The Jakarta sun was merciless that afternoon, baking the asphalt until the air shimmered with heat. Inside the campus cafeteria, the atmosphere wasn't much better. Hundreds of students crammed into long tables cluttered with half-finished plates, thick textbooks, and scattered backpacks. The air was thick, heavy with the scent of fried food and the relentless hum of a thousand overlapping conversations.
In a quiet corner, one table stood out. It held a pair of students who seemed destined to meet only because of their polar opposites: Barra Mahendra, a law student who moved through life like calm water, and Almaira Yudistira, a medical student with zero patience and a rebellious streak.
Barra sat composed, focused on finishing his lunch, seemingly oblivious to the chaos around him-or the impatient glare Alma was leveling at him.
"So...?" Alma pressed, her eyes locked on him, waiting for a word.
Barra glanced up. He set his chopsticks across his nearly empty bowl of chicken noodles. His brow furrowed. "This Sunday?" he asked, his voice hopeful that he had somehow misheard her.
Alma nodded sharply. She waited, but when Barra simply rubbed his face and sank into a pensive silence, her patience snapped.
"Fine! Whatever! You're clearly not serious about us!" Alma stood up abruptly, ready to storm off. But Barra's hand shot out, catching her wrist before she could take a single step.
"Don't be like that, babe..." Barra coaxed, gently pulling her back down to the seat beside him. "Does it really have to be 'this' Sunday?"
Alma's eyes widened. Without a word, she delivered a sharp, playful pinch to his arm.
"Ow!" Barra yelped, drawing amused glances and grins from nearby tables. To the other students, they were just a cute couple bickering. To Barra, that pinch felt like a flare warning him of the storm to come.
"I've been telling you-Papa is being stationed overseas. This is the fourth time I've asked, and the second time Papa has personally requested it!" Alma held up two fingers, her gaze fierce.
"Okay! Okay!" Barra relented, rubbing his sore arm with a resigned sigh.
"He's serious this time, Bar. Papa is tired of us playing hide-and-seek. We've been dating for six months, and my parents haven't even seen your face." Alma looked at him, her expression softening into a plea.
"Can't you just show them a photo on your phone?" Barra asked with feigned innocence.
Alma's gaze turned icy again. "Fine. Starting tomorrow, let's just date through our phones. No need to meet up at all."
"Okay, I'll come!" Barra said quickly, reaching for her hands. "Don't be mad." He flashed his brightest, most charming smile-the one he knew always melted her defenses. It worked.
"I'm holding you to that. If you break this promise... we're over," Alma threatened.
"Ah, Alma! Why the threats?" Barra grumbled. He drained his iced tea in one go, standing up to pull money from his wallet. But before he could pay, Alma had already handed the cash to the server.
"Hey! You always do that! I can afford a bowl of noodles, Al," Barra protested, frowning. He felt the eyes of the cafeteria on them again; he hated the idea of people thinking he was just a guy leaching off a rich girl.
"Too slow!" Alma retorted, pulling him by the hand toward the exit. She hated being the center of attention, a side effect of being a General's daughter.
"Relax... I'll bill you for everything once you have a job," she added, seeing him still sulking as they reached the parking lot. Barra finally cracked a smile. He knew she did it out of genuine care, never to belittle him.
"Where's your bodyguard?" Barra asked as he handed her a helmet and helped her fasten it.
"He'll show up once we start moving," Alma said dismissively.
Sure enough, a few moments after his motorcycle pulled onto the main road, a black SUV with two burly men inside tucked in right behind them. Barra knew Alma loathed the constant surveillance, even for something as mundane as going to campus. But no one argued with the General.
In his rearview mirror, Barra watched the shadows following them. He patted Alma's hands, which were wrapped tightly around his waist. "Don't hug me too close, they'll report it to your dad!" he shouted over the roar of the wind and traffic.
As if she hadn't heard him, Alma squeezed tighter, leaning her head against his back until they reached the gates of her elite housing complex. Barra killed the engine. He gave a respectful nod to the man stepping out of the SUV and signaled for Alma to dismount.
"See you tomorrow?" Alma said, handing him the helmet before slipping into the waiting car.
Barra waited until the car vanished from sight. He exhaled a long, heavy breath. He had a long ride home ahead of him. As he pulled away, his mind drifted to the news he'd read that morning about General Yudistira's upcoming departure for Europe. His stomach did a nervous flip. Tomorrow, he would face the man.
A regular student against a powerful General. Barra slapped his own forehead in disbelief.
YOU ARE READING
Kidnapping the General's Daughter
Romance"He thought he was rescuing their love. He didn't know he was just driving her escape." Barra is a brilliant law student, a high-achiever who built his future on a prestigious scholarship. He plays by the rules and carries the weight of his mother's...
