7. Don't Know Anymore

“My feet don’t have eyes, Rum. Come on, stop sulking already! Besides, they didn’t even do anything to us,” I said with a grin, trying to cheer Arum up. Her face looked like it was about to explode from a mix of embarrassment and irritation.

Arum just sighed, clearly still upset. “Yeah, yeah, but still, I’m not sure we can escape everyone’s stares after what happened in the cafeteria.” Without another word, she grabbed my hand and hurriedly pulled me toward our class.

I could only follow, glancing back briefly to see Jinu, Hasan, and the rest of the GGS guys still sitting at their table, chatting. I felt a bit awkward around Bin, but at the same time, I couldn’t help remembering Jinu’s friendly smile when he helped me earlier.

“Come on, Yu, focus!” Arum scolded again, noticing I was zoning out. “Stop overthinking weird stuff, or you’ll end up slipping in front of them again.”

I just gave a small grin and straightened my steps. “Yeah, yeah, Rum. I’m serious.” But deep down, I knew this was something I wouldn’t be forgetting anytime soon. And Arum was right—once we stepped out of the cafeteria, we were met with stares from the entire school until we made it into the classroom.

Well, the gossip about me getting caught in the school storage room some time ago, plus my marriage to Bin, had already made a huge scene in school.

Suddenly, other students started approaching me, except Jeni, who was clearly fuming since the situation had turned in my favor.

After we got to class, things went on as usual with the next lesson. Nothing unusual happened until class was finally over.

I was packing my bag to go home when I heard the girls in my class squealing while looking out the window, grinning.

“What now?” I turned to look outside, and there was Nunu! Seriously, he was full-on showing off, even winking at some of the girls in my class.

Then he stopped at our classroom door, leaning casually against the frame. With his cool expression, he swept his gaze around the room as if inspecting the place.

“What’s he doing here?” I whispered to Arum.

“No idea. I think something’s about to happen,” Arum said, holding me back from leaving.

“Just wait. Let him go first, then we can leave,” she added.

“Oh, come on, why make it complicated? What if they’re in the same class as us?” I muttered quietly.

But suddenly, Arum and I seemed to realize something at the same time, locking eyes. “Don’t tell me …”

**

After school, I took the angkot home like usual. It wasn’t too crowded, but a few students from other schools were hitching a ride too. I sat at the far end near the door, enjoying the cool Bandung afternoon breeze on my face.

As I was enjoying the ride, I suddenly heard the girls behind me squealing like they’d just seen a celebrity pass by.

“Oh my gosh, that’s Bin! I swear he’s been following this city minibus!” one of them said a little too loudly.

I instinctively turned around, curiosity getting the better of me. Through the back window, I saw him,Bin, on his motorcycle. His helmet was still on, but I could tell it was definitely him.

Not long after, he lifted his visor, and his gaze immediately locked onto me. Even from behind, it was obvious he’d been tailing this city minibus. My mind was full of questions, but I’d be lying if I said my heart wasn’t pounding a little.

Slowly, he steered his bike to the side of the minibus, right next to where I was sitting. Now I could see his face clearly. I still wondered what he was doing, but then he gave me a slight grin from behind his helmet. His gaze was sharp, but… there was something about it that made me unable to look away, like he knew exactly how to hold my attention.

Inside the angkot, the girls were getting even louder, making comments about me and Bin.

“Oooh, Ayu! This is so cute! Just like in dramas!”

“Ayu, you two are total couple goals!”

I felt more and more awkward, my eyes still fixed on Bin, who was matching his speed with the angkot. I took a deep breath. Part of me wanted to laugh, but another part felt like I was in the spotlight in front of Bin’s unofficial fan club.

Eventually, Bin sped up and overtook the minibus. I could finally breathe a little easier, and the chatter inside the minibus calmed down. Still, I couldn’t help but smile to myself, wondering why girls were so into the bad-boy type like him. They didn’t know what it was like at home, how annoying he could be, lounging around like he had nothing to do, bossing me around like he was the king of the place.

The earlier excitement faded, and soon the angkot stopped right in front of the gates to a fancy housing complex. There was a security post, a barrier gate, and guards checking every vehicle that went in or out. I got off and started the short walk into the complex. The guards greeted me, by now they knew my face well, considering I was the “new resident” here.

Not far in, I spotted a motorcycle parked by the side of the road. And sure enough, it was Bin again. He was leaning casually against his bike. I pretended not to notice and kept walking, but suddenly he called out, “Come on, get on.”

I froze, turned toward him, and gave him a strange look.

“No need. I’m almost there,” I replied, continuing to walk, hoping he wouldn’t push it.

But then he slowly rolled his bike forward and stopped right in front of me, blocking my path.

“I said, get on,” he repeated, his voice a little firm but his face still neutral.

I stayed silent, taking a deep breath to calm myself. This guy really had a knack for being pushy.

In the end, I had no choice but to get on the back of his bike. The moment I sat down, he revved the engine, but wait, instead of heading into the complex, he turned around and drove out.

“Hey, where are we going?” I asked, tapping his shoulder. I meant to get his attention, but instead I realized how solid his muscles were. Wow, this guy was really built, like a fighter.

But of course, Bin didn’t answer. He just glanced at me through the rearview mirror. Figures, he had a mouth but rarely used it. He could’ve at least explained something instead of leaving me confused.

I was starting to get annoyed.