Capítulo 11: Chapter 11
"Kenzo"
"GET ON!" the man shouted at Teresa, tossing her a helmet.
Teresa caught the helmet, a bit shaken, then put it on and climbed onto the back of the man's large motorcycle.
Brrngggggggggggg
The motorcycle sped off, startling Teresa, who was unsure where to hold on. She ended up gripping Kenzo's bag tightly.
That evening's ride became the most beautiful moment for Teresa. She never imagined that Kenzo would be the one to give her a ride home.
"KENZO," she called out.
"Shut up, stop talking," Kenzo replied sternly.
Teresa clamped her mouth shut, cutting herself off. The motorcycle stopped at a red light, caught in the rush hour traffic, which was unsurprisingly dense with vehicles.
Tinnnnnnnnnnnnn
Kenzo honked the horn and then accelerated, weaving through the vehicles in front of them. Teresa gripped the bag tighter, feeling nervous as the motorcycle zigzagged through the traffic.
'Can't he just slow down?' Teresa grumbled silently.
Halfway through the journey, Teresa suddenly felt drops of water from the sky. She looked up and saw that the clouds were dark, and the drops of rain were starting to fall more heavily.
"It's raining," Teresa said.
The rain quickly grew heavier, and Kenzo pulled over in front of a convenience store. Teresa got off the bike and removed her helmet, noticing that part of her uniform was already soaked from the rain.
"Ugh, I still need to wear this tomorrow," Teresa muttered, glancing at her wet uniform.
Kenzo took off his helmet and looked Teresa up and down. She was grumbling to herself. He then got off the bike and walked into the store, with Teresa following closely behind.
Inside, the convenience store had several tables and chairs, along with a microwave for heating up food.
Kenzo walked ahead, with Teresa following. He glanced at her, expressionless. Teresa smiled at him, but he looked away.
"Wait there," Kenzo pointed to a seat facing the window. Teresa nodded and walked over to the seat, placing her bag on the chair next to her.
Soon after, Kenzo returned and sat beside her, handing Teresa a cup of hot chocolate.
"Thanks," Teresa glanced at him, noticing that he wasn't looking at her at all when he handed her the hot chocolate. Still, she was touched by Kenzo's gesture.
"Drink, and stop staring at me," Kenzo said flatly, his eyes fixed on the rain-soaked street outside.
"Oh, right," Teresa quickly took a sip of the hot chocolate without blowing on it.
"Aaaaaa," she yelped as her tongue burned from the heat. "It's hot!" she exclaimed.
"Blow on it first before you drink. Just wait a bit," Teresa was surprised to hear such a long sentence come out of Kenzo's mouth.
Kenzo stood up and bought a bottle of water, handing it to Teresa. "Here."
Teresa took the water and drank it. "Sorry," she said softly.
Kenzo didn't reply; he just kept staring blankly at the view outside the convenience store. The rain was pouring down harder, and the sky was growing darker, but there were still some motorcyclists braving the storm.
Teresa continued to sneak glances at him, wanting to start a conversation but already knowing what would come out of his mouth.
"Kenzo, you—"
Tingggg
Kenzo stood up before Teresa could finish her sentence. She watched as Kenzo walked over to the microwave, opened it, and took out two cups of instant noodles. He then brought the noodles over and handed one to Teresa.
"Th-thanks."
Kenzo slurped the noodles while gazing at the street, expressionless yet still handsome. Teresa couldn't take her eyes off the attractive man. She smiled, realizing how caring Kenzo was towards her that day.
"It's good," she said after trying the noodles. She rarely, if ever, ate instant noodles, but the ones Kenzo gave her tasted so good that she eagerly devoured them.
She finished the cup in just a few minutes, smiling widely as she looked at the rain outside. 'Rain really brings blessings,' she thought. She then took out her wallet and handed some money to Kenzo.
"How much do I owe you?" Teresa offered a 100,000 rupiah bill.
Kenzo glanced at the money Teresa was holding out. He then turned his head away. "No need," he replied indifferently.
"I can't just let that go. I ate too," Teresa insisted.
Kenzo didn't say anything in response. Teresa pouted, then slipped the money into Kenzo's shirt pocket.
Kenzo pulled the money out and handed it back to Teresa with a sharp look, without saying a word. Even without speaking, Teresa understood the meaning behind that look.
"Okay, next time it's my treat," Teresa muttered, averting her eyes because Kenzo's gaze was too dangerous for her heart. She pocketed the money again and joined him in staring blankly outside.
They remained silent until the rain subsided. Once the rain had eased, Kenzo stood up, and Teresa followed him as they exited the convenience store.
Kenzo removed his bag, then took off his jacket and handed it to Teresa.
Teresa was puzzled when he gave her the jacket. She didn't understand the gesture. "Oh, you want me to carry it? Okay," Teresa said, taking the jacket and holding it.
"Put it on, it's cold," Kenzo replied.
"You'll freeze then," Teresa questioned.
Kenzo paused as he was putting on his helmet and stared at Teresa. "I'm lending it to you. Hurry up and get on."
"No need, I've got your jacket from the other day. You should wear this one."
Kenzo gave Teresa another sharp look. She quickly looked down. "Okay, okay, I'll wear it."
'Oh my god, my heart's gonna explode if this keeps up,' Teresa thought to herself as she put on the jacket. She then climbed onto the back of the motorcycle, and they rode off towards their housing complex.
Brnggggggggggggg
"Where's your house?" Kenzo asked as they entered the complex gate.
"Over there," Teresa pointed to a tall gate with a red brick motif.
'That's home.'
Kenzo stopped his motorcycle in front of the gate. Teresa got off, took off her helmet, and handed it back to Kenzo.
"You live here?" Kenzo asked.
"Yeah, my parents work here."
Kenzo took the helmet back and left without saying a word. Teresa was still happy and walked cheerfully into the house.
"Good evening, Mr. Singgih," Teresa greeted the security guard as she entered, as usual.
"Oh, yes, good evening, Miss," the guard responded.
Teresa saw Gabriel coming out of the house. She hurried inside.
"Teresa, wait," Gabriel called out, just as she had expected.
"You just got back?" he asked.
"Y-yeah," Teresa answered, looking down.
"Oh, okay. Hurry and change, our friends are coming over."
"Our friends?" Teresa asked, confused.
"Yeah, our study group. We're meeting here tonight. Didn't you see the group chat?"
Teresa took out her phone. Her study group had decided to meet at Gabriel's house that night. She quickly ran off, leaving Gabriel, and rushed into her house.
"That jacket..." Gabriel noticed the jacket Teresa was wearing as she ran inside.
*******
Teresa peeked out from behind the wall at the side of the house. Two cars pulled up, and her friends Amel and Joan got out. Teresa waited for them to enter before following behind.
"Teresa, what are you doing here?" Teresa jumped at the sound of the voice behind her. She turned to see Gabriel standing behind her. "Come on, let's go in," he urged.
"Oh, yeah, yeah," the two of them walked through the front door.
"Why did you two arrive together? What did you ride on, Teresa? I didn't see a car," Amel asked Teresa.
"Huh? I, uh..."
"I picked her up," Gabriel answered with a smile at their friends.
Gabriel's mother came out of her room, warmly welcoming them all.
"Hello, everyone," his mother greeted them. "Oh, such smart kids," she shook hands with everyone, including Teresa.
"Wait, Teresa, you—"
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