(Not) The Substitute

Eps 13 - Together

"El..."

Arfan patted gently on the cheek of Elnaz who was currently asleep on the sofa, while Elnaz just squirmed lazily.

Last night he had trouble sleeping because there was Arfan on his side, so after the dawn prayer he went back to sleep on the sofa.

"El, Deck... Let's get up, take a shower. Today come along sister ya" said Arfan still patting Elnaz's cheek.

Elnaz slowly opened his eyes after hearing what Arfan said.

"Where?" ask Elnaz while rubbing his eyes.

"To the hospital, we walk, go to eat, or where we go. It's important we're together"

Elnaz's forehead immediately wrinkled in hearing Arfan's speech, even his two eyebrows until fused.

"What do you mean?" ask Elnaz who made Arfan chuckle. What else is Elnaz's expression so funny.

"Did he laugh? After failing to marry his lover who for 8 years together?" inner Elnaz increasingly shouted in astonishment with her cousin's sister. Even now the expression began to grimace, like seeing an unusual natural phenomenon.

"Already, a shower. Or do you want a sister to bathe?" asked Arfan again to surprise Elnaz and he glared perfectly "Why is that surprised? You'd forgotten? You used to bathe you, El. Sometimes we even take a shower together"

"Astagfirullah.." muttered Elnaz while wiping his thumping chest hearing Arfan's words.

Without talking to Arfan, he immediately took a shower and changed clothes in the bathroom.. After that, he returned to his room and found Arfan very neat as usual.

"A ready? Come on..." Arfan pulled out the hand of Elnaz but Elnaz quickly pulled his hand back so that it slipped out of Arfan's hand "Why?" arfan asked, but Elnaz could only turn his face away. Arfan tried to keep smiling and understand the feelings of Elnaz, however here Elnaz was the most hurt what else he must feel very guilty to his brother.

Arfan and Elnaz walked in the car, then Arfan ran his car and drove quietly.

Both are equally silent, it's just that Arfan looks more relaxed while Elnaz is still always moody.

Arriving at the hospital, they cross paths with Liam who makes Liam hysterical when he sees Elnaz.

"Hi, Princess White swan." Liam's greeting to Elnaz made Elnaz smile faintly "Finally, I saw you after all this time. Is the witch's curse still there so you hide when you look like a pretty white goose? And because now you've turned into a human being, at the end we meet" said Liam at length with his ignorant gaze on Elnaz who made Arfan shake his head. Elnaz started to laugh.

It was Liam's custom, calling the Princess Elnaz white swan. The reason is because Elnaz really likes the picture of ducks but there is no way he called the Elnaz Princess duck, or duck daughter.

Princess White Swan is cooler, she said.

"How are you?" liam asked still with his mischievous gaze.

"El good, Brother" replied Elnaz while smiling.

"Oh yeah, because Arfan must be busy right now. How about we have a chat, you want to?" Elnaz glanced at Arfan and Arfan flashed a smile while nodding.

"It's okay, talk to Liam. Later I will see you" said Arfan who makes Liam smile happy.

"Because now you're my best friend's wife, we can't be in the room alone. Later there will be rumors of no quality, we just talk there" Liam pointed to the park next to the hospital, Elnaz nodded.

Liam took Elnaz to the park, sat on a chair and enjoyed the fresh air.

"How do you feel, Princess?" liam asked with a sweet smile, very sweet. And Elnaz shook his head softly in response to that question.

"You must be very angry, right?" liam asked again, Elnaz was silent for a moment but then nodded slowly.

"At whom?" liam asked and at once Elnaz looked up and looked at Liam.

"When something happens to you, something you never imagined and it suddenly arrives, then it will indeed make you confused, angry, sad, destroyed. But all there is a reason and all there is a time. You just have to believe, there will be wisdom behind every event. And you also have to believe that all this suffering is coming to an end" Liam and Elnaz nodded in understanding.

He knows that every event has its reasons, the author of destiny has planned everything well even though Elnaz does not understand, why? But his biggest problem is that he refuses to accept his present status, refusing to accept what happened to him.

"You want to say something, Princess? Speak up, I'm a good listener" Liam and Elnaz said with a faint smile.

"Of course, Liam is a psychiatrist" said Elnaz who made Liam chuckle.

"Yes, that's why I can be your best friend, I can listen to all your problems and offer solutions"

"Sister Liam already knows El's problem, what's the best solution what's Liam's going to offer El?" ask Elnaz seriously.

Liam was silent for a moment, looked at Elnaz so seriously and then he put on a big smile.

"Thank you your destiny to be Arfan's wife, after that everything will go if there is a river that flows. Forget about Arfan's past, because we live forward, backward"

"But the one behind affects the future, brother"

"That's if you keep looking and thinking about the one behind. The one in the back is done, already passed. Focus on the future"

"But El and Brother Arfan are brothers..."

"Cousin brother" Liam answered quickly.

"Sister Arfan loves Sister Elsa..."

"Before, before Elsa broke her heart" Elnaz looked at Liam with glassy eyes.

"And I'm his replacement, aren't I? The successor of the one who has broken his heart" she wrote sadly.

"No, Princess. You're not a substitute, you're in the right place just at the wrong time and in the wrong conditions"

"What do you mean?"

"You'll know that later, now your conscience, open your heart to receive Arfan as husband"

.........

After completing his task, Arfan invites Elnaz to go out to eat together.

Elnaz thought of Liam's words, but he did not fully understand and still did not know how to organize his heart and mind in order to accept Arfan as husband.

"Princess..." Elnaz who had been daydreaming immediately looked up when he heard Arfan's affectionate call, a call that was so gentle, pampering and loving. That's what Elnaz used to feel every time Arfan called her Princess.

"Why daydream? The food is bad? Want to eat somewhere else?" arfan asked, but Elnaz shook his head and resumed eating.

"Feed out we go see ya" asked Arfan and Elnaz just nodded.

He was still the same, kept his mouth shut tight on Arfan. Continuing to put on his gloomy face, making Arfan also feel sad.

But Arfan will not give up, he will always be troubled to always be with Elnaz. That way, maybe the two of them can accept each other's new status, which has never been resolved in the minds of the two all this time.

Arfan himself still feels very difficult with this status and situation, but he is more mature than Elnaz and Arfan must be able to respond to all of them in a mature way and continue to behave maturely. What's more, Elnaz is still a very innocent teenager, but fate really gives a game that can not be digested by logic.