Almost
1288 Words
For the next two weeks, everything felt… easy.
Not perfect.
Just easy.
And for Sophia Lin, that was almost more suspicious.
Because her entire life had taught her that relationships eventually became complicated.
Someone lied.
Someone left.
Someone stopped trying.
Yet every morning, Adrian still texted.
Every evening, Adrian still called.
Every difficult day somehow became lighter the moment she heard his voice.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Because the more normal happiness became, the more Sophia found herself waiting for something to go wrong.
⸻
“You’re doing it again.”
Sophia looked up from her coffee.
Adrian sat across from her in a quiet café near her office.
“Doing what?”
“Looking for problems.”
Sophia sighed dramatically.
“I’m not looking for problems.”
“You’ve looked at me suspiciously three times in the last ten minutes.”
“Maybe you’re suspicious.”
“Possible.”
His smile ruined the argument immediately.
The truth was—
Sophia had never been this happy before.
And happiness terrified her.
Because now there was something valuable enough to lose.
Something important enough to break her heart.
Adrian.
The realization still felt overwhelming whenever she allowed herself to think about it too long.
So naturally she avoided thinking about it.
A strategy that worked exactly zero percent of the time.
⸻
Three days later, Adrian invited her to a charity fundraising event hosted by his company.
Sophia almost declined.
Twice.
Then accepted anyway.
Which felt like personal growth.
Or emotional recklessness.
Possibly both.
The event occupied the rooftop ballroom of a luxury hotel overlooking Jakarta’s skyline.
Sophia arrived expecting formal networking.
Instead she discovered something far more dangerous.
Adrian was exactly the same person with everyone else.
Kind.
Patient.
Attentive.
The waitstaff knew him.
Junior employees smiled when they saw him.
Older executives greeted him warmly.
Nobody seemed intimidated by him despite his position.
People genuinely liked him.
Sophia stood beside him holding a glass of sparkling water while watching him help an elderly guest carry several donation packages toward a registration desk.
“You’re staring again.”
Sophia nearly jumped.
A woman around Adrian’s age stood beside her smiling knowingly.
“Well that’s embarrassing.”
The woman laughed.
“I’m Maya.”
“Sophia.”
Recognition immediately appeared in Maya’s eyes.
“Oh.”
“Oh?”
“You’re Sophia.”
Sophia narrowed her eyes.
“What exactly does that mean?”
Maya looked entirely too amused.
“It means I’ve heard your name for months.”
Excuse her?
Sophia’s heartbeat betrayed her instantly.
Months?
Maya glanced toward Adrian.
“That’s the happiest I’ve seen him in years.”
The statement landed unexpectedly hard.
Because Sophia spent so much time focusing on what Adrian meant to her that she rarely considered the possibility she might be just as important to him.
⸻
Later that evening, Sophia found herself sitting with several of Adrian’s close friends during dinner.
A terrible situation.
Because apparently all of them liked him.
Enthusiastically.
One friend leaned forward.
“You know he talks about you constantly, right?”
Sophia nearly inhaled water.
Across the table, Adrian closed his eyes briefly.
“Miko.”
“What?”
“You are creating problems.”
“I am creating truth.”
The entire table laughed.
Meanwhile Sophia suddenly felt warm.
Because Adrian looked genuinely embarrassed.
And somehow that affected her far more than it should have.
⸻
After dinner, Sophia stepped outside onto the rooftop terrace for air.
The city glowed below.
Cars moving endlessly.
Buildings illuminated against the dark sky.
Beautiful.
Comforting.
A few moments later, Adrian joined her.
“Escaping?”
“Temporarily.”
“Fair.”
They stood together quietly near the railing.
Comfortable silence.
One of Sophia’s favorite things.
Then movement near the entrance caught her attention.
A beautiful woman approached Adrian.
Confident.
Elegant.
Familiar.
The woman smiled warmly.
“Adrian.”
He smiled back immediately.
Friendly.
Natural.
The woman touched his arm briefly while speaking.
Sophia immediately hated everything.
The reaction surprised even herself.
Jealousy.
Actual jealousy.
The conversation lasted less than two minutes.
Yet somehow Sophia managed to imagine at least seven emotionally catastrophic scenarios.
By the time the woman left, Adrian looked amused.
“Why are you glaring at the skyline?”
“I wasn’t.”
“You absolutely were.”
Sophia refused to answer.
Adrian studied her for a second.
Then realization appeared.
Followed by a smile.
Oh no.
“No.”
“Oh.”
“No.”
“Sophia.”
She wanted the ground to swallow her immediately.
“You were jealous.”
The accusation was deeply offensive because it was correct.
Adrian looked far too pleased with himself.
“Don’t enjoy this.”
“I absolutely am.”
Unbearable man.
⸻
The following week brought another dangerous experience.
One of Adrian’s coworkers casually asked:
“So when are you two getting married?”
Sophia nearly choked.
Marriage?
Excuse me?
They weren’t even discussing forever yet.
Were they?
The question lingered long after the conversation ended.
Because suddenly Sophia realized something terrifying.
This relationship had a future.
A real one.
Not a temporary distraction.
Not casual dating.
A future.
And for several hours afterward, fear returned quietly.
What if it falls apart?
What if history repeats itself?
What if she becomes her mother?
That evening Adrian found her unusually quiet.
“You’re thinking.”
Sophia groaned.
“You always know.”
“You make a specific face.”
“What face?”
“The emotionally catastrophic one.”
Then Adrian grew softer.
“What happened?”
Sophia hesitated.
Then admitted:
“Someone mentioned marriage today.”
His eyebrows lifted.
“Ah.”
“That’s not an ‘ah’ topic.”
“Fair.”
Silence settled briefly.
Then Adrian said something casually that completely destroyed her emotional stability.
“You know what’s funny?”
“What?”
“I never worry about whether I want you tomorrow.”
Sophia froze.
Her heartbeat stumbled.
“Why?”
Adrian shrugged lightly.
Like the answer was obvious.
“Because I already know.”
The words lodged directly inside her chest.
Because nobody in her life had ever sounded that sure before.
Not her father.
Not anyone.
Just Adrian.
⸻
That night Sophia sat curled into the corner of her couch while a video call connected.
Adrian appeared on screen.
Warm smile.
Slightly messy hair.
“You answered quickly.”
“I was bored.”
“Liar.”
For a while they talked about nothing important.
Work.
Traffic.
Food.
Life.
The ordinary details that somehow became extraordinary when shared with him.
Eventually the conversation softened.
Neither seemed interested in ending it.
Adrian studied her through the screen.
Then smiled slightly.
“What?”
Sophia narrowed her eyes.
“You’re looking at me.”
“Correct.”
“Why?”
His smile softened.
“Because I like you.”
The answer arrived so casually Sophia almost dropped her phone.
After everything—
that simple confession somehow hit harder than expected.
Because it wasn’t dramatic.
It was certain.
Sophia stared at him.
Heart beating much too fast.
The words rose immediately.
I love you.
She almost said them.
Almost.
But fear lingered around the edges.
Not enough to stop her forever.
Just enough to delay her one more day.
Instead she smiled softly.
“I think you’ve become a very serious problem in my life.”
Adrian laughed.
Warm.
Familiar.
Home.
The sound settled deep inside her chest.
After they finally ended the call an hour later, Sophia remained on the couch staring at the dark screen.
The apartment felt quieter.
Emptier.
Because Adrian wasn’t there.
And for the first time in her life—
missing someone felt less frightening than pretending she didn’t.
- Writer
