My husband is not the CEO
The Forty Six
The wall clock shows at 1am when Caramel suddenly woke up feeling sultry, sweat flooding his body wearing short pajamas. Caramel throws the blanket at Rafka's sleeping body.
Caramel's hands fumbled through the nightstand looking for an AC remote to lower her temperature. Let Rafka be cold, Caramel can't sleep if it's this hot. They are indeed opposite so Rafka more succumb to the temperature of AC. They are united with many differences that make both must learn to understand and succumb, although in this case Rafka more often succumbed to Caramel.
"Why did I get to think about lipstick for stepmom Rafka anyway." Caramel came down from the bed to her dresser. Since first meeting stepmom Rafka, Caramel was curious about the brand of lipstick she wore. Though Caramel has dozens of brands of lipstick on her dresser but still the name of the woman will never be satisfied with some lipstick.
"Dress a little ah." Caramel sitting in front of the dressing table turned on the lights surrounding the mirror so that she could see her face clearly.
"Don't my son a girl, middle of the mallem cravings andan."
"How." Rafka's voice sounded hoarse shocking Caramel who was engrossed in using powder on his face. Although Caramel tried to move without making a sound, Rafka still felt that his wife was not beside him. Robots that remain active even when they are at rest.
"Eh, just sleep." Caramel turned to Rafka for a moment before returning to the focus of dressing up.
"Where are you going?" Rafka is astonished to see Caramel wearing midnight make-up. Caramel used to wake up in the middle of the night but usually he went straight to the kitchen looking for food instead of dressing up like this so that made Rafka confused.
"Not anywhere, want to dance." Caramel answered without seeing Rafka.
No more answers from Rafka, it looks like he's sleeping again. Who wakes up at one o'clock this night just to see his wife wearing make-up, not Rafka. But if Caramel asked for a meal, Rafka would do it even with unstoppable sleepy eyes.
"Rafka, can I have your stepmom's number?" Caramel turns the body facing completely towards the bed.
"Not having." Answer Rafka.
"I thought you were sleeping."
"Sleep, don't think of anything unimportant." Rafka covers her head with a blanket as if she does not want to argue anymore, she is most sensitive about her father and stepmother. Rafka never talked about them except Caramel who first asked. For Rafka, they no longer exist on this earth.
"Clean your powder, it's not good to sleep with make-up." Rafka again.
"Cowok how to know." Caramel rubbed his face with a wet tissue. She was forced to stop her unfinished make-up activities.
Caramel did not immediately return to bed waiting for Rafka to reveal the blanket that covered her entire body. But until a few minutes passed Rafka remained in such a position, if not midnight surely Caramel would pull the blanket by force to wake Rafka.
"If you don't want to give, I'll find it myself." Caramel steps closer to the nightstand checking Rafka's phone.
Caramel's eyes glared when she found neither her stepmom nor Rafka's father's name. Rafka has no contact.
"Why do I still not believe Rafka when she never lies?" Caramel asked herself, she turned to Rafka and put the phone back.
Caramel climbed onto the bed facing Rafka, her outstretched hand pulling the blanket that covered Rafka's face.
"Gee!" Caramel is shocked when Rafka suddenly catches her hand stopping her movement pulling the blanket. "Aren't you sleeping?"
"Sleep." Rafka pulled Caramel into her arms, "you should also sleep." Her speech.
"You mad?" Ask Caramel.
"No."
"Why don't you open the blanket?"
"You want to come in too?"
"Yes, it's free to hug but I can't see your face."
Rafka uncovers her blanket staring at Caramel's face behind the dim light of a sleeping lamp on the side of the bed. Looking at that face always reminded him of their first meeting. Rafka does not know the true definition of love, all he knows is that his feelings have not changed since then until now.
"Why can I still see your pretty face?" Rafka muttered indistinctly whether Caramel heard it or not.
"I'm danger lo." Caramel buried her face in Rafka's chest and hugged her tightly.
"Why are you pushing me?"
"I don't push, it's called ndusel."
"What's that?"
Caramel pinched Rafka's stomach not too hard because of anxiety, free he explained the slang word to Rafka.
"Your hair smells good." Rafka rubbed Caramel's hair.
Although sultry but Caramel refused to let go of Rafka's embrace, he was not willing to do so. He will also fall asleep later in this position. Being in Rafka's arms makes Caramel comfortable, he wants to wake up in this position as well. Don't bully Caramel because he's bucin.
******
The sunlight barged in blinding the eyes as Caramel opened the gray window curtains connecting the living room with the balcony.
"Today it won't rain." Tukas Caramel's. He shifted the door to the balcony to breathe the morning air that had not been too mixed with the smoke of motor vehicles.
"Rain." Rafka catches up with Caramel, he brings two slices of bread with chocolate jam in his hand plus a warm cup of coffee for Caramel.
