Chapter 5 First Meeting

As usual every night, Ify the super diligent girl, was studying, as well as summarizing the subjects that the lecturer had taught during the lecture this morning. She records the lecturer's voices using her cell phone, so that she can summarize the recording herself at the boarding house and use it to study for the exam. She has been doing this trick since the first semester, and the results of her exam scores are very satisfying.

While she was sitting and studying at her study table, someone called her and knocked on her bedroom door. She immediately stopped studying for a moment and opened the door.

"Fy, I want to ask you a favor, can I?" asked her boarding house friend Rina.

"What favor?"

"Accompany me to dinner tomorrow, okay? I want to date someone, but I'm still awkward when I'm alone."

"Where are you going to dinner?" she asked curiously.

"He said he wants to take me to the Luxury Restaurant."

"Huh? Luxury Restaurant? That's an expensive restaurant, where rich people go!" Ify's eyes widened.

"Yes, because my acquaintance is already working, Fy."

"Where does he work?"

"I don't know. He doesn't want to answer. He said he'll answer when we meet, so we'll have a topic."

"Huh? That's ridiculous! Where did you find that guy?"

"Dating app," she said in a whisper. "Okay, come with me tomorrow at 7pm!"

"Okay," Ify said with a feeling of obligation.

Rina went back to her room, while Ifyresumed her studies.

~~

Saturday night at 7.45pm, Ify and her boarding house friend, Rina, had arrived at the restaurant they were going to. They went up from their boarding house by using an online taxi car that they ordered from the app. On the way to the restaurant, their journey took approximately one hour away from the estimate. They left around half past 7pm. Because the roads were so crowded at that time, they were late from the time they promised.

​Arriving at the restaurant, they walked a little faster. Rina called her male acquaintance, saying that she had arrived at the Luxury Restaurant.

"Hi, where are you? I've arrived at the restaurant," she said while walking around the restaurant area, because the restaurant was quite spacious.

​Suddenly, from a distance, while Rina was walking around the restaurant area, someone tapped her on the shoulder. Rina turned her head.

"Hey, I'm Leo," said the guy, shaking Rina's hand and Ify's hand. The guy looked neat in his maroon short-sleeved shirt and black pants. The guy was quite tall, handsome, his face was quite clean, and seemed to look established at his age. Maybe he was looking for a mate.

​However, Ify was so surprised when she saw who was next to her male acquaintance. "Huh? Isn't that the guy who helped me yesterday?" Ify said to herself.

"This is my lil brother, Ryan," he said, swinging his hand towards Ryan. Ryan shook Rina's hand, and Ify's hand as well.

"This is my friend, Ify. Sorry we're late. There was a lot of traffic."

"Yeah, it's okay."

Ryan frowned and looked at Ify with an unusual gaze, as if he remembered he had met Ify before.

"Yes, let's sit down first!" Leo invited and directed the seats he had ordered. They sat down and chose their meals.

Ify, who was looking through the restaurant menu, was amazed. Her eyes widened, and she was shocked to find out that the prices were truly fantastic. "The cheapest is 500,000 rupiah?!!" she shouted to herself. Ify cupped her lips in disbelief that she would actually be treated to expensive food from Rina's male acquaintance. "What does he do, anyway?" she thought.

​Leo, Ryan's older brother, called the server over to his table again. And they started ordering food.

"What would you like to order, Rin, Fy?" asked Leo.

"I'll have the same!" said Rina.

"Me too. Just the same!" said Ifyresignedly, because the menus were not familiar to her.

"Okay! Please wait for your order!"

Ryan, who was Leo's younger brother, was still staring at Ifyclosely, frowning, looking at her while tilting his head. Ify was seen by Ryan, didn't dare to stare back at Ryan. She only pretended to play with her cell phone.

"Oh, yes, you're still in college, right? Where do you study?" Leo asked Rina to start the conversation.

"I'm at Palapa University, majoring in Economics," Rina replied.

"Oh, yeah? Same thing! I also studied there, and I also majored in Economics."

"Wow, what a coincidence. Where do you work now?"

"I... work at a private bank..." Leo didn't continue his words. Until Rina was curious, what position made Leo, Ryan's brother, able to buy luxurious food at the most expensive restaurant, only to be discouraged from asking.

