MY LOVELY AUTHOR'S

BEFORE REGRET COMES PART 4

            As soon as Arata arrived, Arata's mother immediately greeted him with a smile and warm embrace just as she did when welcoming me. It's just .. These smiles and hugs are warmer than the ones he gave me.

            “Arata ... I'm so happy, you've finally come back here.”

            Arata received the hug despite not replying to it and just stood still letting his mother hug him. “Yes, Mom. I'm home.”

            Having satisfied Arata's embrace, Arata's mother let go of his embrace and allowed Arata to go to see me.  But before letting Arata go, Arata's mother asks Arata for something.

            “Later to dinner together, does Arata mind? Of course Asha will also be with us.”

            Arata looked at me with a smile on his lips a sign that he might have missed me so much. I returned the smile and after receiving a reply from me, Arata looked at his mother again and replied, “Yes, Mom. I'll have dinner together if Author also has dinner with us.”

            “Sure, Arata.”

            From where I was on the second floor, I saw a pretty heartwarming scene between mother and son with quite a tragic fate. Mom was so happy to see Arata come home and accept a dinner invitation that she might have always refused all along. While Arata always spoke coldly to his mother because of bad memories in the past, this time ... replied to his mother's words with a soft tone and a little warm smile on his lips.

            I thought of Arata's reason for always rejecting his family and this time suddenly accepted his family. Maybe the calamity that befell my family and me, does not always bring sad stories. This time ... calamity that I experienced, it might be a valuable lesson for Arata.

            “It's some clothes and laptop belong to Author.” As soon as I climbed to the second floor and entered the room where I slept, Arata immediately gave me one of my suitcases and a handbag containing a laptop complete with the equipment I needed.

            “Te-thank you, Arata. This time ... I trouble you again. You even took me home, when I was nothing to you.”            

            Hearing my words, Arata stared intently at me and immediately hugged my body. His hand held my body tightly for a few moments. “Author means a lot to me. Everyone in this country knows Author is my lover, why does Author think you mean nothing to me? I'm so sad to hear that. Dear author.”

            “I'm sorry, Arata.” For the first time ... I really felt a sad feeling from Arata's words. For a moment .. I realized that if I had always felt myself useless, I was pathetic and I meant nothing, it can be so precious in the eyes of others that the person does not want to lose me.

            “Do not repeat again, Author!” Arata let go of his embrace and this time took two steps back to see how the expression I made when he asked me not to repeat the remark again.

            “I won't repeat it, Arata. I promise.”

            “Good.” Arata smiled at the answer he wanted from me. “Other times if I hear Author say that again, I will punish Author. Please remember that, Author!”

            Arata puts emphasis on his last sentence with the aim of making me know that I cannot repeat that speech again in the future. I gave an answer to the warning by nodding my head several times as a sign of understanding from me.

            “How are you doing, Author? Is Author okay??”

            “I'm fine, Arata.”

            “Yakin?”

            I looked at Arata with a deep look. I looked at him and realized that there was a bit of worry in his eyes that was looking at me. This day ... Arata must be thinking about me at every job.

            “I was sad earlier, Arata. I was sad because a few days ago I came to visit but did not dare to meet them. I regret that choice.  But ... Even if I had cried as much as I could, the fact that my family was gone would not change. In the end ... I have to accept reality and that's what I'm doing now: accept reality.”    

            I knit my eyebrows at that remark. “A-are you proposing to me, Arata?”

            Arata immediately pulled his hand away from my face and closed his mouth after hearing my question. Both Arata's eyes were round as if telling me that he was just as shocked as I was right now.

“A-i just ... “

            “What only??” many sue.

            “Please click here to apply for you, Author.”

            Ashamed of his own words, Arata immediately ran out of my room still with his mouth shut. I followed him running and heard Arata's annoyed muttering to himself, which made me want to laugh when I heard him.

            “This mouth ... basic!!!”

            Peering at Arata who was running away, I found out that Arata's room was right next to mine just like our adjoining apartment. I smiled at the situation. About whose plan made me stay next to Arata's room? Could it be that this was the work of Arata's mother who wanted to thank me for successfully making her son come back to this residence again after a long time?

            Fifteen minutes later, dinner was ready. We all gathered in a quite luxurious dining room at the Wiyarta residence. The dinner was attended by everyone except the second Maha-kakak Arata because it happened that today is on guard duty at the hospital. Tonight ... although I feel sad because of the disaster experienced by my family, but thanks to the Arata family, I feel helped. The Wiyarta family welcomed me with open arms. They provide a family warmth that I have not felt for a long time. We ate together with some nagging from Arata and Kendra who went out several times because of their rarely unidirectional opinions.

            Dinner together, a little debate at the dinner table, and giving each other side dishes to someone else's plate. This is what we call family.

*

            Narrator’s POV

            “Can we talk, Arata?”

            After confirming Asha was asleep, Arata returned to his room.  But someone appeared and waited for Arata at the door of his room. That person was Kendra-sister Arata's first.

            “Sure, Brother.” Arata opened the door and let Kendra into his room.

            “Good then.”

Arata closed the door to her room as she made sure Kendra was in her room. “So ... what do you want Brother to talk to me about??”

Kendra immediately thrust her mobile phone where the hospital footage taken has been copied into her cell phone memory. “Look at this, Arata!”

Arata receives Kendra's phone and sees the footage Kendra showed him. Arata immediately put on a surprised expression as soon as he saw someone in all-black clothes following Asha. “This??”

“It looks like someone is stalking Asha, Arata!”