"Thank you." Caramel took the coffee in Rafka's hand and sipped it slowly. Coffee and the cool atmosphere of the morning is the perfect blend to start the day.
"Lately I've been thinking about what I'm going to do after I quit this job." Caramel's gaze glared far above the clear blue sky without clouds.
"You want another job at home?" Rafka understands Caramel's thoughts, he knows Caramel does not like to stay at home without doing anything.
"Yes." Yeah." Caramel nodded quickly, "Kayla sells food because she's a cook pinter while I don't have any skills."
"Just start with something you like."
Caramel seemed to think about Rafka's words, she liked make-up but was not proficient. There is no way she is a beauty vlogger in the age of almost everyone has a YouTube channel, who will watch it if all become vloggers.
"You need to eat to think." Rafka handed Caramel a plate of bread.
"What do I like?" Caramel repeated the question to herself, she did not have one hobby she did every day.
"You like pajamas." Sahut Rafka's.
Suddenly Rafka's remarks give Caramel one idea of what he will do after quitting working as a teller.
"That's right, I love pajamas!" Caramel exclaimed with her mouth full of bread, she patted Rafka on the shoulder several times. Caramel jumped in leaving Rafka still confused because the wife was suddenly excited like that.
"I brought my own car." Caramel half shouted from inside.
Rafka turned his head towards the living room without replying to Caramel's words, he finished the bread that Caramel had not spent before catching up.
"Why not be with me?" Rafka followed Caramel to the room.
"I have a plan to meet Jane, okay?" Caramel puts on a sweet face to Rafka to be allowed to leave after work.
Rafka nodded slowly, he had no reason not to let Caramel go. Caramel went to her best friend's house. Since the beginning of the marriage Rafka did not intend to over-regulate Caramel. Rafka wants to be a husband who frees his wife to do anything as long as it's not bad.
They got into a private elevator to the parking lot on the ground floor driving each car to work. They often set out together to be more fuel efficient and reduce pollution but this time Caramel has plans to meet someone so he has to bring his own car.
"How to, take the car slowly do not speed." Order Rafka through the car window.
"Yes." Yeah." Caramel smilingly linked her thumb and index finger to form the letter O to Rafka.
"What do you want to eat later let me buy you."
Caramel raises the car window glass before stepping on the gas out of the apartment parking lot. He's a little nervous about lying to Rafka. Caramel was not about to meet Jane but rather met Rafka's stepmom.
"You used to be a real expert on lying Mama Papa, now why are you so nervous about the Car!" Caramel nags at herself for feeling bad for Rafka even though the man has been unwittingly lied to by her.
Because Rafka never lied to Caramel so feel guilty for lying to the innocent man.
"Udah ah, anyways Rafka won't know." Caramel gripped the steering wheel to calm down before meeting stepmom Rafka later in the afternoon.
Since just waking up Caramel traced stepmom Rafka's Instagram account through Febi's account. Caramel feels lucky because she could easily find Instagram stepmom Rafka without having to browse for longer. It seems Caramel was destined to find out her step-in-law's lipstick brand sooner. Maybe for some people it is not important but not for Caramel, he has been in love since he first saw the color of lipstick on the lips stepmom Rafka.
"Have you got your new skirt Car?" Sani greets Caramel who just got out of the car.
"Here you are, for you." Caramel placed two small boxes of cupcakes on the table for Meli and Sani. It was the cake Rafka bought last night with Caramel's surprise birthday present.
"Geez I saw the video tik tok Kayla, I swear the husband Caramel was so sweet really no medicine." Meli plucked one cupcake and ate it.
"Gue also look." Sani nodded in agreement to Meli's words.
He is the sweetest robot in the world. "It's normal times." Caramel flicked his hands trying to put his face as flat as possible even though he already wanted to smile widely while jumping so happy when remembering the moment of surprise last night. Caramel had never gotten such an unexpected surprise before. After growing up, Caramel did not consider birthdays as important. Birthdays are just the exact date you were born just a different year, it's nothing.
"Gue didn't want to watch it anyway, the video appeared on FYP."
"Are you serious?" Caramel pulled out her phone to open the tik tok app to see how many likes and comments she had on her surprise birthday video that Kayla had uploaded.
"The present age also girls like to be touched by couples who are already married, so your birthday tik tok video much dapet like." Tukas Meli after finishing one cupcake.
"What do you really want to resign?" Sani looked at Caramel seriously, they knew him long enough and spent time together so that if one of them stopped then the atmosphere would feel different. Sani is not a person who easily adapts to the new atmosphere.
"Yes." Yeah." Caramel nodded, adding a little lipgloss to her dry-looking lips. "Why, sad you abandoned me?"
"No, do whatever." Sani sneering.
