FORBIDDEN TO FALL IN LOVE

51. Diggings

Valeda chewed the beef steak in his mouth slowly. He enjoyed every bite that came in. His tongue felt the food he used to love.

"Do you always eat slowly like this?" ask Rangga. He stuffed a spoonful of brown rice into his mouth.

Valeda swallowed his food. "No. Today, I just want to enjoy a meal that I haven't eaten in a long time" Valeda replied.

Rangga extended a hand, wiping the tip of Valeda's lips with tissue. "It's been a while?" reworked. "Is this not your favorite restaurant?"

Valeda smiled faintly. "It used to be.." he said softly. "Now, I'm used to Daniel's cooking."

"I heard it from Celine. Apparently Daniel's really good at cooking, huh?"

Valeda. "I hope you can taste the food too."

"Haha!" Rangga laughed. "He'll choose to give me poison instead of filling my stomach."

"Ga, why are you thinking so badly of Daniel?" Valeda finally asked, because Daniel also forbade him to mention the name Rangga. Daniel and Rangga look like they're in a cold war.

"I'm not thinking badly," replied Rangga in a calm tone. He sipped his lemon tea a lot. "We're just doing our respective roles."

Valeda's eyebrows wrinkled. "Role? What kind of role do you mean?" Valeda did not understand what Rangga said.

He folded his hands on the table. "The role as a man who is around you," said Rangga.

"Don't say anything vague! Quickly explain what you mean!"

"Calm down, Love.." pinta Rangga. "So Daniel acted like that to me, because he wanted to keep his authority over you. He wants to make it clear that you are his and I have to keep my distance."

"Because of that reason, you took a step away from me?" Valeda. Valeda realized, that Rangga was not as close as he used to be. Valeda has plenty of time for himself and Daniel without Rangga present. Though, before Valeda and her idea to pretend dating appeared, Rangga would always stick to her.

Rangga. "I'm trying to respect your choice. I believe, you will not go wrong choosing people, let alone someone who will be by your side for a long time."

"Daniel won't be there long by my side" Valeda murmured.

"What do you mean?" apparently Rangga heard Valeda's murmur clearly. "Did he make a mistake you can't forgive?"

Valeda took a long breath. "I don't know" replied Valeda. "I feel like he's close and far away."

Rangga smiled amusedly seeing Valeda upset. "I hear, she's starting college?"

"How do you know?" Valeda.

"I know a lot of anything related to my best friend," Rangga said arrogantly. Valeda only responded with a sneer. Valeda knew, surely Rangga secretly asked Celine or Kris. "Let me guess. You can answer with 'yes' or 'no."

"O.ke.." replied Valeda slowly.

"Do you like Daniel?"

Valeda crossed his fingers under the table. "Yes" he answered.

"Are you worried when he goes to college?" Rangga stared fixedly at Valeda.

Valeda did not dare to blink. He was aware of his attitude the other day, when he hurriedly followed Daniel to campus. "Yes." replied Valeda in a soft voice.

"The next question will be a little personal. If you're not comfortable talking about it, you can tell me" Rangga warned.

Valeda. In his heart, Valeda thought that what Rangga was going to talk about was a female problem. For some reason, that's what Valeda thinks the most.

"What's..." Speak slowly, "...Daniel accidentally met his ex-girlfriend on campus?"

"Why do you know everything!?" exclaim Valeda shocked. "You must be following me, right?"

Rangga looked up at Valeda's face. "Haha! Look at your shocked face now! You've completely lost your mind!" her laugh.

Valeda folded his hands in front of his chest with his face bent. "I don't want to talk about it!"

"Then, do you also know about yesterday's events?" ask Valeda.

Rangga. "Celine tells the outline. I'll say it simply, because I've experienced it."

"What?"

"You are jealous of Daniel," Rangga said with a straight look.

"Haha!" Valeda laughs. "I? Jealousy?"

"Not to deny it. It was clearly visible on your face," Rangga said.

Valeda. He thought about Rangga's words seriously. He was aware of his childish behavior when it came to Daniel's matter. The anger that arose when Daniel was with Diamond also made Valeda know that it was jealousy.

'But I can't be jealous of him, right? We are only together because we are under contract. Even if Daniel goes back to Diamonds, it has nothing to do with me, ' Valeda thought.

"I don't want to talk about my feelings" Valeda replied.

"Okay, let's end your messed-up feelings, '" Rangga raised his glass.

"By the way, you must have known about what happened when I was three, right?" Valeda changed the subject.

Rangga put down his glass, then rubbed his lips with a tissue. "What do you mean?" ask Rangga.

"The incident in the greenhouse" explained Valeda.

Rangga examined the expression Valeda displayed for a moment. "I promised Oom Suherman not to talk about it with you" Rangga finally replied.

"I want to talk about it" Valeda said.

"Hearing you talk like this, it means you don't remember how your father's efforts made you forget that terrible event."

"I'm ready to hear it now" urged Valeda.

Rangga still looks reluctant to talk about things that make his best friend traumatized. However, seeing the stubborn Valeda, made Rangga give up. "But, if you feel that you are not okay, we will end our conversation and I will not want to bring it up again" Rangga threatened.

Valeda agreed. "alright. I understand" replied Valeda. "So, what really happened that day?"

Rangga sighed with a heavy heart before answering. "You go to the greenhouse with your friend who will give you a gift" Rangga began

"What's the boy's name?"

Rangga rubbed his chin. "Verdinant, if not wrong," replied Rangga.

"Why did he take me to the greenhouse just to give me a gift?" ask Valeda.

Rangga shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. At the time, Oom Suherman was very angry and drove Verdinant and his father who came to the party. No one had ever heard the boy's reason. Oom Suherman took them off on condition that they never appear in front of you again. I heard that the contract with the company was also terminated."

"Then?"

Rangga looked at the ceiling of the restaurant. "You're traumatized by fire. Every time you see a fire, you're like a crazy kid. Anyone would be like that if he saw a great fire before his eyes."

"What about the boy named Verdinant?" Valeda wants to match her father's and Rangga's story.

"He saved you from there. But, he himself had serious injuries. I don't really remember, but the wound will definitely be until he's an adult."

Valeda clenched his hands on his lap. He tried his hardest to look fine in front of Rangga. "Wound in which part?"

"Neck and shoulders."

***