coming back to Jakarta this late in the evening. Wait, wait. Could he have stopped by Alya's place first?"
"Puh-leez! Besides, even if he was, you're NOT jealous, are you?"
Me? Jealous? No way!
Eh, can jealousy really be transferred via BB? Sarah wondered.
Thankfully, and perhaps because she was in a hectic mood at the time, Anye chose to swallow Sarah's denial wholeheartedly. The girl said without a trace of suspicion, "Good. Keep up the good work, kid. Oh, eh, so what's the decision? You're staying at that villa, right?"
"Yeah, of course! And thank YOU for that." And, wow, it's not bad for saving on my travel expenses while I'm in Ubud, Sarah added to herself.
"Thank HIM, more like," Anye said. "I don't really know why he secretly retreated to Ubud, but I know my only sister's behavior all too well. When she's really stressed, she chooses to go into shutdown mode—to stay away from people. Jandrong doesn't want his unstable emotions to cause him to lose control and hurt the feelings of the people around him."
Sarah nodded. "Wow, how thoughtful. That means he's really matured like that. But-" the girl chuckled to herself, "-hihihihi, betewe, Nye, your little brother is really cute when he's angry."
"Cute?! Ew!"
"Ew why?"
"Heather, the person we're talking about is still my little brother, you know." Anye reminded, "and just now you said he was CUTE?! Gah! Be careful, Dahling, don't fall in love with my little sister..."
Sarah burst out laughing. "NAJONGTATONGTRALALATRILILI! How could you say that?!" Her stomach still hurt from laughing so hard. "Don't be silly, Heather!"
Their phone conversation ended shortly after that. Anye said she was going to look for Bibik, who had suddenly gone MIA—missing in action—despite repeated shouts. "I need her to zip up my shirt," the girl said, then said goodbye to Sarah.
Sarah put her phone down anywhere, just somewhere next to her body, which was still lying on the bed. She looked up at the ceiling and took a deep breath. Then she glanced at the phone. Still, there was no sign of an incoming call or text from Rifat.
The girl was really annoyed now. She flicked the phone with her index finger, then turned over and let herself slowly fall asleep—still fully clothed.
Fuck you, Rifat, he muttered, whether consciously or not, while he was sleeping.
Jandro roughly slapped the girl's hand away.
Sarah was laughing—damn it!
After a few minutes of lively banter, the two were now silent. Jandro was still sitting in the same chair, while the girl was poking her nose here and there, admiring the art objects that decorated the interior of her family's villa. She looked incredibly enthusiastic. In fact, her reaction was as excited as a child's as she traced the texture of the clay jars placed on one side of the living room.
Sarah had been Anye's best friend for... oh, a really long time! Seeing her wandering around almost every room in their house so often, Jandro hadn't realized she wasn't actually part of their family. He wasn't the type to reminisce. But when he looked at Sarah, Jandro was reminded of one thing: this girl was his first love. As had always been believed, first loves are never forgotten. Jandro, it turns out, was just like those people; The bittersweet memories involving Sarah were still tucked safely away somewhere in his heart.
Jandro roughly slapped the girl's hand away.
Sarah was laughing—damn it!
After a few minutes of lively banter, the two were now silent. Jandro was still sitting in the same chair, while the girl was poking her nose here and there, admiring the art objects that decorated the interior of her family's villa. She looked incredibly enthusiastic. In fact, her reaction was as excited as a child's as she traced the texture of the clay jars placed on one side of the living room.
Sarah had been Anye's best friend for... oh, a really long time! Seeing her wandering around almost every room in their house so often, Jandro hadn't realized she wasn't actually part of their family. He wasn't the type to reminisce. But when he looked at Sarah, Jandro was reminded of one thing: this girl was his first love. As had always been believed, first loves are never forgotten. Jandro, it turns out, was just like those people; bittersweet memories involving Sarah are still tucked safely away somewhere inside He added, "I can't forget it," especially the moment when she asked him to meet for a private talk.
Various possibilities popped into his head at that moment, but they all stopped when Sarah said, "Let's talk about, err, your letter."
With a pounding heart and hands wet with nervous sweat, Jandro made an appointment with Sarah at a junk food restaurant. Sarah deliberately chose the seat furthest from the entrance. "So we can chat more comfortably," she said with a soft smile.
Even when their food arrived, the girl still showed no signs of discussing the love letter he had written her. Being left hanging like this made him even more hopeless. And he began to regret his foolish decision to write to Sarah, who was his older sister's best friend. She'll definitely be rejected, he thought. She's out of your league, period. Have you ever seen what the guys are like?
Simon, the basketball player who is supposedly the coolest on the team. Ethan, a charismatic, chubby-cheeked boy, a national-level windsurfer. Krisna, the runner-up in a male model competition in 'nuff said magazine. Sven, despite having no achievements, is a German-Sundanese boy who has a lot of crushes. And don't forget about Iman, the son of a famous singer who is rumored to be trying to become as famous as his parents.