Chapter 91: THE FORBIDDEN DOOR

The car sped along the road that was starting to empty—streetlights glowing yellowish, illuminating asphalt still wet from the rain that had fallen a few hours earlier. Inside the car, there were five people. Leina sat in the back seat, with a small bag on her lap and a dark blue dress she had chosen carefully that night—a dress she had bought two weeks ago, that she had kept in the wardrobe, that she had waited to wear. Beside her, Kiki—a friend she had known since elementary school, with short hair always tied back and a smile always ready—sat casually, occasionally tapping the window with her finger. In the front seats were Melati—who always talked the most, who always knew all the gossip, who always made the atmosphere lively—and two men Leina didn’t know very well: Bagas, with a neat white shirt and a gleaming watch, and Rian, with a black leather jacket and slicked-back hair.

"Where are we going?" Leina asked. She had asked that three times since they left—and three times Kiki had only smiled mysteriously.

"Somewhere crowded," Kiki answered. "The place they say is the most popular in this city."

"But where?"

"You’ll see for yourself."

Leina furrowed her brow. She looked at Kiki—for a long time, with narrowed eyes—but Kiki just smiled wider. "You," Leina said. "Since when did you like making people curious?"

"Since I knew you’d react like this," Kiki said. "Your face is cute when you’re curious."

Leina pouted her lips—but she couldn’t hold back a smile. She turned to the window—the car passed several buildings she recognized, then turned onto a road she didn’t recognize—and she felt something strange in her chest. Not suspicion. Not fear. Just—something. Something that made her want to ask again, but also made her feel that asking again wouldn’t produce an answer.

Melati turned from the front seat. "Leina, you’re too suspicious. We already promised to have a reunion, right? So just enjoy it. Don’t think too much."

"I’m not suspicious," Leina said. "I’m just—"

"Just what?"

"Just curious."

Melati laughed. "Same thing."

Bagas—sitting beside Melati—turned back. "Relax, Leina. The place is good. I’ve been there before. You’ll like it."

Leina looked at him. "You’ve been there before?"

"Yes. Before. When I was still—" Bagas paused for a moment, like he was searching for the right word, "—before I got busy."

Rian—sitting beside Bagas—added in a softer voice, "The place is lively. Lots of people. Perfect for a reunion."

Leina nodded slightly. She turned to the window again—the car passed several blocks, passed several red lights, passed several dark alleys—and she let her mind drift. She hadn’t seen her friends in a long time. Since they graduated—since they separated—Leina had only communicated through short messages, through rare phone calls, through promises that were never kept. And now—when they finally met—Leina felt like she was back in her school days. A time when everything was simpler. A time when she wasn’t a teacher yet. A time when she didn’t know Reina—or Kai.

The car stopped. Leina got out—one by one, her friends got out first—and when she stood on the asphalt, she lifted her head and stared at the building in front of her. A box building with spotlights hitting its facade from below, with a long line winding in front of the entrance, with the words HOT VIPER shining above the door. And beside that entrance—the VIP door, with a guard standing in front of it. A man in a black suit, with dark glasses, with a radio on his chest.

Leina blinked. That man—for a moment—looked like someone she knew. But she shook her head. Impossible. Kai couldn’t possibly work in a place like this. Kai was a teacher. Kai went home to his apartment after school. Kai didn’t have time for—this.

"Leina?" Kiki touched her arm. "What’s wrong?"

"Nothing," Leina said. "I just—mistook someone."

"Mistook someone for who?"

"Nothing." Leina shook her head again—faster this time—and she smiled. "I just felt like I’d seen that person before."

Kiki looked at the guard for a moment—then she shrugged. "Maybe you have. He’s a guard here. Maybe you’ve been here before."

"I’ve never been here."

"Well then. That means you mistook him." Kiki grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the door. "Come on. Don’t make the others wait."

Bagas took the tickets from his pocket and handed them to the guard. "Ten tickets," he said. The guard—the man with dark glasses—took the tickets, counted them, and opened the door. "Please."

Leina stepped inside—passing the guard, without looking back again. She didn’t see how the guard let out a breath. She didn’t see how the guard closed his eyes for a moment—like he was gathering something. She just walked in, down the long corridor whose walls were lined with dark wood, past several closed doors, until she reached the main area.

