Hot Couple: Inara's Love Story

Traumatizing

I went to the minimarket for a while to buy a cold drink to relieve a sore throat due to holding back anger. I took two bottles of mineral water from the fridge, one bottle I opened on the spot and I didn't take more than half of the bottle. The cold drink seemed to pour my brain to freezing and further add to the dizziness of my head which has since been throbbing violently. When I was about to pay to the cashier's desk, the girl in charge of the cash register was apparently watching me and seemed to think me strange, maybe because the weather outside was overcast, maybe, but I drank cold drinks like a man of rage - as if the weather was hot.

The world is upside down, really. What he should look strange is the girl who is queuing next to me, still a young teenager even already know and buy condo*. Seeing the girl made me imagine Salsya who was trying to stick to Reza. I decided to go to Alfi and Mayra. They knew Reza and Salsya. They can give me objective advice.

When I hit the bell, Mayra asked who was outside, and she didn't seem to be surprised at all when she heard that it was me, but I had never stopped by their house. He gave me a warm, motherly hug. I'm sure he'll still be a good friend, but if Reza gets rid of me and re-establishes love with Salsya.

Alfi and Mayra's house is small, cube-shaped, divided into five rooms. There are two bedrooms positioned on the right side and the left side of the living room. Where the living room itself is also functioned as a family room. The room on the right serves as a child's room, while the one on the left functions as a guest room. And, there is one more room that functions as the main room, located next to the kitchen, just in front of the living room. Like the living room and family room that become one, as well as the kitchen and dining room are also in one room. Yep, it's a tiny house, very different from their house in Bali which is large and terraced.

In the living room, white foam pokes from the sidelines of their shabby wool sofas, the pads neatly arranged, there was a television in front of the sofa - stuck to the wall between the living room and the kitchen. The living room was small, fit only for a set of L leter sofas, and a rasfur mattress of feathers that was held on the floor - between the sofa and the wall where the television was placed. The window curtains are fringed, but there is not a single item that is not in place. The floor of the house looks newly cleaned not long ago, can be caught from the smell of the living room, smells like a new car. It seems that the house has long been abandoned by its owner and only occupied again.

"Reza just called me" Mayra said. He closed the door behind me and invited me to dududk.

Of course, exactly what I was thinking.

"May, what did he say?" my many.

"He asked if you were here, I said no."

"Oh, I was in the minimarket. That's why we just got here."

"Oh. But by the way, can I tell him that you're here?"

I'm shaking. "No need" I said. "Let me activate my phone. That way, he'll know for himself where I am. By the way, sorry yes, I visited at the wrong time."

"It doesn't matter, you're not someone else, it's like my own family. So, please sit down, let me get you a drink, after that you have to tell me everything," he said, then he darted into the kitchen.

Upon her return to the living room, Mayra brought two cups of hot chocolate with a plate of fried bananas sprinkled with chocolate and cheese on top. "So Tirta asked for a banana, but he followed his papa to sleep."

Knowing that there are residents of the house who are sleeping, I also invite Mayra to chat outside, on the shiny black ceramic terrace, there are no chairs or sofas, and so on, there is only a table for Lesehan there.

"Do you think Mas Reza still loves Salsya?" I asked bluntly without telling you these or any of the opening words, without even responding to the fried banana.

Mayra was silent for a moment dramatically. "I've known Reza since she moved here, ever since we got into Elementary School. I've never - really never - seen him happier than he is today. With you. But this is in the business of romance, yes. Not in the context of his insanity of being friends with Alfi or about Reza's relationship with his family before he was a kara."

"May, did you know that Salsya was pregnant? And... Mas Reza...he promised to marry her, you know that?"

Mayra nodded, then downed her chocolate two gulps. "I know," he said. "The day after you returned to Jakarta, Alfi and I arrived here. We went to Reza's house, and... Reza told us both about it."

"Is she pregnant because of Mas Reza?"

Mayra was stunned - almost glared at me, as if it was outrageous that I did not believe in her best friend whom she had known since childhood.

"It's natural, isn't it, that I'm suspicious?" I asked, before Mayra nagged me because I doubted Reza. "I'm trying to believe it, May. But it was his Mas Reza who broke my trust many times. Ever since she found out Salsya was pregnant, she cared deeply for Salsya. Even he had the heart to hurt me so many times just because of his ex."

Mayra put the cup back in her hand before answering my question. "Then to you first and I hope you answer honestly. Did he ever touch you? Touching you in quotes, not just kissing or hugging you, have you?"

I'm shaking. "Never," I said. "We've never done that. I mean, Mas Reza never did that to me."

"Well, if only you didn't do that, let alone her ex. Come on, he's a good young man. Never mind touching a woman, she never even touched alcohol. So I'm sure, she never touched Salsya, and it really wasn't her son."

