"Sir, pack one for me please!" Rangga exclaimed to the waiter. The man then pulled out a nearby chair. "Lis, come and sit for a while,"

Lisa sat in front of him with a pounding heart. She didn't know why but her hunch Rangga said seemed jealous of Bastian.

She cleared her throat, and fell silent as if she had been caught.

"Lis," Rangga said, breaking the silence. "Are you going out with Bastian now?" the man asked in a lazy tone.

Lisa frowned. "Huh? Of course not! He's my coworker! Don't easily accuse me like that, Rangga. It's not really like you!"

"Oh, I just thought you two seemed to get along well," Rangga replied, still suspicious.

"Just so you know, he welcomed me when I asked him out to eat. Earlier when I hung out with him at Sunbucks, we didn't talk much and it was so awkward!" Lisa answered plainly.

"What are you treating Bastian for? How come you did it out of a sudden?"

Hearing Rangga's question which began to sound like a jealous person, Lisa took a deep breath and then turned her head.

"Bastian helped to fix my computer screen. Then I just asked him to hang out a little to show my gratitude. I am not as rich as you, so I can only treat him to eat Ketoprak," Lisa replied bluntly.

Rangga didn't answer her, he just muttered and then kept quiet instead.

After a few minutes passed, the waiter came and handed Rangga the plastic bag and then paid for it.

"Lis, I'll take you to your boarding house," Rangga said, pointing to his car with his chin.

"No need, I'll just walk! It's really close from here," Lisa said.

"I want to briefly stop by your boarding house. Can't I?" Rangga asked pitifully.

"Okay, come on then."

"I'll eat at your place too!" Rangga suddenly said with a cheerful face.

In just ten minutes,  Rangga's black Mercedes arrived at the gate of the boarding house. Lisa took off her seat belt and got out of the car. The man followed her while pressing the lock button.

"It's crazy how you can feel at ease living in a rickety boarding house like this," Rangga said spontaneously when he looked up and saw the worned out and awful look of the old house Lisa lived in.

"My salary is only enough for renting something like this," Lisa replied briefly. "Come on in."

The man followed Lisa and then sat on the living room sofa. He took off his black coat and draped it over the back of the sofa.

"I'll bring a drink for a moment. Do you want cold water or warm tea?" Lisa asked as she stepped into the kitchen.

"Just cold water, Lis!" Rangga shouted from the living room. He leaned over so that the woman could hear him.

Lisa then returned to the living room with an empty glass and a glass bottle filled with cold water. She put the glass on the living room table and poured it slowly.

"Thanks Lis," Rangga said quietly.

"So," the man cleared his throat. "Oscar doesn't bother you anymore, right?"

Rangga brought the water glass close to his lips then took a slow sip.

Lisa was surprised by Rangga's question. Every time someone mentioned Oscar's name or asked a question related to the golden haired man, it always made her feel uncomfortable.

Just hearing Oscar's name was enough to make Lisa's hair shudder in horror.

Lisa was silent for a long time, she didn't respond to Rangga's question.

The man sitting in front of her then regretted asking that unpleasant question.

"Sorry, I'm just worried," Rangga replied guiltily.

The woman took a deep breath and then blinked. She closed her eyes for a while then exhaled slowly.

"I appreciate your concern for my safety, but to be honest I am actually a little uncomfortable every time you ask me that. But if you really want to know, that bastard doesn't bother me anymore."

Rangga looked at Lisa suspiciously. He could feel the doubt in her explanation. It looked like that woman was hiding something from him.

"If you want it, I can help you get away from your ex-husband. I can move you from this ugly house to an apartment or house near my house that has a high level of security. I can't see you suffering like this!" Rangga said sympathetically.

Lisa ignored Rangga's words just now. She knew that Rangga still had feelings for her. Still, she didn't want to repeat the same mistakes again. She hoped Rangga would move on from her and find a lover soon.

"Rangga, I know you still like me. But I'm really sorry, I can't go out with you. Even if the sun is split in two, I still won't go out with you," Lisa replied flatly.

Her words just now seemed to stab Rangga's heart. The man was rejected for the umpteenth time by his childhood friend.

"I know your intentions are good, but I don't want it if you do all of your kindness just to get my heart. I can't and I don't want to."

Lisa lifted her face and stared at Rangga's handsome face firmly and then said, "Don't waste your time on me. I still think of you as a close friend and it will never change!" 

The man lowered his head, feeling disappointed. He spooned his food lazily and then muttered, "Honestly, I'm disappointed. But what can I do other than waiting for an answer from you?"

"Rangga, you won't be able to seduce me to be your girlfriend!" Lisa replied firmly.

"It's okay, you may say 'no' for now. But I still have a hope that you'll change it into a 'yes' tomorrow or somewhere in the future," the man smiled faintly as he chewed his food.

Lisa took a deep breath and rubbed her entire face. "Give it up! Don't forget to throw away the wrappers when you're finished," she instructed him, pointing to Rangga's food.

***

After eating at the boarding house, Rangga said goodbye to Lisa. The man put on his black coat again and then stepped his two thin legs to the gate.

Lisa followed him to the front gate and locked it.

"Have a good rest, Lis!" Rangga said from behind the half-open window while waving his right hand.

In return, Lisa waved her hand and smiled faintly. "Be careful!"

When Lisa came back inside, someone hugged her from behind then closed her mouth.

The arm was so strong that Lisa couldn't shake off the grip.

"Can you shut up?" Said the man who was clutching her from behind.

His deep and seductive voice sounded very familiar to Lisa's ears. The woman then looked up and stared at the face of the man she had once known.

"Oscar! You bastard!" Lisa shouted to herself.

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