A picture message popped up just as I tapped my card on the MRT gate. I stepped aside from the queue and checked it. A black lace lingerie. My right lips curled—Kaelen was teasing me again.
Even though he'd been back in my country for work, he still had to travel between cities. Our meetups were few, still countable on one hand. Not because I didn't want to see him more often, but our schedules rarely matched.
I miss U." I typed and hit send.
And sent another message with beating heart emoji.
Another photo followed—his fingers forming a heart shape in front of his desk. I recognized the background. He was back in his suite. I smiled and continued my walk toward the office.
To be honest, I thought of Kaelen almost all the time. I missed him. Strangely, we had only been together a few months. And yet, the connection felt deep. Natural.
My phone vibrated again.
Can you accompany me for lunch?"
Like... right now?"
Not now, next year 😑 Of course today!!"
Wow. An exclamation mark.
Can. Where?"
XX Mall."
I'll be there as soon as my meeting ends."
Let me know when you leave the office."
My meeting wrapped up earlier than expected. I was excited, I arrived at the mall fifteen minutes early. Kaelen messaged me saying he'd be there in five, so I strolled upstairs to kill time.
The moment his name blinked on my phone, I picked it up.
"Where are you?" I didn't have a knack for small talk, really.
"I see your hot sexy ass from here, baby. I'm coming up. Wait there." His voice from my phone said.
I turned just in time to see him riding the escalator up, grinning. I could feel my smile stretched from cheek to cheek. I wonder if it made me look like a fool.
He pulled me into an embrace and, like always, took my bag without asking—glad it was a backpack this time, so he looked less funny carrying it. His other hand found mine easily, like it belonged there.
"Hi, sexy," he said, winking.
Standing face-to-face like this, my head barely reached his shoulder. I must've looked like a petite dwarf beside him, but who's looking anyway.
I really like him. The narrator voice again—uninvited, insistent.
"Do you want to look around? Or should we eat first, then walk after?" he asked, bringing me back to the moment.
"Are you hungry?" I asked.
"I'm asking you, sayang," he replied, his gaze indulgent.
"I was hungry," I said honestly, "but seeing you makes me forget that I am."
"You haven't eaten me yet, babe," he teased. Cheeky.
I looked down to hide my warm cheeks. I knew I was blushing.
We strolled around, and I picked a small café that served coffee and local cuisine. As we ate, I offered him a bite of my siomay.
"Why do Indonesians like peanut sauce?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
I blinked.
"Peanut should be roasted or fried," he added.
I blinked twice.
"No need to offer me, sayang," he said, amused.
"So… you don't like peanut sauce?" I finally asked.
"I think this should be Indonesia's number one snack," he joked.
"Nope," I grinned. "This is number two. The number one is definitely mie bakso ." The couple bantering with affection would never be wrong.
"Kael, why did you choose this place to meet?"
"To change the scenery," he replied with a smile. "Let's say I chose it like this, so we don't always end up in my room?"
"You're such a gentleman."
"No, sayang. I'm investing." He winked again.
My heart felt light—brimming with happiness. He could probably see it all over my face. He always saw through me.
He ordered a slice of salted caramel chocolate cake for dessert—dark chocolate, my favorite.
"You should try this," I said. "It's not sweet."
"I know, sayang. You don't like sweets… because you're already sweet."
"Hey, you stole my line," I laughed.
"Maybe I just wanted to say it first this time," he said, eyes softening. "Because I don't get to say it enough."
Now I understood why people say lovers whisper sweet nothings. That's exactly what we did.
As we stepped outside, he kissed my lips softly before opening the taxi door for me. His two cellphones kept buzzing—work always waited—but he still made time for me.
For a moment I ignore the vision of my past life death.
And for a moment, in the middle of this metropolitan's chaos, I felt perfectly loved.