Les Laches

The Endless Darkness's

Afgar, who had just come out of the bathroom, scrunched his forehead while checking his phone. On the screen was posted a notification of 23 missed calls from Safira. Afgar was intending to call back when he heard the door to his suite being pounded hard.

Meda who was sleeping in her bed while reading the second book of the Cormoran Strike series, rose from her position. After exchanging a quick glance with Afgar, he rushed out of the room.

"Who?" Meda asked before turning the door lock of the suite.

"Safira. Open the door now!" safira exclaimed as he continued knocking on the door leaf.

The girl darted in as soon as Meda opened the door.

"Gar! Why didn't you pick up the phone?!"

Safira's loud voice rang out to Meda's ears which were still left outside the room because they had to close the door again.

"You why the hell? Dateng-dateng was instantly furious. I just finished taking a shower,"

Meda steals Afgar's explanation when he returns to the room to retrieve his books. He decided to walk outside the hotel and find a nearby cafe. However, his intention to escape came to a halt when he heard the next sentence slide from Sapphira's mouth.

"Tian wants to go back to Indonesia."

Afgar's eyebrows almost linked to hearing that.

"What's the problem?" ask Afgar confused.

"He just said there was a problem at home, but he did not want to tell the problem what makes him rush packing. Try to go to the room now. Tian could probably be more open if it were you."

Safira says it's not without basis. Of the five people in their friendship circle, Sapphira was the last one to join. And among the five, Tian is closest to Afgar, the one who went through toddlerhood to adulthood with him.

Afgar himself immediately shot towards the direction of Tian's room without being asked twice. Sapphira, who was left in the room with Meda, threw a meaningful look at the young man. Gave him a signal to follow him and Afgar. Without even being asked, Meda had indeed planned to see the state of Tian.

Afgar, who had already arrived in Tian's room, restrained Tian's arm, which was trying to close the suitcase. It wasn't easy to do because, as you already know, Tian really wasn't good at handling that one job. He even left some things that he could not put in a suitcase.

"What's up, Ti?" ask Afgar worriedly.

"Mama's in the hospital, Gar. I have to go home now." Tears drenched Tian's face which looked panicked.

"In the hospital for what? Who'd you hear from? Try to explain slowly." Afgar hugged Tian, who kept trying to get his arms out of Afgar's grasp.

"Papa said, Mama met the man at Lydia's school. He wants to take Lydia with Joan. Mama tried to prevent my sisters from being taken, but Mama ...." Tian returned to sobbing. "The man hit Mama."

Afgar tightened his embrace on Tian's trembling body. Safira who witnessed the sight could only be glued to where he stood. Meda, next to him, recognized the meaning of the girl's expression. Torn between jealousy over the closeness of the two and concern because he understands as small as what problems his best friend is facing.

"'Who's the guy?" meda asked in a whispering voice.

"Tian's biological father," Safira replied briefly before pulling the young man to turn around.

There was something he wanted to talk about with the young man. In addition, he did not want to see the interaction between his fiancee and his best friend any further. Meda followed the girl for the same reason.

"You like Tian?" Safira asks to the point upon their arrival outside the suite.

Meda was silent for quite a while before nodding her head. Safira smiled faintly as if she had expected the answer.

"If you're serious about liking Tian, you should take active steps from now on. Right now, Tian is in a weak mental state and I hope that you can take this opportunity to ...." Safira stopped her speech as Meda laughed cynically between her explanations.

"Is something wrong?" safira asked confusedly.

"I'm just curious. You did this because you care about Tian or because you don't want your girlfriend's attention to be distracted because of the Tian family's problems. Well, but it doesn't matter, because I don't want to get involved with whatever scheme you're playing at" Meda replied cynically.

"I care about Tian as much as I care about my relationship with Afgar." Sapphira folded her hands in front of her chest. "You said you like Tian, but you don't want to use this to sneak Tian up? Okay. If so, I want to hear what you plan to do to make Tian notice you?"

"Did I ever tell you I was going to get close to Tian?"

"So, you want to say you like Tian, but there's no desire to date him or anything?" Safira laughed cynically. "Bullshit!"

Meda shrugged her shoulders. "As much as you want to think what it is, I will definitely not act on anyone's orders. Your grandfather may be my mother's superior, but that doesn't make me your subordinate automatically."

The young man walked towards the end of the corridor. However, before disappearing behind the elevator leading to the first floor, he turned around.

"Oh yes. Don't forget to lock the door to your suite. It's not just me and Afgar who know that there are three girls staying in the suite," Meda's message tells Safira that one's carelessness.

A while ago, the girl made it easy for her to enter her suite because she forgot to lock the door. Then, seeing that Afgar could enter Tian's room without waiting for Safira could only mean one thing. The girl was indeed a little underestimating the dangers that could arise in this foreign land.

Safira sighed and went back inside her suite. He sat in the middle room until Afgar came out of Tian's room.

"What's the goddamn game, Gar?" safira asked as she got up from the sofa. Afgar approached him and led him back to his seat.

"Tian is calm." Afgar put his phone on the table. The LED that lit up for a moment showed half ten p.m. "I called Om Adler and asked how Aunt Bella was doing. Adler says everything is fine. Aunt Bella just blisters on the legs. Lydia was just as Joan was a little shocked, but they were fine, too."

"When will Tian go back to Indonesia?" Safira asked again.

Afgar shook his head. "Om Adler asks us not to rush home. Now, everyone's home Tian again in France. Om Adler had a job there and he deliberately ngajak them all because he did not want if until the man came to the house when he was not there. I agree with Om Adler's decision. Although he was able to hire a bodyguard, if the man came to the house again, his younger siblings' mentality would be shaken again."

