"Bas, don't be weird. Just so you know, my life is miserable because of men. I want to fully enjoy my life as a career woman, so please, help yourself find another girl. Don't be with me. Besides, I have lots of responsibilities. If you become my husband, I'm not sure if you can support my mother who has acute diabetes and my younger sibling who is still in college.

"

"It doesn't matter! My financial situation is just fine. I won't leave your mother and sister neglected!

" Bastian said, trying to convince Lisa to accept his proposal.

"Bas, sorry. I'm really sorry. I don't want to go out with my own friends. I also want to take a break from dating and relationships. My career can be ruined if I don't focus on it. So sorry I can't be your girlfriend.

"

Lisa's refusal was like hundreds of arrows piercing Bastian's body until the man fell down and covered in blood. The bitter reality struck Bastian's heart, but that man did not lose his enthusiasm from his face. He was silent for a moment, fixing his uneasy mind then lifted his face again while smiling sweetly at Lisa.

"It's okay Sis Lisa. But we're still friends, right?

" His voice sounded relaxed.

Lisa's face, which at first looked fierce and scary, gradually became calmer. A smile returned to her flushed lips.

"Of course! You don't need to ask about that, because you definitely know the answer!

"

The end of the conversation between the two co-workers ended with laughter as the night grew late. Bastian drove Lisa back to her boarding house. Lisa then got out of Bastian's car and said,

"How come you never take a car to the office?

"

"If I bring my car, many of the office friends will try to hitchhike me to go to work later. I don't want to imagine how tired I'll be when I have to send them one by one!

" Bastian replied, blushing. His face began to turn red when his eyes fell on Lisa's beautiful face.

In his mind, Lisa was a smart and persistent woman. Although her skin wasn't that bright, this woman still had an unusual beauty. Lisa was not only beautiful on the outside but also on the inside. It's no wonder that many men fell in love with her, including Bastian.

"Okay, I'll go in! See you tomorrow at the office!

" Lisa waved her hand at Bastian's car then got into the boarding house. The old house was still the same shape, nothing had changed much. In fact, Lisa had been living in that rickety and terrible boarding house for a year, but there were still no additional residents besides her. The atmosphere in the boarding house was getting quiet and eerie, but Lisa was used to it so she walked in with a flat expression as if nothing's wrong.

Lisa opened the door and threw her crazy pink wig on the floor. She dropped herself onto the sofa, unlatched her high heels that were no less tacky than her overall appearance tonight.

The woman then let out a deep breath. Finally, the date session with the man she didn't want ended. Indeed, she did not expect that most of her love life would be in conflict with men not far from her workplace. The woman looked up and then stared at the glowing living room lamp.

The light was dim, slowly dazzling Lisa's eyes that were staring at the glowing ball above her head while calming her misty thoughts for too long. She then closed her eyes, returned to organize her messy thoughts. Lisa tried to forget the glimpses of what happened at the cafe with Bastian. The incident just now really felt very unreal but it was still real.

After she refreshed her mind, Lisa got up from the sofa and took off her tacky clothes. She went upstairs, to her room, then threw the tacky clothes to the end of the room. She dropped her body on the chair near the mirror and then cleaned her makeup which was no less tacky and ridiculous. Lisa stared at her disgusting face closely while having a dialogue with herself.

'Crazy, how come Bastian doesn't see my ugly face? Yes, it's not that bad, but my makeup is really bad, you **ing dog! Bastian is blind, right?'

Lisa immediately rushed to the bathroom to wash her sticky and dirty body. By rinsing herself, she hoped that her mind would be much fresher and calmer before she went to sleep.

After taking a shower, Lisa put on her nightgown and then laid her tired body on the bed. She took another deep breath. Finally, she could sleep peacefully tonight. But unfortunately, she was awakened by the sound of her cell phone ringing when she was already halfway to sleep. She reached for the cell phone and then stared at the screen, trying to see who the caller was.

Lisa snorted in annoyance as she read the caller's name and then picked up the call reluctantly.

"Hello, what's wrong, Mom? It's really late at night, I'm so tired and I need to go to bed soon. You also need to sleep, don't get too tired!

"

"Lisa! I just wanted to tell you that my friend said her child likes you! And oh, my friend also praised you a lot! She said you are beautiful, smart, and persistent. So what do you think, Lisa? How is the guy?

"

Kumala's voice sounded very cheerful like someone who had just won the lottery. Just hearing it made Lisa sick and annoyed, thinking why didn't her mother stop to interfere with her love problem.

"Mom please, I'm dead tired right now. I still have to work tomorrow,

" without waiting for a response from Kumala, Lisa immediately hung up the call and then turned off her cellphone. Tonight, she didn't want to be disturbed by anyone. Lisa just wanted to sleep well!

***

The next morning, Lisa woke up with a refreshed body and a pretty clear mind compared to last night. When she turned on her cellphone, she saw ten message notifications from her mother. Lisa ignored them then looked at the time and date on her cellphone's screen.

"It's Friday now,

" Lisa said softly. The woman was speechless, her mind returned to the memory of the day Oscar would leave Jakarta for good. Her heart began to worry, her body froze in place. A strong feeling of longing began to fill her mind.

Arriving at the office, Lisa could not focus on her work as usual. Her mind was still shrouded in shadows of the handsome and charming man. Her tapered fingers were trembling, she could not type very well. Lisa paused for a moment then took a deep breath, held it and then exhaled. Her eyes blinked several times as she patted her cheeks. The memories refused to go away.

No matter how hard Lisa tried to forget Oscar, her heart was still fixated on the golden haired man.