Naura glared irritably at her two friends, who were now wearing victorious smiles. Her brown eyes kept scanning the surroundings, as if making sure no one would see her crazy stunt this time. Which was impossible, considering how crowded the school was during a break like this.
Her attention shifted to a tall, thick-glasses-wearing boy standing in front of the bulletin board. Naura drew another deep breath. She clenched her hands tightly, as if what she was about to do would truly affect her standing at the school. Seriously, of all people, why did that nerd over there have to be her target? Her pride would be destroyed after this. All because of the ridiculous bet she and her friends had made yesterday.
"Come on, what are you waiting for? Don't you dare?" Aulia, her friend, taunted her.
Naura snorted. "As if. A Naura isn't going to get scared over something this small."
"Then prove you're really brave. Go kiss Rafa. I bet he'll faint after you kiss him," Dinda, Naura's other friend, chimed in.
Aulia and Dinda laughed, growing even more excited to watch today's spectacular show.
"Damn it!"
Naura closed her eyes for a moment, then took a deep breath before her feet began carrying her toward her bet's target.
"Go, Naura!" Dinda shouted encouragingly. But to Naura, it sounded more like mockery.
The distance between Naura and Rafa continued to shrink. Her heart pounded faster and faster. She drew in as much air as she could while several students watched her behavior. Naura was sure everyone there would wonder why she was approaching Rafa like this. After all, Rafa was Naura's toy. Her favorite toy to bully. Everyone knew how Naura treated Rafa, and how much she hated the boy.
Before she knew it, she was standing right beside Rafa. Rafa, confused, raised an eyebrow when he found Naura standing so close to him. He even rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things.
What Rafa did made Naura's heart beat twice as fast. For God's sake, Naura was already used to receiving attention from men. But why did her heart always pound this hard because of the nerdy boy in front of her? This was exactly what made Naura so damn irritated. Whenever she was in front of Rafa, she couldn't control her logic. Oh, shit! Rafa's flushed face actually looked adorable to her.
"W-what are you—" Before Rafa could finish, something soft pressed against his cheek. Rafa was stunned, his face turning bright red all the way to his ears. He had no idea what was happening. All he registered was Naura running away and the cheers of all the students around him. After that, Rafa truly lost consciousness from the euphoria caused by Naura's touch.
"Aaaaa! I don't want to marry him!" Naura's scream echoed through a café. She dramatically slapped her cheeks after snapping out of her memories of that incident back in high school. Dinda was forced to cover her friend's mouth so she wouldn't act ridiculous in a public place like this. Several people were already staring at them. And what if a reporter happened to be following the three of them? It could become sensational news across the entire country.
Aulia could only hold back her laughter. The woman, now wearing a cream-colored hijab, kept trying not to lose control after hearing Naura's story. She felt like laughing as loudly as she could.
The three of them had arranged to meet there. Aulia was an interior designer who now worked for one of the major companies in Jakarta, while Dinda was engaged to a young businessman in Jakarta.
"Come on, just accept the fact that Rafa is your destined match," Aulia said, still holding back her laughter.
"You've got to be kidding me, Li. No way am I marrying that nerd. I have my pride."
"Is your pride hurt because he used to be your bullying target? Or because you ended up eating your own words after swearing you would never like him?" Dinda teased. The petite woman with narrow eyes always enjoyed teasing Naura.
"What are you talking about? The point is, I don't want to, and I will never marry him. Period! You guys know it's because of him that I..." Naura let the sentence trail off. She felt incapable of bringing up her past again. Every time she remembered what Rafa had done to her back then, the pain always returned. Even though she had tried so hard to forget everything.
Aulia sighed, her expression turning serious. She looked at Naura before speaking. "Don't you realize it, Ra? This is fate. You and Rafa were brought back together after all these years, so Allah must have the best plan for the two of you. To fix the misunderstanding between you. Or maybe this is the answer to all of Rafa's prayers about you. I've always had a feeling that Rafa would become your destined match someday."
Dinda covered her mouth at Aulia's words. "If you ask me, it's not fate, Li. It's karma." Dinda and Aulia burst out laughing.
"Are you enjoying watching me suffer?" Naura snapped, furious. Telling her two friends had clearly been a mistake. Instead of getting advice, she was being laughed at like this.
"And about what happened back then, I don't believe Rafa did it. Come on, Ra. You know what Rafa is really like. He can't even bring himself to kill an ant. Besides, there's no proof," Dinda said, trying to convince her.
"No, I still believe he caused it. I'm even more convinced that the only reason he wants to marry me is to get revenge." Naura was adamant.
Dinda sighed. Naura really was stubborn.
"Is Rafa still as nerdy as he was back then, Ra?"
