The day changed, and Chloe returned to Beverly Hills with all her activities. That morning felt different as the beautiful woman felt tired and sore all over her body.
"So exhausted," Chloe whispered.
Despite complaining, she continued to do her work. "But... even though I'm tired, it feels like a dream. What happened yesterday feels unreal. A beautiful dream or a sweet dream?" Chloe smiled happily as she recalled her enjoyable moments in Yogyakarta with Darren.
Breathing in the cool morning air in Beverly Hills felt so different from the perspective she had lived the previous afternoon. Chloe chuckled to herself. "Darren was so patient yesterday, like taking care of a child. From the moment we arrived, he was eager to go to Parangtritis." The woman blushed. "I'm so lucky if I can become his wife. As long as he never changes, as long as his goodness all this time is genuinely from his heart."
Continuing to talk to herself, Chloe was startled by Adrianna's sudden arrival. It was still early, and the employees in her café were still cleaning up. The café hadn't officially opened yet. However, Adrianna came without notice and entered with a pouty face. Shortly after, whining complaints could be heard from her friend.
"I don't know what he wants anymore. Why does he keep bothering me, disrupting my life? Aren't there any other people he can bother? Why does he always find fault with me?"
Chloe furrowed her brow, not understanding her friend's complaints. She slowly processed every word from Adrianna's sweet lips, then began to guess. "Who is this 'he'? The principal at the school where you teach?" Chloe teasingly asked.
"Yeah, who else would bother my life? It's only that annoying person, so irritating." Adrianna still had a pouty face, constantly complaining about everything happening at the school where she taught.
Instead of responding to her friend's complaints sympathetically, Chloe teased her. "Usually, when someone keeps bothering you, they have a hidden agenda. It's like there's an ulterior motive. Maybe your school principal likes you. So, when he acts that way with you, it's not really about causing trouble, but he wants to be close to you, Adrianna." The beautiful widow seemed excited. With her heart blossoming, she responded calmly to her friend's story and tried convincing her that the principal's actions might match her suspicions.
"Are you crazy? No, no! It's impossible that he likes me. I don't want to be close to him, even if it's true. Ugh, guys always like to create problems with girls." Adrianna vehemently denied it, even being surprised by Chloe's words. She had never imagined that the person disturbing her life lately had unique feelings for her.
Now, Adrianna wondered if the man who was her superior at work had feelings for her.
"Think about it. Are the problems he causes important? Probably not. It's just his way of trying to be close to you, see you up close, and talk to you." Chloe still believed that Adrianna's school principal liked her friend.
Adrianna remained silent for a moment before shaking her head vigorously. "No! It's impossible! He's just an annoying person with nothing better to do. His only job is to bother people! Especially girls!" Adrianna continued to refute her friend's opinion.
Chloe took a deep breath before speaking softly. "He only bothers you, right? He only seeks out faults with you. Please, Afr. Don't be so naive. Consider the possibility I mentioned. Maybe he does like you but doesn't know how to express it. Or maybe your attitude towards him has been tough, creating excessive distance between you. That's why he's trying everything to get closer to you."
The beautiful widow spoke at length, making sense to Adrianna, who still wore a pout. Nevertheless, Adrianna didn't want to acknowledge Chloe's possibly erroneous speculation. She didn't want to fall with uncertain hopes because the school principal, her superior, had an attractive appearance that fit her criteria. Instead of hoping for something unreasonable, she preferred to believe her assumption. That the school principal just wanted to disrupt her peaceful life.
"No way! If he likes me, he shouldn't make me angry every day. I even feel reluctant to go to that school again so I don't have to see him. What should I do to make him stop bothering me?" Adrianna stared at Chloe with a gasping breath as if she had just finished running. She was frustrated, remembering everything her school principal had done to her.
Chloe smiled lightly, displaying her beautiful and soothing face. "Don't be like that. What will you do if my speculation is correct and he likes you? Be careful. After this, you two might start dating," the beautiful widow teased.
Adrianna grinned irritably. "Oh, impossible! That's impossible! Do you know? You, huh? You're just a friend I'm venting to, and instead of comforting me, you're teasing me all this time."
Chloe continued to laugh, her happiness from the previous day keeping her in high spirits until now. Adrianna, her friend, could even see it. "You seem happy. Why? Did something progress with Darren?" Adrianna asked, unaware of Chloe and Darren's journey yesterday. Chloe hadn't shared the details yet; she hadn't even posted a single picture of herself with Darren on her social media because she didn't want to flaunt their closeness. It wasn't without reason; she still didn't know if she would marry Darren and didn't want to showcase a relationship she still had doubts about.
Chloe pouted playfully, then smiled shyly. She turned on her phone screen, opened her gallery folder, and showed Adrianna some pictures of herself from yesterday in Yogyakarta with Darren.
