Bittersweet Arrangements : A Sugar Dady Affair

While smiling, Elena began to write a reply to Devan’s message.

“Ready Uncle Devan, El will remember Uncle’s message well.”

Don’t forget that at the end of the message, Elena added a smile emoticon with blinking eyes. With a pounding heart, Elena waited for the color of the two message ticks to change to blue. And it didn’t take long for the color to change. In just a matter of seconds a reply came from the man.

“Oh, you’re talking seriously, El!”

Elena started humming happily when she imagined the annoyed face of the message sender who was there.

“El is serious too, Uncle Devan!” Elena’s response became even more enthusiastic, wanting to tease the adult man.

“Tomorrow you come to the workshop. Uncle wants to talk for a moment!”

This time Elena’s laughter filled the empty space of her room. Without even realizing it, Elena climbed onto the bed and jumped up and down with joy. Elena did not expect that her intention to open her heart to Dirga would actually bear sweet fruit. It wasn’t Dirga that he got but the heart of Duren, aka the cool dude who had managed to break his heart. Elena stopped her actions and chose to sit cross-legged with both hands holding her cellphone. Just replied to the latest message from Devan.

“Yes, El, try it Uncle, because tomorrow Dirga said he wanted to come to the house.”

Elena deliberately threw bait to find out Devan’s feelings for her. Maybe Devan rejected her love in the past. But who would have thought if everything would turn around later. Instead, Devan is the one who pursues his love. Realizing that the message had only been read made Elena smile again with satisfaction. Now he knows how to avenge his hurt.

After five minutes of waiting for a reply to Devan’s message which never came, Elena then decided to go downstairs. Intend to wait for Citra and melody to arrive in the family room only. Still holding her cell phone, Elena left the room. At the same time, Rizky came out of his room. His adopted brother looked like he had just woken up with a slightly messy appearance.

“Oh, I just woke up at this hour!” Elena mocked while examining Rizky’s appearance, who was only wearing boxers and a sleeveless t-shirt. Indeed, Rizky’s face looks fresh. Even the front of his hair still looked wet with water. But his waking face was of course very clear. Moreover, his narrow eyes looked even narrower.

“Leave it, even when you wake up, your brother is still cute, right?” said Rizky who now placed his hand on Elena’s shoulder.

“Oh, let go, bro!” Elena removed Rizky’s hand from her shoulder forcefully.

“El has an appointment with Citra and Melodi, Bro,” explained Elena, which only made Rizky mutter.

“Never mind, I’m feeling lazy with Brother,” said Elena again then immediately left, leaving Rizky who was about to embrace her again.

With indifference, Rizky followed behind Elena. Not to disturb the girl, but to go to the kitchen to find some food. The pet animals in his stomach had been protesting for their share since this morning, especially since he had skipped breakfast with his family. So, it was natural for the house to be quiet at the moment. Daddy and Mommy had already left for work, and Ivand and Viero were, of course, at school.

Just as Elena landed on the sofa, the doorbell rang. Quickly, Elena got up to open the door.

“Hello, Sweetheart!” Citra greeted, hugging Elena tightly.

“I missed you,” Melodi chimed in, joining the hug.

They embraced each other like long-lost friends, even though they hadn’t seen each other for only two weeks. It felt like they had been separated for years.

“Let’s go to my room. There’s a lot I want to tell you both,” Elena invited, leading her two friends upstairs to her room.

Once in the room, the three of them climbed onto Elena’s king-size bed. Unable to contain their excitement, Citra and Melodi bombarded Elena with questions that had been echoing in their minds for a while. Starting from Elena’s time in Surabaya to her date with Dirga.

Without any awkwardness or embarrassment, Elena began recounting all the enjoyable activities she had with Nindy and Kyla in Surabaya. Elena also mentioned that the guy she used to like often sent her messages. Of course, Citra and Melodi were surprised because, as far as they knew, Elena’s love had been bluntly rejected by the guy she acknowledged as the son of her parents’ best friend. Elena never openly revealed who this guy was. However, Citra had long suspected that he was very close, or you could say, around the three of them. But because Elena had never been honest about who the guy was, it was reasonable for her two friends to start speculating.

“El, so how’s your relationship with Dirga now?” Citra asked, puzzled by Elena’s desire to disturb the peace of a guy who, for some reason, was loved by her friend.

“We’re just friends. And Dirga is okay with it,” Elena replied casually.

“So, what’s your plan next, El?” Melodi added, still feeling confused.

“Well, according to the tricks you both gave me before,” Elena said, making her two friends shake their heads in unison.

“No, no. Don’t do it, El! Pity Dirga. Don’t use that guy as a tool,” Citra objected, disagreeing with Elena’s plan.

