Les Laches

In Which Hate Turns Out to be Love

Tian silently massaged his temple while looking at the menu list that was wide open before him. Meda observed the girl's every move since the two parted ways with Lisandro in front of a restaurant on the main street of the city of Vinales. Several times the girl showed an uncomfortable expression on her face. At first, Meda thought it was just the effect of the previous events. However, after seeing that Tian's lips were turning pale, Meda realized that the girl's body was in a bad state.

Meda suspected it was because of the effect of thin rain that had fallen on the way to the city earlier. Hence, he ordered a glass of warm milk at the waiter who recorded their order. As the servant moved away, Meda poured water into Tian's glass.

"You haven't drunk anything since we left Havana." Meda answered the girl's wondering gaze.

Tian smiled slightly. "Thank you."

"You can't eat anything but bread or do you eat bread for some reason?" The next Meda question was only answered by Tian.

"If you can't eat anything but bread, I won't force you to eat the roasted chicken I had. But, if you can eat foods other than bread, this time your stomach must be filled with heavy food," continued Meda while cleaning the tableware.

"Why should I eat your food?" Tian laughed confusedly.

"Because I won't be able to spend a whole chicken alone." Meda put the napkin down. "But that's not the case. Your stomach can digest food other than bread, right?"

Tian could not dodge Meda who was staring at her eyes sharply. Finally, Tian nodded weakly.

"OKAY. Then the bread you have ordered can be wrapped." Meda patted her palm as if she had just completed a heavy task.

"This is for me?" Tian blinked in confusion as Meda pushed the glass filled with warm milk that came along with the other orders towards Tian.

"You're rained on and I don't have a jacket I can lend you. So, I hope that's enough."

"You're also raining, right?" Tian raised next to his brows.

"I'm fine."

"I'm fine, too." Tian pushed the glass back towards Meda. "Don't because I'm a girl, then you look at me as a weak person."

"Girls and feminism" said Meda. "This is it, Tian. I'm not trying to act like you need to be protected or anything. I'm doing this because I saw your face pale after it had rained. And do not blame those who look at you as if you were a weak person. You yourself make yourself look like people are lacking in nutrition because they do not want to eat anything other than bread."

"You're kayaking Afgar."

Tian finally pulled back the milk glass and took a sip of its contents. The warm sensation in his stomach was creeping rapidly all over his body.

"No need Afgar, everyone will also react the same if you see what you eat all day."

Meda recaptured the glass from Tian's hand and downed the contents. Fortunately, thanks to the fairly low temperature in the region of the Vanales valley, the contents of the glass were not as hot as when just delivered by the waiter. However, still Meda's tongue was a little numb because of her actions. He himself did not understand why he was suddenly unhappy to hear the name Afgar called.

"What's? I'm also rained." Meda threw an annoyed look at Tian who looked at her in confusion.

Tian, who was almost used to the eccentric behavior of the young man, decided to ignore him and began to pierce the surface of the roasted chicken placed in the middle of the table. He tried to find the part that made him get a big piece of boneless meat. Meda who saw Tian "working hard" just to eat, was increasingly convinced that the label "weak" was not excessive to attach to the girl. He grabbed Tian's knife and plate before cutting off the chicken's thigh.

"No bones." Tian asked earnestly.

"OKAY. All bribed?" Meda asked with an expression made as serious as possible.

Tian immediately pouted.

"The rice adds up." Meda orders when Tian almost put down his rice spoon.

Tian refrained from imagining Afgar or saying his name hearing the words given by the young man. Recalling Meda's behavior a moment ago, Tian was almost certain that this time it could have been Meda's death and then reclaimed his plate containing pieces of chicken thigh meat that had been separated from his bones.

"How do you think the song is?" Meda opened the conversation again as the residence enveloped the atmosphere of the dinner.

"Enak," Tian answered accordingly.

"The song, not the chicken" said Meda, who saw Tian still engrossed in his second piece of chicken.

Tian looked up annoyed.

"Yes, delicious. Even though I don't know what it means."

"Ojala pase algo que te borre de pronto.

Una luz cegadora, un disparo de nieve." The melodious sound of Meda singing the song played by the owner of the restaurant, tickling the nerves of Tian's hearing, made the girl completely distract him from her food. "Ojala por lo menos que me left la muerte,

The no verte tanto, the no verte siempre. Todos los segundos, en todas las visiones.

Ojala que no pueda tocarte ni en canciones."

Meda smiled gently at Tian who was looking at her with her lips slightly opened.

"The title is Ojala, meaning 'hopefully'" explained Meda.

"What's the song about?" tanya Tian while propping up her chin with her right hand.

"I don't know what the author thought of this song. But, what I caught, this is a heartbroken song." Meda took a sip of water from her glass before going back to explain. "He hoped not to be reunited with the woman he had loved."

Tian closed his mouth. His eyes suddenly felt wet. He did not expect the young man to be able to summarize a pain in such a short sentence.

Meda pushed the tissue box closer towards Tian.

"Thanks," the girl replied in a raucous voice.

The two young men left the terrace five minutes before the last bus to take them back to Havana arrived.

"Sleep if you're tired. I can help take care of our luggage" Meda bargained as the two sat on the back bench of the bus, which was filled only by five travelers.

"We can replace half the journey later" retorted Tian who indeed began to feel his eyes were hard to open, but held back because he did not want to be a burden for Meda.

