Better to Avoid
1830 Words
There's no such thing as a long break after KKN. In fact, the students who have just returned from there have more tasks. They have to write a report about their KKN experience.
Sekar is actually reluctant to come to campus. However, she still has one more task if she wants to finish her studies.
Thesis.
Sekar came to campus intending to finish her group assignment from KKN, and then she'll start on her thesis.
She thought she wouldn't meet Raiden again after KKN, but today the first person Sekar saw was the handsome lecturer, chatting surrounded by beautiful and sexy female students.
Sekar admits that Raiden's presence is indeed unparalleled. His handsome and charming Japanese-Indonesian mix radiates a charisma different from his own, captivating women, including Sekar. Raiden's athletic body immediately made the bespectacled student's mind wander. Even though he was dressed in a shirt, his perfectly sculpted physique was still evident. Sekar had even seen it directly, that strong body that enveloped her even though it was only lit by a lantern, but she could clearly see and feel how gallant Raiden was.
Raiden’s sharp, cold black eyes locked onto Sekar’s, freezing her in place. Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly turned her face away, feeling the telltale heat rising in her cheeks. Her pulse quickened, thundering in her ears like a drumbeat.
She clenched her fists as jealousy and anger surged through her chest, a volatile mix she couldn’t fully suppress. There he was, Raiden, throwing wide smiles and laughing easily at the flirtatious chatter of a group of female students who practically hung on his every word.
‘Be patient, Kar! Hold it together!’ Sekar told herself fiercely, biting the inside of her cheek to keep her expression neutral. ‘Just pretend he’s not there. Focus on your goal: finish the KKN report, move on to your thesis, and graduate as fast as you can!’
But no matter how hard she tried to reason with herself, a nagging doubt crept in. Could she really face this situation head-on? Raiden and his doting female students felt like an insurmountable wall. Still, Sekar knew she had to try, to act as though nothing had happened between her and Raiden.
Was it difficult? Incredibly. But she had no other choice.
Holding her breath, Sekar walked past the group, forcing herself to keep her head high. Her fingers instinctively adjusted her glasses, a nervous habit she couldn’t shake. She caught a glimpse of Raiden watching her out of the corner of her eye.
Her heart stuttered.
But when she turned toward him, he wasn’t looking at her anymore. He was back to laughing and chatting with the same students, his attention seemingly glued to them. Sekar swallowed hard, shifting her focus to the elevator doors ahead. She waited silently, her face carefully composed, unaware that Raiden’s gaze had returned, stealing glances at her from time to time.
"Hi, how was the KKN?" a voice suddenly broke her thoughts.
Sekar turned to find a fellow student standing beside her, smiling politely.
"Uh, fun," Sekar replied briefly, her tone clipped. She wasn’t in the mood for small talk.
The conversation didn’t go any further. The elevator doors slid open with a soft chime, and Sekar stepped inside with the other students. She kept her eyes straight ahead, ignoring the curious glances of those around her.
As the elevator ascended, Sekar silently resolved to stay strong. No matter how heavy the weight of her feelings, she refused to let them drag her down.
***
Sekar's group dove into their KKN report in the campus library, the atmosphere thick with the rustling of papers and the soft clicks of keyboards. Sekar, ever the determined one, pushed them to finish it in a single day. But it didn’t take long for reality to set in. Writing a report that was practically a thesis in disguise was no small feat.
"It's already late, Sekar. I think we should continue tomorrow," Bella said, stifling a yawn as she glanced around the library.
Sekar followed her friend's gaze and froze. The library, which had been bustling with students earlier, was now eerily empty, save for their group. Even the librarian stood behind the counter, arms crossed and eyebrows knitted into a seven-fold frown that screamed get out already.
Sekar gave an awkward grin. "Didn’t realize it was already this late!" she murmured, scratching the back of her neck. She turned back to her team. "Alright, let’s call it a night, Besties. We’ll continue tomorrow, and fingers crossed, we’ll wrap this up by then!"
Her optimistic declaration was met with a chorus of protests.
"This is terrible!" one groaned, slumping dramatically over their desk.
"Are you nuts, Sekar?" another piped up, her voice rising in indignation. "Other groups set a week to finish this, and you’re pushing us to do it in two days!"
"At least give us three days, Kar! Three!" someone else chimed in, throwing their hands in the air for emphasis.
Sekar winced at the outburst, her perfectly shaped eyebrows furrowing in a mix of guilt and determination. She offered a sheepish smile, her fingers lightly scratching her brow. "I mean, think about it. Won’t it feel amazing to be the first group done? Like, legendary status?"
The group groaned in unison, though a few smiles tugged at the corners of their lips.
As they began packing up, Sekar let out a small sigh of relief. It wasn’t easy rallying her team, but she knew that with a bit more time, and maybe some coffee, they’d get the job done.
