Tok… tok… the sound of Roni's bedroom door being knocked from outside. At first, Roni did not respond because he was already extremely tired. However, as the knocking grew louder, Roni finally woke up.
"Who would be knocking at the door in the middle of the night like this? Is it Bayu? It seems like he's already home from work, but why would he wake me up…" Roni thought. Assuming it was Bayu, he walked toward the door to open it.
When the door opened, it was not Bayu he saw, but Mbak Maya standing there staring at him. Instantly, Roni was slightly startled and stepped backward. His face still looked sleepy because he had been sleeping soundly, so he was truly disturbed.
"Why are you so startled like that, as if I were a ghost?" Mbak Maya said in a slightly annoyed tone.
"It's not like that, Mbak. Oh my God, sorry. I thought it was Bayu earlier, but when I opened the door it turned out to be you, so I got surprised," Roni said, trying to explain so Mbak Maya would not misunderstand.
Mbak Maya glanced left and right, making sure no one saw her coming to Roni's room. After she was sure no one was watching, she immediately pushed Roni inside the room, followed him in, and locked the door from the inside.
"What's going on, Mbak, coming this late at night?" Roni asked, still not understanding the purpose of Mbak Maya's visit.
"Why are you even asking? Last night without sleeping with you, I couldn't sleep at all. So I want to sleep here tonight," Mbak Maya said.
"But, Mbak, didn't we earlier this afternoon…"
"Sleeping with you doesn't mean we're doing that. I just want to sleep normally while having someone to hug," Mbak Maya said.
"Oh, is that so, Mbak? Alright then, come on, I'm already very sleepy," Roni said as he lay down on his bed. Mbak Maya lay down as well and immediately hugged him.
Feeling that Roni's room was very hot, she could not stand wearing clothes to sleep. Moreover, she was used to sleeping without clothes. Mbak Maya removed her clothes, leaving only her underwear, then went back to sleep. Finally, she could fall asleep because of the warmth of Roni's body that she was hugging.
Morning arrived. As usual, the sound of vehicles on the road could always be heard into Roni's room, because the boarding house was located in a busy city area. Those sounds made Roni wake up in the morning.
When he opened his eyes, he saw a large and beautiful mound in front of him. Yes, Mbak Maya was sleeping without realizing that she was hugging Roni's head, pulling it right in front of her chest.
Slowly, Roni released Mbak Maya's arms that were holding him. Carefully and while holding his breath, Roni finally managed to free himself. He felt a little relieved because he did not wake Mbak Maya.
"A habit of sleeping without clothes," Roni muttered softly while shaking his head. However, his desire rose as he gazed at Mbak Maya's body curves. Even though he had often played with Mbak Maya's beautiful body, the charm of her plump figure still made it hard for Roni to restrain himself.
Just as Roni was about to hug her and start something, he suddenly stopped. He remembered that he had to leave for campus immediately, because today there was a very important subject. After that, he also had to work for Bobi's family.
"Ah… this morning is another important morning. Alright then, I have to postpone it first. Mbak, continue sleeping, okay, I'll postpone it," Roni said as he hurriedly grabbed a towel to go shower, leaving Mbak Maya still sound asleep.
Roni walked toward the bathroom designated for boarding house residents, but unfortunately all the bathrooms were occupied. He then remembered the bathroom he usually used at Mbak Maya's house and went there to use it.
Meanwhile, in Ayu's hometown…
"Excuse me… excuse me… letter!" the voice of a mail delivery officer was heard at Pak Hasan's residence. Coincidentally, Pak Hasan was sitting while enjoying a cup of coffee on the chair in front of his house.
"Yes," Pak Hasan answered.
"Sorry, there is a letter delivered to this address. Miss Ayu, correct?" the mail officer asked to confirm the address.
"Yes, that's correct," Pak Hasan replied briefly. The mail officer then handed the letter to Pak Hasan and immediately left.
Curious, Pak Hasan squinted his eyes as he opened the letter to see who it was from. After seeing the name written there, he read the name Roni.
Upon seeing that name, Pak Hasan felt irritated and wanted to tear it up immediately. However, before doing so, he intended to read the contents of the letter first.
Inside the letter were written news about Roni and his confession of longing for Ayu.
The contents…
A Letter of Longing from Roni to Ayu
To Ayu, the light of my heart in the village,
My boundless greetings of longing, may this letter reach you in good health and happiness, just as I always pray for every day. How are you, Ayu? Is everything alright there? I hope you remain cheerful as always, taking good care of yourself and your family.
Ayu, life in this city is indeed full of challenges, but thankfully everything is going well. I want to share good news with you. When I first entered campus, I felt awkward, but who would have thought that the lecturers here truly appreciate hard work and enthusiasm. I was even given an award for my quite commendable achievement. It feels like a dream, but I know all of this is the result of your prayers and the support you have always given me.