Indeed, she had once given Elena advice to win the heart of the guy she liked by any means. But not through deceptive means like this. Using someone else’s feelings just for Elena’s satisfaction was not the right way.

“What’s wrong with you guys! You were so supportive before, so why change now?” Elena said irritably, surprised by the strong opposition from her two friends, which was beyond her expectations. She thought Citra and Melodi would support her in her efforts to win Devan’s heart. However, they were strongly against her plan, which was starting to show results.

“This is a different story, El. Back then, I suggested you to win the heart of a guy… whoever he is, in a good way, not by exploiting another guy’s feelings just to win the heart of your target guy, El,” Citra explained, trying to clarify the meaning of her advice, while Melodi agreed with her.

“Yeah, El, please, if Dirga is just being used by you. Plus, your parents have accepted Dirga, right?” Melodi added, confirming Citra’s statement.

“No, guys. Mommy and Daddy haven’t accepted him yet. They just want to get to know Dirga,” Elena quickly retorted. That was indeed the fact.

“But, El… Isn’t Dirga the only one who got permission to take you out?” Citra responded. Now Citra was half deadlocked in facing Elena. She was worried that her friend might take the wrong step just to satisfy her ego.

“Oh, you guys are just ruining my fun!” Elena replied nonchalantly.

“El, who is that guy? I’m really curious to know!” Melodi begged, holding back her curiosity for too long. If they were playing crossword puzzles, Melodi could quickly search on Google to find the answer. Now, she had to seek answers from Elena, the informant.

“Secret! I’ll introduce him to you both when the time is right. When I’ve won his heart. And that’s just around the corner!” Elena confidently declared. The corners of her lips formed a triumphant smile.

Citra and Melodi exchanged glances, stunned by all the words Elena had uttered. Those words clearly conveyed a great ambition.

Elena realized the change in her friends’ expressions. The smile on her lips slowly disappeared as she realized that they were not providing support for her plan.

“Okay, if you don’t agree, it’s okay. I’ll do it on my own,” Elena whispered, feeling disappointed. After all, they were the ones she hoped would support her the most.

“It’s not like that, El. As your friends, of course, we will support you. But…” Citra paused in her sentence to observe Elena’s changing facial expression, which would happen soon, “if it’s true, El.”

“Come on, Cit, don’t take it too seriously. Now I’ll ask you. How many times have you cheated on your boyfriend?” Melodi interjected with an innocent look.

“Hush… It’s a different story, Mel. We’re used to changing boyfriends frequently. Well, our innocent friend Elena has never fallen in love. It’s dangerous, you know,” Citra explained her concerns.

“I’m curious, who is this guy? I’m sure he’s not just an ordinary guy!” Citra inquired, successfully making Elena suddenly feel awkward and embarrassed.

Elena couldn’t imagine how shocked Citra and Melodi would be if they found out that the guy was Devan. The mature man who was once admired by them when he used to pick Elena up from school. Even Melodi and Citra had once joked about offering themselves as Devan’s sugar babies.

What began as a serious conversation now turned into playful banter. Elena’s previously neat room was now in disarray. The sound of their laughter and teasing piqued Rizky’s curiosity, who happened to pass by Elena’s room. Nonchalantly, Rizky opened the door to check what the girls were up to.

“Oh my God, Sohyun!” Melodi screamed, freezing as she stared at Rizky standing at the doorway. Citra, too, quickly dropped the pillow she was holding and pretended to act sweetly, stepping down from the bed with a beaming smile.

“You guys are so noisy!” scolded Rizky, looking at the three girls in front of him. Then, he closed the bedroom door again and left without paying much attention to Elena’s two friends, who were still shocked by his absurd behavior.

“El, how about letting me have Sohyun? I’m willing to break up with my boyfriend as long as I can have him,” Melodi said, still looking towards the closed bedroom door.

“Brother Eki is already in love with Sis Lala. Do you want to compete with Sis Lala?” Elena explained, which immediately made Melodi shake her head quickly. If the rival is a girl like Nafla, it would be better for her to resign rather than be battered. From Elena’s story, the girl was an incredible tomboy. Who is good at self-defense too? Melodi and Citra have met Nafla several times. But they don’t know each other. Citra and Melodi know that Nafla’s personality is just a story from Elena.

“That’s good. Sis Lala is the best among us all,” continued Elena again.

Melody just smiled blandly. Where is Elena’s sibling who isn’t good at martial arts? How many times has Elena beaten up students at her school? So, Elena’s example alone was more than enough for him.

Their conversation continued in the family room accompanied by various snacks that had been provided by Mrs. Endah according to Elena’s request.

