I tried not to smile, but my face wanted to wiggle! Then I tilted my head to look at her. “I made it. I gave it to you. And I’m the only one who gets to use it for you.”
Puffing out one cheek, Sophie kept staring at me, and it made my cheeks feel all warm and tingly—but I didn’t back down. This was mine. Ours.
“Sophie is only for me… to use only for you.”
We fell quiet as she kept looking at me. Then I softened my tone at the last second, “Only for us.”
She stared at me for a long moment. Then suddenly she smiled, her dimples showing.Wow… so pretty. Just like a carnation in bloom.“Okay!” She clasped her hands together. “Then I’ll scold anyone who calls me Sophie.”
Couldn’t hold back my happiness, I smiled too and raised my pinky finger. “Pinky promise?”
“Pinky promise!” Her eyes lit up, then she leaned a little closer and whispered, “Only for you.”
I grinned, full of joy, looking at her beside me—and then we both laughed.
Pink, yellow!
1
Tshabina
Jakarta, 2024.
“Biba!” My childhood name rang in my ears, and without even turning around, I knew exactly who the voice belonged to. Andi, half an hour early for our essential meeting, and already loud enough to wake the whole floor.
He arrived in a blur: pale, straight black hair and a striking wardrobe.
Instead of responding with a warm smile, I darted around as his voice echoed down the office hallway. “Why are you so loud this early in the morning?” I hissed. “These walls have ears, and we donotneed to be the center of attention.”
Andi waved a hand, glancing left and right. “Oh, please. Are you saying people are gonna gossip about me just for being a little loud?”
“People here gossip abouteverything. Remember the pink Stanley? That blew up.”
Andi gaped and gave me a sour face. “Because people here are so old-fashioned, it’s actually painful. Like, who still thinks colors have a gender? I bought one because Kelly Clarkson uses it. I thought maybe my voice would—”
Before he could finish, I cut him off when a man stepped out of the lift, catching my attention immediately. I tugged Andi’s shirt. “Shh, that’s Mr. Aditya,” I whispered, nodding toward the lift.
“Good morning, sir,” we both spoke in unison, dipping our heads.
“Good morning, Tshabina.” There were two people in front of him, but somehow his gaze found only mine. “The meeting starts in twenty minutes. Please prepare the roomand equipment,” Aditya said, sharp and to the point, before walking ahead.
Andi looked at me, raising his brow. “Damn, girl, you’re literally doing PA work without the title. It’s always Tshabina this, Tshabina that.”He leaned in, voice dropping. “Honestly, if I were you, I’d just ask to get promoted—”
We stepped into the empty lift, and I pressed the button, cutting him off again. “Andi,” I breathed. “Didn’t I tell you not to say weird things in the office? And stop yelling, seriously.” Glaring at him, I took a deep breath and leaned my shoulder against the lift wall. “My ears are toast!”
Andi clicked his tongue while following me, leaning his shoulders against the wall beside me. “Someone woke up in sensitive mode today, huh? I’m just—ahh!”
Ah… this man really.
Covering my ears, I flinched as his voice rose without warning. “Yeah, damn, it reminded me—wait, you have to see this!” Before I could even blink, he shoved his iPad toward me.
“I already told you not to yell—”
My words stopped when my eyes fell on the news headline glowing on the screen. My focus narrowed, my mind going empty as I looked at it. Seconds stretched, and time around me slowed.
I read the sentence, word by word, letting it sink in.
Zioh Danudara Wins Best Architecture Award for Google’s New Office.