The music pounded—a deep bass she could feel in the floor, could feel in her ribs. Colorful lights—red, blue, purple—spun across the ceiling, creating moving patterns on the walls and on people’s faces. On the dance floor, several people were dancing—with irregular movements, with laughter occasionally heard between the music. Around her, there were tables—round tables, square tables, long tables—with people sitting, drinking, and talking.

Melati opened her mouth wide. "Wow," she said. "This is really cool."

Kiki nodded. "Bagas, you didn’t tell me the place was this cool."

Bagas smiled. "I said the place was good. You didn’t believe me."

"I believed you," Kiki said. "I just didn’t expect it to be this cool."

Rian—walking behind—added, "Come on. The table’s already reserved."

He led them to an oval table in the corner of the room. The table was already reserved—with a black tablecloth, with a small candle in the center, with ten chairs surrounding it. They sat down—Leina between Kiki and Melati—and Bagas ordered various foods and drinks. "Tonight we have fun," he said. "No need to think about anything."

Leina smiled. She looked at her friends—Kiki already opening the menu, Melati talking with Rian, Bagas waving his hand at the waiter—and she felt something warm in her chest. This was the reunion. This was the night she had waited for—that she had planned—that she had fought for. She wouldn’t let anything ruin it.

"Let’s begin," Bagas said, raising his glass. "To us—who haven’t met in a long time."

"To us," the others said—in unison.

Leina raised her glass. She took a sip of her drink—iced tea, not alcohol—and she placed her glass back down. She looked at her friends—who were starting to talk about school days, about the teachers they knew, about funny incidents they had forgotten—and she smiled. She hadn’t felt like this in a long time. Like—part of something.

"Remember," Melati said, "when we were in first grade, we got punished standing in front of the class for being noisy?"

Kiki laughed. "Yes! I remember! Leina was the one who started talking, but I was the one who got punished."

"Not me who started talking," Leina said. "You started first."

"Ah, no. I couldn’t have started first. I’m quiet."

Melati laughed louder. "Quiet? You’re the noisiest in the class!"

"Not me," Kiki said. "That’s Leina."

Leina raised her hand. "Okay, okay. I admit it. I started first."

They all laughed. Leina took another sip of her drink—and she looked at her friends—and she felt like she was back in her school days. A time when everything was simpler. A time when she wasn’t a teacher yet. A time when she didn’t know Reina—or Kai.

"I’m going to the toilet for a moment," Leina said, standing up. Kiki and Melati stood up too. "We’ll come too."

They walked to the toilet—past the dance floor, past several tables, past a quieter corridor—and they entered the women’s toilet. Inside, Leina washed her hands—cold water, fragrant soap—and she stared at the mirror. Her face—still with the same smile, with the same eyes—but there was something there. Something that made her feel that tonight would be a long night.

"Leina," Kiki said from behind the stall door. "Are you okay?"

"I’m okay," Leina said. "I’m just—"

"Just what?"

Leina stared at the mirror for another moment. "I just feel strange. About the guard at the front earlier."

"The guard you said looked like someone?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure it’s not someone you know?"

"I’m not sure," Leina said. "But I’m also not sure it’s him."

Kiki came out of the stall and washed her hands at the sink beside her. "If you’re unsure, we’ll just ask later. But not now. Right now we’re having fun. Don’t let weird thoughts ruin it."

Leina nodded. "You’re right."

Melati came out of the stall and joined them. "Come on. The others are waiting."

They left the toilet—past the quieter corridor, past several tables, past the dance floor—and returned to the oval table. The men were watching a football match on the large screen hanging on the wall—with glasses in their hands, with eyes occasionally glancing at the screen. Bagas stared at that screen—but his eyes weren’t focused. He turned to Rian—sitting beside him—and he whispered something. Rian nodded slightly. He turned toward the table—toward the empty chairs—and he smiled. A smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

The women returned. Leina sat in her chair—and Kiki sat beside her. Kiki looked at the table—searching for her drink—and she furrowed her brow. "My drink is empty," she said. "I want to order another."

One of the men—Bagas—pointed to the other side of the table. "There are drinks over there," he said. "We ordered extras. Please take some."

Kiki nodded. She stood and walked to the side of the table he indicated—without realizing that the men were staring at her with a gaze she couldn’t read. Without realizing that behind their smiles—there was something else. Something they had already planned.