MY LOVELY AUTHOR'S

DARKNESS BELONGS TO WALLFLOWER PART 3

            “How are you, Asha?” Lusi asked me with a smile on his face as if the bullying that happened to me in the past was just a past wind to him.

            “Ka-kabarku good. I'm sorry, Lusi. I have to go.” immediately It felt like I wanted to get out of that place as well and return to my apartment immediately. I want to lock myself up again and never come out again.

            “Where to?” Lusi caught my hand and stopped me from going back to the set. “We haven't seen each other in a long time, what a pity if we don't chat, right?”

            “Ta-but. . . I really should get back to work soon, Lusi.”

            “Work??” Lusi asked me with a probing look and his typical smile that was so annoying. That smile seemed to say to me, I have caught you and you cannot run away from me. “What's your job now, Asha?”

            Lusi continued to pull my hand firmly and finally forced me to sit next to her. His hand that was grasping me firmly seemed to be really trying to restrain me. Of all the time... . Why should I meet him at this time and here?

            “A-I am a writer. Coincidentally at this time, I became a screenwriter for the movie.”

            “Ahhh. .” Lusi let go of my hand and smiled cunningly at me. “You were good at writing a long time ago. That's your skill, Asha. Then what about your other skills?”

            “Other skills? What do you mean, Lusi?” My hands are shaking more and more because of the bad memories that keep spinning inside my head and my feet feel like running fast to get away from this place right now.

            “I heard you still like to ruin other people's relationships by seizing men belonging to others. ..”

            Deg. .my heart skipped a beat hearing Lusi's words. I had expected that Lusi would say that but still when I heard that, I still felt surprised.

            “A-what does it mean to snatch another man, Luci? I've never taken another woman's man like you said??”

            Lusi smiled cunningly at me with eyes that stared intently at me. “Looks like you're still acting pretty good as you used to, Asha.”

            Kreett. . . The cafe door opened and the tension between me and Lusi decreased. But looking at the figure that went into the cafe, my hunch said that something worse would happen after this.

            “You've arrived, Bora??” Lusi suddenly greeted Bora who had just entered the cafe where Lusi and I were.

            “Yes, Lusi. Long time no see. You been waiting for me??”

            “No. I also just came.”

            I stood up from my seat and was about to walk out of the cafe. “I have to go, Lusi. You guys please talk.”

            “Where to, Asha?” Lusi once again stopped my steps by catching my hand and forcing me to sit nearby. “I haven't even introduced you to my college friend-Bora.”

            “Ah. . This is the friend you told me about, Lusi??” bora said by looking at me and trying to intimidate me.

            “True, she is Asha. The star in my old school that took Garry away from me. If you have a handsome and cool man, you better take good care of that man. Because the skill again of my friend Asha is to snatch another man and pretend not he is the one who teases her.”

            “Jaga what you said, Lusi! I never did what you said!” I pulled my hand and was finally able to let go of the firm grip of Lusi's hand on mine. After successfully pulling my hand, now the vibration in my hand was getting stronger and both of my legs that had felt like running fast suddenly began to lose all their strength. The shadow where I was about to fall like before appeared before me. But. .. Because right now these two people in front of me are trying to take me down, I can't fall in front of them and make them win because they have oppressed me.

            Don't fall now!!! My body and my legs, for once don't let me be looked upon badly by them! Just this time, help me stand up straight in front of these two women, please!!! Those words, I repeated several times in my mind as a warning to my body and my mind. For the first time, after all these years, my lost courage suddenly returned and made me want to prove to these two serpent-mouth women that their words were wrong.

            I don't know where this courage comes from. But. .for this time alone, I don't want to be seen as a weak woman in front of these two snake-mouth women.

            “Who do you call your man, huh?” Someone suddenly entered the cafe, quickly stood beside me, grasped my already trembling hand and spoke in a cold tone.

            I looked at the figure and recognized his face. He is Arata.

            “A-Arata, w-why are you here?? Bu-are you not filming now??” Suddenly the tone of Bora's voice that had sounded haughty and invincible, turned nervous and misbehaved.

            “I asked again who do you call your man, huh??” Arata repeated his question again and this time his tone slightly went up from the previous tone. “I warned you just this once, Bora. Since we're playing together now, I don't want to make trouble and nor do I want to make this movie ruined because this movie means so much to Author. But if you make trouble again and confess that you are my lover, I will not remain silent. Catch that!!”

            Bora closed her mouth and lost all her words when she saw Arata get mad at her.

            “I don't know why a famous actor like you would want to be with this woman, but this woman is a male grabbing woman belonging to someone else and she has always done it since school used to. .”         

            Arata's cold gaze that had pointed at Bora now turned to Lusi. “You, the woman who claimed to be an old friend of Author, watch your mouth!! Just because the man you like doesn't like you and likes another woman doesn't mean that she has taken your man!”

            Arata pulled my hand and walked out of the cafe where outside the cafe, Kak Rama had been standing as if waiting for us both to come.

            “You done, Arata?”

            “Already, Brother. Please fix this problem, Brother.”

            “I understand. You can go with Miss Asha, Arata.”

            Arata kept pulling my hand and forcing me to leave the cafe, while Kak Rama went inside the cafe and I don't know what he was doing there. Arata kept pulling my hand and forcing me to keep going until we were almost on set.

            “Don't I have my phone number in Author's phone? Why didn't Author contact me if you need help??” Arata stopped his footsteps and turned to ask me a question.

            I wanted to answer Arata's question but both of my legs were already limp and I forced to keep going because Arata pulled my hand, now he has completely exhausted all his strength.  Before answering Arata's question, I almost fell into a sitting position like last time.

            “Author!!” Arata who was still holding my hand immediately pulled that hand and stopped my body that was about to fall. “This is the same as before.”

            “Ka-ki-ku le-mas,” I tried to open my mouth to talk to Arata and explain my situation and circumstances.

But .this time it was different. Maybe because I've survived longer than before, maybe I'm feeling scared longer than before, or maybe for some other reason I don't know about, this time my entire body suddenly lost its power. My vision began to blur and my hearing began to deteriorate.

I could not hear Arata's screams with my ears and the longer it took, nor could I see Arata's face anymore.