Kopimatcha Chapter 6 — SWEET

Table of Contents

Hana had always been hard to figure out.

Sometimes she could get incredibly close to someone, only to suddenly retreat back into her own little world.

And this time, Raga started to feel that something was different.

Hana was pulling away.

She hadn’t disappeared completely. When they ran into each other, she still said hello. If he talked to her, she still answered.

But their conversations weren’t the same anymore.

No more little jokes.

No more pointless arguments.

No more of Hana’s comments that somehow always managed to make Raga smile.

At first, Raga thought she was just busy.

But as time went by, he started realizing something else.

He was looking for Hana.

During meetings, his eyes would unconsciously wander toward the seat where Hana usually sat.

Whenever he found something funny, he would sometimes think about sending it to her.

Even when he was eating with his friends, he found himself remembering how he used to treat Hana to food.

Small things.

But they happened often enough that even Raga started to feel weird about it.

What’s wrong with me?

Dimas, sitting beside him, glanced over.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“You’ve been zoning out a lot lately. What’s up with you?”

Raga just shook his head.

He didn’t know either.

The organization was still running.

His friends were still around.

His schedule was still the same.

But somehow, everything felt a little different.

Until Raga finally realized that maybe what was bothering him wasn’t work, the organization, or college.

Maybe it was Hana.

He had gotten used to having her around.

The way she spoke so directly.

Her honest comments.

Their little arguments.

Even her unpredictable moods.

It had all felt normal before.

But now that all of it was disappearing, Raga finally realized that he actually missed it.

And what confused him even more was that this wasn’t just curiosity anymore.

He liked having Hana around.

He liked talking to her.

And he didn’t like it when she started pulling away.

But Raga also knew the situation wasn’t simple.

He still had a girlfriend.

And he was afraid that if he admitted his feelings to Hana, everything would change.

Their friendship might become awkward.

The closeness they had built might disappear completely.

So Raga chose to stay quiet.

Meanwhile, Hana had already made her own choice.

Hana chose to walk away.

Raga chose to stay silent.

They were actually standing almost in the same place.

They both had feelings.

They were both afraid.

They just didn’t know yet that those feelings weren’t one-sided.

Some time later, they found themselves in the campus clinic again.

Raga was still part of the medical team.

Hana walked over to him.

“Ga.”

Raga turned.

“What’s wrong?”

“Can you check something for me?”

Raga immediately looked at her face.

“What’s wrong? Are you dizzy?”

“No.”

“Then what is it?”

Hana took a breath.

“My pulse has been pretty fast lately.”

Raga frowned slightly.

“Seriously?”

“Yeah.”

“Since when?”

“Recently.”

Raga grabbed the equipment he needed.

“Sit down.”

Hana did as he said.

Raga started checking her blood pressure.

Hana tried to act normal.

But somehow, this was exactly when her heart decided not to cooperate.

She didn’t know whether her pulse was racing because something was actually wrong with her...

or because of the person standing right in front of her.

Raga held out his hand.

“Give me your hand.”

Hana reached out.

Raga gently held her wrist to check her pulse.

And for a few seconds, neither of them said a word.

Their hands were finally touching.

Not like a handshake.

Not an accidental brush.

This time, Raga was holding Hana’s hand on purpose, simply because he was checking her pulse.

But somehow, neither of them seemed eager to let go.

Hana looked away.

Raga stayed focused on the examination.

Or at least, he tried to look focused.

“Is it fast?”

Hana asked quietly.

Raga looked down at her wrist.

Then he looked at Hana.

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

Raga paused.

“I don’t know.”

Hana almost smiled.

So it wasn’t just her who felt something was strange.

A few seconds passed.

Raga was still holding her hand.

Hana still hadn’t pulled away.

For once, there was no argument about coffee or matcha.

No disagreement.

No teasing.

No reason to keep their distance.

Just two people sitting quietly together.

And for a moment, Hana forgot that she had been trying to stay away from Raga.

