2 New Project

A woman blinked many times when she saw the house her fiancé had recently bought. They will live in the house together after marriage. Maybe because of that, her fiancé took her to have a look.

"Do you like the house?" asked the man while rubbing the top of Lintang's head, his fiancée.

"I really really like it," answered Lintang. Her slender finger traced the window of the house which was deliberately made of wide glass to maximize the light that came in.

"It's still empty, we'll just hire an interior designer later. I'm going to be really busy after this, maybe I don't have much time to take care of it."

Lintang nodded. "Thank you, Dam. You have prepared all this for our future."

"For our future, for you, I’ll do anything," Adam replied as he embraced the woman in front of him in his arms.

Lintang's back stiffened when she was in Adam's arms. She could feel Adam's great love for her.

"So, what concept do you want for our home interior design?"

"I don't understand, Dam. You take care of it. It's up to you how you want to do it. The important thing is that later when you are tired from work, you can be comfortable when you are at home."

"As long as you're in it, I'll be comfortable."

Lintang smiled, then gently patted Adam's chest so that the man could stretch his arms.

"Have you found someone who wants to do the interior design?"

"I've gotten recommendations from office friends. Companies that are growing, something like that, the portfolio is good enough. Even though they often handle the design of cafes, restaurants, or resorts, they have worked on several artist houses. You know that artists must be complicated, in order to maintain their image. So, in my opinion, our house is just a small task for them. I met yesterday with one of their representatives. But I'm just getting to meet again with her, there's still something else that needs to be discussed."

Lintang raised her hands in surrender. "Anyway, I will not interfere with the interior design of this house, Dam. I don't understand and I'm too lazy to think."

"Yes, but when I tell you the progress later and you don't feel comfortable, you immediately say it, don't cover it up, ok?”

A nod was Lintang's answer. The woman then checked her ringing cell phone. "I'll take the call first."

"Who?"

"Hmm ... Devi," she answered as she walked towards the yard.

Adam let his fiancée take the call, while he himself went further into the house smiling contentedly.

***

            "Yaraaa! The boss called you to his room," said Nana, Yara's desk friend who had just left the big boss' room.

"What else? I feel like my work is done," Yara grumbled.

"I think you will be asked to handle Mbak Oni’s project."

"Well. Why? Is it true that Mbak Oni is already on maternity leave? Why was the project transferred to me?"

"Gosh, Yara! Haven't you heard the news that Mbak Oni is now in the hospital? She needs surgery, the baby is premature."

Yara covered her own mouth, then opened her cellphone and looked for her office's w******p group. The news must have been there, and she who was the laziest to check the w******p group chose to turn off notifications for the sake of his peaceful life.

"Oh my goodness, I can get karma for rejecting Mbak Oni’s project, I was really lazy just now to even think about replacing that project."

"There you go, meet the boss first, it's not not sure you were asked to handle Mbak Oni’s project. Who knows you will be asked to work on a resort project in Papua."

"Damn it! I was satisfied last month, back and forth to Manado for a project there." Yara stepped in haste, leaving Nana who was still laughing after hearing her ramblings.

Yara knocked on the door of her big boss several times until she heard herself being invited in. "Afternoon, Pak Ranu."

"It's okay, there's no one here anymore, you don't have to be too obedient." Ranu looked at Yara who had just entered without embarrassment. His niece is indeed the most mischievous among the others. The proof is that they had to fight for days until his niece wanted to work on their project in Manado.

Yara rolled her eyes lazily. "Just to the point, Om. I don’t want to see you for long."

"Heh! what do you mean? I will tell your Mama."

"Unfortunately, Om's last name is the same as my boyfriend's last name who just dumped me."

Ranu Tarangga ruffled his hair in frustration. Yara can always irritate him to death.

"Well, then you complained to your grandparents why did you give me the same name as your ex's name. But what is clear is that I was born first to your ex, meaning it's your ex's parents that you have to protest."

"Ah, I don't know, I'm dizzy." Yara half lay down on the sofa with her legs still hanging on the floor.

"I will tell your mom if you break up with your boyfriend again."

"Don't care," Yara replied nonchalantly. "I will be teased. That’s it."

"When did you, Ra, want to have a proper relationship, which would lead to marriage?"

"Later when I meet my soul mate, Om. Right now I am doing a lot of charity."

"What deeds?" Ranu asked confused.

"Take care of people's mate, Om."

"Oh my... I have one nephew and two nieces, how come you be the only one who is insane."

Yara laughed in satisfaction. She has always succeeded in causing premature hair loss in her uncle who is also her mother's only brother, with an age gap of seventeen years.

"Yara, I wants to talk seriously about this."

"Yes, I know. You wants to ask me to handle Mbak Oni's project because Mbak Oni suddenly had to give birth prematurely, right?"

"Oh, you already know?"

"You know, it's been seen, when you ever let me relax for more than a week. There will be work that you will give me."

Ranu laughed. "Because you are indeed talented, Ra. Not because you are uncle's niece, and I want to oppress you. After all, our client chose Oni's design with yours, after showing him some of the interior designer's works here."

"Yes ... yes ... yes ... believe it."

"Seriously Yara, there is no nepotism in this office. Purely because our client chose Oni's design and the second choice was your work. But because Oni couldn't do it, so I threw it at you, whose design the client also liked. Only one house, Ra. Not a resort like yesterday. You can do it while sleeping."

"Okay Mr. Ranu. Okay, where are the details of the project?"

"Oni doesn't seem to have made it yet, Oni was still wanting to make an appointment this afternoon with the client."

Yara let out a heavy sigh.

"This afternoon, Penang Bistro," said Ranu before Yara left his room.

***

Yara stepped lightly into a restaurant where her client was waiting. The heels she was wearing didn't seem to prevent her from running a little.

[Om Ranu: The person is sitting near the window, wearing a navy shirt.]

[Yara: Okay, Pak Ranu. I just entered the restaurant.]

‘Pak Ranu’, that's how Yara calls her uncle when she's upset.

Yara found a man with his back to her with the characteristics mentioned in the text message.

"Afternoon. I'm a representative of  PT Creative Persada," Yara said introducing herself before the man even turned to look at her.

"Afternoon, I'm A...dam." The man in front of Yara seemed to freeze on the spot before finally coming to his senses. "Yara?"

"Adam?"

----

Author’s note:

-The setting in this novel is Jakarta, Indonesia.

-‘Mbak’ is a nickname for an older sister or another woman which is more older to maintain good manners.

-‘Om’ has the same meaning as uncle.

-‘Pak’ is used to address older men in a more formal setting.