16.1 When Secrets Are Revealed
The villa was calm after all the laughter and teasing from earlier. But in the corner of the room, Nabila seemed restless. She bit her lip gently, her thoughts wandering far away.
Cindy, always perceptive of her best friend's mood, narrowed her eyes and gave Nabila a knowing look.
"Nabila, why are you biting your lip? Is it spicy?" she teased.
Nabila snapped out of her thoughts, her face instantly flushing red. She quickly shook her head. "Oh, no," she answered hastily, trying to hide her nervousness.
Cindy smirked but before she could press further, the sudden ringing of her phone broke the silence.
Cindy glanced at the screen and let out a dramatic sigh. "See? This is how busy I am!" she said playfully before answering the call.
"Hello, assalamu'alaikum, Makcik Ani! (Aunt Ani) How are you? What's up?"
From the other end of the line, the soft voice of Ibu Annisa (Makcik Annisa), Rizky's mother, replied.
"Wa'alaikumsalam, dear. We're all doing well. How about you and your family?"
(Makcik means aunt, and Pakcik means uncle—a common way to address older relatives or elders respectfully.)
"Alhamdulillah, Makcik. We're all good too. So, what's going on?" Cindy replied, as cheerful as ever.
But suddenly, the tone of Makcik Annisa changed, becoming more serious.
"Rizky ran away yesterday. His friends told us he was going to Jakarta. We tried calling family there, but they said he never arrived. We're really worried! So Makcik thought maybe he went to Malaysia."
Cindy's eyes immediately darted toward Rizky, narrowing suspiciously.
Without warning, she reached over and pinched his leg.
"Ow!" Rizky yelped, grabbing his leg in pain.
"Hey! That hurts!" he protested.
Cindy, feeling victorious, brought the phone back to her ear and casually said, "Yes, Makcik. He's here."
On the other end, Makcik Annisa let out a long sigh.
"Ugh! He's just like his father. Always running off without a word." Her voice carried a mix of frustration and relief.
Cindy chuckled, finding the situation way too amusing. "But why did Rizky run away, Makcik?" she asked, genuinely curious.
Hearing that, Rizky immediately lowered his head, as if trying to disappear into thin air. Meanwhile, Rayan and Zikri were already exchanging knowing glances, barely holding back their laughter.
Then, Makcik Annisa casually dropped a bombshell.
"His father arranged for him to marry Nabila."
Silence.
Cindy's eyes widened to the size of saucers. Her jaw dropped.
"Huh?! What?!"
At that exact moment, Rayan and Zikri burst into uncontrollable laughter.
Meanwhile, Nabila—who had just heard her own name in the middle of all this—froze.
Her face, which had been red from embarrassment earlier, now turned even redder from sheer shock.
On the phone, Makcik Annisa continued, completely unaware that she had just detonated an emotional explosion in the room.
"Yes, he went to an event with Rayan and his friends. Somehow, he ended up at the wrong venue. He met this old lady, Nenek Halimah. And that's when he decided to run away."
Cindy, who was still recovering from the initial shock, suddenly couldn't hold it in anymore.
She burst into laughter, doubling over until she almost fell to the floor.
Her stomach hurt from laughing too hard.
"Nenek Halimah?! Astaghfirullah, Rizky! What on earth did you do?!"
Rizky just covered his face with one hand, while Rayan and Zikri were now howling with laughter.
"Cindy! Cindy! What's so funny?" Makcik Annisa asked, clearly confused by Cindy's hysterical reaction.
Cindy tried to compose herself, taking a deep breath before quickly making up an excuse.
"Oh, nothing, Makcik," she said hurriedly. "Rayan just tripped, that's all."
Beside her, Rayan—who was still laughing—suddenly looked up.
"Huh? I tripped?" he asked, baffled.
Zikri nudged him and whispered, "Just go with it. Let Cindy cover for us."
Makcik Annisa sighed. "Oh, alright then," she said, sounding a little unconvinced. "Anyway, Makcik just wanted to make sure Rizky was safe. Now that I know, I feel much better. I'll hang up now, alright? Assalamu'alaikum."
"Wa'alaikumsalam, Makcik," Cindy replied before ending the call.
The moment the call ended, Cindy turned to Nabila with a knowing smile.
