90 Days Missing You's

CHAOTIC RECEPTIONS

On Monday, at 05:30, I was already in the cafe, not knowing what to do in my studio apartment located on the seventh floor in the same area. Just two weeks out from Max, I felt like .. almost crazy. I had to do something useful, something that could take my mind off of him.

With the origin, I put the backpack to the nearest chair and stepped into the toilet to polish the face that I had not had time to do. Not to mention getting close to it, I almost screamed seeing my own reflection in the half-body mirror above the sink in front of the toilet.

Oh, naw! Oh, this is impossible! Why is it like this?

I ran into the mirror and touched my face, pulled it left, right, and stabbed the swollen part of me crying all night. It feels like I want to go home and cry again, but it will make me other than ugly, crazy too. At least, if I'm here and doing my usual activities, I'm just an ugly woman for a day.

While grumbling, I washed my face and began to polish it with foundation. I'll still open my shop and serve guests, even with a puffy face, to hell with the people looking at me. Do they know anything about my personal life?

I exhaled from the corner of the lips to expel the fallen child, then started patting the face with powder. I think Max wants to make sure I hate my life after breaking up with him. My memory goes back to the day before, when attending a friend's wedding invitation.

That online invitation went to my iPhone-X notification three days ago. Without a second thought, I immediately planned to go there. Wearing the latest model of the batik dress, I entered the hotel ballroom in South Jakarta with confidence. I forgot that dating Max for five years made his friend automatically my friend too. The first thing people ask when my feet just step in is: where is Max?

I was straight on blank.

Where is Max? Where do I know! I almost sprayed them with such harsh words. How could those people ask me, where is Max? Then, I just remembered, they didn't know about our romance. There I realized, it's going to be a long, drama-filled night.

Justright. Almost an hour later, while I was eating a delicious buffet menu, the ballroom suddenly went quiet. The guests, especially the women, turned their heads towards the entrance. Really, it was a slow time, like a scene in a soap opera, where the crowd split as the main lead came into the room.

Max in after black wool suit is really stunning. Body height. Shoulder width. The smile believed herself to be more dazzling than the spotlights that doused her and her partner. A woman clad in *sex*dress of very tight skin - possibly the size of XXXS - was next to her. Max's hand hugging his thin waist made me stifle.

If I had to compare myself, the woman was African giraffe-class, while I was like a dirty donkey. Damnit damnit! Why am I so poor? I swallowed spit.

I haven't had a chance to throw my face away, Max's gaze found me. He smiled, showing off his dimples. Then a pair of thick eyebrows shot up, as if asking my partner. I looked at him awkwardly, then circulated the gaze around. A man who seemed to be alone near me seemed like a perfect alibi, so I immediately shifted my body closer and took him in. The man looked surprised, but he didn't say anything, which made me a little relieved. Far ahead, Max laughed, revealing a neat row of teeth like a Close Up commercial.

The drama of the night continued, when it turned out that Alex-the man I was holding-still was single. So I spent the night with Alex who ate. If you notice, no wonder Max laughed earlier, he must know a man like Alex is not my taste-short and a little bald.

But what can I do? I don't want to be seen in front of him. With the intention of trying to look happy, I joined the jomlo-ers to the middle of the room, to get a bouquet of bridal flowers with romantic dinner vouchers at the same hotel.

"One-two-three!!!" MC shouted from the stage. Two red rose bouquets were thrown into the air, one towards the male jomlo-ers and another towards the female jomlo-ers.

The flung bouquet of roses led to the giraffe woman standing near me. I'm not gonna let him get that bouquet of flowers, after he stole my ex-lover. With all my might, I jumped forward and grabbed him quickly. The giraffe woman shouted and took a step back.

"Yes! Jomlo-ers who get flowers, are expected to go up to the stage to capture the moment with the bride and groom" exclaimed the MC on stage.

Before bursting out among the crowd towards the stage, I gave a satisfied grin to the giraffe woman who still looked shocked by my actions just now. Just as I stepped on the first step, my steps came to a halt. Max stood there, at the end of the steps with a bouquet of white roses in his grasp.

Instantly, I could imagine we were a pair of happy brides, but the MC's voice blew away my beautiful imagination. "Come, Ma'am. Buruan, it's been awaited."

"Oh, yes. Sorry." I continued to take my step back on stage.

