A few days later, Naira sat alone in a park, enjoying the late-afternoon atmosphere. She was reading when a voice suddenly came from beside her.
“Alone?”
Naira looked up. Her eyes immediately widened when she saw the man who had been hit by a bottle a few days ago.
“You again?”
The man gave her a faint smile. “It seems like we keep running into each other.”
Naira closed her book. “I was actually hoping we wouldn’t meet again.”
The man chuckled softly, then sat down on the same bench.
“Why? Do I look scary?”
“No. It’s just... weird.”
“Weird how?”
“People usually run into each other in different places. But you keep showing up right in front of me.”
The man shrugged. “Maybe it’s just a coincidence.”
Naira looked at him for a moment, then turned her attention back to the view ahead.
“By the way, what’s your name?”
Naira glanced at him but didn’t answer.
“Why didn’t you answer? I told you my name last time. Is it really so bad for me to know yours?” he asked.
“I know your name is Arka, right?” Naira replied without thinking.
Yes, he was Arka—the man whose head had accidentally been hit by the used bottle Nurul kicked.
“You still remember, even though it’s been several days.”
Naira fell silent. She felt awful for answering his question. She shouldn’t have said it. And yet, for some reason, his name had remained stuck in her head since their first meeting.
Arka looked at Naira with a small smile.
“So you do remember me?”
“Not really.”
“You just said my name without even thinking.”
Naira immediately looked away.
“That was just a coincidence.”
“In that case, I’ll assume you have a pretty good memory.”
Naira snorted softly.
“You’re awfully confident.”
Arka laughed quietly. For a while, they simply sat in silence, enjoying the atmosphere of the park.
Until finally, Arka asked again.
“If you remember my name, is it really so bad for me to know yours?”
Naira glanced at him, then looked away. Being stared at by Arka for so long made her a little uncomfortable.
“Naira.”
Arka nodded slowly.
“Naira.”
For some reason, hearing the man say her name made Naira feel a little strange.
“What?”
“Nothing. It’s a pretty name.”
Naira quickly opened her book again.
“Thank you.”
Arka smiled. For the first time, they sat beside each other without a used bottle flying at anyone’s head.