SR3. 27. Regret

"Morning, Honey. Don't forget to have breakfast before heading to class. Love you."

A faint smile greeted Laura in the morning after reading Aryan's message. She couldn't deny that she missed him. Laura shook her head, trying to push her thoughts of Aryan aside. She had to leave early because she had a class with Bu May, her academic advisor. She had already missed three classes since the scandal of her photos with Noval had spread a week ago. Even though the issue had been resolved, Laura still felt embarrassed about stepping onto campus. Her reputation had been tarnished.

Laura quickly grabbed her backpack and slung it over her shoulders as she headed outside. She bid farewell to her parents. Since Laura and Nancy were going to the same direction, they rode together on Laura's old automatic motorbike, which was now owned by Nancy. In Nancy's front yard, she had honked her motorbike horn several times to hurry Laura along.

"Laura, you took forever; now I'm going to be late," Nancy complained, pouting her lips.

"Yes, yes, Nancy," Laura replied as she sat on Nancy's motorbike seat, which was already running.

"Laura, did you stay up all night?" Nancy asked as she saw Laura's pale face and swollen eyes through the rearview mirror when they stopped at a red light.

"No, I slept. Why would I stay up? Come on, don't be nosy!" Laura replied, playfully tapping Laura's helmet with her finger.

After arriving in front of the Faculty of Economics building, Laura quickly got off the motorbike and waved to Nancy, telling her to be careful on the road. Laura made her way through the campus corridors, still feeling a lack of confidence. She couldn't believe how noisy her class became when she entered. Her classmates greeted her sincerely and asked about her well-being. Some of her female friends even hugged her and offered their support. Laura's eyes welled up with tears of gratitude for their genuine concern. However, the commotion subsided when Professor May entered the classroom. All the students returned to their seats and prepared to receive the day's lesson.

With a smile, Arabella looked at Laura and enthusiastically responded to Professor May's greetings. Arabella was relieved that Laura seemed to be doing okay, although her face looked pale.

After 90 minutes, the class ended. Laura and Arabella went to the campus mosque as Laura had requested. Arabella simply complied, guessing that Laura wanted to talk privately with her. Upon arriving at the mosque, Laura went to the bathroom to wash her face, which felt uncomfortable. Meanwhile, Arabella waited in the women's prayer area, which was on the left side of the mosque. The mosque was still quite empty as it was only 10:30 AM, with only the janitor seen busily mopping the floor.

"Why did we meet here? You said we were going to hang out?" Aurora asked, sitting beside Arabella.

"Someone's feeling down," Arabella replied, nodding subtly in Laura's direction.

"What's wrong, Laura? You look like you just got married, why the long face?" Aurora asked casually.

Laura just shrugged, not in the mood to talk to this particular friend. Aurora was actually Arabella's step-sister. Their friendship had begun with a conflict between Arabella and Aurora, but it had ended happily when Arabella had accepted her biological father back into her life, who happened to be Aurora's stepfather. Thus, they became stepsisters.

"Oh, by the way, Ara, Mom and Dad are coming the day after tomorrow. They said they miss baby Azka. It's so unfair, they don't miss us at all," Aurora said, earning a pinch from Arabella, who glared at her.

"They can stay at my house. Your rented house is small, anyway. I'll just call them myself," Arabella teased, making Aurora pout.

"Oh, I have a new cafe I've been frequenting this week. It's called DJ Caffe, near our favorite underwear store on Malioboro Street. I guarantee it's recommended, and this time, it's my treat," Aurora explained excitedly.

Laura and Arabella exchanged glances. There was something strange about their friend whom they rarely saw due to their different faculties. Aurora was in her third semester of law school, and she was busy with her modeling career for magazine covers. Ever since high school, Aurora had been a cover model while living in Jakarta with her parents. Thanks to Arabella's influence, her parents had agreed to let Aurora continue her career, and that was also under the watchful eyes of their extended family in Yogyakarta. Aurora often received offers to do catwalk modeling, but she was selective when accepting jobs for two reasons: the job should not interfere with her studies, and it should not involve wearing revealing clothing.

"Aurora, when are you ready to repent?" Arabella asked, looking at Aurora 's beautiful, chestnut-brown blonde hair.

"Later, Ara. I'm not ready yet," Aurora mumbled softly.

"Come on, you said you were treating us, and it's almost lunchtime," Laura encouraged, putting on her sneakers. They walked together towards the campus parking lot, and, of course, they used Aurora 's car, as she was the only one with a private vehicle. Along the way, they became the center of attention not just because of their physical beauty but also because their family relationship had become public knowledge on campus.

Laura lowered her head because they were now the subject of conversation and attention on campus. "Why are you silent, Laura? Don't care about what others say; just be yourself," Aurora said when she noticed Laura feeling restless. For Aurora, it was normal; she never cared about being labeled a "homewrecker." Her family's support was her number one priority. Her modeling career had brought its own share of judgment, but Aurora was determined to prove that her profession was not as bad as people thought.

It only took them 15 minutes to arrive at DJ Caffe, which had a classic ambiance. Upon entering, they were all impressed, except for Aurora, who had been there for a week already. With its brick walls and wooden furnishings, the cafe felt peaceful and cozy. However, Arabella suddenly noticed something odd about Aurora as she stared at a man sitting at a table without a number, deeply engrossed in his laptop.

