Still in Love

Vincent burst into the room. He was surprised to see two people sleeping entwined and without clothes. Suddenly, he felt embarrassed. But just as he was about to close the door, Damar woke up.

"Oh, Vincent!"

Vincent turned away, "I’ll wait outside!"

Damar joined Vincent, who was drinking a can of beer in the living room. They sat across from each other but felt tense. Damar became nervous; he felt ashamed for being caught making love with Citra by his friend.

"Sorry, Vin, I..." Damar scratched his head.

Vincent crushed his beer can in anger, "I told you to pick her up and take care of her, Dam. Not to sleep with her!"

"Uh," Damar stammered. "It just happened."

"Your mind is just dirty!"

"Vin..."

"You know that girl was already having problems, right? Why add to her troubles?"

"Yeah, I..."

"And she was a virgin, Dam. She’s not one of those cheap girls you’ve brought to this house!"

Damar sighed heavily. He couldn't argue; the sheets had been stained red two days ago. Citra had cried in pain. But in the end, it turned into an addiction, and they kept getting intimate until Vincent caught them.

"I really love her, Vin. I will definitely take responsibility."

"Marry her!"

"Vin!" Citra shouted, standing wrapped in a blanket. Damar panicked and rushed to her, but Citra pushed him away. Instead, she approached Vincent with tears streaming down her face. "I'm sorry, Vin..."

Vincent shook his head, "I’m not stopping you from having sex with Damar until you die. I'm just worried this will create new problems. The issue with that lesbian Kencana isn’t resolved yet, and now you’re adding another problem."

"I know," Citra said, looking down sadly. "But this is kind of an escape from the pain."

"Escape?" Vincent laughed softly. "You just got out of the lion's den, only to end up in the crocodile's mouth!"

"You once said that I was better off with Damar!"

"Yeah, but that doesn’t mean to this extent. Sleeping together! What if she gets pregnant?"

Citra shrugged, "Then we’ll just get married, right?"

"But you’re still in school, you idiot!"

"Don’t act like my dad, okay Vin! Even my dad doesn’t care."

"What about your mom?"

"She’s busy wanting to go to America!" Citra shouted, before turning to go back into the room, where Damar was lighting a cigarette by the door.

Vincent frowned, "She’s still in eleventh grade, Dam! Just so you know, I regret bringing you two back together. I can’t help but think her future will be bleak because of you!"

Damar exhaled cigarette smoke and then closed the bedroom door while Citra was busy putting on her underwear. Calmly, he signaled Vincent to talk outside. Though still angry, the young man didn’t refuse.

The garden became Damar's chosen spot. It was a place where they often drank and had casual conversations. On the garden table, there were chairs and a table with five cans of beer on it.

"I know you care, Dam. But don’t invade our personal space," Damar said firmly as he opened a can of beer. "At least remember that the idea of getting back together started with you."

"So you need someone to blame, huh?" Vincent retorted sarcastically. "Just because of a joke, you think I should take responsibility. Have you lost your mind? That’s ridiculous."

"That’s not it. I just hope you can try to understand."

"When it comes to school, I can’t understand. You’re being really cruel to mess with a high school girl..."

"I'm not messing with her. We like each other; there’s no coercion!"

Vincent didn’t reply; he stood up and left Damar in anger. When he returned home, he saw his mom serving his favorite red bean soup on the table. The elderly woman smiled and invited her son to have dinner.

"But I don't feel like it, Mom," Vincent complained as he sat at the dining table.

"Why not?" the woman asked, sitting across from her son. "What’s bothering you, dear?"

Vincent huffed in annoyance, "Mom, Citra is now living with Damar in the house next door. She lost her virginity, and she’s definitely not going to do well in school."

Vincent's mom sighed, "Just let her be; she can’t be managed. A naughty girl who’s a victim of her parents' divorce. Citra isn’t our responsibility; that’s her parents' issue!"

"I just feel sorry for her."

"You’ve already advised her, so now it’s time to be quiet."

"But, Mom..."

Vincent's mom didn’t respond; she scooped rice onto her plate to eat with the red bean soup and fried chicken. Seeing this, Vincent started to eat as well.

***

Ken was in shock. His boarding room was empty. There was no sign of Citra there, not even her clothes. After four days of suffering from injuries inflicted by his father, Ken had desperately run away to find Citra. But instead, he ended up hurt.

"She’s already been picked up by that handsome artist, Damar," said Murni, his neighbor. "I heard on TV that Damar once said his true love is named Citra. So, I guess they got back together?"

Ken didn’t respond; he just left. He felt he had lost the chance to win Citra back. She must be traumatized, and Damar was taking advantage of that.

Next, Ken headed to Citra's school. Her friends told him that she hadn’t been to school for days.

Feeling dejected, Ken tried to find Citra at her old house, which had been bought by Damar. He entered the house without difficulty. The yard was quiet, and the front door was unlocked. The living room was also empty. Only strange noises coming from the bedroom made Ken’s heart race uncontrollably.

Ken peeked into the slightly open room, and he nearly screamed in anger. But in the end, he just stepped back with tears streaming down his cheeks. Then he hurried out of the house.

Along the way, Ken could only scream and cry. He felt deeply disappointed in Citra. Just four days apart, and she was already sleeping with another man!

This wasn't just about loyalty or betrayal. He truly felt that his girlfriend was a deceitful bisexual. She wasn't a real lesbian, but rather a woman acting like a pig. She wanted both male and female, enjoying it all. Her desires went in every direction.

Yet, Ken felt he loved her deeply, even though he wasn't her first. On the other hand, he also felt guilty for often lying to Citra just to keep her.

"Why would your girl want to be with Damar? Because that guy is famous?" asked Androda, a lesbian he met at a nightclub. They were fairly close and often shared stories about their relationships.

"He's her ex," Ken replied softly. "Maybe old love hasn’t faded."

"Not a lesbian after all."

"Bisexual."

"Crazy, right? Boys and girls together."

"This is giving me a headache!"

Androda laughed, "Come on, forget it! There are plenty of girls; I can hook you up with someone new. Interested?"

Ken didn’t respond, but his eyes followed Androda's pointing finger. In the dim disco lights, he saw a lively young girl dancing. She moved like a snake filled with energy.

"Rose!" she said flirtatiously as she sat down at the table with Ken. "I heard you’re heartbroken? Need a little distraction? My house is empty; my family is on vacation!"

Ken smiled, feeling like Rose was trying to flirt with him in a silly way. But he didn’t reject her; he felt he really needed some cheering up.