Linger

Jealousies

For the first time in a relationship, Irina ignores Gavin's phone. But usually, the woman never once missed the phone and messages that Gavin sent. No matter how busy her schedule, she will always respond to Gavin as quickly as she can, even though Gavin cannot do the same.

In the bathroom, Gavin nibbles at his fingernails in agitation. What happened to her boyfriend so he didn't answer his call? The new clock shows nine o'clock over twenty-six minutes, impossible if the woman is asleep. In this world, Gavin thinks he's the one who knows best what Irina's daily habits are.

Gavin was about to call once again, but stopped when he realized he had been in the bathroom too long and it could have made Kalea feel suspicious. So, with a heavy heart, Gavin put his phone back in his pants pocket and walked slowly to the door.

When the bathroom door was opened, from a slight gap, Gavin could see Kalea lying on her stomach in the bed, his eyes were so focused staring at the television screen that displayed a drama they had been watching since after Maghrib. Seeing how serious Kalea's face was, Gavin walked out of the bathroom in a slow motion. Still watching Kalea, he walked to the nightstand to put his phone back in the bottom drawer after making sure it was dead.

When he was about to turn around and rejoin Kalea, Gavin was startled when Kalea suddenly cried. She was sobbing like someone had just hurt her. Gavin panicked, hurriedly jumping up onto the mattress to calm Kalea down.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" tanyanya slow. Slowly pulled Kalea's body until the woman sat facing him.

"Why, Kal?" reworked. But instead of answering, Kalea's cries even more broken. The woman suddenly rushed into his arms, leaving him speechless.

For tens of seconds letting Kalea enjoy the sadness that somehow caused it, Gavin moved slowly to keep the woman's body away from her. Only to the extent where he could stare at that bead of boba clearly, intending to find out for himself the answer to the question that had arisen in his head.

But instead of getting an answer, Gavin was even made more confused because the tears had made Kalea's entire face reddened. From the woman's nostrils even flowed a clear liquid, which then without any disgust at all Gavin swiped using his thumb.

"Why are you, Kal? Tell me?" he said slowly, like talking to a five-year-old boy.

After painstakingly holding back her stuffing from becoming more so, Kalea wiped the remaining tears that were still wetting her cheeks using the back of her hand. But because the back of his hand was not able enough to make the trail of tears disappear, Kalea pulled Gavin's shirt and used it as a rag. Gavin did not mind, only a little surprised when Kalea suddenly pulled the t-shirt so that it made their distance back close.

Satisfied to finish crying, then Kalea began to tell stories. Gavin was almost at a loss for words as the woman told him the chronology of why her tears were dripping endlessly. Half the contents of Gavin's head evaporated into the air, the other half turned into things that were too difficult to digest when one cell in the head managed to translate the Kalea story into one short sentence that was easier to understand. In essence, the woman was crying because she missed her mother, after watching a scene from the drama that had seized her attention since.

Gavin wanted to laugh, noticing how whiny a Kalea Dimitria could cry hysterically just because of a scene in the drama. But considering that the woman's mood is indeed unstable due to the influence of hormones during menstruation, Gavin finally swallowed back the laughter that was ready to explode, Gavin said, locking him deep in the throat will not escape when he accidentally gives a chance.

Then, Gavin picks up another phone on the nightstand. The second cell phone he only used to contact Kalea and her family. After scrolling the screen for a while, Gavin pulled Kalea to sit down next to him while waiting for the call he was making to connect.

Kalea according to him. He rested his head comfortably on Gavin's arm while one of the men patted his shoulders softly and another hand held the mobile phone pointed in front of both of their faces.

After waiting for a while, the call was connected. On the screen, Mama's face appeared that looked tired and sleepy. Even so, the woman still showed a bright smile as her eyes caught the existence of Kalea next to Gavin. Behind Mama's body, Papa seemed to have fallen asleep in a big bed. The lighting in the hotel room that Mama and Papa occupy looks dim, but it is not enough to dispel the bright twinkle of both eyes Mama.

"Hello Mama's son!" greet Mama with a cheerful voice. "Not sleeping at this hour? Why is his face red? Crying out?"

"Geez, Mama's baby misses it. Patience baby, tomorrow afternoon Mama has arrived in Jakarta again." While saying that, Mama commented on the maternal smile that instantly made Kalea's heart slowly warm.

Gavin, who had been silent, smiled and said, "What time did you get to the airport? Let Gavin pick you up."

"Maybe around 3pm. Don't pick up, I'm afraid you're busy. Let Mama ask Karel for help. The kid is usually the most diligent when told to pick people up at the airport." Mom chuckles at the end of the sentence. Perhaps the woman was imagining the look of Karel's excited face when asked to pick her up at the airport.

Gavin only smiled faintly when again the name Karel was brought, even chanted by his mother-in-law in a carefree voice. There was a hint of jealousy that slipped into Gavin's heart when he realized that he was still far behind Karel, who had spent more time with Kalea and her family. And that originally meager feeling of jealousy slowly grew bigger as beside her, Kalea suddenly made a voice in a jubilant tone.

"Kalea wants to see Karel too."

I don't know where the loss of Kalea's sad look was. Because when mentioning the name of Karel, the woman suddenly beamed.

Gavin doesn't have much to say. So she just quietly listened to Kalea's chat with her mother while occasionally responding with a smile as her name was carried around in the chat.

"May, later Mama asked Karel to pick you up at home to pick up Mama at the airport, huh? Oh, yes, I brought you a newly released NCT album, two versions at once."

"Mama is the best!" Kalea pointed two thumbs at Mama, making Gavin chuckle.

Then in the middle of the conversation, Kalea suddenly turned her head towards Gavin, making the male flutter. "Why?" gavin asked in full search when he found Kalea smiling strangely at him.

"Tomorrow I'll pick up Mama at the airport, okay? I want to see my girlfriends."

A boyfriend? Gavin remained silent for a while. Trying to digest Kalea's words with great difficulty. Then, from across the phone, Mama helped explain.

"That's it, Gavin, which Kalea means is all NCT members." Obviously Mama while smacking a smile.

"All?" asked Gavin in disbelief.

"Yes, everybody. He said, if it could be 23 why just pick one." Finished saying that, Mama chuckled. While Gavin turned to Kalea with a look of disbelief. Now, the woman smiled so brightly, revealing a neat row of white teeth and her face seemed radiant.

Gavin begins to wonder, in fact, who did he marry this 25-year-old adult female, or the nine-year-old boy he met years ago?