Duren Palm

Waves witness our love

"Darling ... wake up, we're already nyampe," said Ardi while shaking slowly Rianti's shoulder.

Rianti slowly opened his eyes which still felt heavy. He squinted his eyes trying to focus the view that still looks blurry.

"What time is this? Where are we now?" rianti asked as he rubbed his eyes. She clearly remembered that her husband said he would take her to a place called Ardi 'secret'.

Rianti glanced at the watch in his hand.

"It's 11 o'clock. Where are we at?" rianti said with a typical voice of people just waking up.

Ardi just smiled as he opened the seatbelt that was coiled in Rianti's body, and led him out of the car.

"Kejutaaaaaan ..." Ardi said with a happy smile.

Rianti was surprised to see the scene before his eyes.

A sight he had long wanted but could not see. He felt so happy that there was a grain of water at the end of his eyes. He hugged Ardi's tall body while jumping up and down in excitement, and peeked quickly at the husband's lips.

"Mas thank you. I love you" said Rianti joyfully. He smiled widely and took off his footwear so that he could feel the sand touching his feet.

Rianti immediately ran to and fro, enjoying the waves that he had long missed. Breathe the cool sea breeze and listen to the sound of roaring waves.

Suddenly he screamed.

"Ardiiiii I love youuu."

Ardi just smiled anxiously at the behavior of his young wife. He hugged Rianti from behind but again Rianti shouted.

"Ardiii I Love you."

The sound of Rianti's cry seemed to merge with the sound of the waves.

Rianti flipped her body facing Ardi.

"Mas thank you very much. I'm very happy. I ... I love you so much Mas."

Rianti hugged Ardi's body while crying.

"Hey why are you crying? It's a gift from me, it should be welcomed with joy instead of tears."

Ardi loosened his embrace to wipe away the tears from Rianti's face using his thumb.

Ardi hugged Rianti's little body again.

"Do you like the beach so much?" ardi asked as he rubbed his wife's hair.

Rianti nodded slowly.

"Yes .. I really like it. It's just that my father always forbade me. You're afraid that I'm swept away by the waves, just like when I was 5 years old. I even went into a coma for a while in the hospital."

Rianti broke free from Ardi's embrace.

"Mas ... can I play the waves?" pinta Rianti and responded with a smile and a nod from Ardi.

Rianti smiled widely and again kissed Ardi's lips quickly.

"Thank you" he said, then ran to the shore.

Ardi followed him from behind and held Rianti's sneakers in his left hand.

"I'm also happy to see you smile like this. I hope you won't find out the big secret I'm hiding. Stay by my side, with me forever."

Ardi smiled bitterly considering how he removed the loyal Doni from Rianti's life.

That afternoon at a restaurant, Ardi sat opposite Doni who had just returned from school and was still wearing sports clothes.

"Take this Doni, and never come back to Rianti's life" Ardi said, pushing an envelope filled with money.

"Hasn't your parents almost broke from being cheated by your own uncle" he added.

Ardi sighed because of Doni

never accepted his offer. He drank the apple juice on the table.

"I can make sure your father will be able to maintain your family's printing company, and I will also support you financially while studying abroad. Hows it? Accept my offer. You're not gonna lose anything." Ardi again tried to convince Doni.

"But why Rianti! Do you have any evil intentions on him! You are a pedophile!" Doni stared intently and suspiciously at the man who was a dozen years older than him.

Ardi just smiled hearing the accusations from Doni.

"Of course not. If I had malicious intentions towards him, I would have done it from the beginning. Why would I bother persuading you to even save your family from bankruptcy."

Doni fell silent, trying to digest Ardi's words.

"I'll just wait for the right time to have it" Ardi said sincerely.

"I'm sure you won't make your family poor just because of your love for Rianti, will you? Take it, and call me no later than tonight. If you don't call me then you don't accept my offer" Ardi said, giving her a business card and leaving the restaurant.

"Mas ... Ardi Mas!"

Rianti's shout disperse Ardi's daydream about the events of 2 years ago.

Ardi smiled again when he saw Rianti wrap his hands over his head, shaping it to look like a heart.

"I love you, Mas!" Shouts again.

Even though it was night, Rianti's smile was still visible because of the dim light of the lights on the side of the road.

Ardi approached Rianti who was still playing in the waves, put his jacket on his wife's body while hugging her from behind.

"Aren't you cold? We go up on the yuk," pinta Ardi and respond to a small nod from Rianti.

They walked off the beach and into a restaurant not far from there. Enjoy a midnight meal accompanied by a breeze blowing. Ardi occasionally floated his fist and was returned with a spoiled smile by his wife.

Rianti looked around the restaurant and only they were the guests there.

"The restaurant is very nice, the decor looks very romantic. Look, there are so many flowers and candles in the open room. Really such a romantic feel. Maybe ... before we arrived, someone proposed to his lover here," said Rianti after sipping water and wiping his lips.

Ardi who had finished eating first only responded with a smile Rianti said. He clapped his hands twice and there came a well-dressed man, approaching them with a tray containing a bouquet of flowers.

Rianti suddenly stood up by covering his mouth using both palms. She had seen such a scene in the drama, and could immediately understand that her husband was proposing to her.

"You proposed to me, Mas?" rianti asked in a slightly hysterical tone.

Ardi took the flowers that were on the tray .

"Didn't Mas propose to me? And now we are even married." asked Rianti who did not understand the situation now.

Ardi got up from his seat and gave a bouquet of red roses to Rianti's hand.

"It used to be his proposal you received because you had to, because there is an element of debt in it. And now Mas wants to propose to you purely out of love."

Rianti remained silent, unable to believe what he saw.

"Now, tonight, the waves are our witnesses."

Ardi took out a small box from his pants pocket and opened it, he knelt down by bending one knee and said.

"Will you marry me?"

**