Indeed, my friend's parents didn't blame me at all because it was considered an accident, but the guilt has continued to haunt me to this day.
I have no idea what happened to my friend because the search was called off after two weeks without turning up any results.
After hearing Galih say that he considered me special enough to bring me to a place he usually visited alone, how could I tell him I was afraid of the beach? He might be disappointed in me later.
The hand of the guy who had been holding mine all this time now led me somewhere—I had no idea where. Little by little, I could no longer sense anything related to the beach. Then he let go of my hand and stopped somewhere filled with the delicious smell of food. It was so good that even though I'd already eaten lunch, it made me hungry all over again.
Where are we?
“Nia, are you okay?”
I hadn't realized I'd closed both my eyes. Slowly, I opened them and found the guy staring at me with a worried look. My eyes took in the restaurants and Bali souvenir shops surrounding us, and I shook my head slightly as I met his gaze.
“No, I'm fine!”
The guy didn't look happy with my answer. He crossed his arms over his chest, as if asking me to answer again. His face was scrunched up in a frown. Was he mad at me?
Afraid, I lowered my head, not daring to look at him.
“Nia?”
“Hmm?” I was still looking down, biting my lower lip nervously.
“What did I say before we came here?” The tone of his voice alone was enough to scare me even more. He let out a long sigh and continued, “I already told you. If you don't like something, just tell me. Why didn't you say anything earlier that you were afraid of the beach? Hmm?”
“Well…” I glanced from side to side, not daring to look at him. “You said it was a special place for you, right? So—”
I fell silent, realizing that he already knew about my fear of the beach.
My eyes widened. I quickly raised my head and found him still looking annoyed.
How did he know?!
“It is, but I can take you somewhere else if you're uncomfortable, Little Bunny. Don't force yourself.”
“How did you know I was afraid of the beach?”
He sighed again, shoved one hand into his pants pocket, and rubbed the back of his neck with the other.
It was only then that I realized Galih's normally gentle face didn't look angry at all. He was worried about me.
“Anyone could tell, Little One, that you were afraid of the beach, not that you disliked it.”
He pointed at my hand, and I followed his gaze. He was right. Without realizing it, I'd clenched my hand so tightly that my knuckles had turned white.
“You were holding my hand way too tightly earlier, and you kept your eyes closed while we were walking. How could I not notice?”
“I'm sorry…”
I lowered my head, now feeling guilty for causing him trouble.
“Don't apologize, Bunny.” Galih pulled me into his arms and kissed my forehead. “Just tell me right away if there's something you're afraid of. Don't do that again, okay? I was worried about you.”
“Okay.”
“Good.” He released me and smiled at me. “In that case, come on in. Let's eat first. The food at the cafeteria earlier couldn't have filled you up, right?”