Their Nuance

She tilted her chin up, staring at the cloudy sky with her glittering eyes. She took a breathe, closing her eyes as she heard the townsquare antique clock ticking, and the loud bell rang beside her ears. In the same time, rain started to pour heavily. Some tourists ran off and tried to cover their heads and wet feet, trying their best to find near rooftop or shop they could stay.

Aleeza felt the water drench her blue shirt quickly than she expected, she hurriedly to the pop-funky looking café. She entered the place which had espresśo aroma. She noticed that almost every tourists think the same like her.

The place was pretty crowded, but she eventually saved place for herself to sit. A waiter came to her side and asked if she wanted anything. Aleeza nodded and ordered a hot chocolate, a glass of water and panini. She closed the menu as she smiled back to the waiter. She looked at the time on her black smartphone and noticed 20 messages from her friends. She read it and mostly the text saying that she needs to go back to their tour bus.

Aleeza dialed one of her friend, Beatrix. "Liz! Where are you? Why did you suddenly run off? Did you know how we're all panic when you suddenly gone?!" Beatrix shouted with concern tone.

Aleeza chuckled and assured her calmly. "I'm fine, don't worry. Tell the others, you guys can go first, I'll go to the hotel later. I'm still enjoying my solo adventure here."

"Liz! It's almost night and it's raining!" Beatrix insisted her to go together, as her best friend, she just wanted to protect her in this foreign country with the majority of the citizens couldn't speak English or should she say, 'dislike to speak with it even though they understand it'.

"Bebe! I'm fine. Really." Her orders came to her sight and she bowed her head slightly to say thank you to the waiter. She continued to speak with Beatrix. "Anyway, I can take care of myself. I learned slightly karate if that's why you're worried, besides... this is pretty much save country with 5% crime rates. It's pretty low and me? Will I get attack? Unlikely. You're worried too much and this is not the first time I gone solo traveling, am I right?"

"....Yeah... sadly, this time YOU ARE IN FREAKING GROUP, LIZ! I-"

"Oops." Aleeza cut off her call and muted the call for a moment. She grabbed her drink and sipped with her delightful smile. She enjoyed her alone time so much. Even though it was raining at her time, she enjoyed the rain sound and how the water droplets flowing from up to down on the mirror like waterfall. Just as she wanted to open her mouth to say praises, a camera shutter was heard. Aleeza instinctly turned her head to her left side and noticed lone man pointing his camera to her direction. The man lifted his head and stared back at her with his gray eyes.

The man had a bridge nose, bulky body, with muscles pressed on his white shirt. She almost saw his skin coming through from it. He noticed her stares and shifted his position to cover it with his black leather jacket. His hair cutted short. Aleeza kept staring and coughing, signaling him.

Noticed her discomforted from her brows and narrowed eyes, he shook his head and pointed to the window scenery beside her. Aleeza blinked and realized she was wrong. She was kind of paranoid for a second, she didn't really like someone to take picture of her without her consent. She bowed to the man and said sorry as she went back drinking her chocolate. She chocked quite a bit, her tongue stung hurtfully, forgot that the drink still hot and some of fill spilled on her navy skirt. "Ahh...no."

"Excuse me." A man voice came beside her, she looked up the tall figure and it was that mistaking-camera-man-taking-picture-of-her guy. She looked at the white cloth on his hand and took it as she said thank you.

"This cloth will be dirty, is it okay for me to use it?" Aleeza asked to make sure if he was okay with it.

"No, don't worry, just use it."

"Alright, thank you. Then I should get it back to you later, right? Umm... Mister.."

"Uh, Zahid."

"Zahid..." She found it noticeable and wanted to ask further about something she curious on. She asked, "Are you from Turkey?"

"....Yes and no, I'm half-American." He answered nonchalantly, although his eyebrows slightly went up, Aleeza stil noticed his expression shifted to unamused one. Did she say something rude? She only wanted to know where is his origin. That was all.

"I see." She could only comment.

"You?"

"Huh?" Aleeza looked at him confused.

Understanding her expression. He elaborated, "Your name... and where're you come from?"

"Aleeza, I'm from Indonesia."

He smiled, letting his dimples to show. Aleeza blinked and heard him saying, "Cool." He looked at the time and nodded suddenly, his phone alarm remind him to go to his next meeting. "See you later, Aleeza. I need to go." Putting back his camera back on his bag. He went to the hanger and grabbed his white hat.

"Wait! How abot yours-"

"No, it's fine." He said briefly, leaving Aleeza dumfounded. Aleeza stared outside the window, following his figure under the brown umbrella. In the rain, she could see clearly a letter symbol Z on top of his umbrella. Was it represented his first letter name? Whatever it was, Aleeza clearly interested with that odd letter. She rarely felt like this in awhile. She said thank you again to the man inwardly. Oh well, they will never meet again.

