After the man left, Priska shifted closer to Indra. She grabbed her husband's muscular arm and rested her chin on his solid shoulder. They stared at each other for a while, then Priska touched Indra’s chin, guiding him closer for a kiss on the cheek. Indra’s face turned slightly pink, and he smiled shyly.
"Why the sudden cheek kiss?" Indra asked.
"Because you look so handsome right now."
Indra raised an eyebrow and grinned. Priska found herself even more smitten seeing Indra in this "cool guy" mode, especially considering that every night he turned into a spoiled, mischievous teenager, always teasing her.
"Am I not usually handsome?" he said, bringing his nose close to hers.
The air that brushed their skin made the world feel like it belonged to just the two of them. Perhaps it was the pregnancy hormones that made Priska enjoy teasing Indra anytime, anywhere, not wanting to be far from her husband for long.
It shouldn’t have been a problem to be affectionate here; they were in a private room, and no one would dare enter without Indra’s permission. They both knew they were teasing each other.
"You’re usually handsome, too," she said, her thumb brushing over his lips several times, but then she shook her head with a smile.
"Want it? Here?" Indra then lightly bit Priska’s thumb.
"Don’t, it’s impolite."
The sound of a few knocks at the door interrupted their moment, and they immediately kept their distance. Indra called for the person knocking to enter. It turned out to be a courier, accompanied by a restaurant waiter, a young man carrying a large brown envelope.
Indra thanked them after receiving the package, and both the courier and waiter left. The door was shut, and Priska resumed her lunch. For some reason, she was feeling hungrier than usual, even though she rarely ate before. Maybe it was the early stages of her pregnancy.
"Who’s Inka?" Priska asked.
She was intrigued and started reading the personal file of someone named Inka Cecillia Kireina. It included details about Inka’s birthplace, parents, and other personal information. Indra gave her a meaningful smile while watching her. Oh no, could this be the scenario Indra was talking about?
"Me?" Priska pointed at herself.
"Yes, dear. I can’t just let my wife and her true identity be out there working like that, can I? What would people think of me if I couldn’t even support my wife?" Indra then grabbed a napkin and wiped Priska’s lips.
Meanwhile, Priska grabbed all the documents from Indra’s hands. Oh my, it was true; from the birth certificate to her college diploma, everything had been forged. Priska, who would now be called Inka, would have to pretend to be a 24-year-old girl who had just resigned from her job abroad.
"My age is corrupted," Priska muttered, amused.
"Stop complaining," Indra continued eating.
Inka was a girl of Japanese and Indonesian descent who returned to Indonesia to seek new experiences. She lived in an upscale apartment and was still single. Priska then looked at Indra with a blank expression, recalling something about the name Inka.
Inka was a combination of their names, In from Indra and Ka from Priska. It felt like déjà vu, and Priska remembered when they were still dating, and she hadn’t fallen as deeply in love yet, but Indra had already been crazy about her. Back then, when Indra was sick and couldn’t get out of bed, Priska had stayed with him all night, even skipping work. It was then that Indra suddenly proposed, daydreaming about their future. If they had a daughter, he wanted to name her Inka, a combination of their names.
"Babe, this Inka persona is too cool. It might backfire on me. I’m just a graduate of a local university and never did a Master’s in the UK. What if someone gets suspicious?"
"That’s why I asked you to take TOEFL, TOEIC, and IELTS tests, right? I wanted to know what role you’d fit. Trust me, I’ve thought this through carefully. I’m the director here," Indra said, holding Priska’s cheeks, smiling fondly.
Priska was still confused, pushing Indra’s hands away and continuing to read Inka’s profile. What surprised her even more was how realistic the documents looked. They were nearly indistinguishable from real ones. Priska knew Indra was an expert at forging documents, but this was on a whole different level.
"You worked at the embassy for a while, darling. That’s more impressive than Inka. Just use a British accent when you talk or pretend to forget Indonesian words so people will think you’re clever."
Priska pouted. "So, you’re saying I’m stupid?"
"If you were a bit smarter, you wouldn’t have ended up being my wife," Indra teased.
Indra went back to eating, smiling every time his eyes met Priska’s. He stroked her head and occasionally chuckled, enjoying the awkward expression on his wife’s face.
"Why do I have to be half-Japanese and half-Indonesian? I don’t even speak Japanese," Priska muttered.
"You do have some Japanese ancestry, Pris. Ask your mom if you don’t believe me. People who don’t know you would totally believe you’re a Japanese foreigner."
"But I’m not sure, Babe."
Priska stopped reading and looked at Indra, who was busy chewing and still grinning. Her husband was so creative and strange. Indra just grimaced, showing his white teeth. Priska continued to stare at him, waiting for a more sensible explanation.
"What I mean is, Pris, we can’t do this halfway. This is for your safety too, darling."
"What division will I be in?"
"Public Relations. Or, as I like to call it, the 'relationship with Mr. Indra,'" he winked.
This made Priska stop being angry. Instead, she laughed to herself. Her husband loved to joke. "So, I have Japanese blood? Why didn’t I know that? It feels strange, like I might have been a colonizer in this country." Priska scratched her temple.
"More like you colonized my heart," Indra grinned.
"What’s with that? So cheesy," Priska blushed.
"If it’s not Public Relations, then maybe marketing. I’ll think about it; we’ll see later. Now, it’s time to eat." Indra fed Priska a spoonful.
That afternoon, they discussed Priska’s upcoming job for the next three months. Indra told her to enjoy the roleplay and quit whenever she wanted. Although he had initially forbidden her from working, he eventually relented after seeing how stressed she was after being fired.
"Remember, Pris, don’t ever cheat on me. Watch your actions, your eyes, and your heart—they belong to me. There will be plenty of things in the company that will test your loyalty."
"I’m pregnant, why would I cheat?" Priska grumbled.
"You don’t look pregnant yet," Indra countered.