At 11. 30 WIB Mommy Elena came home with food for the three girls. Vanessa deliberately went home early, apart from not having any important work, Vanessa also wanted to meet Elena’s friends to find out information about Dirga. Honestly, Vanessa likes Dirga because of his polite nature. But Vanessa wants to get to know Dirga better for Elena’s sake. Vanessa doesn’t want her daughter to choose the wrong man. Vanessa wants the man who becomes Elena’s lover to be a man who can look after Elena well. Remembering that the dating style of today’s teenagers is too free, makes Vanessa feel worried. In the past, when he was still a teenager, teenage relationships were already very worrying. Casual sex has become normal and normal. Vanessa is worried that Elena’s innocence might be exploited by men who like her. After thinking about it again, Vanessa confirmed Jeremy’s decision to forbid Elena from studying outside the city. If they were far apart, they wouldn’t be able to monitor Elena as closely, even though sending a spy wasn’t difficult for the two of them. Just like Jeremy once did to keep Vanessa safe.

“Mommy,” Citra and Melodi greeted simultaneously while standing to shake hands with the beautiful hijab-wearing woman.

“Have you been here for a while?” Vanessa asked with a gentle smile. “Oh, Mommy brought food for you. Eat first! Mommy is going to change clothes,” Vanessa excused herself and went to her room after placing the bag of food she bought on the table.

Returning in casual attire, Vanessa joined the three teenagers in the family room.

“Mommy won’t eat with us?” Melodi asked while chewing her food.

“I’m still full, dear. You go ahead and eat,” replied Vanessa as she sat on the sofa, while the three girls sat on the carpet.

“Oh, El, don’t forget that Kia’s birthday is in three days. Have you bought a gift?” Vanessa remembered that her niece’s birthday was approaching and she hadn’t prepared anything yet.

“Oh my, I almost forgot, Mom.” Elena slapped her forehead, truly forgetting her cousin’s special day. She had been so focused on her broken heart that she overlooked this important matter. Usually, she would have prepared the gift well in advance.

“Alright, let’s go look for a gift together later in the evening,” Vanessa suggested.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

“No, Mom, El will go with Kak Lala,” Elena replied casually.

As usual, when one of them had a birthday, the siblings would go together to find a gift. Despite being from an affluent family, they didn’t buy expensive and branded items for birthday gifts. Instead, they competed to give the most unique and quirky presents. That’s where the fun of the second-generation Club Cogan family lay when celebrating their birthdays, a celebration significantly different from their parents. No extravagant parties; instead, they read prayers together at the Alfarizi family’s orphanage, followed by a communal meal with the children at the orphanage.

“It’s up to you. Ummm… You’re close to Dirga, right?” Vanessa’s spontaneous question made the three girls almost choke on their food. Citra quickly grabbed a glass of orange juice and took a sip to dislodge the stuck food, while Melodi hurriedly grabbed a tissue as the spiciness hit her nasal passages.

They exchanged glances with their own thoughts. While Citra and Melodi hesitated to answer the question, Elena, on the other hand, continued enjoying her food without feeling disturbed. For her, Dirga was not the man of her affections; it was Devan, Vanessa’s best friend.

Elena quickly grabbed her phone, seeing the name ‘Uncle Devan’ appearing on the screen. Feeling a bit nervous, Elena glanced at Citra and Melodi, who were now sitting between her. Feeling safe, Elena opened the message with her left hand.

“Meet me at the workshop tomorrow!”

The demanding tone in the message subtly stirred her heart. Could it be that the mature man was starting to like her? Was he becoming interested in a naive and spoiled girl like her? Yes, even though it seemed impossible for Elena, the happiness in her heart could change everything, including her previously wounded heart.

“El can’t promise Uncle.”

Elena was initially reluctant to reply, but her itchy fingers couldn’t resist, and she responded to the message.

“Why?”

Devan’s response to Elena was nonsensical. Earlier, Elena had already mentioned that Dirga would come to the house. But Devan, instead of acknowledging that, asked again.

“Is Uncle having amnesia? Or is he malfunctioning?” Elena quickly responded to the message, her heart beating irregularly as she saw Devan typing there. What kind of response would she get? A protest or perhaps a lengthy piece of advice from the man she called ‘uncle’?

“?????”

The reply with just question marks successfully made Elena burst into laughter unknowingly.

Vanessa only responded with a smile, assuming that her daughter was chatting with Dirga. However, Citra, who had read the contact name displayed on Elena’s phone screen, had various questions running through her mind. Why was Elena exchanging messages with Uncle Devan? Could it be that Uncle Devan was the man Elena had secretly liked all this time? Was this the reason Elena hid the identity of the man who broke her heart?

Melodi continued to enjoy her food, oblivious to the direction of Mommy’s and Citra’s gaze, which was directed at Elena.

“Duh, how exciting, chatting with Uncle Devan!” Melodi commented when she finally noticed where Mommy and Citra were looking.