Remember That Day

Chapter 5

The clock was ticking and Jayda couldn’t calm herself. As the days go by and her questions go unanswered, the uneasiness she felt increase.

She was sitting on the swivel chair in front of her table since then with her knees on her chin. Her butt was almost numb because she had been sitting there for so long. Biting a pencil as she glanced at the wall clock, she took a long breath.

The clock read eight-fifteen and she was not yet eating since afternoon. Jayda was used to skip her meals, but skipping her meals and thinking not just about her novels drained her even more. That damn murder incident added a size on the bags under her eyes.

“Should I cook and eat?” she asked to herself as she tasted the pencil as if it belongs in the food pyramid.

A two-thousand words for the past 9 hours as an addition in the current episode of her novel was worst. Jayda’s head was really preoccupied.

Right. The killer... it could be a man or a woman, Jayda had thought before she stood up.

“Ugh! This is driving me crazy!” she hissed as she picked up her phone.

After browsing it for a minute only to learn that Faris hadn’t drop any messages in her inbox since the day after the murder incident, she threw it on her bed. Even Jayda had no time to bug her boyfriend.

“He’ll message me soon. I’m sure he’s fine. Just maybe busy,” she had convinced herself before she headed to the kitchen, finally decided to eat something.

It was not long before she headed back to her room to get her wallet and her jacket. Although her fridge had enough food in it, she suddenly crave for something instant. She was obviously too lazy to cook, so she decided to go outside the hotel for some cup noodles in a convenient store around the corner.

Jayda stopped right after she got in front of the store. She shook her head and said, “I was too lazy to cook, but I was able to walk towards this convenient store for food with a lot if preservatives. Oh, noodles!”

A lady crew greeted Jayda the moment she stepped inside the store. A slight smile as a response, Jayda walked straight to the noodles section and get what she had been craving for just a moment after a long day of writing.

“I want something that can burn my tongue. Um...” she mumbled under her breath as she chose among the hot and spicy cup noodles in the shelves. “What should I pick?”

It was not long before she heard a voice behind her.

“Why don’t you eat fire instead?”

That, automatically made Jayda glanced behind her. She even roamed her eyes around checking if she was the one that the guy who had just spoken was talking to. But it was just her, the lady crew, and the guy inside. Her brows knitted.

“What? Wait. Are you... are you talking to me?” Jayda finally spoken, pointing her index to herself.

Jayda didn’t know if it was just her, but the moment that the guy looked over his shoulder to see her, it was in a slow motion of some kind.

The guy was in his mid-twenties, had a towering height, and definitely had a sweet and beautiful smile that made Jayda snapped from reality.

“I guess?” the guy answered while smiling and continued to pick more chips in the shelves.

Staring at the broad back of the guy, Jayda suddenly thought about his boyfriend, Faris. She knew it was not that long that he had gone to Switzerland, but seeing a guy with the same age of his boyfriend gave her a feeling of missing him more.

“What?” Jayda whispered as she cleared her throat, finally came back to her senses. She had even wagged her head before she tried to pick the food she wanted.

“Haven’t you eat your dinner?” the guy suddenly asked. “Cup noodles? Aren’t you on a diet?”

Jayda was sure that it was not a gesture of showing a concern, but teasing because she heard him chuckled.

“Aren’t girls conscious with their—”

“Are you teasing me? Are you telling me that I’m fat?” Jayda cut him off as they faced each other. She even squinted her eyes as she gave the guy a glare.

“Um—”

“What’s funny?”

But instead of being scared, the guy just pulled his sweet smile even more which Jayda found more irritating.

“Okay. Sorry. That’s not the thing,” the guy answered as he sighed. “I mean, you look tired... the dark circles under your eyes and... you should at least eat something better than a cup of noodles.”

Jayda didn’t expect it from a stranger.

What’s wrong with him? Why need to act as if we know each other? Is he really concern? Ah, whatever, she thought to herself.

However, it was not his business so she rolled her eyes.

“Why do you even care?” Jayda snorted. “I’m craving for it. Got a problem?”

A simple smile was the only answer that Jayda got from him.

What’s with the smile? Why is he smiling at me? she thought to herself again as she stared at the guy.

“Whatever. I’ll get going,” said Jayda, lips twitched as she grabbed anything that her hand touched for the last time.

She knew she was a bit rude to him, but she was not in the mood as well to be nice the fact that he made her irritated first.

After paying at the counter, Jayda prepared her food. She sat beside the floor-to-ceiling glass window and waited for her cup noodles to get cooked.

“Ah, smells nice!” she mumbled as she smelled the aroma coming from it. “Maybe I should get a Cola first while waiting!”

