A Cold Frozen Hearts

Eps. 37 Stories Two Years Ago

The sun was deep in the west, Nayla lit a bonfire and took out her portable stove. The cold began to feel, even though he was sitting by the fire. The sound of footsteps grew closer and closer to him. He had already guessed who was approaching him, clearly visible with a glass containing a warm drink in his hand.

Raysa approached, his breathing was wheezing as he ran to come to that place.

“Be.... be... Is this really you?” ask Raysa.

“For a long time no see,” said Nayla greeted with a smile, but her smile was swallowed by the darkness.

Raysa ran towards Nayla, then hugged the girl. He buried the face of the girl he had longed for into the chest of his field. Nayla could not hug back because in both hands there was a glass in her hand.

“This is really you?” raysa still could not believe what was going on.

“You make me short of breath,” said Nayla because the man hugged her very tightly.

“I still can't believe it, if now I hug you. What exactly happened?” ask Raysa to the girl.

“Let go first, I can die out of breath before explaining it to you,”

Nayla sat on a mat that had been on the ground wrapping her legs in a blanket, about a meter away from her burning bonfire. Sometimes he stopped talking while sipping a cup of his hot drink. Raysa was lying on the girl's thigh, listening.

Never took off Nayla's hand in her hand. As if, he was afraid that everything that happened was just a dream.

“At that time, I came back here. Then while at the Airport, I was unconscious, when I realized they said I was in a 15-month coma, and I only saw Aufal there,”

“Hmm. Worth it, she wasn't there at the funeral it turns out she was with you. If meet him, I'll make a calculation with him later,”

“I have married her there,” Nayla said in a soft tone telling the lying man. Suddenly, Raysa woke up in shock.

“You've married him?”

Raysa was so angry to hear that statement. To make Raysa rise and release his hand that has been holding Nayla's hand since.

Nayla got up from the place, while standing looking westward. In his hand was a cup of coffee.

The atmosphere became silent, no one dared to open their voice.

Raysa was silent with anger, she clenched tightly her hand.

“If it wasn't for him, maybe I would have died that day,” Nayla said softly bringing up the incident two years ago.

“I left my phone at home. At the airport, I was unconscious. He was with me, so I survived. Right then was the news of the plane crash, and there was my name. Father and mother, so worried when Aufal called them no one answered. He took the initiative to refer me abroad back then because of my poor heart condition,”

“In fact, when he called again and wanted to tell, no one answered his phone. At that time, I needed an operation as soon as possible, so he registered the marriage so he could be my guardian. He was just focusing on my health. Remaining bullets, making me have to do surgery several times,”

“Perhaps if I was in his position, I would do the same if there was no other option,”

Raysa was still silent, listening to what Nayla would say again.

“I don't know, he registered it when I was unconscious. I need a guardian, to sign the operation process a few times, and he takes care of everything,”

“In fact, if time can be turned back. I'll do the same, no one wants to die in front of someone who means so much to him,”

“Eyeers, the sound of crying, surrounded by them which means a lot it doesn't make me feel like I can't make deeper wounds,”

Raysa's anger, which had peaked, began to subside after Nayla's explanation to him.

He stepped his foot towards the girl, hugging the standing girl, while wrapping the girl into the blanket he was using.

The night, the wind gets colder. The sound of crickets sounds harsh to each other. Sometimes birds are heard.

Raysa tightly hugged the girl's tiny body. Comfortable, and warm.

“You returned safely, I am very grateful,” muttered RTaysa impenetrable.

“Only, I cannot accept if you have married that man,” Raysa told Nayla.

“When your wedding with Naomi, I had no choice because I had to leave. And maybe that's the right way to part ways,”

“Mama told me, if the operating rate is very small. Ten percent, but I still want to try. At least still is the success rate, and being able to be with you,”

“While I am the real Naomi, it cannot be changed if you propose to Naomi. I don't know, if it was Naomi who would read it, and tell you everything,”

Nayla releases Raysa's hand, which is holding her, while walking closer to the cliff.

“I don't know what you're thinking, are you mad at me? Or you'll leave me because I'm married to Aufal,”

The tone was so weak and raucous, like Nayla was shedding tears.

Raysa followed him from behind, and hugged him back. There was no look of an angry face, there was only a longing that made him always want to immerse himself into the embrace.

“You slept with him?”

“Really?”

“I didn't sleep with him. When I realized, I was in the hospital, after being healthy I immediately returned to Indonesia,”

“Did he kiss you?”

“Is there no more weighty question?”

“Did he kiss you?” Raysa again asked the same question.

“Hm, I don't know. When she regained consciousness, she never kissed me,”

“Previous how?”

“Never...” says Nayla firmly.

Raysa tightened her embrace to the girl.

“Thank God... I miss hugging you like this. Talking to you, enjoy this view. I always blamed myself, didn't leave right then and there when I found out the truth maybe I could meet you at the airport,”

“For these two years, I could only read the book, and come to a place that once had memories with you,”

“When, I really felt the loss of someone who meant a lot. Time and time again, wanting to restore time, when there is you. Being a fool for constantly blaming yourself,”

“If I can break it, I shouldn't have to think much back then. During these two years I learned a lot about loving,”

“After coming home from here, Aufal and I will get divorced soon,”

“How long will you be here?”

“Em. Maybe a week,”

“Get your hand,”

Raysa asked for Nayla's hand, then took something out of her pants pocket.

A couple ring is visible.

“You remember this ring?” raysa asked as she took out a box containing the couple's rings inside.

Nayla could only look at the man, she did not expect that the ring could be found by Raysa.

Two years before we left...

Nayla returned to the place where she was standing now. The place where Raysa took her.

He took out something from inside his bag, a box containing the couple's rings.

The ring, in his purchase during the middle of a double date back then. She accidentally sees Raysa seeing the ring herself, and her eyes are fixed on a ring that attracts her attention.

Nayla heard about the ring, not made of expensive material, but interesting to Raysa and Nayla see at the time.

“All here, I made it. Can be said, only one in this world,” said a middle-aged mother.

At that time, Raysa did not buy it, because it was with Naomi. It was Nayla who bought the ring.

And, he returned to that place to plant the ring under the tree where he and Raysa had once taken shelter.

“When I first saw this ring, what came to my mind was that it was suitable for you to wear. The price is not as expensive as the other rings. When I came back, wanted to buy it, the ring was already bought by people. I don't know, if you bought it,”

Nayla just fell silent while looking at the ring. In fact, when he bought the ring he never expected it to circle on his ring finger sometime.

“What is the ring small?”

“Ah, I'm fattening already. When I bought it, I tried it anyway, and it fit snugly on my finger,”

“Really? Let me see,” Raysa turned Nayla's body to face her. “True, you're getting fat. But how can you come up the mountain with your weight now,”

“Yak... I am as fat as anything, until I can not come here,” said Nayla in an annoyed tone.

When Nayla came to the top of the cliff, she also felt so quickly tired because of her increased weight.

So many things Raysa wanted to say to Nayla. However, the girl he wanted to talk to told him had already slept soundly beside him.

“Good sleep,” said Raysa while peeking at Nayla's forehead then closing her eyes.

They are asleep at night full of longing.