2. A Little Secret

“*Uwak Le?”

Kiran held her phone tightly as she whispered from behind the office toilet cubicle. It had been an hour since she last spoke to Aldi, yet she couldn’t shake off her anxiety. Especially after finding out that the man who had consumed her love potion was none other than the owner of Baven Group, where she worked, Jevan Baven.

Since the day she gave the potion to Aldi, she hadn’t seen Jevan, the one who had actually drunk it. Naturally, she was on edge. The idea of her potion affecting Jevan, who might be a dangerous individual, troubled her deeply.

“*Neng Kiran?” A cheerful voice interrupted her thoughts from the other end of the line. “How are you, Neng? How did you get my Whatsapp number?”

“My mom gave it to me, Wak,” Kiran responded.

Just half an hour earlier, Kiran had called her mother to inquire about her grandmother’s love potion. Unaware of Kiran’s past actions with her grandmother, her mother ended up scolding her. Thankfully, she still provided the phone number of Ale, her late mom’s faithful assistant.

“Why is it so noisy there? Where are you?” Kiran asked in confusion upon hearing the faint sound of disco music in the background.

“Haha, I’m in Ibiza, Neng! There are still a lot of party people here, so it’s a bit noisy,” the man chuckled.

Ale was quite unique. When Kiran’s grandmother was alive, he always appeared serious and mysterious. But after her grandmother’s passing and leaving a portion of her wealth to Ale, the man underwent a sudden transformation, as if he had just discovered the joys of wealth and leisure.

Evidently, he had been under a lot of stress with his fierce wife. Just two weeks after Kiran’s grandmother’s passing, Ale’s wife also passed away.

As a result, Ale, now suddenly wealthy and single, embraced a carefree bachelor lifestyle. People noted that the man who once lived secluded on the mountain had transformed into a social and modern individual, reminiscent of the youth culture in South Jakarta.

“What time is it in Spain, Wak?” Kiran asked, trying to engage in casual conversation.

“Three o’clock in the morning, Neng. It’s still nine in the morning in Jakarta, right?” Ale replied. His voice indicated that he was moving away from the noisy crowd, entering a quieter area.

“Yes, um … Uwak Le, do you remember when I asked *Nini for a love potion?” Kiran inquired cautiously. “At that time, Nini’s potion didn’t work on my crush… do you remember?”

Ale fell silent for a moment. “Yeah, I remember. I don’t understand why it didn’t work on you. Anything from your nini is supposed to work.”

“It was someone else, Uncle!” Kiran hurriedly clarified in a panicked tone. “The guy I had a crush on… actually gave the drink to someone else! I only found out about it today after I met my crush again.”

“Huh?”

Kiran took a deep breath. “Does Nini’s love potion have an expiration date?”

“If the spell hasn’t been lifted, it should remain effective,” Ale responded, still trying to grasp Kiran’s revelation. “Who actually drank the potion back then?”

“A… rather dangerous person,” Kiran said, frustration evident in her tone. “So the spell needs to be lifted? Which spell are you referring to?”

“When you performed the magical ritual, you were asked to recite a spell, right? That’s the spell I’m referring to,” Ale explained.

“Until now, I didn’t know what language it was in,” Kiran muttered after recollecting. “Do you know what the spell says? What language is it?”

Ale suddenly laughed awkwardly. “No idea. To be honest, I don’t know what it is.”

The girl appeared stunned. “Huh? You’ve been with Nini for so many years and you don’t even know the most important part?”

“Like the secret recipes of chefs, spells are the secret of every shaman,” the man replied in a tone that sounded more serious this time. “I was a bit afraid to ask your nini about her spells. I just always followed her orders because I was afraid of your nini. That’s black magic, Neng. The slightest mistake, the effects can be dangerous. Your nini is not just any shaman.”

Even Uwak Le himself was afraid of Nini, just like Mom. Kiran complained to herself.

“So, how do I lift the spell?” the girl asked again, now with a bit of resignation.

Ale paused for a moment before responding to Kiran. “There’s a way to undo the spell. Your nini had a book about it at her place. Maybe when I get back to Indonesia, I’ll try to figure out the process again.”

“But,” he went on, “have you seen the person who drank the potion? Did you notice any reaction from him?”

“Um… not yet,” Kiran admitted. “But now, we’re both in the same office after not seeing each other for eight years. So maybe… we might bump into each other since we’re here every day.”

Thinking her thoughts might sound silly, Kiran chuckled and scratched her head. “But… I might be overthinking it. It’s not like the potion from eight years ago will actually work, right?”

“It will work,” Ale replied, sounding more serious. “It will work if he finally meets you and you two make eye contact.”

