All diseases, Ardo believed, originated in the mind. At least that was what students like him always complained about every time exams approached. Midterms were just around the corner, but he couldn’t fully focus while the competition hadn’t yet ended. Whatever the result, at least he had tried. Even if he didn’t win the prize money, Ardo would still have a standard to measure himself by.
“Feeling better?” Ardo asked his girlfriend, who was now brave enough to drink iced tea again in the campus cafeteria.
She nodded. “Yeah, much better—it’s been three days anyway. How’s the competition? Sorry I couldn’t come with you. My mom asked me to go shopping with her this Saturday.”
“It’s fine. Tomi and Indra will be there. Aldo said he’ll catch up later. Rey’s already back in the States.”
That afternoon, the cafeteria was crowded as usual, even though the food options weren’t exactly gourmet. Still, the affordable prices made it a hit among students. Amid all the uncertainty that came with being a twenty-year-old, Ardo could feel his blood pumping every time he thought about tomorrow’s competition. Sure, it wasn’t something he could list on his résumé, but it was something he’d remember proudly for the rest of his life.
“Hey, dude! Want a photo?” shouted Tomi from up ahead, in the middle of the tea plantation.
The yell snapped Ardo out of his thoughts and back into the present. “Can you walk slower? I’m still dizzy from lack of sleep.”
Indra, walking in front of him, chuckled. “He’s got too much energy, man. When he’s DJ-ing, Tomi hardly drinks so he can stay focused on the job.”
Arisa, trailing behind them and struggling to keep up with the two tall men, asked, “Did you guys go clubbing last night?”
“No!” Ardo and Indra answered in unison.
“Just kept Tomi company—we were only drinking fruit juice,” Indra lied smoothly.
That answer didn’t help much to save Ardo’s face in front of his ex-girlfriend. Argh, why did he even care what she thought of him anymore? Instead, he decided to just enjoy the scenery. Malang was beautiful—no less than other nature spots in Indonesia. Indra had rented a car so they could visit a tea plantation on the slopes of Mount Arjuno, East Java.
Arisa chuckled softly, trying not to slip. “Well, even if you guys were drinking or hitting on girls, it’s not my business.”
Indra turned to her with a grin. “We went straight back to the hotel after Tomi got a big tip. Don’t overthink it. We’re naughty, sure—but only in Jakarta. I stayed sober ‘cause I wanted to explore around here.”
“Uh-huh, yeah right. Sure,” Arisa said with mock belief.
Ardo could only grumble inwardly. If only today’s trip were just the two of them—it would’ve been romantic. They’d gone to a similar place once in Puncak, Bogor, but it felt so different now. Then again, if it were just the two of them, they’d probably end up arguing again—clashing egos that he still believed could coexist. But she was too stubborn to admit they still had a chance.
“Ndra, are you staying in Malang tomorrow? We could go apple picking,” Arisa suggested.
“Sounds fun,” Indra said enthusiastically. “But I’ve got work tomorrow. Tom, how about you?”
Tomi waved. “Same here—I’ve got a gig at SCBD.”
“Sorry, man, can’t stay long,” Indra added with a smirk.
Ardo rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”
***
After taking enough photos and soaking in the endless green scenery, they stopped for lunch at a nearby restaurant. For five minutes, Ardo stared blankly at the tea fields stretching before them. Meanwhile, his three friends were chatting and catching up, but he didn’t really listen—he didn’t want to hear another word about Arisa’s upcoming marriage to Kala.
God, it hurt to think of Arisa Kirani as just one of his friends, when what he wanted was to call her his lover again. But he had to get used to it—both in his mind and in his words. When the food arrived, he turned from the view toward her—and noticed something. Arisa wasn’t wearing her engagement ring. Meanwhile, Ardo was wearing the necklace she’d given him for his 21st birthday again.
“Where’s your ring?” Ardo suddenly asked.
Everyone at the table knew exactly who he was talking to. Indra smirked, busy separating the chicken meat from the bone. Tomi cleared his throat and drank from his bottle. Normally, Ardo and Tomi would’ve seemed like Indra’s loyal sidekicks—as if he were their king—but today, Ardo was the main character. He’d say whatever he wanted.
Arisa feigned surprise, glancing down at her bare fingers. “I don’t like wearing jewelry. And anyway, we were walking around the tea fields—I didn’t want to lose it. Kala would be mad.”
“If I were him, I’d be mad too—if my fiancée went on a nearly month-long trip with her ex,” Ardo shot back, trying to provoke her.
Indra handed Ardo a piece of chicken. “Try this, man—it’s good.”
Tomi grabbed another piece from Indra’s plate. “Really? I almost ordered that earlier but got tired of eating chicken.”
“Why does it get colder here the longer we sit, Tom? Should’ve worn a thicker jacket,” Indra said, stretching.
Tomi snorted. “Yeah, it’s chilly—perfect weather for couples.”
Ardo knew his two friends were trying to save the atmosphere from turning awkward. He also knew that the only way to get under that stubborn woman’s skin was to keep mentioning her fiancé—the pilot, Kala. Every time Ardo brought him up, Arisa’s defenses seemed to drop. He wanted so badly to show her that being with him was better, no matter how good and righteous that pilot seemed.
Tomi cleared his throat again. “So, planning to become a foreign citizen after you get married, Sa? I always thought writers loved Indonesia more than anything—its language, its people. I write songs, but writing books that explore space, time, and human nature takes a lot of words and feelings. Don’t tell me you’re tired of Indonesia already?”
It was the same question Ardo had once asked her—but Tomi managed to phrase it differently, in his own musician’s rhythm. Ardo and Indra both waited for her answer.
Arisa smiled faintly, pouring water into her glass. “The person I love is in Amsterdam. That’s the simple answer. Writing is writing—you can do it anywhere.”