"So, what do we do, Gar? I'm sure Tian still can't calm down even if he knows that his family is safe." Sapphira clasped Afgar's hand in a slight frown.

"You really are, Fir. Therefore, maybe we should cancel the plans we made to Varadero and nemenin Tian here." Afgar looked at her fiance's eyes gently. Trying to ask for his understanding.

"I agree, but I think Tian will be even more depressed if he continues to be here."

"We don't need to cancel plans to Varadero. We just have to take Tian and Meda with us" Safira suggested.

Afgar scrunched his forehead. "I understand why Tian should come with us, but what if Meda?"

"You know why Tian never wanted to come if we went all three? Do you think even though the circumstances are different, Tian will agree? After all, Meda is also my responsibility. I brought him here. I don't want to exclude him from our plans." Safira answered firmly.

"But I don't like that guy." Afgar still disagrees.

"Why?" sue Safira quickly.

Once again, Afgar frowned. "He fought the same Tian."

"Yes, and that's just once. After that, they could even go for a walk together to Vanales, continue to spend one night in Cienfuegos. They can get along, Gar," Safira persuaded.

"But I still don't agree that Tian should be the same guy." Afgar insists.

"What do you mean by 'the man'? You think I want Tian's soul mate to Meda?"

"Yes?" Afgar asked skeptically.

"That's not our choice, Afgar. It's up to both of them. If they're used to each other, why not?"

"Make them not to get used to it!" Afgar's voice was slightly raised.

"Gar," Sapphira said coldly. "as a friend it is only natural that you would protect Tian when a matter befalls him. But you have no right to limit her relationship to someone just because you think that person will cause trouble for Tian. Wrong, people will think that you are hogging Tian for your own benefit."

"What interests do you mean, Fir?" Afgar squinted his eyes.

"You tell me." challenge Safira.

"OKAY. Fine. He's coming with us tomorrow, but I won't tolerate him feeling Tian again."

Afgar steps out of the suite, leaving Safira with a sudden headache.

The next day, the girl had to experience a headache that was twice as excruciating as trying to pull Tian out of her blanket. After some of the inducements he used were unsuccessful, Safira finally used his last card.

"OKAY. I'm calling Hera back to Havana now."

Hearing that, Tian got up from his bed and walked towards the bathroom leisurely. It was as if Sapphira had not tried to wake her up at all since an hour ago.

"Here I go andanin." Safira patted the chair in front of the dressing table as Tian exited the bathroom. Next to her feet, opened a make-up box that was about half the size of Tian's suitcase.

"Thank you, Fir." Tian whispered softly as Sapphira began to sweep the toner liquid onto Tian's facial skin. "And sorry."

"I'm sorry for what?" ask Safira gently.

"I made you and Afgar worried" Tian said weakly.

"It's only natural that as our best friend would be worried if anything happened to you, but you should apologize for one thing." Safira raised Tian's chin for the girl to look into his eyes. "If there's anything you can also tell me the same story. Not just Afgar. I know, I haven't known you for a long time like Afgar or Hera. But, I also wish I could understand you like them."

"I was all scared last night, Fir. I don't think I have time to explain to you my situation. But, I never try to hide anything from you on purpose." Tian clasped Safira's hand. "Sorry, if I hurt you by making you misunderstand."

"I'm sorry, doang?" Sapphira raised her eyebrows. "I don't get any compensation?"

Tian laughed loudly. "OKAY. What are you asking for?"

"I'm just asking you to be honest with how you feel about Meda" Safira replied. Now, his hands applied moisturizer on Tian's face.

"There's nothing to say if what you mean is something romantic, Fir." Tian looked down listlessly. "Actually, I'd like to ask you what do you know about Meda? Everything."

"Not much, Ti. As I have explained before, Meda is the son of my grandfather's favorite employee. His mother's position is quite impressive, namely the manager of the company's branch in Jakarta. But, if in the same group, his family is included in the middle class. Just that what I heard from Grandpa, this background of Meda's mother's father is actually quite elite as well."

"His father's relatives were all businessmen, while his mother was from a family of doctors. Like the relationship of the Meda family with the extended family of his parents is very bad because the profession of Meda parents does not exist in line with the main family tradition" explained Safira at length

"So that's why he hates rich people like us so much." Tian muttered softly. Now he realized, all the words he had spoken to the young man, even if true, would never be able to shake the stigma that had already taken root in the young man's soul.

"You still want the continuation?" Safira's hand that was already holding the blush-on brush stopped in midair. He looked at the void in Tian's eyes with worry.

"Is there anything else you think I need to hear, Fir?" tanya Tian was weak.

"What you heard earlier, all about his family. You don't want to hear anything else about Meda herself?"

Tian wanted to answer that question with a slab, because after all the information would be of no use to Tian anymore. He could no longer think of any other way to start a normal conversation with someone who had already labelled badly even long before meeting him. However, Tian's heart did not allow him to lie to himself. In fact, Tian still cares.

"What else do you know about Meda?" tian asked, finally.

Safira smiled faintly. "Meda is 7 years older than you. Seen from his face it is not visible, but it is a fact. He is smart, diligent, and active in some umbrella research. Anyway, when it comes to making a good CV, he is the best. In fact, when he finished his internship at a multinational company owned by his business partner Grandpa, he was immediately offered a permanent job. Not to mention the prospect of a smooth career path if the performance performance is good. FYI only, he has only worked 5 years, but has been promoted twice. You know his position now?

Tian shook his head.

"GM" Safira closed as she prepared to see the look of admiration on her best friend's face.

However, the expression Tian showed was not only not as lofty as his expectations, but it was very contrary to the effect expected by Safira. Right now, Tian instead looked increasingly demoralized to try to get close to the young man again.