Chapter 2 : Café
1207 Words
The café was busy, as usual.
Couples occupied the small round tables near the window. A family of four sat close to the pastry display, while a few groups of people gathered around their laptops, deep in discussion.
The rich aroma of coffee filled the entire place.
Warm.
Familiar.
Refreshing.
Iskandar pushed the glass door open and guided Lya inside.
They stood in line together, waiting to place their order. The queue was short and moved quickly, which was one of the reasons they loved coming here. The café wasn't just cozy, and the food wasn't just good. The service was fast too.
Their turn came soon enough.
The barista smiled politely.
"Good afternoon, sir, miss. What would you like to order?"
Iskandar glanced at the menu for barely a second.
"One café signature iced latte, medium roast, with almond milk. The other one the same, but with double shots."
The barista quickly tapped the order into the screen.
"What about food, sir?"
Before Lya could even open her mouth, Iskandar answered, "Tuna croissant with Caesar salad. Make the tuna mildly spicy."
"But I want it spicy, Is," Lya protested.
"No." He glanced at her.
She was already pouting.
"You'll upset your stomach."
Lya narrowed her eyes at him.
He ignored it.
"And another one..." Iskandar paused for a moment, scanning the menu. "Pasta with grilled chicken. For dessert, we'll have triple chocolate cake and mango sorbet later."
Lya blinked.
"Did I even get to order for myself?"
"No."
"Bossy."
"Responsible."
"Annoying."
"Still responsible."
She huffed, but the corner of her lips betrayed her.
Iskandar guided her towards the corner of the café, choosing the table farthest from the crowd. He knew Lya better than most people did.
Too much noise overwhelmed her.
A hungry and overwhelmed Lya was a dangerous creature.
Lya followed him and sat down, still pouting.
"Stop pouting, Lya Adelia," Iskandar teased.
Her pout deepened.
Then, despite herself, she smiled.
"You still remember my favourite meal."
"Of course I do."
He leaned back slightly, watching her as the soft café light touched her face.
"That's the only meal you ever order here."
Lya rolled her eyes.
"That's not true."
"It is."
"I have range."
"Your range is tuna croissant, pasta, chocolate cake, and mango sorbet."
She stared at him. He stared back.
Then she gave up.
"Fine. Maybe I like consistency."
Iskandar's smile softened.
Maybe she did.
Or maybe she simply never noticed how much of her life he had quietly memorised.
The food arrived soon after.
For a while, both of them fell into comfortable silence, slowly indulging in their meals. The croissant was warm and buttery, the salad fresh, and the iced latte tasted exactly the way Lya remembered.
Familiar.
Just like this place.
Just like him.
"So," Iskandar said casually, stirring his iced latte with the straw. "Tell me about your boyfriend."
Lya paused with her fork halfway to her mouth.
"Erm... what about him?"
"Anything." He leaned back in his chair. "His background, work, education."
She stared at him.
"That sounds like an interview."
"It is not."
"It sounds exactly like an interview."
"I am just curious."
Lya gave him a suspicious look before prodding her salad with her fork.
"We've been talking for almost two years."
Iskandar's hand stilled for a brief second.
"Two years?"
She nodded.
"And you've never met him?"
There was no accusation in his voice.
Only concern.
Lya shook her head. "Nope. Just calls and video calls."
Iskandar watched her carefully.
"He lives and studies in the northern state," she continued. "A bit far from my university, so it wasn't easy to meet. But we're planning to, soon."
Before Iskandar could ask anything else, Lya's phone buzzed on the table.
Once.
Then again.
Then again.
She glanced at it briefly, but made no move to pick it up.
Instead, she continued nibbling on her salad as if nothing had happened.
Iskandar noticed.
Of course he noticed.
A few minutes later, the phone buzzed again.
This time, it was a call.
The name Irfan appeared on the screen.
Lya looked at it.
Then ignored it.
Iskandar raised an eyebrow.
"You don't want to answer that?" he asked, half teasing. "I can give you some privacy."
Lya smiled and shook her head.
"Nah. I'm with you right now. I can talk to him later."
She said it lightly.
Easily.
As if it meant nothing.
Then she returned to her meal, completely unbothered.
But Iskandar was.
He looked at the phone for a moment longer before looking back at her.
Something about it felt strange.
Not wrong, exactly. Just strange.
He told himself not to overthink.
Maybe this was how long-distance relationships worked.
Maybe Lya and Irfan had their own rhythm, their own understanding, their own way of communicating.
Still, something about it did not sit well with him.
"So," Iskandar said after a while, keeping his tone casual. "How did you two meet?"
Lya's expression softened almost immediately.
"Online."
"Online?"
She nodded. "Through a study group. I was looking for some notes for one of my subjects, and he helped me. We started talking after that."
Iskandar hummed.
"And then?"
"And then..." Lya smiled to herself. "He became part of my daily routine, I guess."
Daily routine.
The words should not have bothered him.
But they did.
"Morning texts?" he asked.
"Sometimes."
"Goodnight calls?"
"Sometimes."
"Video calls?"
"Almost every night."
Iskandar stirred his iced latte again, although the ice had already started melting.
"And yet you have never met him."
Lya looked up.
There it was.
That slight defensiveness in her eyes.
"Is."
He said nothing.
"I know what you're thinking."
"Do you?"
"You think I'm being careless."
"I did not say that."
"But you're thinking it."
Iskandar leaned back in his chair and looked at her properly.
"Lya, I think you trust people too easily."
Her smile faded a little.
For a moment, the noise around them seemed to blur. The clinking of cutlery, the soft chatter from nearby tables, the hiss of the coffee machine, all of it became distant.
Lya placed her fork down.
"I don't trust people easily."
Iskandar's gaze softened.
"You trusted me easily."
"You're different."
The answer came too quickly.
Too naturally.
And for one foolish second, Iskandar allowed himself to feel something he should not have felt.
Hope.
Then Lya continued, completely unaware of what she had just done to him.
"You, Aidan, our families... you are all part of my life. Irfan is different, yes, but he's not a stranger anymore."
The phone buzzed again.
This time, Lya finally picked it up.
Her thumb moved across the screen as she read the message.
A tiny frown appeared between her brows.
"What is it?" Iskandar asked.
"Nothing." She locked the phone and placed it face down on the table. "He just asked where I am."
"Did you tell him?"
"Later."
Iskandar studied her for a moment.
"Why later?"
Lya shrugged and reached for her iced latte.
"Because if I tell him now, he'll call again."
That was the second thing that felt strange.
The first was how easily she ignored him.
The second was why she felt she had to.
But Iskandar kept both thoughts to himself.
For now.
- Writer
