Chapter 1

"Nabila!" Zalikha called out to her eldest daughter, Nabila. When Nabila didn't respond, Zalikha called again.

"Nabila! Where is that girl? Nabila!"

Finally, Nabila answered her mother while running towards her.

"Yes, Mom."

Zalikha stared at her daughter's face and asked, "What were you doing that you didn't hear me calling?"

Nabila replied with a guilty tone, "Sorry, Mom. I was cleaning the cat's place and feeding her. That's why I didn't hear you."

Zalikha was puzzled by her daughter's response and asked curiously, "Her? Who is 'her'?"

Nabila replied happily while pointing to a cat sleeping soundly in its cage, "Her... hehe, Comel. My cat."

Zalikha felt confused again and asked, "Since when do you have a cat? Where did you get it?"

"Behind the house, near the banana tree. She was injured, so I thought of treating her and then letting her go. But when I saw how cute she was, I couldn't bring myself to let her go."

"I don't care! Let that cat go."

"Why, Mom?"

"You know, keeping a cat means you have to take care of its well-being. I don't want to be responsible for that cat."

"I know, Mom. I'll take care of her well-being. I want to keep her because I don't want her to get hurt again. You don't need to worry about the expenses; I'll use my own money. Is that okay, Mom?"

"Do as you please, but remember, I'm not giving a single cent for that cat. Understood?"

"Yes, Mom. What did you need earlier when you called me?"

"Oh, I want you to make coffee and some biscuits for my guests later. They'll be two of them, so make enough for three people. They're coming at 12:30. Don't forget, okay? Got it?"

"Yes, Mom. I understand."

"Good. And don't forget to do the other chores."

"Yes, Mom."

After giving enough instructions to her eldest daughter, Zalikha went to her younger daughter Nadia's room. As Zalikha left, Nabila quickly started preparing the ingredients to make the biscuits her mother had asked for without complaining.

Zalikha cheerfully walked to her daughter's room and entered.

"Nadia… what are you doing, my dear?"

"Homework, Mom."

"Good. Study hard, my dear."

Zalikha then left her daughter's room and headed to the living room to watch television.

The agreement between Irman and his father, Dato' Ahmad Azril Shah, still played on his mind. Although he knew his interest in acting and modeling could be fulfilled if he followed his father's wishes, Irman was still uncertain because he enjoyed socializing, even though it wasn't as extreme as going to nightclubs, drinking alcohol, or taking illegal substances. He just liked hanging out with his friends and girlfriend. As he stared out the window of his favorite café, lost in thought about the agreement, his close friends Zamir and Alif approached him.

"Hey. You're deep in thought. What's on your mind?"

"You, Mir! Can't you stop startling me like that?"

"Well, we've been calling you for a while, but you kept staring into space, not answering us. So I had to startle you."

Irman shot a sharp glance at Zamir.

"You still haven't answered Zamir's question. What's on your mind?"

"I'm stressed out thinking about the agreement between me and my dad."

"Agreement? What kind of agreement?"

"My dad wants me to take acting and modeling classes. But I don't want to."

"Why not? Aren't those two things you're passionate about?"

"Yes, I am passionate, but I'd like to finish school peacefully. If I follow my dad's wishes and take those classes, I won't have time to hang out with my girlfriend."

"Oh, wait. That's not an agreement; that's a request."

"Yes, it's a request, not an agreement. But it became an agreement when I told my dad that I didn't want to because of what I just said. My dad told me that if I want to be famous now, I have to take those classes and give up hanging out with my girlfriend. But if I don't want to be famous now, I can forget about becoming a model or an actor."

"Oh... that's tough, man."

"So, have you made a decision yet?"

"Not yet… hmmm."

Irman sighed. Zamir and Alif were shocked to see a girl they both knew very well walking into the café, holding the arm of a guy they had never seen before. The couple didn't notice the three of them sitting there. Zamir and Alif exchanged glances and signaled each other to inform Irman. Irman was puzzled by their actions.

