MY FOSTER SON

Admiring In Silence

Hearing the sudden compliment, Jojo's face was met red with embarrassment. He daydreamed for a while while looking at Keenan who was walking away from him.

"Jo, come!" kalingga. The man had already walked quite a distance, making Jojo run a little to catch up with him.

Just wait for ten minutes, their plane will take off soon. Kalingga sat next to Jojo in business class. All travel expenses up to the cost of living are covered by Aslan.

As the plane started to run and the wheels went up, Jojo was nervous. He unintentionally grasped Kalingga's hand and held on firmly.

Kalingga noticed the girl who was sweating coldly and closed her eyes. The man clasped Jojo's hand tightly, one of his hands rubbing Jojo's back so that the girl was calm.

"First time on a plane?" ask Kalingga. Jojo nodded. The girl felt her chest arguing violently, not because her hands were now held by handsome men, but because she was afraid of heights.

As the plane stabilized and the shock and noise diminished, Jojo began to look calm. He suddenly released his hand on Kalingga.

"Sorry, brother," said Jojo. He felt bad doing that.

"No problem. You scared?"

"I'm a little afraid of heights."

Kalingga offers gum to Jojo. The man gave an excuse if chewing gum could reduce nervousness. Finally Jojo accepted Kalingga's offer, he felt relieved that there was a man beside him.

Kalingga sits next to the window, and offers Jojo to switch seats. At first Jojo refuses, but Kalingga is kind enough for Jojo to see the view outside the window.

"That's very beautiful, brother," said Jojo happily. He rubbed the glass window with a smile, admiring the vast ocean that lay beneath him.

For some reason, Kalingga feels very happy that Jojo is with him. In addition to making him feel not lonely, the presence of Jojo also makes him feel comfortable even though there is a little bit of heartlessness because his three younger siblings have to take care of themselves as long as Jojo leaves.

Their journey took a very long time, more than twenty hours including transits for three to four hours.

A flight attendant comes to offer food and drinks, Jojo does not ask for anything, but Kalingga orders drinks for both of them. Jojo was very happy and grateful.

"You're beautiful in that shirt" Kalingga praised without turning his head. Jojo, who was initially staring out the window, immediately averted his gaze, looking at the man sitting next to him.

The girl smiled faintly. He had just heard Kalingga praise him, but from the beginning, Kalingga seemed to pay little attention to him.

"thank you. This is a gift from Kak Keenan and Kylan" Jojo replied. He continued to see Kalingga, but the man seemed to avoid looking at Jojo.

"Ah, yes." Kalingga answered briefly. He scratched his hair and misbehaved.

Jojo mumbled a smile, besides Kalingga was a quiet man and rarely smiled, Jojo also felt that he was a shy figure when dealing directly with women.

"Sister, why did you agree to take me? Why don't you think about taking another woman, your lover, for example?" ask Jojo. He himself wondered why Kalingga agreed so easily with the proposal of his sisters to invite him.

"Huh? You single?" Jojo surprised. "Thankfully, it was only Kylan who was a playboy" he continued.

"Did your girlfriend know you were going with me?" ask Kalingga. He glanced at Jojo.

"Hmm, haven't we talked about it before? I'm just like you, brother. It's just that we have a different reason. If you're single because you're busy, I'm single because I want to avoid trouble" Jojo explained.

"Why?"

"I know many of my friends whose futures are ruined because of unhealthy relationships. Many of them are also heartbroken because of their girlfriends. So, I decided to wait for the right time, to have a healthy relationship, once in a lifetime" Jojo said.

Kalingga was silent for a moment. How could Jojo's thinking be the same as what was inside his head?

So far, Kalingga has avoided connecting with any woman because he feels unprepared. His responsibilities were still big enough to take care of his three younger siblings. What else Kaivan is still in school, he is afraid if women can make him neglect to look after his three younger siblings.

"What's your ideal male criterion, Jo?" ask Kalingga. He was interested in the thought of the girl beside him.

"No man is perfect, brother. I just need to love her perfectly. How can I demand that others be perfect while myself be full of flaws."

Kalingga was stunned, digesting what he had just heard. It is not only the loving and caring nature that Jojo has. The girl was also full of surprises, making Kalingga even more curious about the girl beside her.

Quietly, Kalingga has also conducted an investigation about Jojo's background. Education, the address of his parents, to the economy that his family experienced.

Kalingga admires Jojo's persistence in seeking knowledge. Despite coming from a village with a simple family, the girl did not give up on the circumstances. She struggled to complete her education and work for her family.

"What about your parents? Are they healthy?" ask Kalingga. Again Jojo turned his head, he looked at Kalingga. The man usually does not like to talk and ask a lot, but now they can chat casually like friends.

"Healthy, Brother. My income while working for you I used to pay for my father's medical expenses as well as college fees" Jojo replied.

"Thank God."

Jojo gave a smile as he silently glanced at Kalingga. He felt astonished, because only this time Kalingga asked a lot about him.

As their trip was still many hours away, Kalingga asked Jojo to sleep. The girl had woken up and worked from the morning blind, and now they had to travel a very long time. Kalingga wants Jojo to enjoy this traveling moment as a vacation. All this time, the girl had never taken a day off even though Kalingga had asked for it.

Kalingga helps Jojo position his chair so it can be used to lie down so Jojo can sleep soundly. The man also asked for a blanket from a flight attendant. Jojo obeyed whatever Kalingga said, he lay down and began to close his eyes.

In silence, Kalingga watched Jojo. The man was astonished at himself. She has always been interested and curious about the girl who has taken care of herself and her three younger siblings over the past few months. But for a lot of chatting or looking directly at Jojo's face, Kalingga did not have the courage.

He was nervous, his chest pounding. His lips were locked when Jojo was nearby. Kalingga is no longer a teenager, he is almost twenty-eight years old, but can not interpret his feelings.

🖤🖤🖤