Love Elsaliani

23.

"Mikeal, let Brother take care of El! you better come with the others to the base." Obviously Iqbal with his hand still tightly grasping Mikeal's hand, the gaze that emanated from Iqbal's eyes clearly seen that Iqbal did not like Mikeal's attitude towards Elsaliani.

"Okay captain!" Said Mikeal firmly who did not want to make things worse.

"Abang Mikeal, please take El home!" Pinta Elsaliani expectantly. Elsaliani's request made the two men cluck in shock and threw eyes at each other.

"I'll take you home!" Firm Iqbal who did not want to be denied at all.

"Sir, El...."Elsaliani complained doubtfully but in the end he returned to subdue his gaze.

Without caring anymore about Mikeal who still looked astonished at the two, Iqbal immediately carried Elsaliani's body and took him out of the old building.

"Please take care of the storm until it's over! You don't have to worry about El, I'll take care of him. One more do not tell this incident to your father or mother." Obviously Iqbal after putting Elsaliani in the car seat.

"Good."Briefly answer Mikeal who was from earlier continues to follow the steps of Iqbal.

"Fall first." Iqbal said and got into his car.

Mikeal can only salute, he does not want to make Iqbal more upset with his behavior. Mikeal rejoined the army after Iqbal's car left the scene.

-------------------

"Have your wounds improved?" Asked Iqbal who was still standing in the doorway of the room, with a gaze that continued to be fixed towards where Elsaliani was.

"It's sir." Elsaliani replied then increasingly embracing his two knees, he was still sitting in the corner of the room with a blank look and an uncertain feeling.

"On this day I'm sorry! I'm sorry that my job got you into trouble like that, I've put your life at risk. I'll make sure the day doesn't happen again!"

"Why are you sorry? El is wrong. It should be that today master ended it all, won't it all come back as before?"

"What do you mean? oh, so you're asking me to allow you to be ushered home by Mikeal in front of all the other soldiers?"

"That's not what El means....."

"Then what? let Mikeal be the lead in today's story? how far along is the relationship between the two of you?"

"No, that's not what El wanted to say. Why did the master come? why did you save El? why don't you just end this? won't the happiness of the master return when El disappears from the master's life? then why should you force yourself to extend your hand towards El? Why, why.....master let this heart rely more and more on master?"

hearing Elsaliani's explanation made Iqbal speechless in a thousand languages, without saying a word Iqbal stepped closer to Elsaliani and hugged him tightly, While Elsaliani could only cry, and let Iqbal tighten his arms even more.

"So then, you must have been very scared right? I'm sorry for making you wait so long to get them to touch you."

"Sir, thank you for coming to save El, that El was really very scared, even to just breathe El was scared, El was scared when his hand touched El, El....." Clearly Elsaliani with a sobbing cry. Iqbal could feel Elsaliani's heart beating fast, as if running around, making Iqbal sink Elsaliani's face in his chest even more.

"Calm down, now you're safe. The storm will no longer hurt you!"

"Sir, what about Lestari? she's okay, right?" Elsaliani asked in between her tears.

Elsaliani began to realize the situation that was happening, he quickly released his body from Iqbal's embrace.

"Yes, Lestari is fine." Answer Iqbal who let Elsaliani stay away from him.

"Now rest! tomorrow we go to the hospital, your forehead must be treated properly."

"Good sir."

Iqbal got up, then stood straight in front of Elsaliani who was still sitting in the corner of the room. Uncontrollably, Elsaliani's right hand spontaneously grasped Iqbal's hand, Elsaliani's action made Iqbal's step stop by itself. Iqbal's eyes looked back at the wife's eyes, who seemed hesitant about what she was doing. Slowly Elsaliani got up from his seat, then stood in front of Iqbal, out of nowhere the courage that thrust on Elsaliani to make him do things that he had never done, he said, elsaliani's hand immediately hugged the sturdy body of Iqbal.

"Elsaliani, I didn't ask you to hug me at all right? why touch my body without permission?" Iqbal asked, but his body seemed to be the opposite of what his mouth said. Iqbal's body continued to let Elsaliani embrace him, with no resistance and no rejection at all. A moment of silence, finally Elsaliani released his embrace and then slowly ventured to look at the face of Iqbal who was looking at him.

"I'm sorry that El ruined your life, ruined your happiness. El has absolutely no intention of making your life a mess, Wallahi. Now that El understands how the real master feels, El knows that you love Mbak Lestari very much, but on the other hand the master was forced to marry El without any clarity even given the right to choose. Sir, the pinnacle of error in all these matters is El, El who accepted this matchmaking. Mother, father, Abi and ummi are completely innocent in this matter, then El will be responsible, El will solve all these problems!"

"You talk at length makes me dizzy. Don't make me not understand, tell me the truth, what do you mean?"

"Marry with Mbak Lestari! live happily with him, El will come out of your life."

"You mean, you told me to divorce you, and your mother and father would hate me and lastly they would throw me out of their lives, you mean?"

"No, El promised that would never happen. After all, the master is not wrong, the master is too perfect to be hated by the father and mother. El has many shortcomings, and this separation occurs because of the mistakes and shortcomings that exist in El."

"Say! what exactly are you planning?"

"El is barren, El can not give offspring to the master's family, so the father and mother will not blame the master."

"How do you know you're barren?"

"Lying for the good of everyone doesn't hurt, right? you take it easy, El who will soon finish all this, all you have to think about is the marriage of the master with Mbak Lestari. Then good night, hopefully in the future you will always be happy."

Slowly Elsaliani stepped onto the bed, but Iqbal approached him again, with the rough hand Iqbal pushed Elsaliani's body into the bed and then lie on his side.

"Let's prove whether you're barren or not!" Iqbal said as he continued to touch Elsaliani's face.

"Sir, please wake up! this is El not Lestari!" Pinta Elsaliani and keep trying to avoid his face from touching Iqbal.

"So you think I've been doing it all this time with Lestari? listen carefully Nurul Elsaliani, even though Lestari is my lover but I know her limits, I have never done anything with her! I'm not the man you have in mind right now!" Firmly Iqbal and immediately wake up and move away from Elsaliani.

"Sorry, El apologize!" Pinta Elsaliani with her eyes closed again began to shed tears at the end of her round eyes.

Iqbal's eyes turned back towards his wife, and finally he came back closer and gently kissed Elsaliani's forehead.

"El, I will try to understand this situation, I will try to accept this situation."

"Sir...."

"Give me more time, because maybe I'll take a long time to accept all these circumstances."

"Hmm."

Both are as determined as to try to understand each other, trying to get out of the assumption that has made them live like strangers, trying to change the grudge that has rusted in the depths of the heart, he said, then trying to get out of the wrong atmosphere that shackles from time to time increasingly fosters resentment to ensnare the feelings that are filled with ambition to continue to hurt.***