"Ooo...," Rina said simply. Leo, who realized that Ryan and Ify had been silent and playing with their phones, immediately reprimanded them.

"How come you guys are quiet?" he reprimanded.

"Uh, yes," Ify said, surprised.

"Your younger brother has a girlfriend yet?" Rina blurted out without preamble.

"I don't know, he never told me," said Leo while nudging the shoulder of his younger brother, who was busy playing with his cell phone. Ryan, who was nudged, tried to ignore it.

"Incidentally, my friend here is single," Rina pointed at Ify with a chuckle.

"What the hell, Rin?" Ify whispered, glancing at Rina while pinching her hand slightly.

In the middle of their conversation, their food arrived. The server who delivered the food then immediately confirmed what they ordered.

"Uh, how about we sit separately?" said Rina with nosy eyes, glancing at Ify and Ryan.

"That's okay, good idea!"

Ify, who knew they were nosy, let out a long sigh. Ryan, who knew that, just tried to stay cool and ignorant. He just focused on his cellphone. They sat separately, leaving Ryan and Ify.

Ify was awkward and anxious about what she would talk about with Ryan. Ify sipped the drink she ordered and glanced at Ryan, who seemed busy playing games.

"If you have something to say, just say it!" he said casually while continuing to play the game. Before Ify could speak, Ryan immediately chimed in. "You were the one... the motorcycle broke down, right?" Ryan said, while glancing at Ify.

"Yeah, right," she said quietly. While chewing the food Ify ordered, she looked at Ryan hesitantly, like she had something to say. "Ngg... I... last night saw you in the faculty of Engineering alone. What are you doing?" said Ify, who was trying to find material for conversation.

Suddenly, Ryan stopped playing the game and immediately turned off his cell phone. He also put his cellphone next to the drink he ordered and immediately sipped his drink. "I ... yesterday was waiting for a friend, only she didn't come," Ryan said reasonably by taking a mouthful of food on his plate without looking at Ify at all.

"That girl friend of yours, who was riding with you yesterday?" asked Ifycarefully, because she knew Ryan's mood was not friendly.

Ryan, who heard the question, suddenly stopped eating and sighed slowly. His eyes looked down as if thinking of an answer. "That's... my ex," he answered briefly, then continued eating.

"Oh...," said Ify who was confused about Ryan's answer.

"Oh, yes. Are you studying Pharmacy?"

"Yes, I studied Pharmacy."

"You ... really single?" Ryan's question surprised Ify.

"Oh... yeah," Ify said with a bitter smile.

"You don't have any guy friends?"

"No, I don't have any," said Ify while shaking her head. "Why?" Ify asked back, curious what Ryan's question meant.

"I guessed it, anyway," he replied.

"What does that mean?"

"Yes... your face is... innocent and a bit... calm," Ryan explained. Ify's face blushed at that moment because of Ryan's flattery. Ify cleared her throat and continued eating.

"Can I have your cellphone number?" Ryan immediately took Ify's cell phone, which he put beside his drink. But when Ryan opened the cellphone, it turned out that Ify's cellphone was private. Ryan immediately gave the cellphone to Ify. "Privatized."

"Here," said Ify who opened the passcode and gave it to Ryan's hand. Ryan immediately typed his cellphone number on Ify's cellphone and contacted Ryan's cellphone number.

"That means I'm your only guy friend, right?" Ryan said with a smile. Apparently, Ryan's feelings had improved. Ify also did not expect to get a boy friend through her boarding house friend Rina. All this time, Ifyhad never thought about getting to know guys or even dating, because she was always focused on her studies.

Ify didn't know what it was like to date or get to know guys. She only interacted with her female friends on campus. The male friends in her class were only a few, at most only about 6 people.

Ify didn't know how to respond to Ryan, so she got carried away when he asked for her cell phone number. But that girl...? Is she really his ex? Or... does he want to date again? Or ... this Ryan really likes to multiply female friends? Ify wondered in her heart, trying to slow down, for fear of getting carried away. Although in her heart, she had melted with Ryan.

How innocent is this girl named Ify?