JUST HUG ME FOR A SECOND

Beach Storytelling

Dea sees how Evan these days is often daydreaming and silent. Dea who was in the kitchen with Aluna immediately approached Aluna.

"Lun, go healing gih with your men. The kids let me take care of them. Make Kyu lo pump me the same sus keep," Dea told Aluna.

Aluna stopped her activities in the kitchen and looked at her best friend. Maybe it's the right time to talk to Evan. Think Aluna.

"Gue often sprained with him. But, I don't have the heart to see him on that cake either" said Dea who appeared to be in wise fashion. Aluna smiled and immediately took off her apron towards Evan who was sitting quietly in the back garden. He looked at it with a reading book in his hand. But he didn't seem to be reading the book. His mind seemed to be somewhere else.

Suddenly Aluna gently hugged her husband from behind as Evan was startled and spontaneously turned his head. A smile blossomed from her lips as she realized that it was Aluna.

A warm kiss Aluna gave on her husband's face. There was a faint smile on the lips Evan found such a sweet treatment.

"What's the first, baby?" aluna asked, still hugging her husband from behind. Evan showed me the book.

"We go, yuk clash. I'm still home. You've rarely been home lately. I want to go for a walk together just like you like we dated first," pinta Aluna spoiled. Evan frowned and turned his face towards Aluna.

"I want us quality time," whispered Aluna once again a kiss she landed on Evan's face. Makes Evan smile again.

"Kids?" ask Evan about their children.

"We stayed with Dea for a while. He wanted to just now. We go quietly," muttered Aluna again. Evan agreed. Frankly, he also misses the moment alone with Aluna as before.

***

With a little sneaking around finally Aluna could escape from her children who were playing with Dea and her sisters in the room. Dea sees Aluna's departure with a sincere smile and hopes that Aluna can make her husband cheerful again like he used to be.

***

"Where are we going?" evan asked after they came out of their compound.

"We went to the beach that day, yuk. The beach that ran away before we got married" Aluna recalls on the beach where Evan once talked about his Daddy to persuade him to come home. Now he's going there again for a different reason.

***

It didn't take long for them to finally arrive at a beach with a beautiful view. Seemed the sea was calm with a cold wind blowing. Aluna immediately took off her heels and handed them to Evan. It reminds Evan of the incident several years ago while on the beach in Bali at sunset time. It was the first time he and Aluna had gone together. At that time he felt annoyed to Aluna even seemed to hate him, but today his feelings for Aluna were different. Aluna is now the only perfect love for her. The woman who had given him three children in his life. The woman who fought for him and the woman he fought for.

"Do you remember what happened in Bali?" ask Evan. Aluna turned towards Evan who was walking behind her with the heels of Aluna in her middle hand. Aluna saw the same scene when she was with Evan a few years ago. For a moment a sweet smile was pinned on her beautiful face.

"It's like our first date. Even though you used to sprain me," said Aluna remembered it. Evan chuckled as he realized Aluna remembered him.

"That's when you cheated, yeah. I'm tired all day carrying your groceries but still you force me to see the sunset," said Evan who made Aluna chuckle with Evan.

For a moment he stopped his steps and looked at Evan deeply. They stopped their steps for a moment. And laugh both. Aluna walked with her husband's hand.

They keep remembering that moment together. Until they stop at the same wood that Evan took there first when they fled to the beach. Exactly when Aluna was pregnant with Alif at that time.

Evan smiled again.

"How depressed we were then, Van. I'm pregnant and you're at enemyin daddy. You're sick and I'm cravings. We were strong back then because we had each other, right?" aluna Evan smiled and nodded with a thought back to the memories of that time.

"I started to feel like I was in love with you, Lun. You fought me that hard to the point that you lupain daddy. At that time I promised I would not waste you and would fight to get you too," said Evan made Aluna feel moved. He rested his head on Evan's shoulder.

"That's a moment that's not easy for us to go through but I feel happy and it's one of our beautiful moments right, baby," said Aluna while hugging Evan's arm and leaning his head on Evan's shoulder deeper.

They were both late in that moment.

"We married young, yes. You haven't turned 25 and I'm 21. A lot of the things we're dealing with that make us fail to maintain our relationship." Evan smiled in memory of their failure at that time.

"Van!" aluna again.

"Hmmm ...," said Evan turned towards Aluna.

"You know? It took me a while to forget what you did back then even though I fell in love with you. I'm scared but I want you anyway. Van, can't you do the same? Forgive your mother and listen to her reasons, even if I know it's hard for you. Give him a chance, try to be with him for a day. Just hug him for a second so you know, he's as good as you are, Van. He did not intend to dump you, maybe the situation was very heavy for him at that time. A 19-year-old woman gave birth alone with no husband, no family to support her, and her career was almost ruined. Is there anyone who can remain sane with such pressure? Do you think she can still raise you well back then?" aluna said at length.

Evan bowed and swallowed his bitter-tasting saliva. How Aluna did not know how she had lived her hard childhood without a mother. Little Evan often had to endure his hunger because not a penny of pocket money he had. There was no mother who clapped when she got her first trophy. No mother can scold a nosy friend with her, only Anto who she had back then as her protector.

Evan momentarily turned his face away as his tears began to run down the river and were ready to collapse.

"What if my childhood was okay I would do that to you, Luna? Am I going? Am I going to languish?Am I going to hate everyone?You're not as big as I was raised, Luna. How I kept hoping that at least an invisible fairy godmother could clap for me when the teacher's mother called Evan Pratama the class champion and even the general champion. I do everything I can to be loved by my mother, study alone with old books, always work hard to earn money either from scholarships or work, my mom and dad don't feel like I'm bothering them. I wait for Papa every time I come home from work just hoping he hugs me once. That was the wound of my heart at the time. How thirsty I am for love that I despair and cease to hope. Even as papa screamed in London called me to come back haughtily and loudly I could leave heartless. So damaged was my feeling at that time because he left without a message. Then he came asking me to share time with him?" cynical Evan with full of emotion.

Aluna was crying too. She nodded in understanding and pulled her husband back into her arms.

"Everything still hurts me, it hurts me so much" said Evan in Aluna's arms with tears he could not stand anymore. Long enough Aluna hugged her husband until he was completely calm.

"You're the first person to defend me with your pain. The only person who doesn't look away with all my flaws" Evan added, making Aluna grow her smile between her cries.

"You're perfect for me, Van," muttered Aluna, and they smiled together. Slowly Evan brought his face closer to Aluna and slowly touched her lips gently like a couple who were in a romantic hangover. Slowly Aluna felt this man was still the same as before. She still loves Aluna. Stupidly, he doubted that. No, he would never doubt Evan's love for her again.

They continued making out until a touch on his chest that Aluna felt Evan was quite far away. He immediately pushed Evan's strong body. Evan is shocked and looks at Aluna.

"Udah, ah. Later we kebablasan here again," said Aluna as she stepped away leaving Evan who was still glued with a smile.

"I can't do anything in the room, there's still the Dea shucks in our room" Evan shouted. Aluna just laughed when she heard him shake her head.

"Later I'll be kicked out. I went home yuk," invited Aluna while continuing to step away leaving Evan who laughed lazily because Aluna could not be invited to cooperate. For a moment Evan felt he was far behind until he half ran after Aluna and wrapped his hands around Aluna's waist as he continued walking.

Aluna knew it was not easy for Evan to open his heart to accept the woman who had left him. Let time soften his heart. May when his heart softens he not be late.

SERIATE...