You, the Whisper Across Lifetime

Chapter 6: Sweet Nothings

A picture message popped up just as I tapped my card on the MRT gate. I stepped aside from the queue and checked it. A black lace lingerie. My right lip curled—Kaelen was teasing me again.

Even though he'd been back in my country for work, he still had to travel between cities. Our meetups were few, still countable on one hand. Not because I didn't want to see him more often, but our schedules rarely matched.

"I miss u" I typed and hit send. And sent another message with beating heart emoji.

Another photo followed—his fingers forming a heart shape in front of his desk. I recognized the background. He was back in his suite. I smiled and continued my walk toward the office.

To be honest, I thought of Kaelen almost all the time. I missed him. Strangely, we had only been together a few months. And yet, the connection felt deep. Natural.

My phone vibrated again.

"Can you accompany me for lunch?"

"Now?"

"Not now, next year 😑 Of course today!"

Wow. An exclamation mark.

"Can. Where?"

"XX Mall."

"I'll be there in an hour."

"Let me know when you leave the office."

My meeting wrapped up earlier than expected. I was so excited, I arrived at the mall fifteen minutes early. Kaelen messaged me saying he'd be there in five, so I strolled upstairs to kill time.

The moment his name blinked on my phone, I picked it up.

"Where are you?"

"I see your hot sexy ass from here, baby. I'm coming up. Wait there."

I turned just in time to see him riding the escalator up, grinning. My smile stretched from cheek to cheek.

He pulled me into an embrace and, like always, took my bag without asking—a backpack this time, so he looked less funny carrying it. His other hand found mine easily, like it belonged there.

"Hi, sexy," he said, winking.

Standing face-to-face like this, I had to tilt my head up to meet his eyes. He was at least a head and a half taller than me—my head barely reached his shoulder. I must've looked like a petite dwarf beside him, but I didn't care.

'I really like him'. The voice in my head kept chanting.

"Do you want to look around? Or should we eat first, then walk after?" he asked, bringing me back to the moment.

"Are you hungry?" I asked.

"I'm asking you, sayang," he replied, his gaze indulgent.

"I was hungry," I said honestly, "but seeing you makes me forget that I am."

"You haven't eaten me yet, babe," he teased.

I looked down to hide my warm cheeks. I knew I was blushing.

We strolled around, and I picked a small café that served coffee and local cuisine. As we ate, I offered him a bite of my siomay.

"Why do Indonesians like peanut sauce?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

I blinked.

"Peanut should be roasted or fried," he added.

I blinked again.

"No need to offer me, sayang," he said, amused.

"So… you don't like peanut sauce?" I finally asked.

"I think this should be Indonesia's number one snack," he joked.

"Nope," I grinned. "This is number two. The number one is definitely mie bakso ." The couple playing along with words would never be wrong.

"Kael, why did you choose this place to meet?"

"To change the scenery," he replied with a smile. "Let's say I chose it like this, so we don't always end up in my room?"

"You're such a gentleman."

"No, sayang. I'm investing." He winked again.

My heart felt light—brimming with happiness. He could probably see it all over my face. He always saw through me.

We shared a slice of salted caramel chocolate cake for dessert—dark chocolate, my favorite.

"You should try this," I said. "It's not sweet."

"I know, sayang. You don't like sweets… because you're already sweet."

"Hey, you stole my line," I laughed.

Now I understood why people say lovers whisper sweet nothings. That's exactly what we did.

As we stepped outside, he kissed my lips softly before opening the taxi door for me. His two cellphones kept buzzing—work always waited—but he still made time for me.

And for a moment, in the middle of Jakarta's chaos, I felt perfectly loved.