Bittersweet Arrangements : A Sugar Dady Affair

Elena silently stared at the whiteboard in front of her, propping her chin as she observed every detail of the black marker strokes on it. However, that didn’t mean Elena’s mind was following every explanation from the chemistry teacher who had left the class just five minutes ago. The pen in Elena’s fingers had been creating repeated clicking sounds, a result of her continuous pressing. Her mind was wandering aimlessly, and her heart was fiercely fighting to defend her feelings that were going in the wrong direction.

“Why him?” Citra whispered, nudging Melodi’s shoulder as she had just taken a novel from her desk drawer.

Melodi shifted her gaze to Elena and shrugged in response to Citra. Irritated by Melodi’s indifference, Citra forcefully grabbed the novel from her friend’s hand and hid it in her own drawer.

“What’s wrong with you, Cit? Don’t disturb people’s peace,” complained Melodi while trying to snatch her newly purchased novel back.

“Look at that!” Citra pointed with her eyes toward Elena, who was still faithful to her reverie.

“Wow, Daddy’s sweetheart is daydreaming again!” Melodi shouted right next to Elena’s ear.

“Ugh, is that a mouth or a mosque loudspeaker?” Elena exclaimed in surprise, unintentionally throwing her pen towards Citra.

“Why do I have to be the one hit!” Citra protested, whining as she rubbed her forehead, which had been struck by Elena’s thrown pen.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Melodi, seated between Elena and Citra, burst into laughter, enjoying Citra’s reddening face. However, the laughter only lasted for a split second as Citra quickly covered her mouth tightly.

“Uh, I want to ask something,” Elena said, interrupting the just-started quarrel between Citra and Melodi.

They both simultaneously turned their serious gazes towards Elena. “What?” they asked in unison.

Elena glanced around the classroom, ensuring that no one else was paying attention to their conversation. After confirming that their classmates weren’t eavesdropping on them, Elena shifted her seat, slightly leaning forward, and whispered softly, “What does falling in love feel like?”

Citra and Melodi’s bodies instantly froze with open mouths as they stared at Elena with unreadable expressions. However, it only lasted for a few seconds, as they were soon followed by Citra and Melodi bursting into laughter, capturing the attention of all the students.

“What’s everyone looking at!” scolded Elena to her friends.

“Are you on your period, Neng? Going on a rampage!” Deri replied, laughing even though he didn’t know why Citra and Melodi were laughing. But Deri could guess; for sure, the two girls were laughing at Elena’s innocence, as usual.

“Shut up, don’t join their laughter!” retorted Elena, not accepting it, while throwing a book in Deri’s direction. Deri skillfully caught the book and returned it to Elena.

“Don’t pout, later your beauty will fade,” teased Deri, then quickly returned to his seat before facing Elena’s wrath.

Who doesn’t know Elena? In addition to being famously beautiful, Elena is also known for her basketball skills and martial arts prowess. Although Elena refused to join the school’s women’s basketball team, her performance during physical education classes was proof enough. Martial arts, in particular – no one knew how many times Elena had confronted students who dared to harass her or simply defended girls who were being harassed by older students.

Back when Elena first entered high school, she had faced several instances of disrespectful behavior from her seniors. At that time, Elena was buying food in the school canteen with Citra and Melodi. Suddenly, a male student approached her from behind and dared to grab her buttocks. Without much ado, Elena turned around and searched for the culprit, who was then laughing mockingly with his friends. Elena approached the group of students and ignored Citra and Melodi, who were trying to stop her.

“Who did it?” Elena growled with a flushed face. At that moment, Elena was overwhelmed by emotion. Moreover, none of the four students answered her question.

Then, Elena cast a sharp gaze at a student named Salman, whom she believed to be the gang’s leader. Elena then slapped Salman’s cheek hard enough to leave her fingerprints. Salman was furious and retaliated against Elena. However, all the students in the canteen were stunned and shocked when Elena managed to catch Salman’s hand as he tried to hit her. Swiftly, Elena locked Salman’s hand and slammed his body to the floor. Not satisfied there, Elena sat on Salman’s stomach and blindly unleashed her fists on his face.

