Home - 12:19 PM
(The day after Gerry got Nico's number)
"I'm hoome!"
My cheerful voice broke the silence of the living room. The first thing that caught my eye was Gerry's figure. He was still wearing his slightly messy high school uniform, sitting cross-legged in front of the TV while pressing buttons on a PlayStation controller.
Without warning, I swung my backpack toward him. "Gerry, catch!"
Thump!
With his reflexes, Gerry caught the backpack against his chest, though his expression was clearly surprised. I just smiled widely, ignoring his confused stare that followed my steps toward the kitchen.
I found Mom cooking soup; the savory aroma of the broth immediately welcomed me.
"Mom..." I greeted, "Let me help cut the vegetables, okay?" Mom turned in surprise. "Well, aren't you helpful today. Go ahead, dear."
I took a knife and a bunch of fresh vegetables.
Chop! Chop! Chop! Carrot pieces bounced on the wooden cutting board. Gerry turned to Mom with confusion. "What's wrong with her, Mom? She's so cheerful today."
Mom just shrugged while shaking her head, giving a 'just-let-her-be-since-she-wants-to-help' look.
I didn't care about their whispers. My mind was wandering back to an event a few hours earlier at school.
[Flashback in Kirana's mind]
SCHOOL GARDEN, 9:37 AM
Break time was all mine. I sat alone on a garden bench, shaded by tree tops. A Physics book lay open on my lap. The morning breeze helped me absorb the lesson quickly. So peaceful...
Suddenly, a heavy weight pressed the seat next to me. Nico! He sat beside me casually. Without asking permission. Without a word.
Uh, this is awkward. Like two strangers sitting next to each other on a train. From the corner of my eye, I shot him a protesting glare: what are you doing there?!
Instead of leaving, Nico just flashed that annoying crooked smile. I immediately grew extremely suspicious. Gerry! That disgraceful brother of mine must have leaked something embarrassing about me. If that's the case, where am I supposed to put my face?!
I quickly looked away, returning my gaze to the Physics book as if the guy next to me was just a daytime hallucination. But the peace lasted only three seconds.
"Bossy girl," his voice was somewhat deep and relaxed. "Sing."
I glanced over with a furrowed brow. "For you? No way."
Suddenly, he leaned closer. So close that I could smell the faint trace of his masculine cologne.
"Just as I thought. Your voice is terrible, isn't it?" he whispered.
I stared into his eyes with wounded pride. Excuse me? I'm a choir kid. He saw me perform at school yesterday. He's just trying to annoy me! So I'll play along.
"Yeah, it's terrible. Reeeally terrible!" I said dramatically.
Nico was silent for a moment, then his smile softened. "That's okay. I like terrible voices."
One of my eyebrows shot up. "Li... like?"
"Yeah," he chuckled softly. "I like laughing at them. Pfftt, hahahaha!"
I bit my lip, trying to hold back my laughter that was desperately trying to escape. But seeing his shoulders shaking and him laughing so freely, my laughter finally burst out too, laughing along with him.
"Nicooo! You're so annoying, you know!" I grumbled. I cleared my throat, trying to stop the escaping laughter, and refocused on my book. Um, where was I? Oh, the chapter on the Propagation of Laughter... I mean, Propagation of Waves.
Suddenly, he reached for something from behind the bench. An acoustic guitar that had been hidden there who knows since when. I hadn't even noticed Nico brought it.
Nico started strumming the strings, producing a chord progression that... Oh, nooo! I recognize this song's intro!
"I once passed by the choir room and heard you singing this song. When You're Gone by Avril Lavigne, right?"
Crap. My favorite song.
He played the intro calmly, then signaled for me to start the first verse. I shook my head firmly. There's no way I'm singing in this situation. That would be like openly admitting my feelings for him.
Seeing how stubborn I was, Nico started singing. His voice was low, with a slight rasp that somehow fit perfectly with his guitar strumming.
~I always needed time on my own...
I never thought I'd need you there when I cry...
"Continue, Avril Lavigne," he whispered between strums.
I was still trying to resist. Seriously, I didn't want to. But the guitar harmony was too tempting to resist. Maybe... just once wouldn't hurt, right? I took a deep breath, letting my voice follow the melody.
~When you walk away,
I count the steps that you take...
