They only drove for a short while before finally stopping at a park. Ardo had to park the car some distance away, and then they walked a bit to get there. That night, the place wasn’t too crowded. After strolling around to look at the plants, they eventually sat down on one of the benches.
Arisa, restless because of her cramps, soon got up from the iron bench. She paced back and forth uneasily, while Ardo stayed seated, watching her with amusement. He had no idea what menstruation felt like, but somehow it felt as if he were accompanying his girlfriend who was about to go into labor any minute. It was ridiculous.
“Do, turn on your phone’s Bluetooth,” she asked, after finding her wireless earphones in her jacket pocket.
“Okay,” he replied with a smile.
Arisa always had plenty of ideas—and so did Ardo. When combined, they usually turned into masterpieces. They just clicked. Ardo loved that. Like when they used to get assigned to the same school projects, they’d always come up with ways no one else could have thought of. Once the Bluetooth was connected, Ardo opened a streaming app.
“What do you want me to play?” Ardo asked, watching her.
“Anything you like,” Arisa teased.
“Uh, let’s see…” Ardo scrolled through his playlist.
He was a band boy, the regular guitarist of his group. He could play every instrument, and sometimes the members would swap roles when they got bored. Still, the main vocalist was always Aldo—the most handsome of the five, with a voice that perfectly fit their “Rock and roll!” style and, of course, enough charm to draw every girl’s eyes.
Ardo picked a song, then glanced at his girlfriend with a sheepish grin. “Done.”
Arisa folded her arms, still pacing. A few seconds later, her cheeks flushed. “A metalhead like you listens to this kind of mellow stuff?”
Ardo shrugged. “Fits the mood.”
He had chosen an old song, one that perfectly described how he was feeling at the moment. Even without listening, just imagining the chorus made him want to dance. Too bad Arisa was in “fierce mode” tonight. So instead, he just sat there, quietly enjoying her delighted expression. They had once signed up for a dance class on a whim, only to quit in the fourth week because they couldn’t stop laughing whenever they stood too close during the Waltz lessons.
Suddenly, Arisa ran up to him. “Let’s go watch a movie.”
Ardo looked up, holding her hand. “But you’re dressed like a bum right now.”
“The drive-in, Do,” Arisa corrected, kicking his leg lightly. “We’ll watch from inside the car.”
Though he winced at the kick, Ardo quickly checked the time on his phone. The drive-in theater was about forty minutes away if traffic wasn’t bad. Still, there wasn’t much else to do at the park, and going home this early seemed too soon. Arisa plopped down next to him, shivering slightly.
“Your sweater’s thicker. Take it off, Do.”
“W-what?”
For a moment Ardo was speechless, stunned that Arisa was already tugging at her own sweater. He was wearing only a sleeveless shirt underneath, and she seemed perfectly fine with undressing him. But they were in public; someone could walk by at any second. They ended up bickering—Arisa impatient to trade jackets, Ardo insisting to wait until they were back in the car.
“Take it off, Do, I don’t care. I’ve had a fever since earlier,” Risa grumbled. “I’m cold.”
“Just hold on, we’ll switch in the car,” he protested. “Not here. People will stare.”
“No. I want it now.”
They tugged back and forth until a little boy suddenly appeared with an ice cream cone. The kid froze at the sight of them, then dropped his cone and bolted. Both Ardo and Risa stiffened, exchanging wide-eyed looks before diving into the nearest bushes to hide—terrified they’d be mistaken for doing something indecent.
Moments later, the boy returned, this time with his mother and a security guard in tow. Ardo and Arisa clamped their hands over their mouths, peeking nervously from behind the bushes. They prayed the trio would leave quickly so they could escape. Ardo wanted to scold his girlfriend so badly once this was over.
“Where, kid? You said there were two people taking off their clothes,” the guard asked.
“They were here, Uncle, really! I swear! They were sitting right on that bench,” the boy insisted, pointing.
His mother patted his head. “Well, maybe they’ve gone now.”
“Typical youngsters,” the guard muttered, before walking away.
Once the coast was clear, Ardo and Risa bolted as well, laughing so hard they cried. The park they thought was empty had other visitors after all. All this because of Risa’s impatience with his sweater. So, to keep his word, Ardo finally pulled it off and gave it to her.
“Here,” Ardo said, trading it for her jacket.
She was still laughing as she slipped it on. “This is so much warmer.”
Ardo touched her forehead. “Should we just go home? You’ve got a fever.”
“Nope, we’ll watch first. Then we’ll head back.”
“Okay.”
They arrived at the drive-in just as Ardo had estimated. The movie was an old one, just over an hour long. Ardo yawned a couple of times, too comfortable in his seat. Cars lined up in front, to the sides, everywhere. He glanced at Arisa, happily munching on snacks while watching.
“Your hair’s a mess, and your clothes look like pajamas,” Ardo teased.
Arisa smirked. “What? Don’t like it? You’ve seen me dolled up like a forest fairy and also a total mess with lion hair after oversleeping.”
“That was because we planned at six a.m., and you overslept,” he countered.
They both burst out laughing, lost in the memories. Their relationship had been long enough that they’d seen each other’s good and bad sides, though some flaws were still hidden out of lingering shyness. From Ardo teasing her in class, to dating, to surviving all the way through college—it was a journey. Honestly, Ardo wasn’t sure if he’d ever find another girl like this again: Arisa, half-crazy, who made him fall hard while still feeling like his best friend.
A few minutes later, Ardo tried to focus on the movie again. Unexpectedly, Arisa grabbed his hand and squeezed it. He blinked in confusion. Were they about to kiss? He’d be more than fine with that—this was the perfect setting for it. Just as he leaned into the mood, Arisa turned his face toward the left and pointed.
“Do, isn’t that your band’s vocalist?”
Ardo squinted where she gestured. “Huh?” He froze, shocked. “No way—kissing? That’s Aldo, with who?”
“Revaldo Aditya—the Prince of Love,” Risa sneered, already reaching for the car door. “Come on, let’s check. Looks like he’s with a different girl than yesterday.”
“Risa! Leave it, let him be. That’s just Aldo being a fuck boy.” Ardo followed reluctantly.
“Handsome guys think they can do whatever they want,” Risa muttered.