"What's with you guys? You're acting weird. Is there something I should know?"

"Yes. Zamir and I can tell you, but don't get mad because we're in a public place."

"Okay. So what is it?"

Alif signaled Irman to look at the table two rows behind them. Irman turned to look at the table Alif had pointed out. To his shock, he saw the person he thought was loyal and deeply in love with him was cheating on him. Without caring about the people around him, Irman immediately stood up and marched toward his girlfriend, furious.

"What does all this mean?"

Zarina was shocked to see Irman standing before her with a furious expression. Ignoring her new boyfriend, Zarina quickly let go of his arm and tried to grab Irman's hand. Irman pulled his hand away.

"Don't touch me. You haven't answered my question. What is all this?"

"Baby, please. I can explain. This is just an act. There's nothing between me and him."

"Yeah, right. Alif and I saw you walk in here holding his arm. You two looked pretty cozy together."

"Whoa. So you have a boyfriend? Then what am I to you? Your backup? If that's the case, we're done, Zarina."

"No, you!"

Zarina tried to grab Hafiz's hand, but he had already rushed toward the café door. Zarina realized that Irman and his friends were still there, and she turned to look at Irman. Irman, still fuming, left the café after delivering his final words to Zarina.

"We're done. We're breaking up, and I don't want to see your face anymore."

Zarina, feeling embarrassed, quickly left the café to look for Hafiz and Irman. Unfortunately, they were already gone. Zarina headed home, taking a taxi.

At dinner...

"Nabila, after you clean up, don't forget to turn off all the lights and make sure all the doors and windows are closed and locked."

After dinner, Zalikha went straight to her room after washing her hands, while Nadia teased her sister, Nabila.

"You're going to clean up everything. I won't because it's not my job; it's yours. I'm so lucky that Mom loves me more than you. You're like a maid here, doing this and that. The only difference between you and a maid is that you don't get paid, but a maid does. Okay, I'm going to my room to play games, but don't tell Mom I'm playing games. Bye."

Nabila just held back her feelings and what Nadia had said to her. After cleaning the kitchen and locking up the house, Nabila went to her room to finish her homework. While doing her homework, Nabila suddenly recalled Nadia's words. Without waiting another second, tears began to fall uncontrollably. After letting her tears flow, Nabila closed her eyes, trying to gather the strength and focus to complete her homework.

"So, Irman, what's your decision?"

"Can we talk after dinner?"

"No, my son. I want to hear it now so that after dinner, I can set everything up if your decision is to take the classes. If it's not, I'll just tell Huda to cancel your registration."

After what happened with Zarina that morning, Irman confidently answered his father's question.

"Okay, Dad. I'll do it. You get your wish. I'll follow your request."

"Thank you, my son."

Two months later...

Nabila created a Facebook account and started chatting with her friends. She was replying to comments on a friend's post when a guy joined their conversation. Eventually, the guy only talked to Nabila in the comments. After chatting in the comments, Nabila sent a friend request to the guy, and he accepted it. Nabila then sent a message in the chat.

"Hi."

"Hi. Thanks for the friend request earlier. I thought we were just going to chat in the comments. Haha."

"You're welcome. No, I prefer having more friends, so I sent you the request. Thanks for accepting it."

"You're welcome. I like that too, but I can't always be on Facebook. Even when I am, I can only be on for a short time. I'll let you know if I have time later. I have to log off Facebook now. So before I go, nice to meet you. Assalamualaikum (Peace be unto you)."

"Alright, I'll be waiting. Nice to meet you too. Waalaikumussalam (and upon you be peace)."

After logging off Facebook and shutting down her computer, Nabila left her room and began preparing breakfast, humming softly with a happy heart.