Naura fell silent at Aulia's serious question. Her memories returned to two days earlier.
I will make sure you're bound to me for the rest of your life...
Without realizing it, Naura formed a faint smile, and her face began to flush. Her behavior did not escape the attention of the two women beside her. Dinda and Aulia exchanged confused looks.
"Hey! You're just sitting there smiling. I asked you a question, idiot!" Dinda scolded irritably.
"Judging by your expression, I'm sure Rafa isn't that nerd you used to bully anymore," Aulia said, hitting the nail on the head.
Naura looked nervous. She could no longer answer her friend's question. They would definitely be shocked if they knew what Rafa was like now. In the end, they would only laugh at her even more. Naura was thoroughly frustrated.
"Don't hate him too much, Ra. Allah is the One who turns hearts around. Maybe Rafa is the best destined match Allah has sent you," Aulia advised.
"Lia's right. Besides, how long are you going to keep living like this, Ra? You're more than old enough to get married. It's not time to keep switching from one boyfriend to another. It's not that we're trying to pressure you—we just want to see you happy. Lia is married, and I'm engaged. One day, we won't always be able to be there for you. We won't always be able to look after you or listen to all your complaints. At least if you have someone you love, we can finally relax."
"Oh, please. You two are so dramatic. No matter how long it takes, I will never marry that creature."
"Don't worry. I'll keep waiting for you forever." The baritone voice startled Naura. Her mouth fell open when she turned her head and found the man who had been the subject of their conversation standing behind her.
Naura rubbed her face in frustration and swallowed. Seeing Rafa's appearance today was truly bad for her heart. How could Rafa still look that handsome while looking so disheveled—and, oh, shit! What was with those muscles in his arms? Why did they look so inviting to touch? His shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows made Rafa look even more masculine. Okay, stop it, Naura! What are you thinking, for God's sake? Naura blinked, as if putting an end to her wild thoughts about the sharp-eyed man. Come on! Naura was a normal woman. She wasn't a righteous woman, either. Of course she'd seen plenty of male models who were far more masculine. But Rafa was the exception.
Meanwhile, Dinda and Aulia were still staring in awe at the handsome man in front of them. Even when Rafa pulled out a chair, Naura's two friends still didn't blink.
"Mashallah... he's so handsome," Aulia murmured unconsciously. Dinda, wearing an utterly foolish expression, could only nod in agreement.
"Hey, how are you two?" Rafa opened the conversation. His baritone seemed to pull Naura's two friends' souls back into their bodies.
"G-good," Dinda stammered.
"You're Rafa?" Aulia asked to make sure. The question was answered only by a quiet chuckle from the owner of the prominent nose in front of her.
Naura rolled her eyes in exasperation at her friends' behavior. She was really annoyed now. Why did Rafa have to flash that killer smile at her at a time like this?
"It's been so long. It's good to finally see you two again." Instead of answering Aulia's question, Rafa said that.
"Are you really Rafa?" Aulia repeated.
Rafa smiled and nodded.
"Rafa, the nerd Naura used to bully all the time?" Dinda added, as if she still couldn't believe the handsome man in front of her was Rafa.
Rafa chuckled again, while Naura snorted. "I wasn't the only one who bullied him! You two joined in, too!" Naura protested.
Dinda and Aulia gave Rafa apologetic smiles. "But you were the ringleader," Aulia said, unwilling to back down.
Rafa only smiled as he watched them argue.
"Why did you follow me here? I already told you I didn't want to be bothered today. And yet here you are."
The question drew Rafa's attention.
"There's something we have to do today."
Naura raised an eyebrow. She didn't understand what Rafa meant.
"Ahem! If you two are busy, go ahead and leave. We're about to head back, too, Raf," Aulia said, shifting her attention to Dinda after convincing Rafa. "Right, Din?" she added, giving Dinda a signal.
"Yeah. We'll pay the bill later."
"I don't want to," Naura refused.
Aulia had no choice but to forcibly pull the woman to her feet.
"Go on. Listen to your future husband. Right, Raf?"
"That's right." Rafa answered with a victorious smile.
Naura finally had no choice but to obey. Irritated, she grabbed the bag lying on the chair, then walked ahead of Rafa in long strides.
"I'm leaving Naura in your care, Raf! Please look after our puppy. I'm worried some hunk will run off with her!" Dinda called out.
Rafa only responded with a smile and a thumbs-up.
"Ah, I hope Rafa really is Naura's best destined match. I'm sure he can make Naura happy." Aulia spoke while watching Naura and Rafa's backs grow farther away.
"Yeah, I believe that too, Li. I know Rafa still has the same feelings for Naura. Naura's just too stupid to realize it, just like before."