"Shh... Did you invite us here just because you wanted to meet that foreign guy?" Laura teased, nudging Aurora, who suddenly blushed.

"What are you talking about? No way," Aurora replied, trying to avoid the topic.

After selecting their menu items, they chatted and teased each other as usual, with most of the teasing aimed at Aurora. Laura and Arabella couldn't help but notice that something was amiss with their friend, especially considering they rarely saw her due to their different faculties. Aurora was in her third semester of law school, and she was pursuing a modeling career for magazine covers. Since high school, Aurora had been a cover model while living in Jakarta with her parents. Thanks to Arabella's influence, her parents had agreed to let Aurora continue her career, and that was also under the watchful eyes of their extended family in Yogyakarta. Aurora often received offers to do catwalk modeling, but she was selective when accepting jobs for two reasons: the job should not interfere with her studies, and it should not involve wearing revealing clothing.

"Aurora, when are you ready to repent?" Arabella asked, looking at Aurora 's beautiful, chestnut-brown blonde hair.

"Later, Ara. I'm not ready yet," Aurora mumbled softly.

"Come on, you said you were treating us, and it's almost lunchtime," Laura encouraged, putting on her sneakers. They walked together towards the campus parking lot, and, of course, they used Aurora 's car, as she was the only one with a private vehicle. Along the way, they became the center of attention not just because of their physical beauty but also because their family relationship had become public knowledge on campus.

Laura lowered her head because they were now the subject of conversation and attention on campus. "Why are you silent, Laura? Don't care about what others say; just be yourself," Aurora said when she noticed Laura feeling restless. For Aurora, it was normal; she never cared about being labeled a "homewrecker." Her family's support was her number one priority. Her modeling career had brought its own share of judgment, but Aurora was determined to prove that her profession was not as bad as people thought.

It only took them 15 minutes to arrive at DJ Caffe, which had a classic ambiance. Upon entering, they were all impressed, except for

Aurora, who had been there for a week already. With its brick walls and wooden furnishings, the cafe felt peaceful and cozy. However, Arabella suddenly noticed something odd about Aurora as she stared at a man sitting at a table without a number, deeply engrossed in his laptop.

"Shh... Did you invite us here just because you wanted to meet that foreign guy?" Laura teased, nudging Aurora, who suddenly blushed.

"What are you talking about? No way," Aurora replied, trying to avoid the topic.

After selecting their menu items, they chatted and teased each other as usual, with most of the teasing aimed at Aurora. Laura and Arabella couldn't help but notice that something was amiss with their friend, especially considering they rarely saw her due to their different faculties.

***

A message notification appeared on his phone. Aryan immediately downloaded the image he received, and his smile lit up as he saw three girls happily posing at a café, with Laura sitting in the middle. If only he could hold her in his arms, maybe the pain in his chest from missing her wouldn't be as intense.

"Where were you the past two days?" Andra suddenly asked, standing at the hotel room's entrance. Aryan was startled, almost dropping his phone.

"Just needed a break," Aryan replied tersely without turning to face Andra.

"You need to take care of the project in Malang. It's been two weeks of delays. You could take your wife on a honeymoon there," Andra suggested, trying to lighten the mood, although she knew it might not happen anytime soon.

"Yeah, I'll handle it soon," Aryan replied, then stood up and walked towards Andra.

Andra shook her head as she looked at Aryan's disheveled appearance. She then glanced at the floor, where there were cigarette butts scattered around.

"Quit smoking, it's not good for your health. Instead of doing things that are not important, you should go meet Laura!" Andra said, while fixing Aryan's messy hair. She smiled, remembering their childhood when Aryan was always pampered by their family, especially by their mother, who treated him like a little kid.

"Women tend to use their emotions more than logic, so get yourself ready and go pick up your wife!" Andra said while patting Aryan's chest, then left, leaving Aryan deep in thought.

After Andra left, Aryan collapsed onto the bed and stared at the ceiling, pondering Andra's words until the call to prayer for the evening prayer sounded. He got up and headed to the bathroom, the shower's water helped soothe the headache that had been bothering him.

Aryan tried to close his eyes, aiming to catch some sleep after two sleepless nights, but he couldn't manage it. With determination, he changed into fresh clothes and picked up his car keys, leaving the hotel.

Arriving at Laura's parents' house, Aryan hesitated before knocking on the door. He smiled warmly as Johan opened the door, and he greeted him with a handshake, followed by a kiss on the back of his hand.

"Sorry for coming so late," Aryan apologized, feeling uncomfortable for arriving at this hour.

"No problem, Aryan. I was watching a football match. Come on in," Johan replied with a smile, escorting Aryan to the front of Laura's bedroom door.

*Knock, knock, knock.* With a pounding heart, Aryan entered Laura's room. She was fast asleep, lying on her back. Aryan smiled gently, whispering a greeting, and he carefully removed his jacket. He lay down beside Laura, silently reaching out to touch her. For him, just being by Laura's side was more than enough. Slowly, his tired eyes began to close, and he found a sense of peace there beside her.