BAIDER (ENGLISH VERSION)

ANMELA’S POV

“You heard him calling someone Baby? Oh, no! That’s alarming, Anm. I mean we are not sure if who he was calling, maybe a friend-”

“He’s having few friends.” I cut Alem’s lines when I said that. I grabbed the white paper in my bag, held the pen and started to draw the muscular system of a human.

“Cousin?”

I moved my head up. “I’m not yet meeting his cousins, except Resttan.”

“Oh! Really? But you already met her sister? Not a bad thing, you knew his relatives, but you should ask him about that to have peace in your heart.” She peeped on my drawing. I could see the amusement in her eyes. “Your drawing is awesome!”

“You, too.” I peeked on her white paper, too, and saw that it was more beautiful than mine. “Alem, what should I do? I saw him smiling while saying that. You know the attitude of Laurent, he’s barely curving his lips. Only to me.” I drew a muscle in the upper arm of my drawing.

“Duh! Anmela Eris Velasco, you’re not the only reason why Lauren’t smile. He maybe has other-”

“Woman? No! I should be the one! I can’t takr if he has-”

“Shut up, Anmela Eris Velasco! Do you remember what I said before you court Laurent? He didn’t want a girlfriend and yet he chose to be in a relationship with you. That means you’re important to him. He loves you. And then, you said that he was saying I love you to you. It was freaking obvious!” She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “I envy you because Laurent loves you so, so, so much! Unlike me… no one stays.”

I closed my eyes hard and when I opened it, I grabbed Alem’s hand. “Don’t be bored of waiting for the right time. Prince charming is not always in a rush to meet you.”

“That’s for kids.” She rolled her eyes again and that made me chuckle. “You want me to believe in a fairy tale that only exists in the movies and Disneyland! No way! I’ll find him at the bar!” A wide playful smile formed on her lips. “Wanna join me?”

I shrugged my shoulders, raised my hands and scratched my forehead. “I’m gonna ask Laurent, although he can’t be with us. He has duty in the afternoon until evening.”

“Great! So I can be with you and Ardent. Let’s go and party! My treat, don’t worry about the drink.” She immediately drew the thighs of his model in the white paper. I could see the excitement in her face.

“I’m getting permission from Laurent first.” I held the phone in my pocket. Laurent gave this to me, but I would pay him when I got my salary.

I smiled when I saw our pictures in the wallpaper. I was grinning ear by ear while Laurent had no emotion, but his arms were wrapping on my shoulder.

I tapped his name ‘Baby Boy’ and dialed it. It rang three times, but it ended immediately. Maybe he was in the operating room or what. I would try it again, but I realized he needed to focus on the things he was doing so in the end, I decided not to tell him. I would just say it when I was there. For sure, he would not get mad.

The class started and ended so fast because the professors had a meeting so they dismissed us immediately.

“Yes!” Alem jumped high when we walked out of the room. “Let’s go to Ardent. He would be surprised to see us there.”

“Yes.”

My mind was thinking of Laurent. I had doubts about not telling him, but I pushed those thoughts to the back of my head.

This is my life. I should not depend on him. I have my own mind and body.

“Hi!” We both waved at Ardent when he got out of his room. A wide smile formed on his lips when he saw us.

“What brings my women here?” Ardent stared at me and then glued her eyes on Alem.

“We wanna go to the bar!” Alem wrapped her hands to Ardent and I did the same thing. We pulled him to walk to the long hallway.

When we were out of the university, we rode in Alem’s car.

“How about my car?” Ardent was looking back. “I can’t abandon that in a parking lot.”

“Fine. Go there, but Anm is with me.” Alem kicked Ardent to go out of the car that made me chuckle.

“You’re rude.”

After a minute of traveling, we were stranded in the traffic. We arrived at the bar when the sky was dark. We immediately got out of the car and moved inside.

“Hi!” Ardent and Alem fist bump to their friends while I was just in silence.

“This is my best friend, Anmela Eris!” Alem shouted because the sound of the music was high. The man offered his hand to me, I accepted it.

“Kervy.”

“Nice to meet you, Kervy.” A grin ear by ear grew on my lips.

“Nice to meet you, too, Anmela.” I felt awkward when he kissed my hand. I knew that it was the way of respect, but in the generation of today, it was not the thing that a guy does after meeting a girl. Sometimes, they just waved their hands.

Ardent suddenly grabbed my hand from Kervy. “Let’s go to the couch.”Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

I should thank Ardent for doing such an interruption. I was feeling embarrassed. I was not used to facing many people, I was a shy person with just a silent personality.

The three of us sat on the same couch while their friends were in front of me. We were encircling the circular table. They ordered a drink and started a conversation.

“Anmela, are you a student of MIU, too?” Kervy asked. He was playing the glass with liquor in his hand.

“Yes. I’m a nursing student.” I grabbed one of the glasses and drank it in slow motion. I winced as I felt the burning sensation in my throat.

“You’re not used to drinking, are you?” Kervy asked again. He was sitting on the side of another horizontal couch. The location was Ardent, Alem and me on one couch.

“Yes. I just drink occasionally, but Alem is consistent so I accepted her request.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Oh, you’re a good girl.”

I looked up when others of them, inviting each other to a dance even Alem was super happy when one of the guys asked her.

“I’ll be back!” She said to Ardent and me. I was about to move closer to Ardent, but Kervy sat in the middle of us. Ardent stared at him with annoyance.

“Anmela, tell me more about what you did in your life?” Kervy grabbed a bottle and poured my glass.

“Nothing really. My life is not exciting. I’m just studying and working.”

Ardent sharpened his look with the guy. He stood up and sat in the middle of us. “Sorry, Bro, but as a best friend. I need to protect her from strangers. Hope you understand.”

Kervy nodded with a smile on his face. “Don’t worry. I’m not a bad person.”

“You should.” The sarcasm was on Ardent’s face.

I was relieved because he was here. I was not comfortable with that guy Kervy although he did not do anything.

“Oh, your friend is messing out.” Kervy was looking at the dance floor. We both followed his eyes. I covered my lips when I saw Alem was vomiting on the man’s chest.

Ardent immediately stood up. “My goodness gracious, Alem!”