If the canteen staff hadn’t intervened at that moment, Salman would have been beaten to a pulp by Elena. Since then, not a single student dared to disturb Elena. Moreover, with the intimidating presence of Elena’s father, who often picked her up from school, they all chose to avoid trouble rather than face a disastrous outcome.

“Hey, friends, I have good news!” shouted Nurul, the class secretary, from the doorway. Instantly, all the students redirected their attention to her.

“Mr. Ridwan’s class is empty!” exclaimed Nurul, followed by cheers from all the students.

One by one, the students left the class to engage in activities they enjoyed. Elena also got up from her seat, leaving Citra and Melodi behind, who hurriedly followed her.

“Ih, sulking!” teased Citra while wrapping her arm around Elena’s arm, who continued walking.

“Join us. Where are you going?” said Melodi while walking backward in front of Elena and Citra.

“Hungry,” Elena replied briefly.

They walked towards the school canteen, which was relatively empty. Understandably, it was during class hours. So, there were only a few students, including the three of them. After ordering three portions of meatball soup along with their drinks, they chose the corner table. Elena intentionally chose it because she wanted to have a serious conversation.

Soon their orders arrived. They hastily poured sauce, soy sauce, and chili into their meatball soup. Enjoying a bowl of meatball soup with a spicy sensation, as per their preference. The three of them were in sync when it came to spicy food. For them, eating without spiciness was like having soup without salt.

“Guys, I’m seriously asking about what I said earlier,” Elena said after sipping her drink.

Citra and Melodi exchanged glances, puzzled by the meaning of their friend’s words. Finding an unpleasant reaction from their two friends, Elena snorted in annoyance.

“Speak clearly… Hua…,” Melodi replied, holding back the mixture of spiciness and heat in her mouth. Melodi quickly reached for her drink, took a sip, and then grabbed a tissue to wipe away her sweat, while Citra continued to devour the remaining meatballs.

“So, here’s the thing, I get nervous when I’m close to someone,” Elena said, making Citra choke. Quickly, Citra reached for her drink, gulped it down quickly. However, instead of successfully eliminating the stinging spiciness in her nose, Citra ended up coughing.

“Oh God, Cit, that’s so gross!” complained Melodi as Citra’s actions caused their table to become wet.

“So sorry,” Citra said while patting her chest to relieve the tightness. Due to the spiciness, tears were now streaming down Citra’s face. While suppressing the stinging sensation in her nose, Citra wiped their table with a tissue.

“Who’s the guy?” said Melodi curiously.

There was a look of hesitation on Elena’s face about revealing her feelings. For a moment, Elena fell silent, looking at her two friends alternately. Finally, Elena decided to keep the guy’s identity a secret until she was sure of her feelings.

“Is it Dirga?” Citra guessed enthusiastically. However, Elena’s headshake melted her excitement.

“Then…?” Melodi asked, even more curious about who the lucky guy was that had captured her innocent friend’s heart.

“Never mind. You don’t need to know who the guy is yet. Now, teach me how to approach him?” Elena replied full of hope. “Actually, I’m confused myself. Am I really in love?” Elena continued, feeling uncertain.

“Does your heart beat fast? Are you nervous when you’re with him? Do you often think about him? Do you want to know everything about him?” Citra fired off questions with enthusiasm.

Elena propped her chin up with both hands and nodded.

“Fixed, you’re in love!” Melodi exclaimed while pointing at Elena.

“Teach me how to approach a guy!” Elena pleaded.

“Alright, what’s not for Daddy’s spoiled girl?” teased Citra, imitating the phrase often said by Elena’s Daddy.

Citra cleared her throat, adjusted her sitting position, and began to talk. Amusingly, Elena seemed enthusiastic and serious, absorbing the explanations from her two friends. Tricks and ways to approach (PDKT) were explained to Elena to be practiced directly. Since Elena confessed that the guy she was interested in was the son of her parents’ friend, Citra and Melodi had no suspicions. Instead, they supported Elena to implement the tricks they provided.

***

As they left the school gate, a continuous smile appeared on Elena’s face. She couldn’t wait to meet Devan. Since there were no additional classes, Elena went home early. So, Elena would make the most of the opportunity. Elena’s car glided freely towards the main road, heading to the place where Devan usually spent his time.

