Chapter 8
Kiara's phone alarm went off at four in the morning. The khas cold air of Yogyakarta cut straight to her bones, but Kiara didn't feel sleepy at all. She hurriedly washed her face, put on her thick jacket, and hastily tied back her hair. When she opened the guesthouse gate, Bumi was already standing there, leaning against a rented scooter with two helmets hanging from the handlebars.
"Right on time," Bumi praised her, flashing his signature smile as he handed Kiara a helmet. "Ready to chase the sunrise?"
"Ready," Kiara replied quickly, putting on the helmet and climbing onto the back seat.
The scooter sped through Yogyakarta's still-empty streets, shrouded in a thin mist. Kiara wrapped both arms around Bumi's waist to brace herself against the biting predawn wind. She felt an indescribable sense of safety leaning against the man's back, listening to the steady rumble of the engine as it cut through the darkness toward Candi Ratu Boko.
They arrived just as the eastern sky began changing from deep blue to violet. After crossing a stretch of greenery and climbing the old stone steps, they reached the forecourt of the temple's grand main gate. The view before them was breathtaking: hills draped in soft mist, with the silhouette of the temple gate standing proudly against the dawn.
Bumi set up his camera on a small tripod, but his eyes kept stealing glances at Kiara instead. She stood at the edge of the hill, letting the morning wind brush her face as she gazed at the horizon, her eyes shining with wonder.
"It's so beautiful, Bumi..." Kiara whispered, awestruck by the landscape spread out before her.
"Very beautiful," Bumi replied softly. But when Kiara turned around, she realized Bumi's camera was pointed straight at her, not at the hills across the way.
A golden glow burst from behind the hills, washing the entire temple grounds in the warmth of dawn. The fiery orange light filling the sky reflected perfectly in both their irises.
Bumi walked closer, moving slowly until the distance between them grew smaller. The morning sunlight fell across the lines of his face, making his gaze feel intensely tender.
"Kiara," Bumi called, his quiet voice mingling with the rustle of the hilltop wind. "From the beginning, I told you I didn't have any definite route or destination in life. I just go wherever the wind takes me."
Kiara looked straight at Bumi, her heart pounding as she waited for him to continue.
"But sitting beside you at the station yesterday, listening to your story in that dark train car, and watching you draw again yesterday afternoon... made me realize one thing," Bumi continued. He reached into his jacket pocket and held out an old camera lens that had been turned into a keychain with a simple engraving. "I don't want to wander alone anymore. I want you to always be part of my next route... wherever my journey takes me."
Kiara froze. Her throat felt clogged by the surge of emotion welling up inside her—tenderness, happiness, and an overwhelming sense of certainty. She stared at the keychain, then shifted her gaze to Bumi, who was waiting for her with hopeful eyes.
Without saying a word, Kiara took a step forward and wrapped her arms tightly around Bumi. She rested her head against his chest, listening to Bumi's rapidly beating heart—just as fast as her own.
Bumi was startled for a moment before breaking into a broad smile and returning Kiara's embrace, shielding her from the mountain wind.
"Does that mean yes?" Bumi whispered with a chuckle into Kiara's hair.
Kiara looked up at the brown eyes that now felt like home to her, then gave a firm nod with the most carefree smile she had ever worn.
"Yes," Kiara replied sincerely. "Let's make a new route together."
On the Ratu Boko hilltop, witnessed by the centuries-old stone gate and the sweep of golden dawn, two souls who had once been lost and uncertain officially found a new direction. Their escape journey had come to an end, replaced by the warm, beautiful, and courageous beginning of a new story.