Chapter 10

I feel like my body is all sore because today's training was very hard. We ran up and down the stairs to the third floor of the school. Not only that, our feet and hands were also given weights. We also shouldn't be loud because it could disturb the lessons that are taking place in class. Ah, archery is very tiring and I want to stop archery and be an ordinary student who sits on a bench while listening to the material the teacher explains.

"Oh, what are you doing here," I asked Nareswara who was standing in front of the archery gym door carrying a carton of milk.

He handed me the milk box, "Waiting for you to come home together," he answered and I just nodded and accepted the milk box he gave me.

We walked side by side through the school hallway which was already empty because it was already five in the afternoon. Imagine how broken my body was training from eight in the morning until half past five in the afternoon. I'm like an office employee when I practice.

"How do I join the school archery team," he asked me and I just remembered that he was good at archery and had once participated in an archery competition and won. It seemed like his talent would be admired by the school if he joined the archery team.

Even though I don't like being close to him, I don't want to hinder someone's talent from developing so I took out my cell phone and sent a message to Mr. Handoko, the school's archery coach. I sent him a message that there would be new members who wanted to register and sent a video link of Nareswara when he won a medal in the inter-school Olympics in Seoul.

"I just texted the coach and just wait, you'll be joining the team." I smiled when I told him and somehow I looked really cute to him.

"Really," he asked enthusiastically when we were in front of the school gate which was deserted and there were only the two of us.

I nodded.

She smiled broadly and I hated the lipstick that lay thinly on her lips. Without giving a warning, he immediately took my hand and invited me to walk together hand in hand. Why does he act like a kindergarten student his attitude like this reminds me of when we were little. He always holds Betari and me's hands when he comes home from kindergarten. I hope that Betari is also here so that the three of us can be like before.

Without realizing it, I smiled remembering my childhood and without realizing why I wanted to hold hands with Nareswara which could cause misunderstandings. We are not children anymore and I let go of Nareswara's hand from mine. He was shocked and stopped in his tracks, as did I.

He looked at me disappointed. "Why did you let it go?" he asked with a disappointed look. His face wasn't as happy as before.

"We're not kids anymore," I answered and walked ahead of him.

Unfortunately, he grabbed my backpack and forced me to stop walking. "Can you act maturely and not be childish like this," I asked annoyed and I didn't have the energy to get angry.

He let go of my backpack so I could continue walking on the sidewalk with the city lights already on. I like this kind of atmosphere because it feels warm even though the sun will soon set completely.

"Is holding hands only for children," he asked in a very sullen tone.

God, why does he like to provoke a negative aura in me to get angry at him?

"I don't have the energy to fight today so please don't be noisy," I said to him and he looked angry at me by walking ahead of me and I didn't care about that.

I wanted to avoid him so I let him walk first and I wanted to sit for a while on a bench next to the sidewalk to enjoy the afternoon traffic. This is my habit of relieving fatigue from practicing archery all day. As well as calming my mind about the questions in the future that make me not know what to do.

I stuck the straw in the hole of the milk carton and took a sip. Even though he gave me a free box of milk, this still doesn't change anything as long as he hasn't stopped being mean to me.

Heavy breathing came out of my nose and thoughts like these appeared again. In the past, I once had a dream of living a very good life and always supported Garvi's dream of becoming a basketball athlete. I often scold him when he runs wearing only sandals because it can hurt his feet. But, I also did that myself, running in sandals even though I was also a school athlete. Yes, my dream is not to become an athlete. Remembering it all makes me smile but it hurts.

I pondered long enough that I didn't realize that Nareswara was sitting on a bench ten feet away from the bench I was sitting on. We looked at each other from a distance of ten feet with different meanings.

I got up from my seat after finishing the box of milk that Nareswara gave me. Then walked over to the trash can to throw away the empty milk carton.

In the end, we went home together and no one spoke up because I didn't want to communicate. When he arrived in front of Nareswara's house he just waved his hand and I nodded silently then walked towards the house.

On the front veranda, I was greeted by Mother and it was unusual for Mother to do this to me. Is Mom being possessed by a kind spirit or something? Why do I sound like such an impudent child, huh?

"Are you at the same school as Nareswara?" I'm disappointed with this question. Could Mother ask if I was tired after practicing archery all day, instead I asked about Nareswara.

"Yes, and one class," I answered briefly as I walked past Mother to enter the house.

When I entered the house, I saw Father, who had just arrived home, walking towards the kitchen. He looked at me and asked, "Don't your hands hurt from practicing archery all day?" Father's question was so comforting and I smiled while shaking my head.

"You take a warm bath." Even though Father said it over and over again, I still liked him.

"Are your seats close together?" asked my Mother who was suddenly behind me and shocked my heart.

Meanwhile, Father looked at us with knitted eyebrows and then said, "How do you know, Nayana practices archery all day long." I am grateful that Father responded quickly and answered Mother's questions to help his exhausted daughter.

"But they went home together, why don't they talk about it." Give God an extra forty patience to face Mother.

"Nay, take a warm shower," my Father told me and my Father repeatedly saved me from my Mother.

"I want to ask Nareswara myself and invite him to dinner together."

It's up to you, the important thing is that you're happy to be able to have dinner again with your favorite human.