Home For My Soul

88|New Issues

“Bogged once!” The sentence greeted me when I opened the gate.

“Matt!” my protest while stroking my chest.

“About busy interning in a famous hotel, no longer want to meet me,” his scolding.

“Already know I'm arrogant, why are you still taking me? Sana, bring a friend who is your age!” I took a deep breath, trying to calm my heart.

“Kakak and Theo are having problems, huh? He is also vague. I made no mistake, he just kept staring at me. You guys quickly make up and stop replying to your girlfriend by being bad to me!” fierce reply.

I was stunned for a moment to hear the protest, then laughed a little. “Sorry. I'm not arrogant. There have been a lot of things going on in the last few weeks that have caught my attention. I will be in the library after discussing with the lecturer, I will buy lunch, yes?”

“Appointment?” billiard.

“Appointments.”

We went to the campus on his motorcycle, then parted ways in the parking lot. He went to his college room, and I went to my supervising faculty. Since the man had not come yet, I sat in the waiting room with the seniors who would also be mentoring with their lecturers.

Instead of accepting us in his study, the lecturer asked us to come home. He had to catch up on college hours at another college. We could only swallow the disappointment after waiting for hours, but could not consult with him.

Fortunately, he accepted our assignment and promised to check it out. So, when we came for guidance, we just received a note from him. It wasn't a bad thing, at least, we didn't come to waste to campus.

“What do you mean your brother has broken up?” matt said astonished. He did something to his phone, then gave it to me. “Why doesn't he replace anything?”

I was too busy with my script to not open social media for days. It turns out Theo still uses the same profile picture. It's only fitting that Auntie would ask to meet just to have me cut ties with her son.

All we know is that we broke up just me and Theo. People still think we're okay. Why would he do this? I don't get it. Is that why he won't read my message about his gift ring? Does he know, but pretend he didn't see my message?

“I don't know what happened,” I returned the phone, “but we're seriously broken up.”

“Then why is the ring still on Sister?” tanyakanya.

“How can you know?”

“Mama didn't stop nagging about the ring Chika was supposed to wear. That woman just makes it hard. Could be my mom is more on her side than us.” He crossed both hands in front of his chest.

“She's Theo's official fiancee. Naturally he and Aunt demanded the ring be given to him.” I held back a smile, imagining Chika racking her brain to take this thing away from me.

“Gue wouldn't have attended their wedding if Papa and Mama had forced Theo to marry him. I'll also leave the house. I don't want one roof with him.”

“Why do you hate him that much? Did he ever hurt you?” many wonder.

“Because me and Theo are the same. We don't like aggressive girls. Especially the ones that stick when we say no. If there are men like women so, not with us.”

Two days waiting, the lecturer sent a message and asked me to come to discuss chapter two and three of my script. The address of the house was clear, but I had trouble finding the exact location. Online motorcycle taxi drivers are also confused to see the map is different from the address.

A middle-aged woman came to open the door, then opened the fence. Bizarrely. Are no other students invited for a consultation? Why does his house look so empty? That's the reason I thought I had the wrong address.

“Please sit down for a while. I'll see Brother soon,” said the woman kindly.

From the way he spoke and his clothes, it seemed like he was a housekeeper, not his wife. I looked around me waiting for the lecturer to come. Not only was his house luxurious from the outside, the situation inside was the same as well. The furniture, carpets, and paintings look expensive.

I know the salary of the lecturer is not large. Maybe his wife also works and his income is greater than her husband. I never found out, the family photos were not in the room either, whether they had children or not.

“Good afternoon,” greet the man.

I stood up, welcoming his arrival. “Good afternoon, Sir.”

“Sit, sit. No need to stand so.” He had something in his hand that I was sure were the two chapters of the thesis I had been working on.

“Thank you, Sir.” I sat back and was astonished to see him sitting so close by my side.

“I've checked both chapters,” he said with his left hand laying my duty on the table, while his right hand was placed on my knee. I frowned looking at him. “I have some input, you can check my notes on the part I marked.”

“Good, Sir.” I felt angry when he rubbed my knees.

“If it is done, you can give it to me again to check.” He brought his face closer, so I spontaneously moved away. “I can help you to advance trial faster.”

“Ah, no need, Sir.” I took out a pile of paper from the table and purposely used it to keep away that brash hand that went up my thigh. “New gas semester begins. There is still plenty of time to complete this task.”

“Did you forget? You need my signature to finish that thesis,” he said with a sly smile. His eyes dropped onto my chest, then deliberately lingered on him. “As I said earlier, you can advance the trial without difficulty and finish according to your target.”

“What do you mean by Father?” manya suspect.

“Come tonight in your best clothes to where I'm going to tell you in a message. If I like your proposal, then your script is done.” He wiped the hair on my shoulder to the back of my body to expose my neck.

Is this guy harassing me? Realizing that, I immediately stood up so that he almost fell from his seat. Maddened. He wanted to kiss my neck. Is his mind gone wrong? I clenched my fists, holding myself back from hitting his face.

“Thank you for the guidance, sir. I will correct it as you suggested and come again to show you the results of his revision,” I said, trying to behave normally. “Good afternoon.”

“Don't forget to check messages from me. The fate of your script is in your hands,” he said, but I did not stop the pace of hearing it.

My heart was pounding fast and my breath was hunting when I came out of the yard of the house. What the hell just happened? I shuddered at the thought of his hand on my neck earlier. Old man doesn't know himself! Does she think I'm a cheap woman just to be used as an impingement?

I really can't believe this. My entire body trembled, holding back the emotion of recalling his brash hands earlier. How dare he rub my knees and thighs, even looking at my chest. I think the harassment that the lecturer did to his students was only in the news. It can hit me too. Did he do the same to his other mentoring students?

Oh, dearGod. I just want to finish quietly. Stay one last semester and I can leave this campus peacefully. Why even be like this?