Upon arriving in front of the car workshop labeled ‘The Doctor’s Car,’ Elena stopped her car. Not getting out immediately, Elena paused for a moment to calm her pounding heart that had started to revolt inside her chest. Elena closed her eyes, took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and then exhaled through her parted lips. Wanting to ensure nothing was overlooked, Elena checked her appearance through the side mirror in front of her, tidying her long brown hair into a single tie.

While reading a silent prayer, Elena stepped out of her car. Walking towards the car workshop terrace filled with customers’ cars parked there. Elena entered and greeted Lucky, who seemed to be seriously working. Not far from Elena, she saw Devan chatting with a woman she believed to be the same age as his Mommy. Two words for the mature woman: beautiful and sexy. The woman’s appearance was polite and elegant, but it didn’t hide the seductive curves of her body beneath the cream-colored pantsuit paired with a white 3/4-sleeved collared shirt. Her straight shoulder-length hair was left untied, looking shiny and beautiful. Atop her head, she wore sunglasses as a perfect complement to her appearance.

Suddenly, Elena’s steps halted. Then, without realizing it, she compared her appearance, still wearing a long gray skirt paired with a white top with the name Elena Amandita Seivaz written on her chest. It was very contrasting, like night and day. Instantly, Elena realized that she wasn’t a match for the man she called Uncle Devan. Elena’s brilliant mind quickly calculated their age difference. Yup, 21 years separate her and Devan. Even the man’s age was older than her Mommy’s.

Hastily, Elena abandoned her plan for PDKT. Elena turned around to leave before Devan saw her there.

“Why are you turning back, El?” Devan said a bit loudly to make sure the girl could hear him. In fact, since earlier, Devan had seen Elena’s arrival, but he intentionally waited for the girl to come. However, instead of approaching, Elena seemed to be leaving again.

“You’re dead, El!” Elena grumbled with her frozen body.

Elena regulated her breath before turning back. Facing the man who had made her heart beat uncontrollably lately. Preparing herself to approach Devan and the woman.

“Come here!” Devan called while raising his hand for Elena to come closer.

As naturally as possible, Elena behaved, smiling as she walked. Closing the distance of only a few meters between them. While continuing to walk, Elena tightly gripped her phone until she reached the two adults.

Devan extended his hand, which was immediately greeted by Elena. As usual, Elena kissed the back of Devan’s hand as she did with her Daddy.

“Who’s this beautiful girl, Lon? As far as I know, your child is a boy, right?” the woman asked with her soft voice.

“Oh, let me introduce you. She’s Vanessa’s daughter, our former classmate,” explained Devan, while Elena just smiled awkwardly, digesting Devan’s statement that she had just heard. So, the beautiful woman was their Mommy’s college friend, which automatically made her Devan’s friend too. For a moment, Elena could breathe a sigh of relief because the woman was not her competition. Elena was sure the woman must be married by now.

“Oh, Vanessa’s daughter, she’s so pretty,” praised the woman while extending her hand towards Elena.

“Call me Aunt Dinda,” replied the woman friendly.

For a moment, Dinda looked at Elena and Devan alternately, then commented with a smile.

“El, you wait for Uncle in the office, I’ll catch up with you later,” Devan ordered, which Elena reluctantly followed. Elena went away, even though in her heart, she was not willing to let Devan spend more time with Dinda.

“I consider her like my own daughter, Din.”

Suddenly, Elena’s steps stopped. Fortunately, Elena was not driving on the road at the moment. If she were, it could be ensured that a multiple-car collision would occur as Elena’s foot abruptly hit the gas pedal. Elena wondered if Devan only considered her as his own daughter. It was reasonable, but what about her heart that had fallen in love with the older man?

Elena, who was only 2 meters away from them, suddenly fell silent, frozen in place with her chest rumbling. The hope for PDKT instantly disappeared, even before it started.

Feeling puzzled because Elena was silent, Devan asked, “What’s wrong, El?”

“It’s nothing, Uncle!” Elena replied and hurriedly left.