Chapter 4 – Trying to Get to Know Her

That night, for some reason, my mind went back to one account.

I opened Instagram again.

Scrolled.

Then searched for the name.

Clara Tiffani.

It was a simple name.

But somehow… it sounded beautiful.

Just like her.

I opened her profile.

She didn’t have many photos.

Nothing excessive.

Nothing overly styled like most of the accounts I had been seeing lately.

And maybe that was exactly why she stood out.

Everything felt… calmer.

Cleaner.

More real.

I looked through her photos one by one.

The way she smiled.

The way she looked at the camera.

Without realizing it, I stayed longer than I usually would.

Then—

my thumb moved.

I opened the DM.

And typed.

Slowly.

“Hi, how are you?”

I stared at the message for a second.

Simple.

Normal.

Nothing too much.

Then I pressed send.

That was it.

I put my phone down on the table.

Went back to my book.

Tried to focus.

Reading.

Memorizing.

Writing.

A few minutes later—

I glanced at my phone.

No reply.

I looked back at my book.

Read a few lines.

Then—

looked again.

Still nothing.

I let out a small breath.

“Maybe she hasn’t seen it,” I murmured.

I tried to focus again.

But somehow…

my attention kept drifting.

Every now and then, I opened the DM.

Just to check.

Still nothing.

Time passed.

Eventually, I stopped checking.

Or at least—

I tried to.

“Maybe she was just being polite,” I thought.

Or maybe…

she felt uncomfortable.

After all—

I was a stranger.

And so was she.

I finally closed the app.

Turned off the screen.

And went back to studying.

This time, I didn’t open it again.

The next morning—

the cafeteria was loud as always.

Voices, laughter, clattering spoons.

Everything felt normal.

I sat with them like usual.

Like nothing had changed.

Until—

“Ew, Rio!”

Ranti’s voice suddenly exploded across the table.

“Hahaha! Rio’s not as innocent as we thought, everyone!” she laughed. “He DMed a girl!”

I turned instantly.

“What are you—”

Too late.

Ranti already had my phone.

Of course.

She always found a way to grab it.

“Look at this!” she said, showing the screen to the others.

Teguh leaned in immediately.

Aryo followed.

And—

Dina.

They all looked.

And within seconds—

the table burst into laughter.

“Well, well, well…” Teguh shook his head. “So this is what you’ve been doing.”

“I thought you were quiet,” Aryo added.

I felt my face heating up.

“Give it back, Ranti,” I said quickly.

“Wait!” she laughed. “It’s just ‘Hi, how are you’!”

“A guy texting a girl? That’s normal, Ranti,” Dina said casually.

I turned toward her.

She was smiling.

Relaxed.

But somehow—

that made it worse.

“Alright, alright,” I said, trying to shift things. “Just focus on uploading photos. Let me become a legit actor.”

“Wow, confident much,” Ranti teased.

“Good, Rio,” Aryo added with a grin. “I support you. Go find someone outside the radar.”

I glanced at him.

There was something in his smile.

Something… satisfied.

I didn’t respond.

“Rio’s the type to be chased, not the one chasing,” Teguh chimed in.

“Can you all just stop?” I snapped, my embarrassment finally catching up.

“Aww, Rio’s blushing,” Ranti pointed. “Careful, your handsomeness might drop.”

“Handsome guys look good in any pose,” Dina added.

That line—

completely threw me off.

I laughed awkwardly.

Didn’t know what to say.

They kept laughing.

The noise grew louder.

And I—

couldn’t take it anymore.

“I’m going to the restroom,” I said, standing up.

“Hey, where are you going?” Teguh blocked me slightly.

“Restroom.”

“Alright,” he grinned. “If it’s the restroom, fine. But don’t run away.”

I didn’t answer.

Just walked faster.

The hallway felt quieter.

Cooler.

I let out a long breath.

Like I had just escaped something.

As soon as I got inside—

I pulled out my phone.

Instinct.

I opened it.

Instagram.

DM.

And then—

I froze.

A notification.

From Clara.

My heartbeat picked up.

I opened it.

“Hi, Rio.”

Simple.

But enough.

A smile formed on my face.

Without me realizing it.

The mix of embarrassment and annoyance from earlier—

slowly faded.

Replaced by something lighter.

Warmer.

I read it again.

“Hi, Rio.”

As if I needed to make sure it was real.

I leaned back against the wall.

Staring at the screen longer than I should have.

For some reason—

I felt… happy.

More than I should for something so simple.

I didn’t reply.

Not yet.

I just looked at it.

Letting the feeling stay a little longer.

Then—

I locked my phone.

Slipped it back into my pocket.

Took a slow breath.

The smile was still there.

I stepped out of the restroom.

My steps felt lighter.

The school felt the same.

Nothing had changed.

But something inside me—

had.

Small.

But real.

In my mind—

one name kept repeating.

Clara Tiffani.

The rest of the day—

I checked my phone a few times.

Just to look.

No new message.

And somehow—

I wasn’t in a rush.

I wanted to…

take it slow.

Wait for the right moment.

By the time school ended—

I already knew.

Tonight…

I would text her again.

And this time—

it wouldn’t just be random.

I smiled to myself.

Without realizing it.

And for the first time—

out of everyone who had appeared since I made that account—

there was only one person I actually cared about.

One name.

One account.

That felt…

different.

Even though—

I barely knew anything about her.

And maybe…

that was exactly how it all began.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***