Noah's Story
After we finished eating, the three of us sat in the city park where we used to hang out on Saturday nights back when we were in high school.
"What do you guys do for a living now?" I asked.
"I'm a motorcycle salesman. Been doing it for two years," Tarra answered casually while chewing on a skewer of fried quail eggs he had bought from the street vendor outside Kang Bewok's meatball shop.
"I work at an internet café. You know, I didn't go to college, so what else could I do?" Orion said. There was a hint of insecurity in his voice.
"I need two people I can trust to work as my secretary and personal assistant. There isn't anyone else I trust more than you two," Noah said.
"Oh, come on, Sam. I only graduated from high school. How am I supposed to work in an office?" Orion laughed loudly.
"I know you, Yon. Out of the three of us, you're the most tech-savvy. And now you're working at an internet café. Once you're connected to the internet, there's no one who can beat you. That's exactly what I need, Yon. I need a personal assistant as smart as you."
"I need you too, Tar. You're meticulous, patient, and serious. You'd make a perfect secretary," Noah added, looking at Tarra.
"Hey, boss, everywhere else, people look for pretty and sexy secretaries and assistants, not handsome, charming guys like us," Orion joked, making Tarra burst into laughter.
"Whatever. I'm not forcing you to decide today. I'll give you one day to think about it. We'll meet here again tomorrow, and I expect you to have an answer. And it better be yes!" Noah said firmly.
"That's totally forcing us," Orion complained with a laugh.
"After saying all that, you still claim you're not forcing us?" Tarra added, trying to hold back his laughter.
The three of them eventually went their separate ways.
Since Orion and Tarra were heading in the same direction, Orion chose to ride with Tarra rather than accept a ride from Noah, whose destination was in the opposite direction.
End of Flashback
Noah's story flowed naturally as he spoke. Natasha listened quietly, never interrupting her husband's story about his past.
Truthfully, Natasha had always been curious about why there had never been a woman by Noah's side ever since she had known him.
"Was Noah still unable to forget Anika? Is that why you never had a girlfriend?" Natasha asked.
"Who says I didn't have a girlfriend? You're my wife, aren't you?" Noah teased, making Natasha's cheeks turn bright red.
"That's not what I meant. I mean before we got married. You were practically a lifelong bachelor," Natasha replied playfully.
She was secretly surprised by how naturally that teasing tone had come out when she spoke to the man she had only just married.
Noah burst out laughing.
"Not really. Honestly, I was already fine after I returned from England. Maybe I hadn't completely forgotten her at the time, but at least visiting places that held our memories together no longer hurt. And with everything going on at the office, those feelings gradually faded on their own," Noah explained.
"Then why didn't you ever try getting close to another woman?" Natasha asked curiously.
"That's all because of Dad. After I came back from England, Dad became incredibly lazy. He didn't want to work, didn't want to go to the office, and didn't want to handle any contracts. All he wanted to do was follow Mom around wherever she went.
"So I ended up handling almost everything at the company. There was no time left for me to look for a partner. Orion and Tarra are still single because of Dad too."
"Hey! Don't blame Dad for everything. You three are just unpopular with women and now you're blaming your father!" a voice suddenly interrupted.
Natasha and Noah turned toward the entrance.
Dad Irawan, Dad Mahesa, Mom Citra, and Mom Irene had just arrived at the house, all dressed casually.
Mom Citra and Mom Irene were each carrying two clothes hangers covered in silver laundry bags.
Those must have been the outfits they were planning to wear for the reception that afternoon.
"We're going to check on the reception preparations. Rather than going back and forth, we figured we'd change here later," Mom Irene explained when she noticed Natasha looking at the clothes in her hands.
"I'm going to put these in the bedroom first, then we'll head straight to the venue. You two can still rest for another hour or so. Madam Luna said she'll start the makeup at around two-thirty," Mom Irene said as she walked toward the next room.
"Dad will wait in the car," Dad Irawan said, heading toward the front door.
"Single is single. You guys aren't exactly popular, yet you keep blaming everyone else," Dad Mahesa grumbled.
"That's not true, Dad. If you weren't constantly following Mom around and were still focused on work, the three of us wouldn't be this busy. Besides, we're pretty popular at the office. We're just not interested in any of our coworkers," Noah replied defensively.
"Yeah, right. Who would want a polar bear from the North Pole who barely says more than a few words at a time?" Dad Mahesa teased.
"I have plenty of admirers, you know, Dad. I just haven't found the right one yet," Noah defended himself.
"That's just another excuse."
"Dad is supposed to praise his son, not gang up on him," Noah complained, sounding increasingly annoyed.
Silence followed.
Seeing the exchange between Noah and his father, Natasha suddenly burst into laughter.
She had never imagined that the man who was so quiet and reserved outside the house could actually talk this much when he was around his family.
Hearing Natasha's laughter, Mom Irene, Mom Citra, Dad Irawan, Dad Mahesa, and Noah all felt relieved.
After seeing how devastated Natasha had been that morning, they had been afraid that her emotional state would completely fall apart.
But seeing her laugh again eased some of their worries. They knew Natasha's heart was still hurting because of what Adam had done, but at least she was able to smile and laugh again.
"Hey, is your first lunch as newlyweds really just chips and fish? Your husband is so stingy. You should take your wife to a restaurant. Make it romantic or something," Dad Mahesa teased again.
"Oh, come on, Dad. Where are we supposed to find a restaurant around here? Can't you see? There's practically nothing here. You guys have it easy. You can go back to the hotel and order whatever you want.
"We don't even have a car here. Where are we supposed to eat? Walk down the mountain? Luckily, we found a street food vendor. Otherwise, we'd probably have fainted from hunger by now," Noah complained.
Mom Irene and Mom Citra burst into laughter.
"He's right, Dad. Why didn't we think of leaving one of the cars here so they could go out and get something to eat?" Mom Citra said.
"All right, you two should get some rest before Madam Luna arrives. We're going to the venue first," Mom Irene said as she walked toward the door.
---
At half past two, Madam Luna arrived with her team.
After taking a shower, Natasha began getting her makeup done in the master bedroom, while Mom Irene, Mom Citra, and Monica were being prepared in the second bedroom by Madam Luna's assistants.
By four o'clock, the makeup and styling were finally finished.
A wide, princess-style gown in a soft white-and-green shade wrapped elegantly around Natasha's figure. The off-the-shoulder design revealed her shoulders and smooth, fair back.
Her hair was styled in an intricate braided hairstyle inspired by Elsa from Frozen.
Instead of wearing the tiara she had worn during the wedding ceremony, Natasha chose a silver leafy headpiece, decorated with delicate white leaves and several clear green emerald stones.
For her jewelry, she wore the bridal jewelry Noah had given her earlier that day—a white-gold necklace, earrings, and bracelet with a combined weight of 27 grams.
Whether it was coincidence or not, the pendant on Noah's necklace featured a Colombian emerald that matched the theme of Natasha's reception gown perfectly.
It had actually been Madam Luna's idea. When she saw the jewelry lying on the vanity table, she immediately noticed how beautifully the emerald complemented the dress.
Natasha agreed.
Aside from the fact that the jewelry was undeniably beautiful, she also wanted Noah to know that she was willing to learn to accept their marriage.
And wearing the wedding gift he had given her was her first step toward doing exactly that.
***