Chapter 8

On the same day...

Raihan was busy with his work, not paying attention to the time. When it was finally time for a break, he was still immersed in his tasks.

His coworker approached him, saying, "Hey! It's break time already. You can continue after the break."

Startled by the interruption, Raihan replied, "You didn't have to slap my back like that. I would have heard you.", while rubbed his back with his coworker chuckled.

"Well, if I didn't do that, you wouldn't listen. I called you earlier, but you were too focused. Everyone's working too, but not like you. You get way too absorbed.", said his coworker.

Raihan said, "Well, it is work, so I take it seriously. Plus, I love working with aquatic animals, so I kind of lose myself in it. Hehe…"

Surprised, his coworker asked, "Aquatic animals?"

Raihan clarified, "Yeah, you know, fish, shrimp, squid... those are aquatic animals, right?"

His coworker laughed, "Yeah, that's right, aquatic animals. But come on, let's eat. I'm starving."

Raihan said, "Yeah, let's go.", then they walked over to the break area.

After freshening up, they sat down at the multipurpose table but hadn't ordered any food yet.

His coworker asked, "What do you want to eat, Han?"

Raihan asked, "Which app are you ordering from?"

"Grab.", his coworker replied.

Raihan said, "Oh, in that case, I'll have McDonald's."

Surprised, his coworker said, "You really don't care, huh?", with a smile.

Confused, Raihan asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well, with so many people boycotting McDonald's, you still want to order from there. Doesn't that bother you?", asked his coworker.

Raihan smiled and explained, "Nope, it doesn't. For me, it's a personal choice—whether to boycott or not. My intention in ordering is to eat and fill my stomach, not to support Israel. Some might say buying from McDonald's means supporting them, but I don't see it that way. If I were buying directly from Israel, sure, but here? I'm confident that the food is halal and at the same time, I feel like I'm supporting local workers. If no one buys, then they don't get paid. It is a pity if our locals doesn't have any money to eat. So, while I ordered with the intention of eating, filling my stomach, I'm also helping our local people who work there to earn money for their life as well."

His coworker chuckled, "Wow, you gave a whole speech. I only asked a simple question."

Raihan laughed, "Well, I gave you my reasoning. If I didn't explain it now, you'd just ask more questions, so better to get it all out."

His coworker shook his head, handing him the phone, "Alright, pick what you want." He showed Raihan the McDonald's menu on the Grab app.

Once they placed their order, they started chatting again.

His coworker said, "Okay, the order's done. I want to ask you something."

Raihan while playing his phone, surprised, asked, "What do you want to ask?"

"Don't look so startled.", his coworker laughed, "You like that friend of yours—the one wearing the purple shirt earlier, right?"

Raihan sighed, "Yeah, of course I am startled. I was really into my phone, and then suddenly you said you want to ask something. Afraid that I can't answer your question. For your question, hmmm I do like her, but I just never told her."

His coworker asked, "You never told her? Why not?"

Raihan explained, "Well, I wanted to wait until we were both over 20, so there wouldn't be any false hope for either of us or our families since we're from the same village. But during lower secondary, she got a boyfriend. So, I didn't want to interfere."

His coworker nodded, "Hmmm looks like there's no chance for you with her then."

Raihan agreed, a bit downcast. Just then, a call came from the Grab driver, signaling that their order had arrived. They collected their food and began eating in comfortable silence.

At the same time…

Irman, Zamir, and Alif headed to the dining room downstairs after being informed that lunch was ready by Mak Jah.

As they reached the dining table, both Zamir and Alif exclaimed simultaneously, "Wow! It smells delicious, and it looks great too."

Zamir added, "Mak Jah! Thank you, this looks amazing."

Following Zamir's lead, Alif and Irman also expressed their gratitude to Mak Jah.

From the kitchen, Mak Jah responded, "Alhamdulillah (thank God). You're welcome. Enjoy your meal."

The three of them took their seats and began serving themselves.

While eating, Alif suddenly thought of something and asked Irman, "Man, what are you going to do about your feelings now?"

Irman, caught off guard by the question, responded, "What do you mean? Do about what?"

Alif continued, "Well, you're kind of obsessed with Nabila right now, but you know you need to move on. So, what's your plan?"

Irman sighed, and Zamir chimed in, "It's not just an obsession anymore. It's full-on obsession."

Alif laughed and agreed, "Yeah, definitely."

Irman glared at them and said, "Can we discuss this later? Let's focus on eating."

Zamir shook his head, "No way, no 'later.' We need to talk about this now. Coincidentally, Alif brought it up, so we want to hear your answer."

Irman sighed again and admitted, "I don't know what to do. If I want to keep myself busy, well, I'm already busy. Today's just the only day that I off. And if I want to try to meet someone new, who? You guys tell me what I should do."

Both Zamir and Alif let out a collective sigh. Alif suggested, "How about this: just go with the flow. But stop going to that flower shop or anywhere near that flower shop. If you do, you'll definitely want to go inside, and once you see Nabila, whether or not you tell her you're Irman, her ex, you'll never be able to forget her after that. If you need to unwind, just call us. Don't wander off alone because you'll just end up thinking about her. At least if you're with us, your mind won't drift there."

Zamir agreed, "Exactly. Slowly, you'll start forgetting her."

Irman, visibly torn, confessed, "I want to do that, but my heart feels heavy, like I'd be betraying Nabila."

Zamir and Alif facepalmed, and Zamir remarked, "Man, you've already broken up. What's there to betray?"

Irman nodded, "Yeah, I know, but still, that's what I feel when I think about doing that."

Alif responded, "Whether you like it or not, you have to. It's for your own good."

Reluctantly, Irman replied, "Okay."

