The Journey Begins

(Wine’s POV)

The faint light of morning crept through the curtains, painting soft golden lines across the room. I shifted in my bed, still holding on to the last fragments of a dream I couldn’t remember. My eyes fluttered open when the door clicked and creaked.

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” Arc said, stepping into my room, already dressed, hair slightly messy but his tone annoyingly cheerful. “Get up. You’ll be late. Remember, we’ve got to reach the airport on time. No one's going to wait for you—not even the ones from Bangkok or Chiang Mai. You’ve got to make it there yourself.”

I groaned, turning to the side. “Bro, why are you so hyper in the morning?” I yawned, pushing the covers off and sitting up. “Don’t worry. I’m already up. And anyway, didn’t we pack our backpacks last night? You were the one insisting on it.”

Arc smirked. “Yeah, but I also know you too well. You’d rather sleep through a flight than show up on time.”

I stood and stretched, glancing at my packed bag leaning by the door. It was real now. I was leaving today.

“By the way,” Arc said, pausing before leaving the room, “aren’t you going to say goodbye to your friends? Or planning to leave just like that?”

I hesitated, rubbing the back of my neck. “I’ll say goodbye to them, yeah. Pond and Yotha… they deserve that. But Faifa… I can’t. Not him. Not like this.”

Arc raised an eyebrow but didn’t question it. I continued, almost to myself, “I’ll tell them who I’m going to, and who I’m leaving behind. I’ll let them know I’m heading to my relatives’ place in Chiang Mai for studies… but I won’t say more than that.”

He gave me a short nod and walked off, calling from the hallway, “Ten minutes. Then breakfast.”

I showered quickly, the cold water doing little to calm the storm inside my chest. So many thoughts, emotions, unanswered questions swirled in my head—but there was no time to dwell on them.

By the time I went downstairs, Arc had already set the table. Toast, eggs, and hot coffee. Simple but comforting.

“Eat fast,” he said. “We need to finish the transfer paperwork at your university before heading to the airport.”

We ate mostly in silence, both of us lost in our own thoughts. Soon after, we got into Arc’s car and drove toward the university campus.

---

The formalities at the university felt like a blur—signatures, transfer documents, collecting final reports, and farewell handshakes from staff. It all passed so quickly, yet felt heavy. A strange kind of goodbye.

Once done, we exited the campus and there, waiting by the gates, were Pond and Yotha. Both looked like they were forcing a smile.

“You thought we’d let you escape without a proper goodbye?” Yotha said, arms crossed.

Wine gave a crooked grin, voice soft. “I didn’t expect it. But I’m glad.”

They walked with us to the car. “We’re coming with you,” Pond declared. “To the airport.”

Arc didn’t complain. In fact, he silently opened the backseat door, letting both boys climb in beside me.

The drive was filled with little jokes, fake smiles, and the occasional deep silence. No one wanted to say the words. No one wanted to make it more real than it already was.

---

At the airport, the goodbye finally came.

We stood near the check-in gates, where soon I’d walk away from everything I’d ever known.

Yotha suddenly hugged me tight. “Will you remember us?”

“Every day,” I whispered, voice shaky.

Pond ruffled my hair. “Don’t you dare forget. Or we’ll fly to Chiang Mai and drag you back.”

I gave a soft laugh, even though my eyes were starting to sting. “I won’t forget. I’m just… walking a different road now.”

We hugged again, tighter this time. Then Arc patted my back. “Go. They’re boarding soon.”

I nodded, turned, and walked ahead—toward a future I wasn’t sure I was ready for.

---

The airport was crowded, yet I felt strangely alone. My footsteps echoed louder than the world around me. I handed in my boarding pass, passed through security, and walked toward the gate.

Once on the plane, I took the window seat. Just as I was placing my backpack under the seat, an elderly woman sat beside me.

She was graceful, wrapped in a soft pink saree, her silver hair tied back neatly, her eyes sharp yet warm. Something about her felt… comforting.

After a while, she turned to me and smiled gently. “Is this your first time going to Chiang Mai, dear?”

I nodded slowly. “Yes, ma’am. First time.”

She tilted her head. “Are you visiting, or moving there?”

“For studies,” I replied. “I’ll be staying with my relatives.”

Her eyes twinkled, and something in her expression shifted. “Are you really going just to study… or are you running away from someone?”

I blinked. “Excuse me?”

She chuckled softly. “I can tell, dear. Your heart—it carries something heavy. Like it’s broken, or left behind with someone.”

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t.

How did she know?

She leaned closer and said kindly, “I’m a fortune teller. I read people… and I feel pain. Especially the kind that doesn’t let you sleep.”

My throat tightened.

“I’m going for studies,” I repeated quietly.

She smiled. “That’s a good reason. But remember this—when you reach Chiang Mai, you will meet someone. Someone who will help you become who you truly are. Someone who will make you question who you’ve been loving and why.”

I looked away toward the window, unsure of how to react. The world outside blurred in motion, like my thoughts.

She gently pointed to the bracelet on my wrist.

“That bracelet,” she said, “did someone give it to you… or did you give it to someone?”

My fingers instinctively touched it. The simple thread, once tied with meaning, now felt heavier than chains.

“I gave it to someone,” I said after a pause. “But maybe… they never understood its worth.”

She placed a soft hand on mine.

“Sometimes the people we love… aren’t ready to love us back. But the heart always finds its way. Even when it’s lost.”

A flight attendant interrupted the moment with a warm smile.

“Would you like something to eat?”

I nodded, barely noticing what was being handed to me. My mind was still wrapped in the strange warmth of the old woman’s words.

As the plane soared through the sky, I leaned back into my seat, eyes closed.

I didn’t know what was waiting for me in Chiang Mai.