7th Journal

“Mbak, you look… I don’t know; you look great and awful at the same time.”

I looked at the origin of the voice that had just spoken to me.

“I’m so dead.”

“Ya kenapa?”

“Remember when I told you that my doctor wanted to introduce me to his son?”

The person in front of me nodded.

“That person is my oncologist, Satyaaaa!!! Son of the Andaru family! And it turns out that my neurologist is the CEO of the Andaru Foundation.” I covered my face in despair. “Huhu, gue malu banget.”

“So your doctor is a rich man who hired us? Isn’t it good?”

“The problem is that I once thought that my oncologist was a woman because her name was Jagadita; I thought her nickname was Dita.”

Satya Mahendra, my friend and one of my team members where I work, looks at me with a strange look.

“So this is the same person you told me about?”

I nodded.

“But he’s a good doctor; he even diagnosed your disease well after that stupid incident.” He snorted. “What about your blind date with him yesterday?”

I shrugged. “He’s good. He knows all the menus whose names sound like mantras to me. And his food choices are always delicious. He’s also nice to talk to.” I scratched my head a little. “It’s weird because I could tell you that it feels good, but I never responded to the boys who approached me, so I don’t know how that feels.”

“Boys? Are you bragging that you were so popular?” Satya commented, lifting an eyebrow and getting a giggle from me. “And does he want to approach you?”

I shrugged again. “We promised to see a movie on Wednesday.”

Satya pretended to be shocked. He made a ridiculous expression that made me want to punch him. I didn’t think too highly of myself either. Thoght that a man like Dr. Jagad liked a woman like me. D’uh. We’re just buddies, after all. What was wrong with being friends?

Last night, he also gave ideas and insight regarding the Andaru Foundation, after all.

“He’s probably around the same age as you, Sat.”

Satya widened his eyes while sipping his iced boba. “27 years old and already a specialist doctor. Make the most of your privileges to achieve the best results possible.”

“In a really honorable manner, too.”

Satya nodded before getting back to his work and his boba ice. I just realized that Dr. Jagad and Satya are practically the same age. But chatting with Satya and Dr. Jaga feels very different. As I said yesterday, he was very composed and calm. Even though I was five years older than him, he felt more mature than I did.

I was so anxious last night that I wasn’t even able to chat with him and say hello today. I was too ashamed to learn that the person I was putting up with was someone I initially mistook for a woman at our first meeting.

I could still smell his scent from last night in my mind. It was a stunning woody-musk perfume. It didn’t smell sickeningly sweet; rather, it has a really wonderful, warm scent that went perfectly with the ambiance of the restaurant we went to yesterday.

Compared to my perfume, I perceived him as a cozy dining room and me as a terrace that has been transformed into a gathering spot where cigarette smoke and vanilla milk are mingled.

I inhaled deeply. I was not sure why it felt so wrong to even express my admiration for him, despite the fact that his father paired us up. He seemed unreachable and out of my league.

Dr. Jagadita Andaru

Hi

I was on the verge of throwing my phone away when I noticed the short message on my phone’s screen.

“What’s wrong with you?!” Satya scolded me since I had shocked him.

“Dr. Jagad, chat me!”

“So what?! Just reply to it, you freak!”

Dr. Jagadita Andaru

Have you done with the result of the idea I told you yesterday?

“Oh, it’s about work.”

“Of course it is! What do you expect, you crazy woman?” Satya looks at me with disgust. I don’t know since when, but he often looks at me with that look.

“Fuck you!” I scowled at his extreme response before I paid attention to my phone again.

I wasn’t proud of recognizing that I was taking advantage of getting to know him more through our work. But I was happy to know that he really has brilliant thoughts about his family legacy.

Me

I am working it with my team

Maybe I can send you the draft, um, in 20 minutes?

Dr. Jagadita Andaru

Great, because I do really love how nice

your team made up the storyline

It’s touchy but feels so professional in how you deliver the message

Me

Yeah, Satya is the best!

Dr. Jagadita Andaru

Satya?

Me

Oh, he’s my team

After that, he didn’t reply for over 10 minutes, and I started to get concerned. Was there something wrong with my reply? I was not sure why I focused on it so intently, although it could be because I was simply anxious. I had lost all knowledge of how to conduct myself on a first date. The person I have dated since I ruthlessly broke his heart three months ago was Padma. We spent four years going on forever, and then I claimed that I didn’t see a future for us. You could call me a jerk if you want, but I just didn’t see him having a future because he was a spoiled, affluent child with a lot of privilege issues. Maybe that was also what made me doubt Dr. Jagad a little after knowing he was one of the sons of an Indonesian conglomerate.

“Mbak Andra, ada tamu.” My office boy entered the room and made me frown.

Visitor?

“Lu ada jadwal meeting, Mbak?”

I gave Satya a headshake because I didn’t put any schedules on my list. My crew on the first floor was staring at me strangely as I hurried down from where I work on the second floor.

“Why are you looking at me in that way?”

“Are you still dating your ex-boyfriend, Mbak?”

“Huh? Ex-boyfriend?”

I hurriedly opened the glass door in front of me and saw a black luxury car, which I believe is a BMW M8 coupé, parked outside our office building. I spotted a familiar face sipping coffee on one of our office sofas in the lobby.

“Hey,” I said, giving him a surprised look as I greeted him. “What are you doing here?”

“I came here after getting your business card from Father.” He held up a tiny pink piece of paper.

“And why are you here?” I asked again. Grinned bewilderedly as I observed his too-calm face.

I thought I was close to losing my mind.

I mentally cursed as I fixed my intense gaze on the person in front of me. He simply sat with grace, yet his appearance seemed unreal.

“Can you go with me?”

“Huh? Where?”

“Do you have your phone with you?”

I nodded. My hand was resting on the bar table next to me as I spoke with my fidgeting fingers. I was taken aback when he gently touched the back of my hand, which made me look at his face with wide, surprised eyes.

He gripped it firmly, and I could feel him yanking me away from where we were.

“Dr. Jagad.”

My hissing voice won’t deter him from grabbing my hand and walking with me to the outside.

“Dokter.” He stopped and turned to face me as I began to slur my begging voice.

“We’ll head over to my place.”

“What?”