REDAMANCY - Love's Timeless Path

26th Note

(Haira)

—

The salty breeze whipped through my hair as the yacht sliced through the sapphire water, and the late afternoon sun dipped towards the horizon, casting an orange glow across the shimmering water as the yacht sliced through the waves. The air thrummed with the lively chatter of friends, the DJ spun upbeat tunes, and the scent of barbeque wafted enticingly from the grill, mingled with the sweet aroma of birthday cake. Laughter and music filled the air, punctuated by the clinking of glasses and the joyous yells of people diving off the deck for a quick swim.

"It seems quite nice." Giandra whispered.

I nodded before chuckling.

Today I came to the birthday party of the woman who almost ruined my relationship with Jendra yesterday. As 'plus one' invitees, Giandra and I chose to stand a little far from the rest of the crowd. To be honest, we don't really know the other medical students except Jendra, Jagad, Wimar, Agni and Bria.

It was a shame that Satya couldn't come because he had to take care of a family event. I understand because I was often absent from our gatherings due to family matters too. Business people sometimes like to have lots of events. That was really tiring.

I sipped the pina colada in my hand. I couldn't remember how many glasses of whiskey Giandra downed, and she was still busy chewing the meat on her plate.

Rara, the birthday girl, was a vision in a white sundress, her laughter echoing across the deck. She flitted between guests, a radiant smile plastered on her face. She sipped on tropical cocktails, munched on delicious canapés, and shared stories from when she was studying in Indonesia, and I didn't understand what they were talking about at all. After her brief speech, this birthday party became a kind of reunion party for medical students.

To be honest, not many people were invited—maybe around 40 people, and that was with their own plus one.

As the golden light began to fade, painting the sky in hues of pink and purple, I started to feel a little light-headed. Not to mention, I had to go back and forth to the bathroom because I drank too much.

"You need to stop, Kak." Agni reminded me, "You're not as strong as Mbak Andra when it comes to alcohol."

"What's this party anyway? Almost all of the guests are doctors, but the drinks served are mostly alcohol." Bria, who was standing next to me, grumbled, busy sipping the iced lychee tea in her hand.

I could feel that these two girls don't really like Rara.

"Kak, try compressing this onto your face." Wimar, who had just returned from the toilet, handed me a small towel, which I happily accepted before pressing the thick cloth over my face.

"Jagad is still accompanying Jendra, right?" Giandra muttered next to me, her eyes looking straight at Wimar, to which he answered with only a small nod.

"Mas Jagad deliberately accompanied Mas Jendra so that Mbak Rara wouldn't bother him anymore."

"Yes, that's the aim," Giandra finished another glass of whiskey before leaning on the bar table.

I didn't understand what made her have such a high tolerance for alcohol. Maybe because her father was like that too. Ah, Giandra's father was the first person I knew who wasn't drunk after drinking 4 bottles of vodka alone; later, I found out that she was also like that.

I turned my gaze back to Jendra again. Today he wore a white satin shirt and black trousers. I still remember how this afternoon, how he praised me many times before we left for PIK.