Life in this city is full of colors, Ayu. But even so, nothing can replace the warmth of my hometown and your smile. Every night, I often remember the two of us sitting under the mango tree, joking about the future. I promised myself that after I succeed in achieving what I dream of here, I will return. I will come to see you, Ayu, bringing the hopes we have woven together, and we will step into a more serious stage—marriage that we have long dreamed of.
Meanwhile, I hope you remain patient while waiting. I know this distance is not easy, but believe me, our love will remain strong. I never forget every word you said before I left, that patience and trust are the keys to everything.
I miss you, Ayu. I miss your voice, I miss your face, and I miss the home that always makes my heart feel calm. God willing, time will reunite us again, in a better state, happier, and more prepared for our future together.
Take good care of yourself. Please convey my warm regards to your family at home. I will return soon after all my dreams here have been achieved.
With love and longing,
Roni
After reading the contents of the letter, Mr. Hasan's face looked even more irritated. With an angry tone, he said,
"Damn it! How shameless to give hope like this? Your dreams are too high, fool! How could a poor and stupid person like you become the man I expect to accompany my only daughter?"
Mr. Hasan crumpled the letter with full emotion.
Not long after, the sound of footsteps was heard from inside the house. Ayu came downstairs, her face looking curious.
"Father… who was that earlier? It sounded like a mail delivery," Ayu asked hopefully. From her room, she had vaguely heard someone mention a letter. She came down to make sure, hoping it was a letter from Roni. Unfortunately, she was already too late. The letter had been received by her father and had been crumpled, impossible to reach her hands.
Responding to Ayu's question, Mr. Hasan tried to hide his annoyance and answered calmly,
"Oh… it was just a mail delivery officer, but he got the wrong address. He has already left," he said, lying.
"Oh… alright, Father. I thought it was something," Ayu replied as she turned around and went back to her room.
Mr. Hasan watched his daughter leave with a look full of determination.
"Look at yourself, Ayu. You were so enthusiastic just hearing the word letter. To think you long so much for news from that poor young man. But no matter what, your father will never approve your relationship. No matter what, you must marry Reza," he muttered firmly.
Meanwhile, inside her room, Ayu sat near the window as usual. With an empty gaze toward the sky, she whispered softly,
"Bang Roni, when will you send a letter to Ayu? Ayu misses you, Bang… Just hearing someone mention a letter earlier already made Ayu hope it was from you. Are you doing well there?"
Ayu looked out the window, imagining the moments when Roni always waved his hand calling her when they were still in the village. Those moments kept replaying in her mind, and she often dreamed of them, feeling as if they were real.
Back to the city…
Roni had arrived at his campus as usual. However, this time he looked slightly rushed because he realized he was late for class.
"Oh my God, I'm late…" he muttered while quickening his steps toward the lecture room.
Inside the classroom, Miya and the other students were already prepared to listen to the material that would be delivered by the lecturer. When Roni entered, the lecturer was just about to begin the discussion.
"Excuse me, Sir. Sorry I'm late," Roni greeted politely.
The lecturer only glanced briefly before nodding and saying,
"Please, take a seat."
Without waiting any longer, Roni immediately looked for a seat. He saw Miya waving at him and quickly walked over. Apparently, Miya had indeed prepared an empty seat beside her, as she usually did.
Roni sat beside Miya and began to focus on listening to the material being explained by the lecturer.
After the explanation finished, the lecturer asked them to work on an assignment. At that moment, Roni turned to the side and was surprised to see Miya wearing clothes that were more revealing than usual.
"Miya, why are you wearing revealing clothes today?" Roni asked.
"I plan to go jogging after class, I want to lose weight," Miya replied.
"But you could wear those clothes after class, right?" Roni asked again.
"I'm lazy to change clothes, and besides, this isn't too revealing. It's suitable for summer," Miya said.
"Alright, after this I'll wear more covered clothes," Miya said.
Roni returned to focusing on doing the assignment. After finishing, he put down his paper and pen, then said, "Miya, meet me in the women's restroom."
Miya was confused. "In the restroom, what for?" Miya asked.
After finishing her assignment, Miya followed Roni to the restroom. "What's going on, Roni?"
Roni pulled Miya inside and chose an empty stall. "What is it, Roni? Why is your face red?" Miya asked. Roni only kissed Miya's lips while opening what was covering her chest. Miya was startled but simply followed along. Roni turned Miya around while removing everything. "Roni, why not wait until we get home later? What if someone sees us?" Miya whispered. Roni only said, "Relax, I can handle it." Roni pulled Miya, making her startled and scream slightly. "Roni, it hurts!" Miya said. "Why does it still hurt? This is the second time, right?" Roni asked. "Maybe because you're too excited and I'm not ready," Miya answered. "Hold on for a moment, I can't hold it anymore," Roni said while covering Miya's mouth with his hand so she wouldn't make a sound as he sped up. Roni reached for the faucet and turned it on so the sound of their breathing would not be clearly heard by anyone who came.