"Okay then, let’s continue tomorrow," Sekar said, her tone firm yet encouraging. "Let’s give it our all. The sooner, the better."
"Why are you in such a rush to get to your thesis?" one of her friends teased, a playful smirk tugging at their lips.
Sekar crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Who doesn’t want to graduate, get a job, and start making money?" she shot back.
Her words hung in the air, cutting through the lingering fatigue. The group fell silent, nodding slowly as Sekar’s logic sunk in. If they truly wanted to graduate this year, there was no time to waste. The KKN report, the thesis, the defense... it all had to happen now.
As they dispersed, Sekar’s focus shifted. Her sharp eyes scanned the faculty lobby, darting from one corner to another. She was on a mission. That's not to find someone and to avoid him.
Quiet.
The lobby was nearly deserted, with only a few students milling about. Most night-class attendees had already gone to their rooms.
Good. No sign of Raiden.
Sekar quickly made her way toward the exit, her steps purposeful and light. Her heartbeat steadied as she reached the parking lot, her eyes sweeping the rows of vehicles. Relief washed over her when she didn’t spot Raiden’s sleek car among the faculty vehicles.
Finally, she allowed herself to breathe a little easier.
But just as she began to relax, a familiar car caught her eye. Her heart plummeted.
No way!
It wasn’t Raiden’s usual car. It was his sister Aiko’s, the university rector. Sekar groaned inwardly. Of course. Rich people can just swap cars with their siblings whenever they feel like it, huh?
Before she could think, her legs carried her toward the nearest large tree. Pressing her back against its rough bark, she peeked around the trunk, her heart pounding erratically. She hadn’t even seen Raiden’s face, but just the sight of his broad back was enough to send her pulse into overdrive.
Calm down, Sekar! You don’t even have heart issues, and here you are acting like you’re about to keel over. Not funny!
She held her breath as Raiden got into the car. The engine purred to life, and the vehicle smoothly exited the parking lot.
Only when the car disappeared from view did Sekar emerge from her hiding spot. She leaned against the tree, exhaling deeply.
"What a relief," she muttered to herself, brushing a few stray strands of hair out of her face.
For a moment, she stood there, letting the cool evening air calm her nerves. Then, squaring her shoulders, she walked away, silently vowing to keep her distance from Raiden for as long as she could.
***
Raiden had no choice but to use his sister Aiko's car. Earlier, for some reason, she suddenly insisted on swapping cars with Raiden.
Returning home and after a shower, Raiden usually went straight to rest, which was his routine after a day of activities on campus.
But not this time.
Still in his bathrobe and drying his wet hair, Raiden opened his laptop. He opened a file containing photos he took during the KKN.
Among the saved photos, there was one photo accidentally taken by Raiden. A photo of one of his students who had made his heart restless and uneasy for the past few days, especially after the KKN ended.
While focusing on Sekar's photo, Aiko suddenly entered without knocking on her brother's door. Raiden was startled and quickly closed his laptop.
Aiko, who had seen Raiden looking at the photo with a meaningful gaze, immediately interrogated her brother.
"Hey! Why did you close it? Open it up? Whose photo was that?" Aiko asked in rapid succession.
"Sis!" Raiden exclaimed, quickly grabbing his laptop from Aiko's hands.
"You just barged in without knocking, and then took someone's laptop, what kind of sister is this?!" Raiden grumbled, trying to divert attention.
"Didn't you?"
Raiden rolled his eyes, reluctant to respond to his older sister who always had to have the last word. Unlike Keiko, his younger sister, who always gave in even though she was the youngest daughter who could have been spoiled by her siblings. But this was the opposite. Aiko's status on campus was higher than Raiden's, and sometimes he shook his head at how their family-owned university could progress under a leader like Aiko.
"What are you doing here? Why didn't you go home? Didn't Sir Reno and Yuri come here?" Raiden, like his sister, had a habit of firing off multiple questions in one breath.
Aiko sighed deeply. She immediately fell silent when her brother mentioned her husband and daughter.
"Are you having problems?" guessed Raiden.
Aiko pouted, "Hmm, a bit. Just typical family issues. That's why you should get married to know how it feels," explained Aiko.
"Hey, where are my car keys?" continued the woman with Japanese features, asking her half-brother for her car keys.
"Why go to all that trouble! You can swap again on campus tomorrow," exclaimed Raiden as he handed Aiko her car keys.
"Sir Reno will get suspicious!" replied Aiko.
"Don't tell me you're secretly following Sir Reno!" guessed Raiden, hitting the nail on the head again.
"Shhh! Kids shouldn't comment!" Aiko immediately left after getting her car keys.
"Tsk! What's the point of getting married if there's no trust?" muttered Raiden.
- Writer
