From the corner of my eye, I could see Axel come to a halt, staring at me without blinking. I was certain he already recognized who the woman standing beside Kala was.
I wanted so badly to pretend I didn't notice his piercing gaze. That look in his eyes—sharp and unwavering—was something I could never forget, and it suddenly made me shiver in fear.
"What's wrong?" Kala asked, glancing at me.
"Ah! I think I'm just cold," I answered randomly, while Kala looked at me with a furrowed brow.
"It doesn't feel that cold. Are you feeling sick?" he asked.
"No," I replied with a wide smile, all while Axel remained by the exit, still staring at me, unmoving.
"But your face looks pale," Kala said, watching me closely. I no longer knew what caused my heart to race like this—was it Kala's concerned gaze or Axel's stare from afar?
"Still tense from earlier," I replied half-heartedly.
As we approached the exit, I stubbornly kept my eyes away from Axel. I didn't care what he thought now, because from the day he divorced me, we became nothing more than strangers. I had no obligation to greet him or even make small talk.
"Have you had lunch?" Kala suddenly asked, breaking the silence in my head after we had just walked past Axel. I was so grateful I managed to keep a blank face during that awkward moment. It was very different from Axel, who had frowned and squinted at me.
"It's already this late—haven't you had lunch yet, Kala?" I asked, surprised. He laughed before answering.
"No, I rushed out to pick you up," he said, making me feel guilty immediately.
"See, you really didn't have to pick me up," I muttered.
"No, I skipped lunch on purpose so we could eat together," he replied.
"But I already ate before you came."
"Then at least come keep me company?" he offered. Seeing his pleading face, my guilt deepened, and without thinking much, I agreed.
Now, Kala and I were standing in the courtyard of the Boga Rasa building, waiting for someone to bring his car. It was clear Kala held a high position here—while others parked and retrieved their own vehicles, this man next to me waited casually for his car to arrive right in front of him.
"Binar!" My breath caught when I faintly heard someone call my name. I was pretty sure Kala heard it too, because he turned to look at me. I didn't want to turn or search for the source of the voice—I was certain it was Axel calling me.
"Someone's calling you," Kala said as he looked around.
"I think you're just hearing things," I replied, pretending not to hear.
"Binar." The voice came again, and I instinctively moved closer to Kala. I could only hope his car arrived soon, so I wouldn't have to deal with the person calling me.
"Binar, right?" The figure appeared right in front of me like a ghost, making it hard to breathe. I turned to Kala, silently begging him to understand the look of fear on my face. I wanted him to take me away from here.
"You know him?" Kala asked. Apparently, he didn't understand and instead asked a question. He was probably wondering how the employee he met earlier in the elevator suddenly claimed to know me.
"No," I replied, forcing a smile. Luckily, Kala's car arrived just then. Maybe he thought Axel was one of my fans, judging by the way he smiled at Axel's tense expression.
"Sorry, but Binar and I have to go. Maybe we can chat another time," Kala said politely.
"But, sir…" I could still hear Axel trying to stop us, but Kala's hand had already grabbed mine. He clearly didn't want this supposed stranger to linger any longer.
"Does this kind of thing happen to you often?" he asked once we were inside the car. Did he think I was some kind of celebrity with a fanbase?
"Sometimes," I replied instead of saying "never." If I denied it outright, Kala would probably get suspicious and dig deeper into who Axel was.
"That guy seemed like a huge fan of yours," he said.
"Not really. Maybe his mom or wife is the real fan," I said, trying to joke.
"Good point," he chuckled.
"Except for the man sitting beside me right now," I teased. Kala's brow furrowed at first but then he burst into laughter.
"So I'm the only guy who's ever approached you claiming to be a fan?" he asked, still laughing.
"Yep, only you, Kala," I replied.
"Which means I can't let any other man do the same," he said, looking thoughtful.
"What are you thinking about now?" I asked, confused.
"Right now, you should be thinking about where we're having lunch, not some silly stuff like that," I added. He laughed and turned to look at me.
"I don't know. I just don't feel comfortable when another guy pretends to know you that well." Kala's words instantly made my face heat up. It was such a casual remark, yet somehow it managed to make me flustered.
"Then don't think about it."
"That's not a solution," he replied.
"Now I can't even think about where to eat." Kala slowed the car down a bit, as if he were deep in thought.
"Soto sounds good. Perfect for lunch," I suggested. It wasn't even me who needed lunch, but for some reason, I was the one craving soto now.
"Soto Kudus at Blok M—how about it?" Kala offered directly. My eyes lit up and I turned to him with a smile.
"I'm only keeping you company, you know," I replied.
"You can eat too. I don't mind." Kala picked up the speed again and headed toward the restaurant he had mentioned.
Earlier, before Kala picked me up, I had only eaten a piece of fried tempeh made by Mbok Rasti and a glass of apple juice. There was no way I could eat properly while stressing about the meeting with the production house, which had really drained me mentally.
Just imagining the savory broth of the soto already made me hungry. I shouldn't have pretended like I'd already eaten.
"Do you have plans tomorrow?" he asked just as I was daydreaming about sipping that delicious broth.
"Tomorrow?" I asked back while trying to recall my schedule. It was Sunday, so no need to take Arkan to school, and I had already finished filming my latest video yesterday.
"Looks like I don't," I finally said.
"Wanna go somewhere?" he asked. His offer confused me—why be so vague? He didn't say where, why, or anything else. Just somewhere? Of course I was puzzled.
"That's a very unclear offer," I replied. Kala laughed and rubbed his face. I wasn't imagining it—his cheeks really looked flushed.
"What's with you, Kala?" I asked, curious about his strange behavior.
"So? Where are you planning to take me?" I asked again when he didn't respond for a while.
"Where do you usually go on weekends?" He answered my question with another question, leaving my curiosity unresolved.
"Sometimes I stay home, sometimes I go to the shop. Depends on the situation," I said.
"How about going out of town to refresh a bit?" he suggested.
"I thought someone like you would be working seven days a week. But apparently, you take breaks too," I teased.
"Of course. Even machines need rest, let alone humans," he replied.
"Where to?" I asked.
"Bandung. How about it?" he offered.
"My parents live in Bandung, you know," I said, and Kala's eyes widened in surprise.
"Oh, I didn't know that. Well, let's visit your parents then," he said casually.
"No, that's okay. Maybe another time. I just visited them last month anyway," I replied while imagining how my mom and dad would react if I brought Kala home. After five years of not being linked with any man, they'd definitely be shocked if I suddenly showed up with him.
"I mean, Bandung's fine, but let's skip visiting my parents," I added.
"So you're in?"
"In what?"
"Going to Bandung tomorrow," he said, with a look of impatience like a little boy.
"Do you have something to do there?" I asked.
"Nope. Just want to go for fun," he answered.
"Bring Arkan too—he'd love it," he added, making me think again. Arkan rarely went anywhere. Maybe there was nothing wrong with saying yes to this trip.
"Well?" he pressed again, clearly growing more impatient.
"Or… if not Bandung, maybe you have another place in mind? How about Bali?" My brow furrowed at his bizarre suggestion. Bandung or Bali? That's a huge jump.
"You're being ridiculous, Kala. Bali's way too far," I said, and he laughed.
"Actually, Bali's closer. Just under two hours by plane. But Bandung? You're lucky to make it in two hours, especially with traffic," he explained. Now it was my turn to laugh.
"No, let's just stick with Bandung," I replied.
"So you're in?"
"Yes," I said with a smile. Kala was being absolutely adorable right now—restless and asking the same question over and over.
"Then… let's just consider this our first date," he said confidently. (*)