As had been said, Jayda grab a Cola to pair with her noodles. It was surely a great time of her to satisfy her cravings!

Not long as she got back to her seat, she noticed the guy she was arguing with awhile ago just sitting two tables away, facing her.

What the? Why is he still here? So annoying! she exclaimed inside her head right after the guy gave her a smile.

Rolling her eyes which was not her thing not until she met this guy, she abruptly split up the chopsticks and began to eat. Fortunately, she didn’t lose her appetite with the sight of him.

After her first mouthful of noodles, she started fanning her face and mouth as the taste of it began to burn her taste buds.

“Oh, damn! It’s burning my tongue! Ugh! Why should I have to met this annoying guy who knows nothing, but to smile like a mad man? Oh, it’s hot!” she murmured of annoyance enough to be noticed by the person she was pertaining to.

Of course, her actions were obvious, but what she had said would be unclear to the guy’s ears.

Wait. Why am I bothered by him? Who cares? It is as if I would see him again! Okay, calm down, Jayda. It is just today. Patience! she convinced herself.

But she couldn’t help it. She didn’t know why she was attempted to look at him again. So as being said, Jayda took a glance of him.

“What the hell? Why am I curious about him? Why am I looking at him?” she complained simultaneously as she took another bite of her food.

The guy was not aware that Jayda was staring at him while he was busy sketching on a piece of tissue. What could it be that his smile was still on his face?

“Oh? What could he be doing? Why is he smiling again? Tss. Whatever!” said Jayda as she finally let go of her curiosity about the guy.

The next minute after Jayda peacefully finished her food, a presence beside her made her jump to her feet.

“Oh, my tongue! It’s killing me—”

“It’s better to drink this.”

Chocolate drink.

Jayda tilted her head to see who on Earth put a chocolate drink on her table and it was him again. Her eyes automatically squinted.

“You? Again? Ugh! Why are you bothering me?” Jayda snorted.

With his usual smile, the guy answered, “Just because.”

“What? Are you crazy?”

“Um. Let’s just say, I’m concern.”

“You’re really crazy,” said Jayda. Just as she looked at his hand, she added, “Telling me to eat healthier than noodles yet you got a bunch of chips, a canned beer, and a box of cigarette? Just... just go!”

It was the guy’s turn to feel embarrassed, so he hid the plastic bag behind him. She was right.

“Whatever! Get rid of the Cola first and just drink this.”

Jayda crossed her arms and looked intently to the guy beside her, standing tall. He got a good-looking face and a beautiful smile, but he was getting to her nerves.

“No,” said Jayda.

“Noodles and a Cola isn’t a good tandem. Trust me, it will burn your intestines more. I read it from a health magazine.”

Burn my intestines, my foot. He’s so annoying! she screamed inside her head as she rolled her eyes to him. But before she could be able to utter words again, she was cut off by him.

“I’ll be off first. Goodnight!”

Leaving her the chocolate drink, the guy went off the convenient store. It was so random for Jayda to ran with a stranger that actually made her irritated.

“Finally, he’s gone!” she cheered as she watched him ran away. “How dare he mess with me? Tsk!”

Aside from the Cola she bought, she saw the chocolate drink that the guy left with her and a tissue on her table.

Little did Jayda know, the guy was busy just a while ago sketching her on the tissue while she was enjoying her food. It was a cute character munching a mouthful of noodles.

But no matter how cute it was, Jayda’s forehead creased.

“What’s this? Is it... is it me?” she gasped as she examined the drawing, confused as she looked like a hungry pig. Until she saw a word written at the corner below.

Damek.

“Damek? Is his name Damek? Whoa! That guy!” she yelled, gritting her teeth. “Who cares with his name? I’m not even asking! Tsk! He made me ugly more with his drawing!”

Outside the store was Damek, still watching Jayda inside as she stomped her feet out of irritation.

“I’m a dead meat!” Damek chuckled as he realized that his drawing made her more angry.

Before Damek turned his back to head home, he lighted a cigarette. Just as he took a step, he looked skyward and saw the little lights twinkling above.

“What’s wrong me? I’m messing with a woman. Ah, whatever! I did nothing wrong,” he said then eventually smiled. “She’s... she’s cute. Wait. What? I’m sober yet I said what? Cute? Oh man! I should grab a beer later!”

“Is he crazy?”

“He’s smiling alone.”

“Yeah right?”

Damek composed himself as people who saw him in the street talked about him smiling then complaining.

“I shouldn’t move here. Ah, forget it!” he whispered as he sped up.

Everything was unexpected. But as days went by, little did everyone know, unexpected things would be something they will be needing soon.