Beautiful Monster
New Friends

"I didn't come on time either, anyway," Ignacia added, "so, what if we order food now? I'm starting to get hungry."

His friend chuckled slightly, volunteering to go order after discussing with Ignacia about the food to be ordered. While waiting, Ignacia starts a chat about Danita's invitation to meet with Nesya.

"Someone you met in this town? How did you get so close? It feels strange because-"his friend can't continue. Afraid to offend those who were asking about his opinion just now.

Ignacia lowered her head, "i also want to know why I got close to her so quickly. He opened up a lot to me when he first met like he wasn't worried about anything. He's acting like I'm not a threat to him." His head was raised slowly, showing a smile.

"Does that mean I'm getting good at getting along?"

The friend in front of him chuckled in amusement, "you're bragging right now? Danita first asked you to talk. That doesn't prove anything. But I feel weird about him."

"Weird how?" Ignacia drew closer. Can't wait for my friend's answer.

"I've seen him in the cafeteria with you. I feel like I have something close to you. Is he your old friend too? Or maybe your neighbor before moving?" His friend was now staring inquiringly. Her feelings are so strong.

"Eitherway. If I ever met him, he should have told me. He even remembers if I had Rajendra." Ignacia's body was pulled back, her attention turning to the tray of food that was being carried by a waiter to her second table. "What if we eat first?"

...*****...

"Double dates? Aren't you in too much of a hurry, Ta? You just know this girl. His girlfriend is not in town either, he said. Don't you need more time before you take her?"

Danita looks at her lover. Put a cold drink in front of him. "This Ignacia is a good and reliable person. You will be surprised after you meet him. He might look quiet, but he's honestly a good friend."

His girlfriend breathed a long breath. "You've always considered good people, Tata. But since you've already invited her, we'll just wait for them. If they still can't, you can't force."

"Just wait. It's gonna be very interesting." Danita leaned on her lover's shoulder while eating another candy from the table. Watching the movie on his laptop. "I feel something for Ignacia anyway."

"What do you mean?" Confused lover.

"I feel like I should take care of her."

...*****...

"After this what will you do?" Ignacia asked. Both of them were in front of the food they had visited. It's time to go home.

"I'm going to go buy some stuff. What about you, Ignacia? Any plans after this?"

"No."

"Not messaged Rajendra?"

"Rajendra has other activities, so I will also busy myself. I'll go first, yeah, see you," said Ignacia.

The girl waited near the zebra cross, the light turned green for the pedestrian hose for a while. Meanwhile, his friend will go the other way. Sit at the bus stop and wait for the next bus to arrive. The glasses girl let out a long sigh, leaning against the wall of the stop.

"What else happened to their lives? Shouldn't I have asked? Ignacia looked unhappy. Hah, I have to give her a lot of privacy."

Nesya's eyes closed for a few seconds, "I hope they're okay. I hope I didn't keep them away because of my whereabouts."

Ignacia checked her phone while walking. Dangerous, yet he had a reason for it. There were some missed calls from her mother today. It is not the first time Ignacia has not known the message she sent or the call her mother wanted to make.

It's been a lot, and it makes her feel guilty sometimes.

"Do I have to activate the vibrate mode on my phone? But I don't want to hear any sound." His whisper.

...*****...

Days change. Still no sign of any message from Rajendra. After having fun with his friends, the man may be exhausted and end up sleeping without any intention of sending a message. Even by noon Ignacia had not heard anything from him.

"Hey," Danita said. He had been watching his friend who was disappointed. The look in his eyes felt empty, his movements slow, there was no sound from his mouth. "You okay?" Asked at the short-haired girl in a whisper.

"Yes, I'm fine."

"Little lies can bring other lies, Ignacia. It's okay if you don't want to tell it. But if you need someone to listen, you can count on me. Wh why? Because we're friends." Danita smiled brightly, making those who saw her smile.

"Thank you."

...*****...

Danita walked happily, in front of her dorm was already standing someone who would take her for a walk tonight. The waiting-someone in a denim jacket stretched out his hand, welcoming Danita with a warm hand.

"You look beautiful" praised the man. His eyes looked at the astonished bashful smiling woman. "Why do you always curse me with your beauty, Tata? But I don't want to escape your curse either."

Danita hits her lover's arm slowly, "stop talking nonsense. What makes you talk like that?"

The two walk side by side. Go to a motorcycle parked near the wall. The man put a helmet on the lover, staring at the bead of eyes that always fascinated him. Danita is always embarrassed when faced with her.

"Why did you go down longer than usual?" The man asked. His hand was about to put the motor key into his hole. Turn on the motor and lower the footrest so that Danita can go straight up.

"I went to Ignacia earlier. I asked him if maybe he needed anything because we were going out. But he said he had it all." Danita clung to her lover when the motorbike had already sped back into the crowded streets.

"You're so close to your new friend." There was a small smile on the corner of this man's lips. But Danita will not see it because it is covered with a full face helmet.

...*****...

Ignacia was still in her bed. The clock shows the time when he should be getting ready for college if he does not want to be late. Labile emotions may be too masking the girl's movements to the point of not wanting to do anything.

Try to sit. His head instantly became very dizzy. "There's no way I'm sick. I have to go to class." Ignacia massaged the middle of her eyebrows slowly. It means to eliminate discomfort in the head.

Apparently the message was from his friend. Not the message Ignacia expected came from someone she was waiting for to fall asleep. Ignacia put her phone back on the nightstand. Intend to continue the morning activities.

Someone will come to his place to bring breakfast. It's best that he doesn't see Ignacia still with a pillow face and doesn't get ready right away. He grabbed a towel before going into the bathroom. Staring at the glass at a glance and looking at the face of someone who looked still sleepy.

