Ever since the night his phone died from running out of battery, Raka had begun to feel that something inside him had changed. Usually, he didn't care much about incoming notifications. But now, whenever his phone screen lit up, he always hoped Sinta's name would appear.
School days felt more enjoyable. Not because the lessons had become easier, but because there was someone who always made him excited to come to school.
That morning, Raka arrived earlier than usual. He sat at his desk with a book open, even though his mind wasn't completely there.
"Studying so hard first thing in the morning?" Dimas asked as he entered the classroom.
Raka closed his book.
"I'm allowed to once in a while, aren't I?"
Dimas set his bag on the desk.
"I'm suspicious."
"Suspicious of what?"
"You're not studying. You're waiting for someone to walk past the classroom."
Raka immediately let out a quiet laugh.
"You think too much."
Dimas sat down with a mischievous smile.
"If that's not it, then why do you look at the door every time you hear footsteps?"
Raka didn't answer. He only shook his head, trying to hold back a smile.
Not long afterward, Sinta arrived with Nisa. Her hair was slightly messy from hurrying, but her face still looked as cheerful as usual.
"Raka," Sinta called.
Raka turned.
"Yeah?"
"Did you do the physics assignment?"
Raka was silent for a few seconds.
"Physics assignment?"
Sinta immediately laughed.
"You forgot?"
Raka rubbed his face.
"Oh no, I completely forgot."
Nisa laughed too.
"And you call yourself a serious student."
Dimas, who had heard them, chimed in.
"He studies hard, but maybe his mind is a little... occupied."
Raka shot Dimas an irritated look.
"Shut up."
The classroom grew noisy with their teasing. Sinta only smiled as she watched Raka panic.
"I have some extra notes if you want them."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah, I'll give them to you later."
"Thanks, Sin. You're a lifesaver."
Sinta smiled.
"Don't always rely on me."
"I'm not relying on you."
"Then what are you doing?"
Raka thought for a moment.
"Let's just say I appreciate a friend's help."
Nisa immediately laughed.
"A friend, huh?"
Raka and Sinta both smiled at that.
That afternoon, after class, Raka and Sinta walked to the library to look for material for their assignment. They strolled along, talking about all kinds of things.
"Do you really like reading books?" Raka asked.
Sinta nodded.
"Yeah. Ever since I was little, I've liked stories that make me imagine all sorts of things."
"I prefer stories that aren't too heavy."
"Like what?"
"Funny ones. So I don't have to think too hard."
Sinta smiled.
"You do seem like that."
"Like what?"
"A laid-back person."
Raka laughed.
"Is that a compliment or an insult?"
"There's a little bit of compliment in it."
"A little?"
"Yeah. The rest is a secret."
They laughed together.
Inside the library, they sat side by side, searching for information for their assignment. Every now and then, their hands nearly touched as they reached for the same book, making Raka nervous all by himself.
Sinta, however, looked completely unfazed.
For Raka, little moments like that were enough to make him happy.
As evening approached, Raka opened his phone again. A message from Sinta had come in a few minutes earlier.
"Did you make it home?"
Raka quickly replied.
"Yeah. You?"
"Me too."
"Tired?"
"A little. But I'm happy we finished the assignment earlier."
Raka smiled as he read the message.
"I'm happy too."
"Why?"
"Because I got to spend time with you."
There was no reply for several minutes.
Raka began to panic.
He checked the screen again and again.
"Why did I send that?"
He started feeling embarrassed all by himself.
Not long afterward, a message from Sinta came in.
"I'm happy I got to work with you too."
Raka let out a relieved sigh.
Only then did he realize that his heart was beating faster because of one simple message.
That night, they talked for quite a while again. But this time, Raka paid closer attention to how much phone credit he was using. He didn't want what happened before to happen again.
He even wrote down his remaining phone credit in a little notebook.
Dimas, who was on a video call with him, laughed when he saw the note.
"Are you seriously keeping track of your phone credit?"
Raka showed him the notebook.
"This is important."
"Since when did you become someone who counts phone credit?"
"Since I learned that talking to someone can make my phone credit run out fast."
Dimas laughed.
"This is bad. Love is changing you."
Raka smiled.
"Maybe."
"So you like Sinta now?"
The question made Raka fall silent.
He had felt something for her all this time, but he had never clearly said it out loud.
"I don't know."
Dimas looked at the screen.
"I think you do."
"What do you mean?"
"You always talk about her. You always get happy when she messages you. You were even willing to buy phone credit just so you could talk to her."
Raka fell silent at his best friend's words.
Maybe Dimas was right.
A feeling was beginning to grow, but Raka was still afraid to admit it.
"I just don't want things to get weird."
Dimas nodded.
"That's why you shouldn't rush. Just enjoy the process."
Raka nodded slowly.
After the call ended, he looked at Sinta's messages again.
There was one new message.
"Raka, don't forget to bring the assignment tomorrow."
Raka smiled.
"Yes, ma'am."
Sinta replied immediately.
"Hahaha, I'm not a teacher."
"But you remind me about things all the time."
"Because you forget all the time."
"So you care about me?"
Sinta didn't answer right away.
A reply appeared a little while later.
"Maybe."
That one word made Raka smile all night.
He didn't know how this story would end. He also didn't know whether Sinta had the same feelings or only saw him as a close friend.
But for now, Raka was enjoying every message, every laugh, and every little opportunity to get to know Sinta better.
To him, first love didn't have to begin with something big.
Sometimes it all started with a class note, a simple message, and enough phone credit to keep the story from stopping halfway.