"Max and Yuri, oh my God! Oh my goodness .. congratulations! This dinner voucher is for lovers. May you enjoy it and follow us soon, yes!" said the bride, then hugged and kissed my cheek.

Oh, my God .. Are you kidding me?

I frowned when the dinner voucher was given to Max by both brides. In the end, my struggle to get the bouquet enjoyed by the giraffe woman and her former lover .. somehow I have to describe my current feelings for Max. After getting off the stage, the rest of the night I spent avoiding Alex.

"Geez, Yu, the face is like a dead body that's still muted," Laura's hard drive from behind made me aghast. When my eyes focused on the reflection of myself in the mirror, the girl was right, my powder was already as thick as a lenong player. "This is what I'm helping you give."

"Udah, here. Diem," Laura ordered as she turned my face toward him. Deftly, his hand picked up the eyebrow pencil and began to draw. "You're crying, huh?"

"No."

This is a very stupid lie. My eyes are clearly like a goldfish chef, I know, having seen it this morning in front of the sink glass when brushing my teeth. After all I did - from washing my face, dripping Insto, soaking my eyes in Boorwater, to compressing with cucumbers - but, it didn't seem like a meaningful change.

"Your eyes are swollen, it must be hard to see with frog eyes like that."

Frog's eye? How dare you, Barbie. If Laura knew the reason behind my suddenly swollen eyes, she should have understood. I snort.

"That's it, Yu, that's gone already. Find another guy, look young. Do you need my help?"

It's easy for him to talk. "Don't take it personally, but I'm not the kind of person you can date with three people at once, or date a new marathon - just broke up. Not that I don't want to move on, but five years is not a short time and can be thrown away."

"Well, that! You're just less ko-lek-si! The formula is simple: collection - selection - reception. If your collection is lacking, how do you want selection? And forget about the reception." Laura closed the eyebrow pencil and took the eye-liner from her make-up bag. "Close your eyes. You're pretty, you know?"

"I'm not amused."

"I'm not lying. You're just lacking...what is it?" Laura thought for a while, as if the word she was about to say was hard to mention. "Less polished, nah!"

"If you mean dress up Laura Wicaksono, forget it. I'm not interested."

"Whatever, but .. I warn you, you'll regret it later. It's finished!" Without further ado, Laura immediately shifted my position to take my place in front of the mirror, before I could even see my face after it was polished.

I screeched, then immediately passed from there and returned to the back of the counter. If Laura can see it clearly, then other people I think also easily know, that my personal life is at a minus point.

I felt like I wanted to bang my head against the granite table in front. This is so stupid. I mean, why did I cry last night thinking about what Max might do with that giraffe woman, I asked Max to break up. Ridiculous, no? Maybe this is the so-called dilemma of STW-half women - whether my hormones are experiencing a technical breakdown. I don't know, but I was hoping-very hopeful-can move on from Max.

The open door bell rang, revealing the figure of Leonhart who moved in. The perfect grin revealed a row of well-groomed teeth, as if bringing fresh air in the room. No wonder he was judged by many women, young and old. Hair gondrong his shoulders, today he ties slippery back, ala Italian barista. Come to think of it, these two capable and sexy people are probably the ones who keep my cafe crowded.

"You crying?" leonhart asked with elbows resting on the cashier's desk, while his gaze gently traced my face.

My concentration of counting money in the cash register was instantaneous. "No, don't ask anymore. Clean the coffee machine and set it right. You're Laura too, cleaning up the table or something. And reduce comments about me."

"Why are you still crying over that guy, Yu? You see for yourself, she's moved-on, and I think you should too. Just so you know, I'm available," said Leonhart, lazily dragging her elbow away.

I didn't say anything. I took a deep breath, then resumed my delayed count.

Maybe Leonhart likes me, it's just a theory of possibility that I don't want to prove. If I were yearning single, maybe I would immediately jump into his arms when he offered himself like that. However, his offer was not on the spot, for it may be said I was mourning and my love's grave was still wet with tears.

I saw Laura move towards the door and flip a small board that read "CLOSE" stuck on the glass door. It's seven o'clock apparently, I'm sighing again and hoping Max doesn't come here today. Who knows, after a romantic dinner yesterday, he came home late and fell asleep until tomorrow.

My request was not granted. From the transparent glass door, I saw Max get off the Mercedez Benz CLA Coupe and into his tent, while the luxury car kept passing and disappeared in the basement of the building.

Oh, shite!