Adrianna was amazed, widening her eyes and snatching Chloe's phone to see more clearly.
"Wow, you went to Bali? With Darren? When?" Adrianna asked excitedly. She was happy for her friend's happiness. She knew how much Chloe had suffered when Ester came into her life a while ago. The pain that Ester had caused Chloe ran deep, and Adrianna felt angry on her behalf.
"Yesterday."
"I see. Now you're keeping secrets from me."
"It's not like that, Adrianna. It was spontaneous yesterday, with no plans for a vacation."
Adrianna stared at Chloe intently. "Good for you, Chloe. You deserve to be happy, and you can be happy without Leonel. I'll be glad if you're happy. Whatever decision you make, I'll support you." Adrianna said it with a genuine smile.
The atmosphere changed instantly, making Chloe touch and even bringing tears to her eyes. "What's wrong with you? It's not clear." The woman blinked her eyes several times after turning her face away from Adrianna.
"That's why you've been teasing me all this time. Oh, so there's someone whose heart is blossoming, feeling happy. Look at you, just back from your honeymoon." This time, Adrianna teased Chloe, no longer pouting like she did when she first entered the café.
Chloe grinned. "Honeymoon? No way! We just went on a trip together, unlike what you're thinking. Your mind is so dirty; it needs to be cleansed."
"Look at you, blushing and shy but still willing," Adrianna poked Chloe's chin.
"Don't tease me. It would be best if you took care of your beloved school principal. I'm sure he likes you; it's just that you're not wise enough." Chloe mentioned the school principal again, making Adrianna pout again.
"Why are you still talking about that person? I'm happy your relationship with Darren is progressing, but you're ruining the mood by talking about that person again. Forget whether he likes or dislikes me. What he's doing now is just unacceptable, so annoying!"
With her style, Adrianna continued to refute Chloe's seemingly irrational opinion.
Considering the possibilities Chloe mentioned made Adrianna feel embarrassed. She started contemplating the same options and paid attention to her appearance. If it was confirmed that the school principal was causing all those disturbances to get closer to her, she started thinking about what she would do. She also wondered about her feelings toward him. "Does he like me? And... if he does, what should I do? Would I reject his feelings? Or maybe I like him?" Adrianna asked herself internally. She daydreamed and thought deeply about the possibilities Chloe mentioned, although her lips kept refuting them.
"Be careful; if he really likes you and suddenly brings flowers and kneels in front of you, you might have a seizure if that happens." Chloe continued to tease her friend.
Adrianna shook her head vigorously. "Enough! Stop! No, I don't want to be delusional!" she exclaimed while shaking her head. Then she stopped shaking and covered her ears with her hands.
Adrianna started daydreaming again. She imagined the school principal kneeling while holding flowers, just as Chloe had described. Suddenly, she smiled, but a few moments later, she shook her head. "Stop it, Chloe. I regret telling you. You're just stressing me out even more!"
Seeing her restless friend, Chloe felt grateful. She felt lucky because Darren openly admitted his feelings for her. She couldn't imagine if Darren were the shy guy who expressed his feelings weirdly. Just imagining it made her feel amused.
"Alright, let's not talk about that school principal anymore. Now I'll ask you, how is your relationship with Darren? Can we interpret your recent trip together as a sign that you will marry him?" Adrianna's question caught Chloe off guard. The beautiful woman didn't know how to answer. Her cheerful expression turned into confusion as if she had lost her direction and didn't know where to go.
On the one hand, Chloe acknowledged that Darren was a good person, an excellent prospective husband. But on the other hand, she still hesitated to get married again. She was still traumatized by the lingering pain in her heart.
Staring at the table with several empty plates and cups, Chloe took a deep breath before finally answering Agatha's question. With determination, the beautiful widow looked at her former husband's mother. "Chloe is close to Darren, Mom. And Chloe's feelings for Darren are growing stronger every day, although when it comes to marriage, Chloe still can't." There was a momentary pause before Chloe tried to compose herself again.
"Why? Are you still thinking about Leonel?" Agatha asked with partial curiosity. Her gaze was fixed on the woman she was talking to. After several months without seeing each other, Agatha noticed some significant changes in Chloe and thought that Chloe might have found her happiness here.
"No." Chloe shook her head vigorously. "It's not because Chloe is still thinking about Leonel, but she can't forget Leonel's wounds on her heart. They are still deeply ingrained in Chloe's heart, so she's afraid to get married again. Chloe is saying this not to make Mama and Papa sad. Chloe wants to be honest with Mama and Papa."
Discussing the wounds in one's heart, the invisible scars, was indeed complicated. The damages leave a mark on one's heartfelt tricks for Chloe to forget. Despite having another man who had managed to open her heart, albeit not completely, and fill her days slowly, Chloe had changed a lot after Darren's patience and kindness. She couldn't deny that she still lacked the courage when discussing marriage.