The sound of knocking came. Ignacia hastily opened it despite not having time to tidy up her hair. "Oh yes come in. I've already prepared the table." The friend slowly opened the door, going inside according to the permission of the owner.

"Prepare, I'll set the table," the friend bargained.

"thank you. I'll be done soon."

"No need to rush. I heard your class was postponed because the lecturer was taking his wife to the doctor. In other words, your morning classes will be shifted after lunch." His friend's words stopped Ignacia who was about to reach for the hairband on her study table. He was stunned for a moment.

"really? I haven't seen the group today."

"Something bothers you, Ignacia?" Friend stared. I'm done setting the table. "If you're not ready to tell a story, that's okay. I just want to make sure you're okay. Someone put you in on me. So I have to take care of you."

Ignacia chuckled, continuing to grab her hairband. The origin is tied because the class is delayed. "I'm doing fine. I was just surprised that class was delayed anyway. What could happen to me hm?" There was a wry smile that the friend was unaware of before Ignacia.

"Also I-"

The sound of knocking stopped Ignacia's speech. The room owner got up to see who was coming. As soon as it opened, it appeared that someone had come to bring another meal. "Hello, I just got back from the outside and saw good food. I want to share it with you" Danita said excitedly.

Ignacia froze for a moment. He had never been in this kind of situation. He could have asked Danita to come in and meet his friend inside. But will his friend feel comfortable? Then for Danita herself, does she not matter if there is a sudden meeting?

"Ignacia, why don't you ask your friend to come in?" His friend got up, appeared to greet Danita who was still at the door. "Hello, you must be Danita. I heard about you from Ignacia. He said you have a positive aura. And it looks like it's true."

Danita smiled amusedly, "is that so? Yes, I must admit if Ignacia's judgment is correct." Danita stretched out her hand of acquainted intention. "Hello, I'm Danita. Just call me Tata. It's nice to meet you." Just touching his hand, the friend could already feel the warmth.

"My name is Nesya, greetings." In this glasses girl smiled brightly. Still with his hand still in Danita's grasp.

Honestly, Ignacia felt her world was getting smaller. Nesya happened to be accepted at the same campus as him despite different majors. Then on the other hand there is Danita aka Tata that Ignacia met on the day of the book signing. A miracle Ignacia was able to meet these people again in a place she had never imagined.

The three now sat in a circle at the table that Nesya had arranged. The food that Danita brought was added. His breakfast became more colorful. There are many stories that Danita also brought Nesya. They shared with each other because of the comfort that suddenly appeared in the first meeting.

"So you've been friends since you were kids? Well, your meeting to date must have had a lot of stories." Danita put both of her hands on the table, her words sounding amazed by this wonderful plan of God.

"of course. The meeting was also a little coincidental just as you and Ignacia met at the book signing event. Who would have thought you guys could be neighbors in the dorms too."

Ignacia listens more than talks. He was also confused what to say in the midst of the excitement of his two friends. He was too eager to check his phone whether there was a message from his lover or not. The man was getting busier as if not remembering Ignacia's whereabouts anymore.

"Our current meeting is also coincidental" Nesya added.

"I think there are a lot of coincidences around Ignacia," Danita chuckled at her own words, "in class, she answered many quizzes correctly. He said it was by chance, but he himself studied late into the night for the quiz."

"But there's a story that's really coincidental." Nesya laughed before telling her. "When we were in High School, there was an economic quiz. Ignacia didn't record the basic formula, so she would copy mine." Back Nesya chuckled.

"Then when Ignacia had made the main formula column, his name was suddenly called by the teacher. So called randomly to work on the problem in front. Good thing Ignacia can answer the problem easily even though it does not record the main formula. And he got the grades."

Danita laughed, "that's a coincidence beyond reason. I can imagine Ignacia's surprised face when she heard her name being called. Because he had done the same thing before. He was taking notes then his name was called to explain."

Why is he talking about Ignacia now?

"Hey why are you talking about me?" Of course Ignacia was embarrassed. His face was a bit flushed but proud of his own achievements.

The Flashback

"I will call your names randomly to explain our previous material as usual. I hope you can do well."

Ignacia reopened her college eye records. Yesterday's chapter he hasn't recorded his summary. Maybe taking it down with the remnants of memory will help. Hopefully he's not the first one.

"Ignacia Maheswari."

The eyes of the owner of the name are almost perfectly rounded. Hurry up at the neutralizing facial features before getting up from the seat and taking a place in front of the class. What an unfortunate day for him.

Flashback Off

...*****...

"You're lucky to have met someone who has an aura as positive as him, Ignacia." Nesya patted the shoulder of the friend beside her. The campus park is a great place to chat other than in the cafeteria during lunchtime.

"Why is that?" Ignacia gulped down her canned drink after speaking. His eyes were still fixed on the other students who seemed to have just returned from outside the university.

"Women seem to be the type of people who can make those around them happy. You knew? A kind of warm, simple encouragement. That positive aura she gave off could make you shine even more."

Ignacia knew what her friend meant. He put down his canned drink and leaned back with both hands. He smiled faintly then spoke, "he doesn't seem to have any worries because of his aura."

"Ignacia, I'm glad you're friends with Danita. He'll give you as much attention as you need."

"You seem to know everything, Nesya." Ignacia. Nesya gulped down her drink.

"You think I don't know if you've been looking limp lately? I don't know what's going on, but I can see something different from you." Neysa throws her empty can into a nearby trash can.

"Am I supposed to take a role class so you don't read to me so easily?" Ignacia replied with a wry smile. Sounds slow after it.