37 First Love

Taera's phone vibrates. There's a call from Kaino.

"Call from whom?" asked Ardilo.

"Kaino," Taera replied.

"Yes, lift it first. Who knows it's important," said Ardilo, then focused on driving.

Taera then picked up the call from Kaino. "Hello, Kai."

"Tae, where are you?"

"I'm on the road with Ardilo. Why?"

"Are you with Ardilo? You're not fighting, are you?"

"Nope. Yes, I was angry for a while, but now it's better. What's wrong?"

"I just heard everything about your problems, Ardi, Yola, and Stefa. For the past few days. I've only been focused on studying, and I'm also not feeling well. That's why I rarely open my handphone."

"What? You're not feeling well? Why? What's wrong with you?"

"I'm just tired of studying, Tae. It's okay."

"Have you eaten? Should I take you to the doctor?"

"I'm eating well. Yes, when you took me to the doctor, Ardi was jealous. How are you doing?"

Taera chuckled, "That's right. You've rested. Don't be tired. Study as necessary. Don't be too hard. You'll get sick. I'll be the one in trouble."

"Why should you bother?"

"Yes, I'm your friend, Kai. How are you?"

"Yes, of course. Well, be careful. Greetings to Ardi. Don't forget it's still an exam period, don't go on a date."

"Yes, I know."

"Bye."

Kaino hung up the phone.

Ardilo, who heard Taera and Kaino's chat on the phone, was silent. Taera then glanced at Ardilo briefly.

"Ardilo, you've got greetings from Kaino," said Taera.

"Why is he greetings to me? We are on the same boarding house," said Ardilo, then laughed a little.

"I don't know," said Taera.

They then fell silent for a moment. Taera felt Ardilo was silent. Taera suddenly thought whether Ardilo was jealous.

"Ardilo, are you angry with me?" Taera asked carefully.

"Why are you mad?" asked Ardilo back.

"Yes... because I'm close to Kaino. I'll just be jealous like that," Taera replied.

"Honestly, at first I was a bit jealous, but after I talked to Kaino, I felt that you two were just like me and Serry. Just friends and respect for each other. As long as you don't turn to him, well... I won't be jealous," said Ardilo, then smiled.

"Kaino is one of my best friends after Stefa. I don't have many friends in college. So, I appreciate those two people. They are always there for me," Taera explained.

"Now adding one, there's me. Besides being your boyfriend, I can also be your friend. You can tell me anything," said Ardilo.

For some reason, Taera's heartfelt happiness and ease when Ardilo said that. It made her feel special. She has always thought that she was an ordinary person, some people always make her feel that she is worthy. It felt like Taera wanted to hug Ardilo right then and there. But Taera couldn't do it. She suddenly remembered the incident when Yola hugged Ardilo that day.

"Why are you silent? Did I say something wrong?" asked Ardilo suddenly.

"Nope. It's just... I'm just happy. You're always kind to me. I've never felt this happy. You always make me feel special," Taera replied.

"You make me feel happy too," said Ardilo.

They were silent for a moment. Then Ardilo remembered the question earlier.

"Oh yeah, you haven't answered my question earlier. So, who was your first love?"

"First love?" Taera thought for a moment.

So far, she has never been in love or found someone who makes her feel in love and loved. It seems that it was only in college that he discovered it. Ardilo was the first person who made her want to move forward. Makes her want to change for the better. Get her motivated. Make her understand what struggle and sacrifice is.

"Looks like… You are the one who became my first love."

Ardilo was surprised, "Really?"

"Yeah. So far, I've never been in a relationship. And you are the first person who made me fall in love and feel loved," explained Taera.

"Wow... I'm so touched. I... I'm confused about what to say," said Ardilo, who was embarrassed.

His heart is wildly happy. He did not think that he was the one who became Taera's, first love. He was really happy.

They finally arrived at the restaurant in the mall where they usually go on a date. Along the way, Ardilo held Taera's hand. His heart was very excited, so was Taera. Her face was already red. Her confession of a first love turned out to make her heart feel like it was about to explode. Like there are millions of butterflies in her stomach. Happiness enveloped them both.

After arriving at the restaurant, they ordered food and drinks. While waiting for their orders, the two continued their conversation earlier.

"If I may know, who was your first love?" Taera asked.

"My first love? Hmm... do you want an honest answer or a comforting answer?" asked Ardilo teasing Taera.

"Ah, Ardilo... why are you even joking? I'm asking seriously," said Taera, which made Ardilo excited.

"Yes, it's true. If you're honest, it might hurt you. And I'm tired of making you hurt," explained Ardilo.

Taera looked thoughtful for a moment. This made Ardilo observe Taera more clearly. After the moment Taera wants to break up with him, making Ardilo realize that he doesn't want to hurt Taera again. He promised himself to be an even better boyfriend.

"I want an honest answer," Taera said firmly.

"Are you sure?" asked Ardilo, who was answered with a nod of Taera's head.

"Okay. I'll tell you, listen carefully, okay. I won't repeat it," replied Ardilo.

Taera nodded and listened to Ardilo carefully.

"My first love was my classmate when I was in high school. She is now studying abroad. At that time, I fell in love with her because she is a diligent person and pursues achievement. I used to be just a geeky little guy. But since I got to know her, I began to change into a more courageous guy. I also began to learn about the organization from her. She seemed to be my role model, "explained Ardilo.

"Then, do you tell her how you feel?" Taera asked.

"No. I'm not brave enough to tell her my feelings. Because my standards and her are quite different. She's a cool girl. Meanwhile, I still have a lot to learn. Until finally, she studied abroad," explained Ardilo.

"You don't regret it, do you?" Taera asked.

"No. I promised myself that I wouldn't regret it. And I also promised that when I meet someone who makes me fall in love, I will confess my feelings so I won't regret it twice. That's why I immediately confessed my feelings to you at that time. I don't want to lose and regret it a second time," explained Ardilo.

Taera nodded.

She now understood the reason why Ardilo was so quick to confess his feelings. She felt guilty because it was taking time to answer Ardilo's feelings.

"Ardilo, I'm sorry, at that time, I didn't immediately answer your feelings. I made you wait a long time," said Taera.

"It's okay, honey," said Ardilo, then grabbed Taera's hand, "The important thing is that you now know my reason and have given me an answer. Thank you."

Taera smiled and nodded.

"Let's take a photo. We rarely take photos together. I want to update on my social media," said Ardilo, asking Taera to take a photo.

"Okay," said Taera.

They then took pictures. A few moments later their order came. They then immediately ate and enjoyed their order.

***

Yola is checking her social media because she is taking a break from studying. She then saw Ardilo's account, which posted his photo with Taera. Yola's heartfelt hot, jealousy drained her heart.

"So they don't break up? Just watch out, okay?" Yola muttered annoyed.