Then, she shifted her gaze to Rizky, her eyes twinkling mischievously.
In her mind, a plan was already forming.
She knew exactly what was going on between Rizky and Nabila—something neither of them had admitted yet.
And of course, Cindy wasn't going to let this opportunity slip away.
With a sly grin, she murmured to herself,
"Let's see what we can do to speed things up."
Chapter 16.2: Cindy's Plan
The atmosphere in Rizky's room had calmed down after the call with Bu Annisa ended. But Cindy was still staring at Rizky with a serious expression.
She crossed her arms and spoke with emotion, "Hey Rizky, don't act like a ghost. You're a human being, and humans need to communicate—especially with the people they love."
Rizky lowered his head, guilt washing over him. "Yeah… I messed up," he admitted softly.
But Cindy wasn't done.
"Yeah, right? But you'll do it again next time, say sorry again, and repeat the same mistake over and over. How long are you going to keep this up? Don't you want to change?" she continued, her frustration evident. She was reminding Rizky of his habit of disappearing without a word—especially to his mother.
Rizky remained silent, his thoughts drifting back to the airport.
Back then, Heri had asked about his mother, and he had only given a vague, half-hearted response.
And now, he was making the same mistake again.
Cindy was right—he always ran away from problems, repeating the same cycle.
Taking a deep breath, Rizky tried to push down the storm of emotions swirling inside him.
Cindy noticed the shift in his expression but chose not to push further. Instead, she changed the subject.
"I was going to invite you to come with us, but looking at your condition, you're not fully healed yet," she said, glancing at Rizky's injured leg.
Kak Ros, who had been sitting near the window, added, "But Wak Saleh said Rizky should be able to walk by tomorrow—"
Before she could finish, Cindy swiftly patted her shoulder, signaling for her to stop.
"No worries, Kak. If he's better later, he can just catch up with us," Cindy said casually, winking at Kak Ros as if she had a plan of her own.
Kak Ros narrowed her eyes at Cindy, suspicious of her intentions, but chose not to question it. "Alright, then," she finally agreed.
She stretched her arms and yawned slightly. "We're going to rest now. What about you, Nabila?" she asked.
Nabila, who had been lost in thought, took a moment to respond. "Oh… yeah…"
Cindy, ever perceptive, nudged her playfully. "Eh, why are you daydreaming? Are you sad because Rizky isn't coming with us?" she teased, her smirk mischievous.
"Ugh, stop it, Cindy!" Nabila shot back, flustered, her cheeks turning red.
Kak Ros chuckled at their banter before saying, "Alright, we'll leave now."
She then gestured for Rayan and Zikri to follow her out of Rizky's room.
However, just before leaving, Cindy suddenly called out to Nabila, who was about to head to her own room.
"Eh, Nabila? Aren't you going to say something to Rizky before you go?" she asked with a teasing tone.
Nabila stopped mid-step.
She hesitated for a moment before turning back to Rizky, looking slightly awkward.
After a short pause, she finally said, "I'm heading to my room now… pervert," waving briefly before walking away.
Rizky let out a quiet sigh, already used to that nickname from her.
Meanwhile, Cindy's small smile grew wider. She was enjoying this far too much.
"Alright then, I'll be next door," she said before closing the door that connected their rooms.
In Nabila's Room
As soon as they entered the room, Cindy threw herself onto Nabila's bed and turned toward her best friend with a playful grin.
"That pervert is looking more handsome these days, huh?" she teased casually, her expression mischievous.
Nabila, who was fixing her blanket, stiffened. "Cindy! What kind of nonsense is that?!" she protested, her face turning red again.
Cindy chuckled. "You know, I think you two look really good together," she said, this time with a gentler tone.
Nabila, clearly fed up with the teasing, grabbed a pillow and threw it at Cindy. "Enough already, Cindy! Stop saying things like that!"
But Cindy only laughed harder, enjoying how flustered Nabila was.
Leaning back on the pillow, she sighed in satisfaction. "Alright, alright, I'll stop. But don't be surprised if something does happen between you and that pervert later."
Nabila pouted, but she didn't argue.
Deep down, she knew Cindy wasn't entirely wrong.
The teasing continued until the two of them eventually drifted off to sleep, the night filled with laughter, playful banter, and unspoken feelings slowly beginning to take shape.