They resumed eating, though their minds continued to dwell on the topic. After finishing their meal, the three of them moved to the living room, where Alif turned on the TV and started watching a popular drama. Zamir and Irman exchanged confused looks as they noticed how engrossed Alif was in the show.

Irman asked, "Alif, you watch dramas?"

Without breaking his gaze from the TV, Alif replied, "Yeah, I do."

Zamir and Irman chuckled, and Irman teased, "No wonder you had such advice earlier—must be from all the dramas."

Alif shot them a look, "At least I have ideas on what to do."

Zamir laughed, "Yeah, you have ideas, but you've got no girlfriend. You're not exactly one to brag."

Alif rolled his eyes, "Whatever. It'll happen when it happens. I'm a ladies' man, after all."

Zamir and Irman mockingly replied, "Oh, sure, a real ladies' man.", before Zamir added, "Too bad none of the ladies fall for you so easily."

Alif shrugged, "They just haven't noticed my charm yet."

Irman laughed, "Since you're getting all your tips from drama, maybe you should show off that charm to them. Who knows? Maybe I'll learn something from you."

Alif, who had been feeling a bit annoyed earlier, brightened up at Irman's comment. "Sure, I'll teach you some tricks.", he said proudly.

Zamir joined in the teasing, "How about I set you up with one of my female friends?"

Alif, suddenly suspicious, asked, "Wait, you mean Rias? No way if it's her."

Zamir clarified, "No, of course not Rias. She's like a friend to you now anyway. I meant one of my other female friends."

Surprised, Alif asked, "You have other female friends? How many female friends do you have?"

Zamir grinned, "I have plenty, but don't worry, I'm loyal to my girlfriend. Do you want me to set you up or not?"

Alif hesitated, "Hmm, okay. But make sure she's a good match for me."

Zamir assured him, "I'll choose someone who I think will suit you, but you'll have to judge for yourself. We'll do a blind date. That way, I'll set the date for you two, and you won't have to worry about picking the time. How's that?"

Alif gave in, "Fine, do whatever you want.", before lying back on the sofa to continue watching his drama.

Zamir and Irman just watched him, exchanged amused smiles, and enjoyed the lighthearted atmosphere among friends.

At the same time...

Nabila and Izzati strolled through the nearby shopping mall, browsing the items for sale.

After they had looked at everything in each store, Nabila suggested, "Zati, let's head home. There's nothing left to check out.", while looking around as if making sure.

Izzati quickly reminded her, "Wait, we haven't bought groceries yet. Let's do that first, then head home. Okay?"

Nabila nodded, "Okay."

After buying their groceries, they returned to their rental house. Once they arrived, Nabila headed straight to the kitchen to put away all the groceries. After that, she went to her room to freshen up and change into her everyday clothes. Once she was ready, she performed her prayers and go to their living room after that, and then joined by Izzati in the living room.

After arrived at the living room, Nabila switched on the TV and the two of them got comfortable, started watching a popular drama on television, while losing track of time as they became absorbed in the show.

When the Maghrib call to prayer echoed, they both snapped out of their trance. Nabila slapped her forehead, "Oh no, it's already Maghrib, and we haven't prepared anything for dinner yet!"

Izzati, staying calm, said, "It's fine, we'll pray first, then cook."

"Okay.", Nabila agreed.

They both went to their rooms to perform their prayers. Afterward, Nabila headed downstairs to start preparing dinner. She gathered the ingredients and began her cooking routine. As she was preparing the meal, Izzati came down, smelling the delicious aroma, and said excitedly, "Wow, that smells amazing! I can't wait to eat.", holding her stomach.

Nabila smiled and replied, "Be patient! Set the table first."

"Yes, mom.", Izzati joked.

Nabila smiled, but hide it immediately and gave her a playful glare. Izzati chuckled, taking the plates and cutlery to the dining table. While waiting for Nabila to finish cooking, Izzati sat in the living room to watch some TV. Once Nabila finished cooking, she dished out the food into serving bowls and placed them on the dining table. Izzati caught the whiff of the food, turned off the TV, and rushed to the dining table.

Nabila called out, "Not yet! I haven't served the drinks. Be patient.", as she knew Izzati already at the table.

Izzati responded, "I'm just looking, I'm not doing anything!"

"Sure, just looking.", Nabila teased.

Ignoring her, Izzati scooped rice onto their plates. When Nabila brought the jug of water to the table, Izzati explained, "I didn't eat anything yet, I just served the rice."

Nabila smiled, "Hmm okay. I didn't say anything."

Izzati rolled her eyes and helped pour the water into their glasses after Nabila put the jug on its place. Nabila scooped out side dish onto her plate, while Izzati pour the water in their glasses, and Nabila thanked Izzati as she handed over a glass of water. After they both served themselves some food, Nabila raised her hands to say a prayer, and Izzati followed suit.

After finishing their meal, they began clearing the table. Izzati offered, "You go upstairs and pray. I'll clean up. You already tired cooking, so let me handle this. After I'm done, I'll go pray."

Nabila agreed, "Alright, just make sure everything's clean. Don't leave anything behind."

"Yes, mom. What do you take me for? Of course, I know how to clean.", Izzati said, pretending to pout.

Nabila laughed, "I'm just reminding you, don't get upset."

"I'm not upset, now go and pray.", Izzati replied, waving her away.

Nabila grinned and said, "Okay, okay."

Nabila went upstairs, prepared herself for prayer, and focused solely on that. After finishing, Izzati followed suit once she was done cleaning the dining area.

After their prayers, both of them headed back to the living room. Nabila got there first, turned on the TV, and started watching the rerun of the evening drama. A few minutes later, Izzati joined her. They spent the rest of the night enjoying the drama and called it a night around 11 PM.