“But what I’ve learned,” he continued, “is that potions don’t work like they do in most stories. The man affected by the potion won’t necessarily go head over heels for you. It all depends on his personality. But one thing’s for sure, he’ll be drawn to you.”

Kiran tensed up. “It all depends on his personality? Uwak… don’t freak me out! The person who drank my love potion was so terrible. I don’t want to get mixed up with a psychopath killer like him at all.”

“Psychopath killer?”

Clang!

The sound of something falling suddenly echoed from outside Kiran’s cubicle. Kiran lapsed into silence for a moment and her face displaying a shocked expression.

It’s the ladies’ room. Who could be out there? She reflexively adopted a cautious demeanor.

Why hadn’t I heard anyone entering the toilet? Was this person outside… lurking here all this time and remaining silent because she overheard my phone conversation?

Suddenly, Kiran heard the water tap being turned on from outside. Panicked, she immediately disconnected her phone and hurried out of her toilet cubicle.

To her surprise, when she opened the door, she spotted a girl standing at the sink, gazing at herself in the mirror while washing her hands. As soon as she caught sight of Kiran’s reflection in the mirror, her expression turned to one of immediate shock.

However, after a few moments of silence, she turned her body towards Kiran and offered a warm smile.

“Kiran? Kiran Kania, right? How are you?” greeted Selia Andrea, the gorgeous girl who had once been her closest friend and also the source of her deepest pain.

___

Selia Andrea surveyed the attendees who had just wrapped up the meeting in Baven Technology’s conference room with a thoughtful expression. The girl with long, sun-kissed hair and matching eyes appeared to be breathing in and out, as if something had suddenly unsettled her.

At times, her sleek Christian Louboutin-clad feet seemed to tap against the floor rhythmically. Occasionally, she would absentmindedly spin her chair around like a child, but her brow furrowed in contemplation.

However, as soon as she noticed Aldi Abbas concluding a conversation with a meeting participant and heading out towards his office, Selia promptly rose to her feet. Grinning, she quickened her pace to catch up with Aldi.

“Up for lunch together?” she asked cheerfully. “There’s a new spot nearby that serves amazing rib soup. Everyone’s raving about it.”

“Aren’t you going with Jevan?” Aldi inquired, continuing his stride without breaking pace. He cast a brief glance at Selia trailing behind him.

“Jevan’s still in Singapore. He’ll be back later tonight,” Selia responded, still smiling.

“Selia, I’m still tied up, and I have a lunch appointment with someone else,” Aldi replied, glancing at the watch on his wrist as he walked.

“With Kiran?” Selia halted her steps. “I bumped into her in the restroom. Ah, Kiran’s looking so adorable now. It’s a shame about the oversized receptionist uniform she was wearing. It looked a bit odd on her.”

Aldi, who had also come to a stop, remained silent. His gaze fixed on Selia.

“Did you mention to Kiran about wearing a properly fitted uniform? She’s the receptionist greeting guests for Baven Group on this floor,” Selia reiterated.

“It’s only her first day, Selia. She’s still getting acquainted and probably mentioned the wrong uniform size to HR yesterday,” Aldi replied.

“She also needs to wear some makeup,” Selia added. “All female receptionists in this building are expected to look polished and attractive. Have you talked to her about this?”

Aldi let out a sigh. “That’s something the HR department should handle. But I’ll try to discuss it with her later.”

“Can I join you and her for lunch?” Selia asked, still smiling. “I miss our long chats with Kiran. She’s still the friend I’ve known the longest and… the closest.”

“Selia, we both have a complicated history with Kiran,” Aldi responded. “If we suddenly show up together in front of her, I’m worried she’ll feel…”

“Are you serious? I was just teasing!” Selia interrupted with a laugh. “I know she needs time to warm up to us again like before. I’m just messing around!”

Aldi exhaled and turned around once more. He was about to walk away from Selia and head to his office, but his ex-girlfriend called him back.

“Aldi, meeting Kiran just now brought back a memory,” Selia said, her expression turning serious and somewhat sad. “Back then, everyone thought it was me who ended things and left for abroad. But no one knew it was actually you who broke up with me.”

“Now I’m curious,” she continued. “Will you tell me… why did you end things so suddenly?”

“Huh?”

“Please don’t misunderstand,” Selia quickly added, “I don’t have any lingering feelings for you. I’m with Jevan now. It’s just… I’ve always wondered. You used to be so devoted to me, and then you suddenly ended it out of nowhere. I’m just curious to know the reason.”

Aldi suddenly felt awkward, trying to find the right words to spare Selia’s feelings. But he seemed at a loss for words, which made Selia laugh again. 