Raga forgot that he was supposed to keep his distance too.

Their hands were still together.

Firmly.

For far too long for it to be just a medical check.

But neither of them complained.

Neither of them said,

“Let go.”

Instead, there was a small part of each of them that wished time would slow down just a little.

Hana finally asked,

“Is it normal?”

Raga gave her a faint smile.

“I think so.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah.”

Hana stared at him.

“What kind of doctor are you?”

Raga let out a quiet laugh.

“I’m not a doctor.”

“Then stop acting like you know everything.”

“You’re the one who asked me to check.”

Hana laughed too.

For the first time in a while, things between them felt like they used to.

Except this time, something was different.

Something they hadn’t talked about yet, but were both beginning to feel.

Hana knew she wasn’t alone.

And Raga was finally starting to understand why losing Hana had felt so real.

Beneath all their differences, there was one feeling they shared.

Sweet.

  

A few days later, there was a blood donation event.

Raga was part of the organizing committee. Besides helping with the medical team, he was also assigned to handle public relations.

For most of the event, his camera was practically glued to his hand.

Taking pictures.

Documenting the participants.

Occasionally creating content for the event’s social media.

Meanwhile, Hana came as a donor.

It was her first time donating blood.

And it turned out her courage wasn’t quite as strong as she had imagined.

“Ga...”

Raga, who was holding his camera, turned toward her.

“Hmm?”

“This is my first time.”

Raga immediately understood.

“You nervous?”

“A little.”

“A little?”

Hana nodded.

“Okay... maybe more than a little.”

Raga laughed.

“Relax. You’ll be fine.”

Hana sat down in the donor chair.

Her hand looked a little tense.

Raga, standing nearby, grabbed a bottle of water and handed it to her.

“Here. Drink some first.”

Hana took it.

“Thanks.”

“Just don’t look at the needle.”

“Like I was planning to?”

“You never know. Maybe you’re curious.”

“I’m not that crazy.”

Raga chuckled.

Somehow, with Raga nearby, Hana’s nervousness slowly started to fade.

Maybe because he kept talking to her.

Maybe because she knew there was someone she could ask for help if anything happened.

Or maybe it was simply because that person was Raga.

A little while later, the donation process began.

Hana winced slightly when the needle went in.

Raga, who happened to be nearby, immediately said,

“Relax. Don’t tense up.”

“Easy for you to say.”

“I’m not the one donating.”

“Exactly.”

Raga laughed.

“Want me to stay with you until it’s over?”

Hana looked at him.

“Aren’t you busy?”

“I can document it at the same time.”

Raga raised his camera.

“Besides, I’m part of the PR team.”

Hana shook her head with a smile.

“Excuses.”

Raga didn’t answer.

He simply went back to taking pictures of the event.

Including a couple of shots of Hana.

The moment she noticed, she looked straight at the camera.

“Hey, don’t take pictures of me.”

“Why?”

“I look terrible.”

“No, you don’t.”

Raga answered a little too quickly.

Hana went quiet for a second.

Raga suddenly realized what he had just said.

“I mean... the picture doesn’t.”

Hana tried to hide her smile.

“Yeah, yeah.”

Raga quickly pretended to be busy with his camera again.

But every now and then, he still glanced over at Hana.

Just to make sure she was okay.

When the donation was finally over, Hana looked a little weak.

Raga came over again with another bottle of water.

“Drink.”

Hana took it.

“You’ve been giving me water this whole time.”

“So you don’t pass out.”

“I’m not gonna pass out.”

“Good.”

“What if I do?”

Raga looked at her for a moment.

“Then I’ll catch you.”

Hana laughed.

“Pretty confident, huh?”

“Occupational hazard. I’m on the committee.”

For a while, they simply sat next to each other.

There was no important conversation.

No talk about feelings.

Just little exchanges that were completely ordinary.

But somehow, it was those simple moments that made Hana feel comfortable again.

As if the distance she had been creating over the past few weeks was slowly disappearing.