The soft aroma of coffee made me feel comfortable. I imagined myself relaxing while sipping a glass of coffee.
But wait... My eyes opened instantly as I remembered where I was. When I saw the man driving the car so seriously, I suddenly wanted to pretend to faint.
How could I have fallen asleep while waiting for Damar? I didn't even realize he had driven this far.
"You didn't lock the car door earlier," Damar said, as if he already knew I was awake and wondering how he got into the car.
"Oh? I guess I forgot to lock it," I replied, confused. Besides still feeling sleepy, I also couldn't believe that I, who had wanted to avoid this man, ended up with him again. Sitting in the same car after begging him to take me home. Was I out of my mind?
I pressed my fingers to my temple, trying to massage away the chaos in my head. Everything felt like a blur—from the argument with Leon to the moment I ended up next to Damar again. Life was starting to feel like one cruel, looping joke.
When I remembered why I was here with Damar, I became very annoyed. Now, Leon was at the top of my most-hated list, pushing Damar down to second place.
I hated what had happened to me. I wanted to be mad, but Damar had helped me earlier. I wanted to thank him, but my pride wouldn't let me. I had no idea how long I had been asleep in his car, but it was definitely embarrassing.
"This is for you," he said, handing me a cold drink. The scent of coffee was strong as I held the cup in my hand.
"Thanks," I finally said, though the words were hard to get out. Drinking iced coffee after waking up actually made me feel more refreshed.
"Who was that guy earlier? I've seen him bothering you twice now," Damar suddenly asked when I thought he wouldn't care about what had happened to me.
"Not someone important," I replied vaguely, not wanting to talk about Leon.
"Is he... the guy you're arranged to marry?" Damar guessed, making me frown. How could he come up with such an idea? I wanted to burst out laughing, but that would only make him suspicious.
"No. He's my ex-boyfriend," I finally said, not wanting him to keep guessing. I had never really shared my relationship with Leon, so not many people knew that I had a boyfriend.
"I didn't know you had a boyfriend," he said. Of course, he didn't know. Was he my close friend that I would share all my problems with? Definitely not.
I glanced briefly at Damar but didn't respond to his words. Instead, I focused on finishing my drink. I was too tired of talking about Leon.
Then, I turned to look out the car window. The sun had set, leaving only a faint glow. Traffic outside was heavy—nothing unusual for rush hour.
The city lights started to flicker on one by one, creating a warm golden shimmer that reflected on the car windows. It was the kind of view that made people feel nostalgic for no reason.
As my gaze wandered outside, it drifted down to my feet, still in the flip-flops Damar had given me. I hadn't even thanked him yet. But I had no intention of doing so—my pride wouldn't let me.
Being around this man always felt awkward. Couldn't he start a conversation? Did he really prefer silence?
"Where are we going?" I asked, starting to panic as I noticed Damar driving in the opposite direction of my apartment.
"I have something to take care of," he answered. I frowned, thinking hard. If I had known this would happen, I should have just taken a taxi home. My mouth was about to ask what his business was, but I decided against it. It wasn't my place to pry into his matters.
"Will it take long?" I asked. If it would, maybe I shouldn't go with him.
"No," he answered briefly, giving me no chance to argue.
The silence in the car was torturous. I glanced at him several times, but he remained focused on driving, his expression unreadable. Why couldn't he be like other bosses—warm, approachable, and not so cold and reserved?
I fiddled with the edge of my shirt, pretending to be busy. But in truth, I was counting the seconds, waiting for him to say something—anything—to ease the tension.
Damar finally stopped the car on a busy one-way street lined with food vendors on both sides. If I rolled down the window, I was sure the scent of food would flood the car.
I glanced at Damar. Was he planning to buy something? Or was he meeting someone?
"I'll just wait in the car," I said before he could say anything.
"What for?" he asked, sounding displeased.
"To wait for you, obviously," I replied, confused by his question. He was the one with business here, wasn't he? Why should I go with him?
"You're coming, too. We'll eat first," he said.
"No, thanks. I'm not hungry," I refused without thinking. Not hungry? Who was I kidding? My stomach had been aching from hunger since I waited for him earlier.
Damar ignored my refusal. He opened the car door, letting the mouthwatering scent of food drift inside. I hesitated for a moment—the aroma was tempting.
"You only had Padang food this afternoon," he stated matter-of-factly, even though he wasn't wrong.
I blinked, then sighed, finally reaching for the car door handle. Annoying. My hunger had betrayed me, leaving me no choice but to accept his offer.
"Was your 'business' just coming here to eat?" I asked.
"Yes," he answered simply, making me scowl. He could've just said so from the beginning instead of making it sound mysterious.
I couldn't understand how my hatred for this man kept growing, yet at the same time, I was spending more and more time with him. Wasn't that incredibly frustrating?
"Order whatever you want," he said.
I scanned the laminated menu handed to me by the waiter, but the words all blurred together. Maybe it was because of the day's stress—or maybe because he was watching me. Why did it feel like his gaze had weight?
Every time I was with Damar, I always felt the urge to curse at him internally. I knew he had brought me here to repay me for the lunch I bought him earlier. But I wasn't expecting anything in return.
After telling the waiter my order, I turned to Damar, who was busy typing on his phone. His face looked tired, and his shirt was no longer as neat as it had been this morning. Oh, God! Why was I even noticing these things?
"Uh… I'll have warm orange juice too," I blurted out, trying to distract myself. His eyes had suddenly landed on me, and I didn't want him to notice that I had been staring.
"Order it then," he replied, immediately calling over a waiter. Before I could say anything, he ordered the drink for me. I sighed, knowing I wouldn't be able to finish two drinks.
"What are you doing tomorrow?" Damar suddenly asked. His question made me suspicious. Was he about to ask me to work overtime? Or did he have some unfinished business I had to handle on my precious weekend?
"A lot," I replied vaguely. So many things, in fact, that I planned to sleep until noon.
"What about in the evening… or at night?" His question made me even more suspicious. What was he planning?
"I'll still be finishing my work from the morning," I replied evasively.
"Why? Is there something I need to do?" I asked directly. Deep down, I prayed he wouldn't say yes. I wasn't willing to sacrifice my day off again. I had already given too much of my time to the company. This time, I wasn't going to do it.
There was a short pause. A beat. Long enough to make my breath hitch.
"Do you have time to keep me company?" he asked.(*)