[The Legacy Series] REDAMANCY - Love's Timeless Path

13th Note

I stepped into an Italian restaurant in South Jakarta to keep my promise to meet Rara this afternoon. The hustle and bustle of people at lunchtime proved that this place was famous here.

I had deliberately arrived fifteen minutes early, but I think Rara was quicker because I saw her figure sitting at one of the tables, waving at me. She wore a form-fitting dress that accentuated her curves, exuding confidence and sensuality. With a radiant smile, her eyes sparkled with mischief. Today, her clothes were quite casual and sexy. Or maybe it was just my feeling. But in my opinion, the skirt was too short, and the slit on the top was quite deep.

I bit the inside of my cheek. I imagined what it would be like if Haira wore that outfit; it would definitely look adorable.

"You're here!" Rara exclaimed, her eyes lighting up as I approached.

I chuckled, taking a seat across from her. "Glad the emergency cases today seemed to respect our lunch plan."

We exchanged warm greetings, settling into comfortable banter until the waiter, clad in a crisp black apron, took our orders.

"What do you want to eat, Jen?"

I didn't know; maybe my ears were deceiving me or her voice was laced with a seductive undertone. I felt a mixture of intrigue and discomfort, as her flirtatious manner was different from what I had anticipated. However, I maintained a polite smile and gestured to order the food I wanted. Luckily, my feeling of discomfort slowly disappeared after the food we ordered arrived. Maybe it was just my feelings.

Coming to Osteria Gia just made me remember Haira even more. This was one of her favorite restaurants; even the menu I ordered was the menu that she always orders every time we eat here.

I looked at the Spaghettoni Al Burro E Peppe that had just been served in front of me. Their most famous pasta menu. I had had this several times, and it was quite consistent. Buttery, creamy, cheesy, with a nice amount of truffle actually shaved on top of it.

"How are you, Jen? I didn't have time to chat much because I also had things to do yesterday."

I nodded while answering 'good' briefly and shoved spaghetti into my mouth.

"The last time we met was about eleven years ago, right? Before I moved to Singapore?" Rara added before taking a bite of a piece of meat.

"Yeah, it's been a long time."

For a few moments, there was only the sound of our cutlery clashing, until finally Rara asked again.

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"I do." I answered quickly again while taking another bite. There was a long pause before a soft 'ooh' escaped her mouth.

"How did you meet her?"

"Aku dijodohin; she's Mama's friend's daughter."

Rara looked at me in disbelief. "In this day and age, kamu masih mau di jodoh-jodohin, Jen? If I were you, I would definitely refuse it."

I looked at her face; her mouth was still chewing the piece of meat she had just fed herself.

"I am the one who asked for the arranged marriage. I liked her first." I added before taking a sip from my glass.

The girl in front of me cleared her throat. "Oh, I see. Did she study at the same university as us?"

I nodded.

"Which major was she in?"

"Management major; our class was a year apart, but she is four years older than me." I shrugged my shoulders. "I'm even two years apart from you. Yaah, emang aku sekolahnya kecepetan aja." I added.