...

"Ah. Ms. Aleeza? Am I correct?" The man asked with surprised tone when he looked at the woman besides him. He was standing in front of the receiptionist desk, trying to take his room key and noticed a certain figure just like the woman he met back in the café few hours ago. He didn't know how he was so sure, but maybe because she was quite unforgettable person that he met in his travel. She is quite pretty, he admitted.

Aleeza raised her brows and obviously looked surprised, he heard her saying, "Mr. Zach... Zainud?"

Veins popped on his forehead and he just brush it off with a smile. "Zahid." He felt quite offended that only he remembered her, was he not memorable enough for her? He guessed not. What a dumb question, the two of them are strangers. Of course, she forgot easily. He is that irrelevant to her. What are you imaginating, Zahid?

"Ah, yes, Zahid. What a surprise, are you staying in the same hotel too?"

He nodded. "Yes, are you staying here alone?" He asked curiously.

"No, I'm with my friends here." She pointed at her female friends and two male friends on the waiting lounge. "We're in vacation together after work."

"Unbelievable, you're not a student? You look so young."

"I get that a lot." She smiled sweetly and Zahid's stomach squirmed weirdly. "Ah right, do you want to join us? We will have a casual party in 405. You're alone, right? Care to build a social relationship with us?"

"Well, that's a weird way to invite someone out." He chuckled. "How do you know I'm alone? Did my face saying I'm single."

"You're single? A handsome man like you? You're lying. Anyway, I'm speaking about your single room key that you hold. That's why I know you're staying here alone. I know that I don't know much about you or your job, but if you have time and need place to relax, we will have a party at 405 at 8 PM. Noted that, kay?" She crossed her arms in front looking confidently.

Zahid grinned after hearing her explanation. Damn, did he embarrassed himself and let out one of his TMI being single for long? So much for loneliness, yet he nodded and ignored his red ears. "You're really confident person, aren't you? Thanks for inviting me. If I have time, maybe I'll visit. And I think you should go back to your friends." Zahid looked her friends behind her, all of them looks curious and excited. Except for one man who wore was holding his water bottle. Zahid could see from afar that he squeezed the bottle quite strong. Poor bottle. He thought.

When he tried to divert his gaze back to Aleeza, that angry man sharping his gaze as if wanted to hole his body with his laser beam. Why he looked at him like that?

Wait.

"Do you have boyfriend?" Zahid urgingly asked her, he didn't know why he asked this question on the second time they met. Idiot. He told himself.

"How do you know?" As if something crashed on his soul, he ignored the fact, and said, "Cool". He saw her pointed to the man with red shirt. The angry man who crushed that poor water bottle. Of course he is. Now, he knows why.

"As much I like to talk you more, I need to go again, I'll see you soon, maybe at the party." He let out his business card to her and she did the same.

"Alright. See you later, Zahid."

"Call me Zay, Aleeza."

"Liz. Just Liz."

He lifted his lips up and his eyes turned soft. Cute nickname, he spoke himself inside. "Later then, Liz."

"Okay, later."

...

"Who is that? Was that the man you met in the café about?" Beatrix bombarded her with questions.

"Uh, huh. Looks like he stayed the same hotel as us. I invited him to our party tonight. It's okay, right?" Aleeza asked her friends with carefree attitude.

"You invited a stranger man?" Husna asked gulliblely, her small hand stayed on her side forehead. Her doe eyes looks at Aleeza. "Don't tell me he hit on you? or did you hit on him? for lord sake, Liz. How many times your-"

"Husna. Shut your mouth." Dany scolded her and exhaled.

"Well now, now, her airhead and flirty personality is just one thing she good at. Sorry, did that offended you?" Gena tried to smooth things over, yet her usual sarcasm still there. Her short hair waved to the side, her neck tilted and smiled at Aleeza. Aleeza brush it off and smiled back in response. "See, she is nice, so she is just being nice. Now, what were you guys talking about?"

Aleeza crossed her arms, "He is not a stranger. he is Zahid, new friend that I made I guess."

"Or new target." Gena intercepted her as she chuckled along with her boyfriend, Rae. They were cuddling on the couch.

Rae motioned Dany to speak something but Dany clearly didn't have the urge. Aleeza noticed her boyfriend mood and went straight to his side. Aleeza brushed his hair, "Don't be angry."

"Let's talk later." Dany got up from his seat and went somewhere alone. Aleeza didn't follow him because she knew that he needs alone time and if she bothered him, he would be more upset than now. Beatrix still questioning her about Zahid and Aleeza just answered her casually. Husna was upsetted too, but she eventually listen to Aleeza's information about Zahid. How she discovered that he is actually freelance journalist.