Chapter 8

• Mika watched the interaction between Rio and Retno, which seemed quite familiar unlike Retno's interactions with her other employees. The closeness between Rio and Aunt Retno made Mika's heart ache even more. Unable to bear it, she quickly left Retno's batik boutique and drove her car to Kania's house, her friend. When she arrived there, she immediately got out of the car and slammed the door. Kania, who saw it from her balcony on the second floor, could only sigh and shake her head. For a week now, she had been listening to Mika's complaints about her crush, Mas Rio. Kania felt like throwing up hearing Mika's rants about the R duo, Rio and Retno.
• Crash....
• Kania's bedroom door was roughly opened and she saw Mika already throwing herself onto the King-sized bed.
• "What's wrong with you now?" Kania asked as she walked into her room.
• "I'm annoyed seeing Mas Rio pretending to be close with Aunt Retno. And Aunt keeps fishing for attention. Does she think Mas Rio is a fish that needs to be lured every day?" Mika grumbled, then she patted the bedcover beneath her body. "It hurts my feelings every day. What should I do, Kan?"
• "Just let it go, why bother? It's Aunt's business anyway."
• "No, no, no. I've liked Mas Rio since I started college. It's not fair if Aunt Retno gets him. I'm fine with him being with anyone else, just not Aunt Retno. It's about my dignity, how can I lose to a widow, especially my own aunt? What more do I need? I'm pretty, rich, cool, and on top of that, I love him."
• "Why don't you just marry Rio, if you get pregnant, he will take responsibility. You're already rich, you don't need to chase after money."
• Mika glanced at Kania, considering her crazy idea.
• "How do I do that?" Mika asked innocently.
• "Well, you figure it out. Why ask me."
• ***
• Today, Rio was quite happy because Retno gave him a bonus of four hundred thousand rupiahs as his meal money after working for a week. What made Rio happy was when Retno said that the money was to replace the coffee money he spent while waiting for Retno to finish her activities. This was on top of his monthly salary that he would receive at the beginning of next month. When he arrived at his boarding house, he saw Mika's car there. He immediately headed to his boarding room. As he walked towards his room, he faintly heard an argument between two people inside.
• "Why are you so stubborn, Rio is not here at the boarding house."
• "It's Saturday night, why would Mas Rio still be working?"
• "Why don't you ask your Aunt, she's Rio's employer. Besides, you're a woman, why are you chasing after men? I'd be embarrassed if I were you. You're a woman, Mik."
• "You're so noisy, you act like a man!"
• "I'll tell you the truth. Instead of melting his heart, Rio will start feeling repulsed by you."
• Reluctant to engage with Mika, Rio decided to turn around and walk away from his boarding room. He had just reached the parking lot of his boarding house. Mika's voice was calling his name repeatedly.
• "Mas Rio, Mas, Mas Rio," Mika called out as she ran after Rio.
• Rio closed his eyes and sighed. It seemed like his attempt to escape from Mika had failed. He turned around and saw the beautiful figure of Mika standing behind him, smiling sweetly. Mikhaila Ameera Violeta, a beautiful, sweet, and cute girl, but unfortunately Rio didn't have any feelings for her other than as a friend. It was actually Mika's aunt who had captured his thoughts for the past week. Rio felt comfortable with Retno, even when he had to take her to a hotel just to fulfill her desires with a man she hired. His relationship with Retno was still professional, unlike what Mika thought, even though they were close because they often talked alone.
• "What's up?" Rio asked, looking at Mika.
• "Where are you going again?" Mika asked.
• "Anywhere I go, I don't have an obligation to tell you. You're my friend, not my girlfriend or wife," Rio replied firmly.
• Behind the wall, Prima, who was eavesdropping on Rio and Mika's conversation, tried to hold back her laughter.
• "Thank goodness, you're such a player," Prima whispered.
• "But, Mas?" Mika hesitated.
• "No 'buts'. I've been patient for a week dealing with your nosiness about my work life. Where I go, who I'm with, what time I come home. Remember, Mika, you're my friend, not my wife," Rio stated.
• Mika swallowed hard and felt like crying after hearing Rio's words. Now she had to ask Rio about what was on his mind all this time.
• "Mas, can I ask you one thing and please answer honestly," Mika requested.
• "What do you want to ask?" Rio replied.
• "Do you like Aunt Retno?" Mika asked.
• Like? It seemed that if Rio could be honest, 'like' wasn't the right word to describe his feelings for Retno. 'Crush' might be a more suitable term. He didn't care about what others thought, whether Retno was more suitable as a sister or aunt. In reality, he felt comfortable with Retno. With her, he felt connected, able to talk, joke, and share feelings in a way he had never done with anyone else.
• "Yes," Rio answered shortly.
• Mika fell silent, her mouth slightly open. A tear fell from her eye, wetting her cheek. She never expected that Rio would have feelings for an older woman. If she could turn back time, Mika would never have arranged a job for Rio, especially as a driver for her own aunt. Because now, that was what broke her heart before it even blossomed.