CHASING ILLUSIONS

THE SAME WOUND

“Again and again I saw the same thing and felt the same hurt because of you.”

~Anindya

~0~0~

The wind roared in tandem with thunderous lightning. Rain spots that do not subside, cover the beautiful face of the moon tonight. Cold piercing raga. Anindya was silent in the cafe courtyard where she worked. The time has turned 22:00, and the cafe has been closed since an hour ago. However, the rain that was so heavy made his guts shrink to break through it so he decided until the rain subsided.

The girl repeatedly glanced at her phone, hoping Rafi answered her message and picked her up. However, nil. Her brother must have been busy with his dreams, aka asleep. The girl snorted, thinking hard how to get back to her house.

Anindya's eyes turned to the streets that were starting to quiet. Fear began to take hold of him. What if this happened again this afternoon? Who's gonna save him? A bagaskara? That guy? The girl nodded slowly. Nah! His imagination is always excessive. Anindya opened her eyes, when a familiar figure was across the street with a girl. His hands clenched, his breathing hunted down accompanied by bad thoughts that began to rage. Without a second thought, the girl broke through the rain and walked up to him.

“Rifki!” call the girl to the figure who is paddling a girl with a bule face. He is Rifki, Anindya's lover.

“Who is he?!” he asked with a voice trembling with coldness.

“Dia ..., em ..., day ..”

“Who, Ki?!” anindya asked once more in a louder voice.

“This is not what you think. Nin,” replied the man.

“Then what else, Ki?!” anindya Sentak. “What other reasons will you give?” continued.

The man sighed, “He's my boyfriend, I've been with him since two months ago, he also knows that we're still dating. Sorry,” is honest.

“I didn't think you were this bad, Ki. I realize I'm not perfect, not beautiful let alone rich, but this is no way. Okay, if this is what you want, it's okay, Ki. Our relationship ends now, thank you,” Anindya said in a soft voice. The girl ran with all her might, not caring about the harsh blows from the falling sky. Let the tears and wounds fall with the falling speck. Those memories, those wounds and those shadows, again and again he had to accept something like this. Yes, Anindya realized that it was her fault, she who continued to give the opportunity to Rifki even after repeatedly hurting him. His love was too big, even greater than his pain.

~0~0~

The day has changed. The night was replaced by the morning. However, sun seo;ah shyly showed herself this morning. Look, he's hiding in the dark. Anindya looked at her reflection in the mirror. His face was pale, his eyes slightly swollen, from crying all night. The girl let out a rough sigh while shaking her head when she found herself so messy this morning.  Deftly her hands grabbed the powder and lipthint on her dressing table, then polished her face.  After enough, the girl grabbed her bag and walked out of her room.

"Good morning, Mom!" he said to Rita who was taking her medicine.

"Good morning, the tumben is ready?" tanyakanya.

"Em .., I have morning class.  I'm leaving right away, yeah, Mom.  Afraid of being late" Anindya said, shaking Rita's hand.

~0~0~

Time passed so quickly, now the clanging of the middle clock shows at 11:00, Anindya just came out of her class while holding a book in her hand.  The girl reached into her bag to search for her phone. Brak!  He accidentally hit someone in front of him.  His limp body for not eating anything made him waver, fortunately the man swiftly caught it.

"Are you okay, Nin?" ask the man who is none other than Chandra.

"I'm okay, Chan. Thank you" Anindya replied.

"Either. By the way, we're done with class, right? How about we coffee first," Chandra bargained.

Chandra scrunched his forehead. For the first time Anindya refused his invitation, but usually the girl who invited him to coffee with three other friends.

"Is there a problem?" ask Chandra to the point.

Anindya shook her head slowly, "Nothing, I just feel dizzy."

"Relatedly? That fucking riffie ain't no more, is it? He doesn't hurt you anymore, does he?" ask Chandra again.

Anindya gasped to hear the man's name just gliding from Chandra's mouth. Ever since last night, he didn't want to know about the man anymore.

"Nin, how are you quiet?!" ask Chandra again.

Anindya exhaled her coarse breath then shook her head, "Nothing."

"Behind the word okay there is always nothing," Chandra said right on target. Anindya exhaled again, "I broke up with Rifki last night," she replied honestly.

Chandra widened his eyes, shocked at the news. He knew full well that his best friend had fallen in love with Rifki blindly, "Can I?"

"Can't talk about it I'm lazy."

"Whenever you want to tell a story, tell a story."

Anindya nodded, "Thank you, I'll go first. Chandra was silent looking at Anindya's back which was getting further away. He could see the burden and the pain that the girl was carrying, and now a jerk named Rifki, again gave him the same wound, make the girl further away from the word alright.

~0~0~

"Anindia!" a heavy sound forced Anindya to raise her head. "It turns out you're here. I've been looking all over the campus for you" said the man.

Anindya closed her laptop rudely, her mood was lost and damaged just from hearing the man's voice.  "What else, anyway? Can't not disturb the peace of people!" anindya ketus.

"I want to talk to you for a minute, I want to explain everything, I don't want to break up with you" replied the man, who was none other than Rifki.

"What else do you want to clear? What else do you want to keep here? What else, Ki?" ask Anindya. His chest up and down held back emotions. "Actually we're done even long before yesterday.  Our story has run out since you brought the wound as my gift. Actually, Ki, our story has been destroyed a long time ago, but I'm too stupid to keep you," he continued.

"Let me have another chance, Nin."

"A chance?  Give me the same injury again?  It won't, Ki! I've given you many apologies and opportunities, and for this time no more!"

The girl quickly stuffed her laptop into her bag. Then rise from his place, "I'm sick of you!" he then left the man alone.

~0~0~

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