“I knew it would be hard for you to answer,” she said. “Forget it, never mind. I’ll just go grab lunch with the others. Say hi to Kiran for me, okay? Maybe I’ll catch up with her for lunch sometime soon, without you.”

Aldi watched Selia walk away, still smiling warmly at him. But there was something in her words that transported Aldi back to his high school days—something he couldn’t explain to anyone, even now.

___

Flashback to eight years ago

“Aldi!”

Kiran’s voice rang out, causing Aldi to halt his actions of wiping sweat from his face. Turning his head, he spotted his classmate, Kiran, running towards him with something in her hand.

“I’ve been searching everywhere for you,” Kiran said to Aldi, who remained stiff and silent. “I need to give you my information for the high school yearbook. I’m the only one left in our class who hasn’t submitted it, right?”

Aldi nodded. The guy still felt uneasy about facing Kiran after their prolonged silence.

Ever since Kiran’s mother was fired from the school, Aldi had carried a sense of guilt towards her. Furthermore, after he and Selia officially became a couple, Aldi could see the disappointment and hurt in Kiran’s eyes whenever they crossed paths. Now, with Kiran reaching out to him after such a long time, Aldi’s discomfort was palpable.

“Y—yeah, you’re the only one who hasn’t given me your information yet,” he replied, reaching out to take the data sheet from Kiran’s hand.

“Are you… playing basketball?” Kiran inquired, casting a glance at the empty basketball court. “It’s already three o’clock. Don’t you usually head to your tutoring sessions around this time?”

Aldi shook his head. “My tutoring class is canceled today because the teacher is sick. That’s why I’m playing basketball now.”

“I see. You must be heated from playing basketball in this scorching sun,” Kiran remarked again. She suddenly opened her bag and pulled out a cold soda bottle from it.

“Do you want this?” the girl asked abruptly. “I accidentally bought a cold drink, buy one get one free. Luckily, I haven’t drunk this one yet. I noticed you’re all sweaty. Maybe if you—“

“I do!” Aldi quickly responded. The man suddenly felt incredibly relieved to see Kiran being friendly to him again. So happy, he immediately accepted Kiran’s offer without hesitation.

Kiran herself smiled and handed the cold bottle from her hand to Aldi. “Well then, I’ll head home first, okay?”

“Um … Kiran, thank you,” Aldi said sincerely as he wiped the condensation off the bottle in his hand. He glanced at the girl who nodded at her before she dashed off.

“Is that your girlfriend that people were talking about here?”

Jevan Baven—his senior at the school two years ago—suddenly appeared behind him after briefly going to the restroom in the middle of their basketball game. Aldi, who was smiling to himself, immediately turned to Jevan with narrowed eyes.

“She’s not my girlfriend. She’s just a classmate,” he retorted.

Jevan raised an eyebrow at Aldi. “You already have a girlfriend, but you were looking at your classmate like that? Are you sure you didn’t accidentally ask the wrong person to be your girlfriend?”

“W—what’s wrong with the way I looked at her? I just felt guilty about something,” Aldi stuttered.

Hearing this, Jevan just shrugged. However, he suddenly grabbed the cold drink bottle from Aldi’s hand. Before Aldi could protest, Jevan opened the bottle and gulped down as much as he could.

“Hey! That’s my drink!” Aldi yelled, trying to grab his drink back from Jevan’s hand.

Jevan didn’t seem to care. After drinking almost half of the bottle, he then returned it to Aldi without a hint of gratitude.

“Adi, in about two hours, people will start heading out from the office, right? I have to go now because I have something to take care of.”

Aldi, annoyed to see his cold soda drink left half-full, looked up at the tall figure of Jevan. “I’ve told you multiple times, my name is Aldi, not Adi! Why do you keep calling me the wrong name?! And besides, aren’t you going to continue our game?”

“What for? We both know you’ve lost,” Jevan replied indifferently as he grabbed his backpack from the side of the basketball court.

As if he had no cares in the world, he then left without saying anything else. He left Aldi standing alone on the empty basketball court, bewildered.

That guy named Jevan… he’s really weird, Aldi thought to himself. Was he always this arrogant and unpredictable back then?

He suddenly showed up at school again after two years of graduating… he suddenly insisted on playing basketball with me… and now, he’s just leaving on his own? If it weren’t for what people said about him being scary, I might have refused his invitation and left earlier.

Aldi glanced at Jevan’s disappearing figure at the school gate with irritation. He then started to gather his belongings on the sidelines of the basketball court, preparing to head home. However, before he left, he decided to open the cap of the cold soda drink from Kiran earlier, and then drank the remaining until it’s finished.