Linger

A Difference

The night before her wedding to Gavin was held, Kalea spent more time in her studio. Trying to finish some abandoned paintings because he was preoccupied with all the wedding preparations.

In the corner of the room, just above one of the chairs (which Kalea used to use as a resting place while sipping hot chocolate and looking at the raindrops that tampias to the window in front) Karel sat quietly. His gaze was straight forward, on a painting that Kalea had just completed a moment ago. A painting of a boy playing in the middle in the middle of a garden full of Hydrangeas in blue.

Just as Karel did, Kalea also devoted her attention to the painting. A few days earlier, he had dreamed of reuniting with the boy in the painting. In his dream, the boy had grown up to be a tall and handsome man. Kalea could not remember clearly what the man looked like, she felt that the man was very handsome with a firm face line and intoxicating dark eye beads. Because of that dream, Kalea finally got the idea to paint what was in her dream, although in reality he can not describe adult men and replace it with the figure of a boy who he longed half dead so far.

"Lo really don't want to ask Papa for help to find the child?"

Kalea turned to Karel, only to find a foreign expression on the man's face. For a moment Kalea fell silent, thinking back to what Karel was not the first time he had heard. Karel had often asked this, and the captive he gave would always be the same. Just like now when he finally shook his head.

"I don't have enough money to ask Papa for help." Said Kalea while rising from her chair. He walked up to Karel, sat down in the chair next to him and looked back at the painting of the boy who had seized the attention of the two of them.

"A little information about him you don't remember?"

Kalea nodded back. Smiling wryly at the fact that he knew nothing about the boy slapped his face hard again. "I've only called him brother. Since we met, he never mentioned his name." When Kalea turned her head, she found Karel's forehead wrinkled. This is the first time he has told me about his relationship with the boy. Because all this time Kalea just simply told Karel that he had a little friend who wanted to be met again.

"Where does he live, in what block, who is he?"

Again a slab came out in response, making Karel sigh in frustration. If so, where else should they find a way out? Even if they have enough information, finding someone from a dozen years ago is still something that is difficult to do. And now what? Kalea doesn't even have any information.

"We always meet in the lake area behind the complex. Each meeting was accompanied only by a nanny and we just focused on playing, not thinking to tell a lot of things." Kalea spoke with a bright look, trying to recall the moment of togetherness with Brother whose cloth day was fading.

"Something you or she live for each other?" karel asked suddenly so that Kalea turned her head back towards him. "No? In the form of goods, for example?"

Kalea seemed to think for a moment. Trying to remember back in case someone was missed from the memory piece that perched on his head. Then when there was one part that he managed to find, Kalea flicked her finger with vigor.

"There, Rail!"

"What?" asked Karel with enthusiasm that is no less great.

"She once gave me a light blue hair tie with a little doll in a bunny shape."

"Where's the hair? You still keep it?"

Kalea nodded. "Still keep it. But I think it was stacked in the warehouse when Papa renovated the house three years ago. It should still be in the box, along with the same collection of polaroid photos we pass graduation."

"Find it." Karel's Order. Then he got up from his seat, walking ahead of Kalea who still could not digest the meaning of his words.

Karel stopped the step right at the doorway. He turned his head while smiling faintly. "Find it first. I'll help you find the boy." Then Karel continued his steps. In an instant his tall body disappeared from Kalea's sight, leaving a silence mixed with so many question marks that began to swarm Kalea's head.

...****************...

Meanwhile, in another part of the earth, Gavin spends his time in Irina's apartment unit. From the afternoon he lay down on the big bed, sipping on the smell of the rose coming out of Irina's neck when she laid down next to him. There is not much they do, just lie down while occasionally landing a light kiss on each lip or cheek.

The clock shows at half-eight in the evening. There wasn't much time left until the morning leading up to where the lives of the two of them would change a lot. Gavin will officially be the husband of another person, while Irina must be breastfed to watch her loved ones with other women in order to protect their relationship.

"Vin," call Irina slowly. A little raised his face that was originally hidden in the chest of Gavin's field.

Gavin just cleared his throat. Moving slowly tightened his embrace on Irina's waist so that it made the woman have to be more extra raised head.

"If you're married later, you can still see me often?"

"Sure. We talk about this a lot." Gavin lowered his head, making their gazes meet and beading their eyes chasing each other for a while as silence crept.

Supposedly, that answer could already make Irina relieved. But the woman took a deep breath before drawing a glance from Gavin. Not only the view, the woman also withdrew from Gavin's embrace. Moving slowly back to Gavin who was now looking at him with a frown.

Irina was silent for a long time. His gaze was thrown away to the glass window that leads to the balcony, looking at the thick of the night that is increasingly crawling up, eroding the remnants of twilight that even though for Irina just visited a few moments ago. Fret filled his heart again. Somehow, time got so fond of running around when he hoped to be able to enjoy more moments with Gavin. It was as if the universe and its contents had never been willing to let him fill his head with sweet memories with the man he loved.

Sometimes, if her head is in a state of chaos and she is given the opportunity to curse God's destiny, Irina will be more lamenting about her relationship with Gavin. About how things never go easy for both of them. About the differences that stretched, also about another name that seemed to jump out of the voting machine of life and accidentally entered into a container that should only contain him and Gavin. I don't know, of the many misadventures that befell her life, Irina hates this one the most. A fact that he can't have Gavin for himself.

"I'm yours. What else do you need to fear?"

Irina felt Gavin's big hands hugging her waist from behind. The warmth created from the contact between his back and the chest of Gavin's field can no longer calm the anxiety that begins to control his heart. Because he realized that this hug might not be his whole. Gavin could have promised not to touch Kalea. But Irina is clearly aware that Gavin is still a normal man. After marriage, Gavin and Kalea will live on the same roof, sleep on the same bed and will even share more things together. So it's a lie that Irina says she's not worried.

"Rin?"

Irina still did not respond. Unbeknownst to him, his tears seeped, wetting Gavin's arm which he now made as a pillow. It certainly caught Gavin's attention quickly, without much more talk, the man turned Irina's body, cupped her thin cheeks then wiped the tears that began to fall.

"Don't cry, Rin. I beg you. It hurts me." Gavin's heavy voice was like a saline solution dripped on his wet wound, making it even more painful and stifling. Irina's cry grew even more as those dark eyes dived into her club bead, scraping back the old wound that had scratched her chest.

"Rin, please..." Lirih Gavin's. However it was still unable to make Irina's cries subside. Finally all Gavin could do was bring Irina's slender body into the arms, clutching her tightly as if nothing in the world would be able to snatch Irina away from her.