Les Laches
Beneath The Untold's
“Tuh ‘kan! I said what too!” pekik Hera from the other end of the phone.
Tian is grateful that he set his phone into handsfree mode. Sapphira on the other hand, swearing loudly. It seemed, he was out of luck because the shrill voice of Hera across the phone directly overran his eardrum.
“I've expected this to end.” Hera continued, completely ignoring the protests from Sapphira.
“’This’ was when? Coming home from Cuba you are also pretentious to sleep.” Sapphira paused when she realized her tongue was slipping, “ngeramal if they would both be dating. Yesterday also fitting Tian back from the dinner at the house Meda, what did you say? ‘Tomorrow dating tuh they’. Continue, last week fitting us into the park..”
“Stop, stop! It is not important that you discuss the details. What matters ‘kan my real guess. They will be dating,” said Hera insistent.
“Only blind people who can not be guessed if Meda and Tian will date,” sahut Safira sewot, “including Afgar.”
The residence followed the last words Safira said. If they were talking in person now, instead of over the phone, Tian was sure that he and Hera would exchange uncomfortable looks. Because that is the effect caused by the quarrel of the couple who are also their best friends. If the quarrel between Safira and Afgar drags on, it will be difficult for Tian and Hera to take sides between the two men. Alvin himself will certainly follow whichever side Hera chooses.
"So" Hera finally became the first to break the ice, "how did the progress of your 'Love with Peace' project go?"
Hera named the plan Safira –, which was named by Safira herself– to improve her relationship with Afgar, as if quoting a line from a very sacred book.
"Ouch! Make the emotions! I tried to change so I could get closer to him. Coming home from Denpasar, I told him that I had reached home. You guys know what?" Safira paused on his words as if trying to add a dramatic effect to the continuation of his speech. "He slept first that night without waiting for news of me coming home safe or not!"
"Maybe because it's still in a fight?" tympan Tian.
"Not knowing anymore! Then, last time I said, 'Morning, love', she answered the next hour with the question, 'This is Anan?'. Maybe he thinks my hape can't even be broken into the thief, hit my brother's plow." complained Safira frustrated.
Tian scratched the top of his head, confused as to what to say in order to respond to it. On the one hand, he understood how Safira hoped that her fiance would respond to all his approaches with the actions he expected. However, on the other hand, he realized that Afgar's attitude was natural. Given all this time Afgar and Safira are not the type of couple who like to do romantic things like Alvin and Hera. The last two couples were not reluctant to PDA.
"So, you're blushin?" Tian finally asked carefully.
"No! What did you mean first? Behind the engagement ring Afgar once loved?" reply Safira quick.
For a moment Tian could feel the cynical tone of his best friend's words, but he hurriedly threw those negative thoughts out of his head.
"Shewot is the same Afgar. Don't be the same!" Hera sprayed Safira and the girl laughed widely.
"Sorry, Tian. Slips."
"It's okay, really," Tian said as he tried to catch his breath as his chest tightened slightly at the thought of the possibility that Safira was harboring anger at him. In fact, his eyes were a little wet without him noticing.
"The bottom line is, I haven't given up on my efforts to tidy up my relationship with Afgar. There's still a lot I haven't shown him." Safira said again.
"Good luck, then," said Hera who seemed to have a little emotion because Sapphira snapped at Tian.
Safira, who realized that apology alone was not enough to satisfy Hera, eventually diverted the subject from her and turned to question Tian about her plans after establishing a relationship with Meda.
"Yes, first of all maybe I want to try to get to know Meda more deeply. You see, yesterday I took a little privacy to keep him fit for his wishes," Tian replied blushingly as Safira asked what the first steps Tian would take so that his relationship with Meda could be more friendly.
"Just like PDKT, dong. Dating time just wants it. All aja ta'aruf," said Safira anxiously.
"Yes, his name is also his first girlfriend. Still plain," said Hera, chuckling.
Tian clucked in annoyance, unsure whether Hera was defending him or supporting Sapphira to make fun of his approach.
"He taught you, Ra. You'll be more experienced" said Safira.
Tian nodded excitedly. As Safira said, Hera is much more experienced in romance. Hera's former lovers are countless. Since Junior High, the first girl knows the word courtship, she has been in a relationship with more than ten men.
Starting from his Chemistry lesson tutor when he just sat in the 8th grade who is still a college student. Then the head of the student organization when going up to the ninth grade. Next, the head of the volleyball team that made Hera decide the head of the student organization before their relationship even one month. Then, on the eve of the exam, he broke his third girlfriend's heart again because he changed his heart to a member of the High School volleyball team he met when he came to a game to encourage his third girlfriend.
Let alone Safira who only heard all those stories when the three began to get close on campus, Tian himself could hardly remember all the former Hera had ever met in person. To be sure Hera is quite experienced in dealing with various types of men in the world, so the story of her past is right to be used as reference material for a noob like Tian.
Hera began raving about the various steps she claimed with the term "ciamik" to make Tian's relationship with Meda more friendly. Tian listened carefully to all the instructions from Hera, even taking notes and recording all Hera's words. Safira did not want to miss he also remembered the important points that he could apply to complete his "technique.
"The bottom line is, I agree that all relationships are basic communication, but you also have to spend a lot of time with Meda. You must be ready to meda activities and vice versa Meda must also want to nemenin your activities. If necessary, you also make a list of things that you have not tried and are ready to try new things both."
Hera ended her long-running advice accompanied by a standing ovation from Tian. Sapphira, on the other hand, can only thaw. All the things that Hera talked about only added one line of sentences in her brain to serve as a reference for developing her relationship with Afgar.
