One Minus One

Zeva was propping her chin on her desk while twirling a small letter in the shape of a maple leaf with a stem in her hand. Here are the contents of the letter.

"Good morning, my photographer. I have to say goodbye. Starting now, your job is only to take care of your heart for me alone. Take a cue from a maple leaf of its loyalty! See you soon!

Your Future,

Zero"

The small letter was originally just a sticky note. However, now the small letter has been laminated with a maple leaf as the background.

Why did Zeva keep it like that? Because the little letter was a relic from someone who could now be said to be someone special in her heart, just like a maple leaf. Yes, Zeva happens to be a maple leaf lover.

Who would have thought, that special someone was a man who had just met her face-to-face once? Even though it was only the first time, their first meeting immediately became an unforgettable and memorable moment for Zeva.

The reason is, they immediately spent the whole day together and the man immediately dared to express his interest in Zeva. However, the next day the man immediately said goodbye to return to their home country, Indonesia. The man's name is Zero.

He is Zero, who initially used the services of Zeva as his photographer during his vacation in the Land of the Ice Shards, aka Canada. He is Zero, who just introduced his name to Zeva, but has immediately dared to ask Zeva to take care of her heart for him alone without explaining what kind of relationship they are in.

Strangely again, now Zeva feels that Zero has won her heart. Zeva herself was confused about how she could fall in love with Zero so quickly. The reason is that after spending only a day with Zero and Zero returning to Indonesia, the rest of Zeva and Zero only communicate via chat, without video calls. Fact, let alone video calls, they never even do a phone call.

If Zero said something like this, "We'll just communicate via chat, okay? I can't help but miss hearing your voice or video calls with you. And again… so that later on the day we meet again, as soon as you see me, you immediately reflexively hug me tightly because you miss me so much, hehe."

When reading the chat, Zeva shook her head. Zeva couldn't understand why Zero could be so confident. The reason is, that Zero has never asked how Zeva feels about him. And of course, Zeva wouldn't take the initiative to tell him if Zero didn't ask. If Zero asked not necessarily Zeva to answer, especially if Zero did not ask.

As if hypnotized by Zero's words that alluded to longing, now Zeva misses Zero. Moreover, after receiving Zero's regular incoming chat with Zeva every morning. Here is the content of the chat.

Zero:

"Good morning, my future. Are you still able to hold your miss for me?"

Zeva wanted to reply, "No, I can't afford it. I really miss you. Come on, please, hurry back here."

However, Zeva's sense of prestige is very large to be able to type those sentences. In the end, Zeva just chose to read it, without replying. Zeva wants to know whether Zero will be grumpy and spam-chat her or not.

"Why are you frowning like that, Zev?" asked Gamma, who was already sitting beside Zeva.

Zeva reflexively straightened her sitting position and looked to the right, where Gamma was seated.

"Oh, Zero's troubled again, huh," continued Gamma, when he saw what was in Zeva's hand.

Realizing why the statement came out of Gamma's mouth, Zeva immediately put the small letter in her hand, then closed it with both hands.

"Ugh, Bro Gamma, why are you peeking, anyway?" Zeva grumbled to Gamma.

"Well, why do you cover it up like that? I already know the contents," said Gamma.

"How come, you've only just met once, have you been so upset?" asked Gamma.

"How do I know? It's not my will, but my heart's will," said Zeva honestly.

"Wow, you really have used your heart?" amazed Gamma.

"I still have a heart, Bro. So, I used my heart, I can't spare my heart," said Zeva.

"Huft… this is your weakness. You always use your heart for whatever," said Gamma.

"Is it wrong, if I use my heart for anything?" Zeva asked back.

"It's not wrong, but there is a place. When it comes to working, yes, your strength is about using your heart. But, when it comes to loving things, you have to see whether the person deserves your heart or not," said Gamma.

"Do you want to be heartbroken like before?" asked Gamma, which made Zeva immediately understand where Gamma was talking.

"That's precise, Bro. Because of Zero, I can forget Sky," said Zeva.

"Are you really able to move on from Sky? This is the first time, you know, after the past few years you want to say the name Sky again," amazed Gamma.

"Yes, I have made peace about Sky," said Zeva.

"Okay, then I support whatever your decision is. But, if Zero hurts you, report it to me immediately, okay?" said Gamma.

"Okay, I'm ready," replied Zeva.

Then, came Runa who just came out of her room.

"Honey, everything is ready, here. Shall we go now?" said Runa to Gamma.

Even though it's been two months, Zeva still feels weird when Gamma and Runa openly use terms of endearment such as "Honey" or "Babe" in front of her. Well, at first Zeva thought the three of them just the siblings, but suddenly Gamma and Runa became a husband and wife.

"You don't want to come with us, Zev?" Gamma asked Zeva, which was the umpteenth time.

"Just come with us, Zev. Don't you miss your homeland?" persuaded Runa who also had the umpteenth time.

"I still want to be here," said Zeva, sticking to her stance.

If Zeva had said that, trying to be persuaded in any way would not work. Finally, Gamma and Runa left for the airport, without Zeva.

After Gamma and Runa left, Zeva checked her cell phone again. There was no sign that Zero was looking for her. Zeva immediately pouted, but Zeva had to understand it because considering the time difference with Zero is about eleven hours. Likely Zero overslept.

Zeva got up, took her camera, and hung it around her neck to restore her mood. Zeva plans to go out to do picture hunting. Yes, because her job as a photographer is also a hobby, so often taking pictures is Zeva's mainstay when her mood is terrible.

Because she misses Zero, Zeva decides to go to the place where Zero and she spent time together two months ago. Zeva hopes that by enjoying her time there, her longing can be channeled a little.

Before going to the park, Zeva stopped at one of the cafes that Zero and she had visited, to buy a cup of coffee and reminisce for a moment. This cafe holds a life drawing with live music workshop, where participants sketch a life model in front of them while listening to live music playing behind them.

At that time, Zero had time to attend the workshop. And after Zero returned to Indonesia, Zeva just found out that it turned out Zero made Zeva his life model. This is known to Zeva because Zero left not only a letter but also a piece of paper containing Zero's hand sketch.

The results of the sketch show a figure of Zeva with her camera in her hands. At that time Zeva was busy photographing Zero who was attending the workshop. That's why the memories at this cafe are quite memorable for Zeva.

When Zeva just entered the cafe, her gaze immediately misfocused on one of the tables occupied by a man and a woman who seemed to be laughing and joking. Zeva froze on the spot while unconsciously letting out a voice, "Zero."