Caramel smiled, she knew Sani's true thoughts. The time they had passed must have left a deep impression that could not be forgotten just like that.
"Just relax, my stomach is still small gini ntar if it is big and can not be arranged I just stopped." Caramel patted Sani and Meli on the shoulder together and then waltzed away to the receptionist preparing to receive the first customer.
That's the stomach of what a pake boy arranged everything!
******
"Ma!" Caramel waved at a woman in her 40s at one of the tables.
The woman waved back to look at Caramel who was walking towards her. They were talking to each other about the news like two women who had not met in general.
"Where's your pregnancy?" Sandra, stepmom Rafka invites Caramel to sit in a chair that has been pre-ordered.
"Everything is fine Ma." Caramel smiled kindly.
"The agent gih." Sandra handed Caramel a menu book.
They are in Popolamama one of the Italian restaurants located in Grand Indonesia. When viewed from afar they look more like brother and sister instead of mother and child because of their age that is not far adrift.
"I'm sorry to have made Mama come all the way here." Caramel felt bad for making her mother-in-law go here to see her.
"No problem, at first Mama was shocked because you suddenly met."
Caramel grinned wrongly, he had told Sandra that the intention of their meeting was because of a lipstick that made him unable to sleep until morning.
They ordered two servings of spaghetti carbonara with smoked beef and mocktail.
"So you crave the lipstick that Mama wears?" Sandra laughs.
"Not cravings .. anyway." Caramel was embarrassed by his strange request.
"Why not say it from the beginning, for you." Sandra put one stick of lipstick on the table.
Caramel's eyes glared at the box-shaped lipstick packaging with an elegant golden color. There is a TF on the lipstick. Beyond a doubt Caramel turns out the lipstick that Sandra uses is a high end product.
"Make me?" Caramel gawking, he was used to using high end beauty products but it was all bought with his own money. But who would not gawk if given for free like this.
"Yes." Yeah." Sandra nodded.
"No Ma, I'm just curious about the brand of why Mama is so grateful to me." Caramel thrust the lipstick back, knowing that the little thing cost almost USD 100.
"It's okay, you want this color right, Mama still has another color."
"I'm so good, Ma, uh." Caramel covered her own uncontrollable mouth after getting expensive items for free.
"Later your child lamented if not obeyed."
"Don't take anything from him." That heavy sound made the feathers of Caramel crumble. It was not a ghost but—
Caramel's gaze was fixed on a pair of legs wearing shiny black pantofel shoes and then moved upwards, silently praying inwardly hoping it was not Rafka. But who else would have such a flat voice if not the Caramel robot.
"Rafka." Caramel can't believe Rafka found him here. "Cok you can be here?"
"Let's go home." Rafka's voice is still flat but her facial expression illustrates that she is very angry with hardened jaws. "Don't your meeting with Jane be over, I don't see it here." Say again.
"I want to talk to Mama for a minute." Caramel turned to Sandra who implied panic just as she seemed.
"I won't allow it." Rafka Assertive.
"But I'm already pesen." Caramel sees a waiter carrying her order and Sandra.
"I don't care." Rafka turned her back to walk quickly away from Caramel's desk, her expression so cold that anyone was afraid to look at her.
"Rafka!" Call Caramel but the owner of the name did not turn his head at all, Caramel was worried about having to chase Rafka or stay here but he would not be able to eat quietly if it was like this.
"Pursue him." Sandra slipped the lipstick she had put out into Caramel's pocket.
"But the food?" Caramel doesn't taste good because it has to go even before eating spaghetti that has been ordered.
"It's okay, Mama just wrap it up." Sandra convinces Caramel to go after Rafka. However, the husband is still the main thing for a wife.
"Thank you Ma, I'm sorry I left first." Caramel snatches her bag and immediately runs out of the restaurant to catch Rafka.
Caramel circulated a look looking for Rafka in the crowd of other visitors but there was none. Caramel half ran towards the escalator, he guessed Rafka must have gone out and gone home.
"That's it." Caramel sees Rafka coming out, he goes down the escalator quickly to catch Rafka.
"Ouch!" Caramel screeched and pretended to fall down, this method should have succeeded in making a man turn to see his partner who fell. At least based on the drama that Caramel often watches this way is always effective. Rafka did not look at all. Of course, real life is not as beautiful as film and drama stories.
Rafka actually got in the car and stuck gas out of the parking area of Grand Indonesia past Caramel who sat on the floor.
"You're really angry again." Caramel biting lips saw Rafka's departure with her BMW car.
Before actually getting out of there Rafka glanced towards the rearview mirror seeing Caramel rise with difficulty due to wearing a span skirt. He gripped the steering wheel withholding emotions considering the incident just now. Rafka did not expect Caramel to lie to him because he wanted to meet Sandra—the woman who had made her life a mess.