Try new things!
***
Tian typed a few lines of sentences to end the last part of his report before running towards the sofa and grabbing his phone. A message from Meda asking if Tian wanted to be picked up tomorrow morning made the girl smile. He forgot the saturation he felt while working on his report and got back excited. He even intends to continue his struggle to edit the work and layout of his report, which he had suspended until the next day.
"OKAY. Pick me up at seven o'clock, yeah. I have class early tomorrow."
Just as the clock on his wall showed at 23:20, Tian finished his work and crawled to his bed. Surely, after grabbing his phone and taking it to his queen size bed. He unlocked his phone screen and was a little disappointed when he did not see Meda's name there. Apparently the one who sent Tian the message earlier was Afgar.
His first message after the incident at the playground a few weeks ago. Therefore despite not expecting to receive a message from Afgar, Tian quickly checked what the young man wanted to say to him after a long silence.
Tian. I'll pick you up tomorrow, yeah. There are so many things I want to talk about with you.
Tian bit his lips. He had already agreed to the same offer from Meda before and if he had to choose, of course Tian wanted to see the face of his lover on his first day back in college. However, Tian felt that Afgar and himself did have a lot to talk about. Therefore, despite knowing that what he did after this could cause misunderstandings if it was known by Meda, he still agreed to Afgar's invitation.
He then sent a message back to Meda to inform her that her class schedule was changed during the day, so that Meda would not have to pick her up tomorrow. There would be no misunderstanding because all he did was to resolve all the discomfort between himself and Afgar. And there would be no misunderstanding that Meda was unaware of the meeting between Tian and Afgar.
Yes, Meda need not know, so broke Tian.
The next day, Meda woke up and frowned in surprise when she found two different messages from Tian. However, Meda did not hold any suspicions at all. She was excited because at the end of her message, the girl said that she would come to her house tonight to visit Meda's parents.
Meda was a little horrified to imagine Tian traveling alone to her home with her hands still being groped. He was also troubled by the fact that Tian, as a woman, first took the initiative to greet his parents after they formalized their new relationship status. Therefore, Meda replied to Tian's message with a notification that she would pick up Tian later that night, as well as to meet with Adler and Bella.
***
Ariana Grande's energetic voice on one of her songs titled Problem played from the radio on Afgar's Jaguar F. The time it took to reach the Tian and Afgar university buildings was not twenty minutes and the two had wasted almost five minutes to fall silent in that music cradle. Tian who was getting impatient finally decided to open his voice. It was then that he realized that Afgar had looked at him first.
"So?" Tian begin. "What do you want to talk about?"
"Much." Afgar sighs.
However, just as Tian was about to roll his eyeballs at his reply, Afgar added.
"But the first thing I want to hear is the answer to my question on the playground a few weeks ago, before Meda narik you left me and Elmira."
"Why didn't you ever say you liked me, Ti?" sue Afgar who thinks that the reason for Tian's silence is because the girl does not remember the details of the events on the playground.
However, his conjecture was proven wrong when Tian looked into his eyes straight away. The girl remembered everything. It's just that he refused to give the answer.
"Why didn't you ever say you liked me, Gar?"
Afgar bit his lip. If he acted and thought like his normal self, he would easily predict that the girl would turn to throw the question at him. It's just that, in the last few weeks, his brain and liver are working like two organs in a different body.
His heart repeatedly ordered him to immediately meet Tian after the incident at the playground, pouring out the contents of the heart he harbored in the years as he began to name the feelings he had for Tian as love, trying to find a reason to fix the past.
However, the logic that suppresses his feelings tells him that there is nothing he can raise from the past. That Tian may have completely forgotten about his feelings for Afgar in the past thanks to Meda's existence. And that Afgar already had Sapphira. His brain was constantly buzzing the fact in the cavity of his head, as if he was silent for a second, Afgar would forget altogether the figure of the girl who became his fiancee two years ago.
"See? You can't answer that either, can you?" Tian's voice drew Afgar from his daydream. "That's because your subconscious knows that your feelings are only momentary. What's the point of talking about all this anyway, Gar? You already have Safira and I already have Meda."
"Did you feel for me for a moment?" ask Afgar again.
"I told you, right? That means nothing to you, Gar."
Tian dodged to answer, making the strange curiosity lodged in Afgar's heart even more inflamed.
"She, Tian. If you say you like me, I will not accept your request to get acquainted with Sapphira. We can...."
"Enough, Gar!" cut Tian.
Tian's eyes were filled with disappointment and anger as he looked at Afgar.
"You can't think about the past. There is no saying that, there is a reality. The fact that you are Safira's fiancee and the fact that I am Meda's boyfriend. That's it!"
"You're dating Meda?" Afgar almost screamed when he heard the words slide from Tian's lips.
"You heard me right." Tian answered quickly.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Gay, Gar! Nor do I ask you to report to me about any of the women you walk with every Sunday night. You didn't say you wanted to be with Safira until you sent an invitation home, did you? Then why do I have to report all about me and Meda to you?"
"So, you're just going to retaliate..."
"returned? What should I reply to? You think this heart affair is like a boxing match that should be reciprocated?" Tian shook his head not understanding. "I love Meda and I date her because of that, not to hurt anyone. Especially my best friend."
Tian got off the car Afgar had arrived in the campus courtyard a few minutes ago, leaving Afgar deep in his abomination. The young man didn't even realize how he could successfully park his car without bumping into something or someone in the process.