Meda who understood Tian's intent only nodded in agreement even though she herself did not plan to wake the girl up before they arrived at the hotel. Tian fell asleep quickly. Although Meda had said she would take care of her luggage as well, the girl tightly hugged her backpack while leaning her head against the window of the bus. At first, Meda left the girl alone. However, because in the middle of the bus trip through the slightly pebbled terrain and made the girl's head repeatedly collide with the glass of the bus, Meda decided to pull the girl's body to lean on her shoulder.

Tian wriggled softly. Reflexes, his body tries to find a more soft leaning place because Meda's thin shoulders can not provide comfort for the side of his head. The girl stopped moving when her temple leaned against the side of Meda's neck. Uniquely, his arm was still tightly hugging the backpack in front of his chest. Meda herself was only able to breathe again after the girl calmed down.

The new torment stopped when Tian again changed his sleeping position to lean upright on the bus seat. Meda let Tian stay in that position after checking that they would arrive at the bus stop in less than 10 minutes.

"Tians. We've reached Havana." Meda patted Tian's arm gently. The girl opened her eyes slowly, still not fully awake as Meda guided her to walk down the bus.

Tian had only been completely awake when the Havana chill had ambushed his body. Spontaneous himself tightened towards Meda. The young man chuckled looking at Tian who was shivering while hugging his backpack tightly.

"Yuk," asked Meda as she clasped Tian's hand and guided him to walk towards their hotel building.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" Tian tried to divert attention from the strange taste that spread from the tip of the fingers held by Meda.

"You didn't realize I woke you up so many times?" Meda pretended to have a confused face.

Tian's eyes widened in disbelief. This was the first time anyone had complained while waking him up. Usually Tian was very easy to wake up. However, given that today was indeed quite tiring, he decided to swallow the Meda statement raw. His lips almost said an apology when he saw the corner of Meda's lips twitching. A few seconds later, the young man laughed.

That was when Tian realized that he was being tricked. Tian could only snort in annoyance, while Meda felt that she had managed to avenge Tian's actions during the bus. Even though it was done by Tian out of consciousness, it still had quite a troublesome impact on him. Meda could even still feel the thump in her chest when remembering the moment.

"Well, where are you planning?" tian asked as the two were inside the elevator leading to the third floor, where their suite was located.

"El Nicho" Meda replied without hesitation.

Tian opened his lips, preparing to say something. However, a few seconds later he reached into his backpack and took out a note of his.

"I know it." Tian looked back at Meda after he finished reading something from inside the booklet.

Meda just shrugged her shoulders, not caring.

"Seriously deh. Where will you go?" Tian chuckled in between his words.

Meda nodded steadily.

The elevator door opened with a loud twang.

"Thanks! I can't imagine what I'd be like if like today there wasn't you. I mean, if there's no traveling party." Tian rubbed his nape wrongly.

Meda smiled widely. "No problem. You're on a good path."

The two stopped in front of the door of their adjoining rooms.

"Night, Meda," Tian said before opening the door of the room with the key he carried.

Meda replied with a wave of her hand.

"Tian?" A voice from the main room opposite Tian's room made the girl almost scream.

"Sophyta?" Tian managed to recognize the figure in a low chest-cut nightgown that was now walking towards him.

"Where have you been all day, Ti?" Safira pulled Tian to sit on one of the sofas in the central room of the suite.

"Streetings to Vinales with Meda. Afgar didn't tell you?" Tian asked back

"Don't tell a story, say nothing. He was a heavy badmood when I met him for dinner last night. He said he called you this afternoon. He was then put on the brakes until we headed back to the room." Safira looks a little upset.

"Sorry, Fir. Because of me ...."

Safira raised her hand before the girl continued her words further.

"It's not your fault. It's time Afgar stopped acting like that to you. You both are adults. Soon he has a life of his own. You and he are no longer little kids who just play together everyday or go to the same school."

Safira's words somehow felt very piercing for Tian. However, Sapphira did not catch the sadness that emanated in the eyes of her best friend.

"More important is the story between you and Meda. You guys are feeling better, aren't you? Good Lord! I'm in suspense with you guys fighting on the plane yesterday." Safira stroking chest.

"We're getting to know each other, Fir." Tian smiled calmly.

Sapphira's eyes narrowed.

"May I take this as a positive signal?"

Forehead Tian wrinkled. "meaning?"

"Positive signal that there are seeds of love between the two of you." Safira laughed loudly as soon as she finished her words.

"What love? Half a day I didn't fight with him that was good." Tian answered lazily.

"You fighting again?" The smile on Safira's face faded.

"Yes. We had a fight this morning, but after that we agreed to make peace."

"Try the details of everything that happened today." Safira folded his legs in a cross-legged position while propped up by his chin.

Tian sighed and began to tell a story.

"That's definitely love between you guys. I can't believe it's going to make you guys sneak!" Safira was happy.

"Safira, we haven't even officially won!" sergeant Tian.

Safira shook his head steadily.

"I want to get to know you better, Tian." Safira tried to mimic the sentence Meda said to make up with Tian this morning.

Of course, the girl did not imitate properly and voiced her own version. Tian decided not to correct or justify his friend's opinion. Tian decides to conserve his strength as his defense will only fall into the ears of Sapphira who has been taken aback and blinded by his own imagination.