Chapter 5 – First Conversation

That night, I sat at my desk again.

My book was open in front of me, but my mind wasn’t fully there.

Every now and then, I found myself glancing at my phone.

Clara.

Her message from earlier still lingered in my head.

“Hi, Rio.”

Just that.

Simple.

Short.

But somehow…

it stayed with me.

I let out a quiet breath.

Then reached for my phone.

Opened Instagram.

Went straight to my DMs.

Her name was right there at the top.

Clara Tiffani.

I opened the chat.

Still the same.

Quiet.

Empty.

I started typing.

“How old are you?”

I stopped.

Stared at the words.

“…Why would I ask that right away?” I muttered under my breath.

I deleted it.

Tried again.

Typed.

Deleted.

Typed again.

But strangely—

I didn’t know how to start.

With other people, it was easy.

I didn’t have to think.

I could just reply.

But with her…

it felt different.

I took a slow breath.

Then typed again.

“Hey, what are you doing? Can we talk now?”

I read it once.

It felt… normal.

Safe enough.

I hit send.

I waited.

A few seconds.

No reply.

A minute.

Still nothing.

I exhaled softly.

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

I placed my phone down.

Went back to my book.

A few minutes later—

Ping.

I grabbed my phone immediately.

Opened it.

DM.

But—

not her.

I looked at the message briefly.

A junior.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

I stared at it for a moment.

Then locked my phone.

Didn’t reply.

For some reason—

I just wasn’t interested.

Normally, I might’ve replied.

Just for fun.

But now…

I didn’t feel like it.

I went back to studying.

Time passed slowly.

Every now and then, I glanced at my phone.

Still nothing.

I tried to focus.

Tried.

Until finally—

the night got late.

My eyes started to feel heavy.

My hand stopped writing.

I leaned back in my chair.

And without thinking—

I picked up my phone again.

Opened the DM.

Still the same.

No reply.

I smiled faintly.

A little disappointed.

A little annoyed.

But also…

curious.

Then—

Ping.

I opened it immediately.

Clara.

Finally.

My heartbeat shifted.

I read her message.

“If you want to talk, just write what you want. I’ll reply when I have time.”

I went quiet.

Reading it again.

Slowly.

It wasn’t warm.

But it wasn’t cold either.

It felt like…

distance.

But not rejection.

I exhaled softly.

A small smile formed.

“Interesting…” I murmured.

Instead of feeling pushed away—

I felt…

more curious.

I started typing again.

Slowly.

“Hi, Clara. Nice to meet you. I’m Rio.”

I read it once more.

Then sent it.

I waited.

A few minutes.

No reply.

Ten minutes.

Still nothing.

I kept looking at the screen.

Half expecting.

Half understanding.

Time passed.

Thirty minutes.

An hour.

Still nothing.

I finally locked my phone.

Placed it beside me.

And lay down.

Staring at the ceiling.

“Maybe tomorrow,” I thought.

The next morning—

the first thing I did was grab my phone.

Instinct.

Instagram.

DM.

Still the same.

No reply.

I paused for a moment.

A little disappointed.

But I tried to act like it didn’t matter.

The cafeteria was the same as always.

Loud.

Chaotic.

Full of laughter.

I sat with them.

Like usual.

Like nothing was going on.

“Wow, Rio… you’re getting interesting,” Ranti suddenly laughed.

I looked up.

Too late.

She already had my phone.

Of course.

“Ranti—”

She was uploading a photo.

Then—

she opened my DM.

Her eyes lit up instantly.

“Hey, don’t read my DMs,” I snapped. “Just find a good photo, upload it, and that’s it!”

“I’m getting jealous,” she teased.

“Jealous of what?” Teguh leaned in.

Now everyone was looking.

“Don’t say anything,” I warned.

Ranti just laughed.

“That girl from yesterday,” she said casually. “Clara Tiffani.”

My face heated up instantly.

“You like her, don’t you?”

Dina, Teguh, Aryo all leaned closer.

Looking at my screen.

I tried to grab my phone back.

Too late.

“My dad said, be careful. Don’t DM random people,” Teguh said.

“She’s pretty,” Dina added. “That’s why Rio’s interested.”

That line—

made me even more awkward.

“She’s not prettier than you,” Aryo said quickly, smiling at Dina.

Dina laughed softly.

Ranti shook her head.

“This is fun,” she said. “I can’t wait to see what happens next.”

I finally grabbed my phone back.

“Enough,” I said.

They kept laughing.

Like it was all just a joke.

I tried to eat.

But my mind wasn’t there.

Every now and then—

I checked my phone.

Still nothing.

No reply.

I locked the screen.

Put it down.

Took a slow breath.

“It’s just a chat,” I told myself.

“Just a person.”

But somehow—

it didn’t feel that simple.

Without realizing it—

I had already started waiting.

Not for everyone.

Not for the notifications.

Just for one person.

And that—

was new.

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