Jakarta, September 29, 2102
The glow from a giant holographic billboard pierced the windows of a luxurious penthouse apartment in the heart of Jakarta. Air vehicles passed by without a sound, leaving trails of neon light slicing through the night sky. Yet inside the spacious master bedroom, the world felt utterly peaceful and intimate.
Andien stood there, breathing slightly harder after a warm shower. Her slender hands busily rubbed her long, still-damp hair with a thick towel. She walked toward the large pearl-white wardrobe in the corner of the room. It was no ordinary piece of furniture. With a light touch of Andien's fingertip against the biometric panel, the wardrobe's smooth surface slowly turned transparent, revealing a smart-mirror projection that automatically adjusted to her height and posture.
In the mirror's reflection, Andien gazed at herself. She had only just entered her thirties, yet time seemed reluctant to leave its mark on her face.
Her beauty was a perfect blend of captivating Indonesian charm: glowing, healthy golden-tan skin, a strong yet gentle jawline, a well-shaped aquiline nose, and a pair of dark brown eyes capable of drowning anyone who met their gaze. Tonight, even without makeup, Andien's allure felt exceptionally powerful.
Just as she picked up her ionic comb and prepared to smooth her hair, she heard a soft hiss. Whoosh.
The bathroom door, equipped with a modern aerodynamic system, slid open automatically. Through the thin cloud of warm steam stood her husband, Bisma.
Andien glanced at him from the corner of her eye through the mirror's reflection, and her movement instantly froze. Bisma stood in the doorway without a stitch of clothing. The man's physique was utterly perfect, the result of extraordinary discipline. His weight of 75 kilograms was made entirely of dense, powerful, lean muscle. His broad, solid chest, symmetrically sculpted abs, and sturdy shoulders were still covered in beads of water trickling downward, reflecting the dim glow of the bedroom lights.
Instead of hurriedly looking for clothes, the man deliberately leaned against the futuristic doorframe. With his trademark mischievous smile, Bisma folded one arm behind his head, showing off the curve of his biceps as he posed like a model on the cover of an adult men's magazine, teasing the viewer.
Seeing her husband's antics in the mirror, a pink flush instantly spread across both of Andien's cheeks. Though they had been married for years, the man's charm never failed to make her heart race wildly.
Bisma chuckled when he saw the color in his wife's face. With deliberately slow steps, he walked toward Andien. His body was still dripping wet, leaving a trail of water across the smart carpet, which absorbed the moisture within seconds.
Seeing her husband approach without a towel, Andien scrunched up her face in exasperation. She turned around, ready to scold him. "Baaabe... you're dripping water everywhere. You always do this." Before Andien could finish her complaint, Bisma had already closed the distance between them. The man wrapped his arms warmly around Andien from behind.
His muscular, wet arms encircled his wife's waist perfectly, while his chin rested playfully in the hollow of Andien's neck. The heat from Bisma's body instantly penetrated the towel Andien was wearing. Andien, who had initially wanted to be angry, suddenly went limp. Her scolding caught in her throat, replaced by the increasingly rapid pounding of her heart. The feel of Bisma's wet skin against hers was such a stark contrast, yet strangely soothing.
"Sorry..." Bisma whispered in his rough, gentle baritone, his lips nearly brushing Andien's ear. "But you're wearing my towel, babe." Andien's eyes widened slowly. She looked down at the dark gray towel wrapped around her body. Damn. She had rushed out of the bathroom so quickly that she hadn't realized she'd taken her husband's towel from the drying rack.
"Oh my gosh... oh, right. Sorry. I didn't realize," Andien squeaked, her face now flushed all the way to her ears. Bisma chuckled softly, the vibration of his laughter felt against Andien's back. He turned his wife around until they were facing each other. His hand tucked a wet strand of Andien's hair behind her ear. "It's okay," Bisma said, gazing deeply into his wife's eyes. "Besides, do you know the difference between this towel and you?" Andien raised one eyebrow, already familiar with her husband's behavior. "What?" "This towel can only dry my body from the outside. But you... you can always warm my entire life all the way to my core." Andien rolled her eyes, though she couldn't hide the small smile tugging at her lips. "That's such a cheesy twenty-second-century dad pickup line."
Ignoring his wife's mild protest, Bisma suddenly pressed his body against hers. He deliberately rubbed his wet chest against Andien's towel-wrapped body, as if turning his wife into a giant sponge.
"Bisma! What are you doing?!" Andien shrieked, startled and ticklish at once.
"I don't have a towel, so I'll just dry myself with you," Bisma teased, continuing to press against her and leaving Andien's towel wet with the water from his shower.
Overwhelmed by embarrassment, Andien tried to push her husband's broad chest away. "Bisma, stop. We've showered, and we need to get ready and go to dinner. Our child is waiting outside. Don't start anything yet, babe."
Instead of stopping, the mischief in Bisma's eyes only intensified. Suddenly, his powerful arms slipped beneath Andien's knees and behind her back. In one smooth, effortless motion, Bisma lifted his wife into the air as if Andien weighed no more than a feather. "Bisma!" Andien cried out, her arms instinctively wrapping tightly around her husband's neck to keep her balance.
Bisma didn't answer. He gazed at his wife with an intoxicating look, slowly brought his face closer, and kissed Andien's cheek with tender yet possessive gentleness. His breath brushed across her face, causing all of Andien's defenses to collapse. Slowly, her eyes closed in surrender. She let herself be swept away in the arms of the man she loved most in the entire universe. Bisma's lips began to descend toward hers, and only millimeters remained between them...
DING DONG! The loud bedroom doorbell suddenly shattered the romantic silence, followed by impatient pounding from outside. "Mooooom! Daaaaad!" The shrill voice of a seven-year-old boy pierced the soundproof walls of their bedroom through the intercom. "What is taking so long?! Baim's stomach is growling like crazy! Baim's hungry! Are you seriously making Baim eat another nutrition capsule tonight?!" Bisma and Andien froze instantly.
Andien opened her eyes wide, then couldn't hold back her laughter. She covered her mouth, giggling at the sight of her husband's expression. Bisma's face, which had been full of passion and dominance, instantly transformed into that of a grown man frustrated because his plan had completely failed. He closed his eyes for a moment and let out a long, deeply comical sigh, then looked helplessly at the bedroom ceiling.
"Whose kid is that, anyway? Always interrupting," Bisma grumbled in mock annoyance, though the corners of his mouth twitched as he fought back a smile. Andien gently patted her husband's chest. "Your kid. Put me down now, and hurry up and get dressed. Poor Baim is starving."
Reluctantly but very gently, Bisma lowered Andien back to the floor. Instead of immediately turning toward his wardrobe, Bisma held Andien's waist with one hand and pulled her close again. He lowered his head and kissed her forehead for a long moment, pouring out his immense, unconditional love.
When Bisma pulled away, he looked into Andien's eyes with the tenderness that always made her feel like the luckiest woman in the world.
"Tonight, let our little hero win, because his stomach really does need filling," Bisma said with a reassuring smile, his large hand stroking Andien's cheek with his thumb. "But remember, Mrs. Andien... after Baim falls asleep, you owe me. Because to me, even one second spent delaying the moment I can hold you is time wasted from my life. Now, get ready, beautiful. Your husband is going to make sure the two of you have the best dinner tonight."
Andien smiled warmly, her heart melting completely. She nodded slowly, watching her husband's broad back as he walked toward the wardrobe.
At that moment, on a night that seemed so perfect, Andien had no idea... that this man's happiness and warmth were something she would one day have to risk her own life to reclaim.