Do you see how much I need you right now?
When you're gone, the pieces of my heart are missin' you...
My voice blended with his guitar strumming, while the breeze carried those melodies up into the sky. For a moment, the world around me faded away. I forgot about the pile of assignments, forgot about the exhausting secretary position, even forgot that the guy beside me was usually so annoying. It felt strange... but wonderful.
After the final note faded, leaving behind a subtle vibration on the strings, Nico stared at me intently. There was a different sparkle in his eyes. Mesmerized? Perhaps.
"You have a beautiful voice, Bossy Girl."
I rolled my eyes, trying to hide the warmth in my chest. "My name is Kirana, you know. Not Bossy Girl."
He gave a small, deadly smile. "Thanks for the information, Bossy Girl."
I glared at him. "Say my name correctly! Ki-ra-na." I protested, emphasizing each syllable.
"Don't want to. That name is cursed."
I tilted my head, confused yet curious. "Cur... cursed?"
He shifted his gaze to the vast blue sky, then smiled calmly. "Yeah. If said too often, you might show up in my dreams."
Wh-what was that... So smooth. I turned to him with my mouth hanging open.
Thump! Thump! Thump! My heart pounded, my cheeks flushed. And what is this? Butterflies were flying all around me.
I shook my head quickly. Snap out of it, Kirana! Wake up!
"Nicoooo! You're so annoying today, you know!" I grumbled.
Reflexively, I punched his shoulder to hide my flustered expression. Nico just laughed, a laugh that sounded so genuine to my ears.
After that, silence swept over us. But it wasn't an awkward silence like before. This was a comfortable silence, where you didn't need to say anything to feel connected. Just quiet, and breathing.
"Nico," I said, finally breaking the comfortable silence. "I heard you played volleyball with my brother yesterday, right?"
He turned, his brow slightly furrowed. "Your brother? Oh yeah? Who?"
"Gerry. A tall guy, twelfth grade, kind of annoying," I answered carefully, stealing glances at his expression.
Nico seemed to think, then his face suddenly lit up as if he had just found a missing puzzle piece. "Oh! That cool guy with the terrible serve is your brother?"
He observed my face intently, as if searching for scientific proof that I really shared the same DNA as that 'cool guy' he mentioned.
"Really?"
"Apparently so," I replied casually.
From his innocent expression, I could be sure of one thing: he genuinely just found out that Gerry was my brother. Yes! My heart cheered with joy. That meant Gerry didn't leak anything embarrassing about me!
Thank goodness. Sorry, Gerry, I misjudged you. Even though your serve is terrible, at least you still have a brain and a heart.
I laughed in relief, sinking into a sweet little victory. "Ehehe... hehehe..."
Suddenly, he interrupted my zoned out. "Honey, why are you smiling like that? And be careful, you might cut your finger."
My heart pounded hard. Huh? Nico called me "Honey"? What a cheeky guy! My cheeks flushed again because of it. Hehehe.
But wait a minute. Why did his voice suddenly become as soft as a woman's? And what did he mean about cutting my finger? I immediately turned to Nico beside me.
But... what is this?
Beside me wasn't Nico with his acoustic guitar, but Mom with her floral-patterned apron.
"Huh? Why is Mom here?" I asked dazedly, my eyes still wildly searching for Nico's presence.
"Mom has been here the whole time, Kirana," Mom replied in an amused tone.
"MOM! SHE'S ZONED OUT THINKING ABOUT A BOY!" Gerry shouted from the living room.
Pop!
My daydream bubble burst instantly. The blue garden sky was now replaced by the cream-colored kitchen ceiling, sweeping away the remaining traces of Nico.
Mom chuckled at my flushed, caught-red-handed expression.
"Kirana, you weren't imagining anything naughty, were you?" she said while pinching my ear playfully.
"Ooow! That hurts!" I moaned. "N-no, Mom! I swear!"
My body felt limp and droopy. In front of me, the vegetables that should have been neatly chopped now looked more like animal feed. Uuuh, I felt like moving to another planet.
I wiped the sweat from my nose with my shoulder, trying to calm myself down. However, just as the uniform fabric touched my nose, a faint masculine scent suddenly invaded my senses.
Nico's cologne. Oh my gosh, his scent lingered here...