Three months passed, and Nabila and Irman grew closer, eventually becoming a couple. Irman taught Nabila the meaning of love, happiness, and what it felt like to be loved, appreciated, and understood. Nabila and Irman only communicated through Facebook, with no messages, phone calls, or dates. Despite this, Irman only logged on to Facebook once a month. Initially, Nabila found it hard to understand why he only logged on once a month, but after a few months, she began to accept it and no longer questioned him.

One morning…

Nabila and her close friend, Izzati, were walking to the market to buy groceries and daily necessities. As they walked, they were greeted by Raihan, one of their village friends.

"Hey, shorty. Where are you headed this morning?"

Nabila glared at Raihan for calling her short and replied, "To the wedding altar."

Raihan was surprised and said, "Really? With whom? Me? If it's me, let's go. Hehe."

Izzati laughed and said, "Why would she marry you? You're not her boyfriend. Stop dreaming. And why are you asking where we're going this morning? Isn't it obvious? We're going to the market. You're so lame."

Raihan pouted at Izzati's words and replied, "I was just asking for fun. It's to make this morning a happy one."

Nabila and Izzati rolled their eyes at Raihan, and Nabila said, "Yeah, right. You're just trying to annoy me."

Raihan laughed and then asked Nabila when he noticed a change in her demeanor.

"Why do you look so radiant and cheerful today?"

"It's nothing. I'm just the same as always."

Izzati wasn't satisfied with Nabila's answer and continued to ask, "Yeah, right. There's definitely something going on because I've noticed since we started walking that you've been humming and smiling. What's up?"

Nabila blushed and shyly replied, "I actually have a boyfriend now."

Raihan was shocked by Nabila's words but quickly composed himself and said with a happy tone, "Congratulations! Who's the guy?"

"Wow, congratulations! You've finally entered the world of relationships. But who is he?"

"You don't know him because he's not from our village. I met him on Facebook, not in person."

Once again, Izzati and Raihan were surprised. Izzati asked, "You met him on Facebook? Have you ever met him in person?"

Nabila answered, "No, I've never met him in person. Why?"

Raihan immediately said, "Why are you asking that? It's dangerous to meet someone online without meeting them in person first."

Nabila was puzzled and asked, "What's so dangerous about it?"

Izzati answered, "Yeah, you don't know if he's really who he says he is. Maybe he's using someone else's picture. Do you know anything about his background? Where is he from? What's his family like?"

Nabila began to think about Izzati's words but remained optimistic and said, "Just pray for the best. Pray that he's not like what you're imagining. We've only just started dating, so we don't know much about each other yet. But I'll keep you guys updated and ask for your advice if anything happens. Is that okay?"

Nabila said with a smile, while Raihan and Izzati sighed and said, "Alright."

In the year Nabila was preparing for her major exam, the PMR, Irman sent a message in their chat.

"Assalamualaikum (Peace be unto you), Nabila. I'm sorry in advance because what I'm about to say is difficult for both of us. I know you're sincere and loyal to me, and I really love you too, but I'm in a tight situation right now. I'm sorry, but we have to break up because I don't want you to be burdened by my problems. If we're meant to be together, I'll explain everything to you someday. I can't tell you now for your own safety. I'm sorry again. I hope you understand my situation. Assalamualaikum (Peace be unto you), my love, Nabila."

Nabila, who was busy completing her assignment due next week, was startled when she heard the Facebook notification sound on her computer. She knew it was a message from Irman. Quickly, Nabila opened the message, and without realizing it, tears began to flow uncontrollably.

Five months passed with no word from Irman. Nabila felt disappointed but hoped that one day they would meet. After their relationship ended, Nabila realized that Irman not only taught her the meaning of love, happiness, and what it felt like to be loved, appreciated, and understood, but he also taught her the meaning of heartbreak, pain, and the bitterness of love. Both Irman and Nabila continued to move forward, although their hearts were still occupied with thoughts of their first love. Nabila went through her daily routines like a robot, doing house chores and schoolwork. Only when she played with Comel did a smile appear on her face.