I don't know, I don't think Mayra's answer helped at all. "What do you think of his promise to Salsya?"

Mayra had not had the chance to answer my question, suddenly Alfi opened the door. He looked surprised to see me parked on his porch floor.

"You're here?" abugn.

"Surely," he said. "Where's Reza?"

"Still in the hospital" I replied quickly.

"Lo?"

"Just calm. Salsya was with him. He'll be fine with his old love."

Alfi who had just woken up came to sit with us, he smiled faintly at my words which implied jealousy towards Salsya. Then he looked at my chocolate that was still full had not diminished. He told me to drink it until it was finished.

"I want to say something about our friend" Alfi said. "He's not like the other guys in general, you know?"

I'm nodding.

"Are you sure you really know? I mean this way, most men generally want a woman - a warm body - to lie next to her, if possible, with her beautiful body and curves, of course if you can with a beautiful face, and maybe someone who wants to cook for him and want to be invited to make love regularly. Pretty simple, right? Well, for us men, what we don't want is someone who suddenly comes and ruins our lives. We don't like women like that. So far you understand?"

I'm nodding.

"okay, good. Forget off. Forget all that," said Alfi. "For Reza is not like that. He was never like that before. She never put her face and beauty first. Let alone to return to Salsya, even Zahra who was that perfect could not shake his heart. He wanted someone who made him intoxicated, someone who could possess his soul, which made him very infatuated. And by the way, those romantic words she herself uttered, not me. That was his life search. That is the meaning of life, for him. You understand what I mean? The search stopped on you."

I nodded again.

"Well, now you know. Can I be honest? If I were him, I'd handcuff you and I'd take your feet, just run away whenever there's a problem."

Geez.. It's just good to be. Mayra too, she giggled even though she tried to hold him back. Maybe Alfie did that to him. Might as well.

Well, I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "What about his good attitude to Salsya?" my many. "She even promised to marry him."

"Come, Ra. For Chrissakes. Believe this. I've known him a lot longer than you. Even I know him better than May knew him from childhood. He's a good young man, he'll never betray you."

Alfi took Mayra's cup and downed the chocolate one gulp. Seeing me who seemed not relieved made Alfi take a deep breath and exhale heavily.

"Well, I'll tell you one secret, no one knows about this but me, but maybe Salsya knows too. Might as well. I don't know. I mean, I don't know - Salsya knows or not."

Silent moment. And I was really curious to wait for Alfi to open his mouth again to tell a story. Alfi's silence for a few seconds was like a minute for me.

"It's about Aruna" he said. "Reza ever told you about Aruna's death?"

I'm nodding. I realized very well that I was focused on looking at Alfi, not caring about anything else at all.

"What do you know?" tanyakanya.

"Aruna died by suicide, about two months after being humiliated by his wife Danali" I said, exactly as I knew it.

"That's all?" Alvin asked again. "That's true, but it's not entirely true. I mean, the story is so incomplete. Mmm.. What happened to Salsya today, once happened to Aruna. The difference is, what happened to Aruna was done by her own boyfriend who apparently already had a wife. The story begins when Aruna collapsed after being drugged by Dan. He was taken to the hotel and it happened. I don't need to say, you guys definitely understand. Yep, she fucked that son of a bitch. Stupidly, Aruna was afraid that the incident would be known to her family, and it was instead used as the Dan as a tool to repeat his actions to Aruna. Until finally, Tika, his wife Dan, learned of her husband's affair. One day Tika secretly follows them and ends up spotting them in a hotel room, which they both are almost naked at the time. Well, her name is a woman in a hurry, she drags Aruna out of the room and humiliates her in public. After that Aruna was stressed, and she became even more depressed when she found out that she was pregnant. While Dan did not want to take responsibility, he instead disappeared. Finally, Aruna again chose the wrong path, she committed suicide. Reza first saw his body - hanging from a tree - behind his house. You know, right, how about the expression on the face of a dead body that hung itself? That's what Reza can never forget. He harbors guilt for failing to save his sister's life. Now he fears Salsya is as unstable as Aruna and does the same - including sacrificing the innocent life of the fetus. Especially now that Salsya made Reza a reason for her survival."

Mayra and I did not say anything, not even interrupting Alfi's words in the slightest while he was telling the story. It felt more than surprised, more than dumbfounded. Especially me, I never knew that inside Reza there was such a big trauma. A trauma that does not eat away at him every time, but devours him raw when the incident repeats itself.

"I hope after this you can better understand him. It also makes Reza grim when your cousins prank you in Bali. If only I had known their plan back then, I would have prevented it." Alfi said before standing up and going back in, leaving me and Mayra who were silent out there.

Only one word could represent my feelings back then: speechless.