Home - Tuesday Night, 7:45 PM
I lay on my back on the sofa, lifting a small red-and-black square object toward the room's light. I turned it over in my hands, its smooth, cold, luxuriously glossy surface catching the glow.
"So beautiful..."
Whoosh! Suddenly, the object vanished from my grasp. I jolted, my body nearly falling off the sofa.
"Hmm... what's this?" Gerry's voice emerged from behind the sofa, the object now in his hand.
"Gerry! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" I clutched my chest, trying to catch my breath.
Gerry ignored me. He was too focused on the object, his eyes widening.
"Whoa! I know what this is... It's a DAP (Digital Audio Player), but a high-end one. It makes music sound ten times clearer, more detailed, and more alive. This is expensive."
Gerry flipped the object over in awe. "Look at that retro design, that red-black color combination... so classy. This could be a vintage collectible ten years from now."
"Gerry, give it back!" I jumped up, trying to snatch it.
Gerry raised his hand high, staring at me inquisitively before finally handing it back. "Did you buy this, Kirana?"
"No." I hugged the object to my chest, feeling the cold metal sensation through my shirt. "It's a gift from Nico."
"Nico?" Papa's deep voice cut in from the dining table.
Papa approached with steady steps, followed by Mom carrying a tea tray. Great. I was surrounded in the middle of the living room.
Three pairs of eyes stared at me, waiting for an explanation. I knew they wouldn't let me escape without telling them everything.
"Fine. Fine!"
[Flashback - School, Break Time]
The second-floor hallway was growing quiet, leaving only the echo of my own footsteps.
At the far turn, Nico's figure appeared. Our steps slowed, then stopped simultaneously about two meters apart. I gave an awkward nod, met by his flat, unreadable stare.
I started walking again. The scent of his masculine cologne reached my nose just as I passed his shoulder. Only five steps away, his voice stopped me.
"Bossy girl." His voice was soft, slightly husky.
"Yes?" The moment I turned around, Nico did the same. Our eyes met.
"I have something for you."
His hand reached into his uniform pocket. He stepped closer, then took my hand and placed a small, smooth object into my fingers.
"What is this?"
"A Digital Audio Player." His voice was flat, his eyes fixed on me. "You're in choir, right? You can use this to listen to song tracks or record your own voice."
I looked down at it in my grasp. The object sparkled under the morning sunlight.
"This... is beautiful."
"It's not new," he added quickly, as if covering up awkwardness. "A birthday gift from my parents a few years ago. I rarely use it. It's wasteful just sitting there. It might be more useful in your hands."
I stared at the small square object in my hand. No scratches, not even dust. Even the original box was still intact. So well-maintained.
He turned his face away, avoiding my gaze as if my excitement was too blinding for him.
"Yeah. That's all I wanted." He turned to leave, but before I realized it, my hand had already reached out, grabbing his sleeve. His steps stopped. He looked at my hand gripping his uniform fabric, then slowly shifted his gaze to my eyes.
"Nico, this is really nice. Thank you." Seeing my excitement, the defenses on his face crumbled.
The corner of his lips lifted, forming a small smile. Enough to make the cold hallway feel warm.
"Good, if you like it." My hand released as he finally walked away.
I stood frozen, hugging the small box to my chest, feeling my own heartbeat which had suddenly become irregular.
*
"A portable music player for a choir kid. Specific and very personal." Papa sipped his coffee, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Is there something strange about that?" I replied, still clutching the object tightly.
"It's a strategy, Kirana. There's a hidden message behind this simple object." Papa smiled mysteriously.
Gerry nodded while leaning his back against the sofa. "Right. Seems like he knows the Class President is getting close to you, Kirana, whether from rumors or from the Class President's own behavior.
With that object, he's subtly claiming ownership of you. Like a predator leaving a mark on its territory. Nico is basically saying: Don't interfere, she's mine. He's so sly. Ke ke ke," he teased.
"What are you saying, Gerry." I fanned my suddenly hot face with my hand.
"But this small object is indeed 'dangerous,' Kirana." Mom winked. "Because every time you put on earphones and play music, you'll feel like he's always close to you, even though he's far away at the Training Center."
"That's the point, Mom." Papa chuckled softly.
Gerry suddenly interrupted. "Who would have thought? He uses a small object to make a big declaration."
I looked down. A small object, a big declaration? So this was Nico's way of admitting that he... likes me?
On its shiny dark screen, I saw the reflection of my own face—a girl with rosy cheeks she couldn't hide. My heart suddenly became noisy, like thousands of fireworks exploding at once.
"If that's the case," I stood up straight, "then I can't just stay silent either."
Papa and Mom simultaneously turned their heads. "Kirana? Where are you going?"
I didn't answer. With calm steps, I reached into my backpack on the sofa and rummaged through its front pocket. Got it. A small sticker sheet I had tucked between my notebooks.
"What's that?" Gerry narrowed his eyes.
I returned to the center of the room. In my left hand was the classy red-black DAP. In my right hand... a cute pink bunny sticker with round cheeks, smiling sweetly.
Sret.
Without hesitation, I stuck the sticker right onto the back of the DAP. My thumb smoothed out the corners, making sure the bunny was perfectly attached, covering the brand logo.
"There. Now it's cuter, right?" I held it high toward the room's light.
Gerry gaped. "A pink bunny sticker on a red-black retro DAP? Kirana, you've completely ruined the object's aesthetic."
"I didn't ruin it." I stroked the smooth surface of the sticker. "This is my way of telling him that his gift—and his intention—is received with all my heart."
Papa and Mom exchanged glances, then smiled at each other and shrugged.
I clutched his gift as if it were the most precious treasure in the world. Starting tonight, I know there's something different between me and that annoying boy.
Digital Audio Player illustration
https://www.image2url.com/r2/default/images/1777466218584-36a718db-65b4-425a-9fd2-eed67d1b3f69.jpg