Owner of Heart #1
Chapter 24
I haven't regained my senses from the shock of hearing about Leona's true identity.
“You lied?”
“You don't believe me, Za?”
I just stared at him in full sight before answering his question.
“You are too sadistic to say Bang Eddy cheated on his wife.”
“That's the truth, Za!” The Lieutenant exclaimed desperately because I did not believe him.
“When I arrived in Indonesia I was surprised by the news about me and Leona, the woman I met once. Don't want to make you misunderstand me I went to Bang Eddy to ask for your phone number, and said I'd tell the reporters that I had nothing to do with Leona. But Bang Eddy stopped me. He told me everything. She met Leona a month after her wedding, which means I'm already in Myanmar. At first they were just friends as usual but over time they had a special relationship.”
I still listen to him not believing that Bang Eddy, the man I respect will have an affair when just a few months married.
“Some people start to suspect their relationship, Bang Eddy doesn't want his pregnant wife to find out about his affair, and Leona also does not want to be said to be the wrestler of people's husbands if until their relationship is spread to the public.”
“Hah! She is a snatch of people's husbands!” I said angrily hearing the Lieutenant's story.
“Whether by chance or what, Leona and I met in Myanmar as you know, we took pictures during the event at the Embassy and at lunch, but we never took a picture together, Za, he said, I dare swear.”
I looked at the Lieutenant who looked earnestly making me throw a heavy breath.
“Terus?”
“Terus..”.
“Nextin the story.”
“Oh...” I could see the little Lieutenant smiling at me who was beginning to believe his explanation. Because honestly everything seems more reasonable with the observation of Kak Yoan who said they look more like strangers than lovers.
“A month before my return to my homeland, the news of Leona's affair with one of the TNI began to be smelled by the media, because that was to cover up their affair, and the, Leona uploaded photos of us in Myanmar and said I was her lover. Do you never feel strange why photos when in Myanmar uploaded after months?”
I was silent for a moment trying to remember what happened back then. And I started to feel something strange when I remembered that the photos were scattered on social media after seven months of events in Myanmar.
“Terus why just shut up? Why did I have to be Yudha? Why not the others?”
“Because I'm the only person Bang Eddy knows in the photo and maybe because I'm the most handsome?”
The Lieutenant tried to joke around, but I just kept it cold while raising an eyebrow, “So funny! Continue the story first.”
“Alright,” said the Lieutenant recused and resigned.
“They thought that using me who was on duty outside and could not access the news in Indonesia made it easier for them to engineer the news, and upon my arrival in Indonesia Bang Eddy asked me for help so that the fake news should not be revealed first, especially if it was discovered by his pregnant wife, and if the unity knows it then he will also be hit by sanctions. He promised to clear everything up as soon as possible.”
“And you agreed just like that?” I don't believe you heard it, “Don't you ever think how I felt when I found out?”
“Bang Eddy said that you already have a new lover.”
“And you believe?”
“Original, yes! I foolishly believe that you have a new and happy lover, Za. That's why I decided to join the duty here because I hope to forget you. You should know how happy I am when I will return to Indonesia and finally be able to meet you, but finally disappointed when I found out that you already have a lover, I did not know that the man who said Bang Eddy was Arga. ”
I looked into the Lieutenant's eyes and I could see that what he said was honesty, and that made me take a deep breath.
“So all this started from the affair Bang Eddy?”
“Iya.”
“Bang Eddy used Mas Yudha to cover up his affair from wife and also unity, and Leona used it for her good name because it did not want to be considered a snatch of people's husbands?”
“Iya.”
“And Mas Yudha was silent because..”.
“Because I don't want to hurt Renata who is pregnant and Bang Eddy who will be punished.”
“And the woman because it will be called the usurper of men's husbands.”
Mas Yudha nodded weakly.
“But, Mas Yudha hurt me!”
“Because I thought you already had a lover.”
“If I did, I already had that lover because of the goddamn gossip that Mas Yudha was dating I growled furiously, “Should Mas Yudha know it!”
The lieutenant just kept silent to see me back looking very angry, actually what I feel now is more to be disappointed than angry.
“Mas Yudha thinks his wife Bang Eddy will thank you for hiding her husband's affair from him? No, Mas! He would be just as angry and disappointed as he thought Mas Yudha had worked together to lie to him.”
Mas Yudha looked surprised to hear my words, and I hope she realizes that what she did was wrong.
“And if the public finds out about Bang Eddy and Leona's affair, it's their risk! They have to take responsibility for what they have done. They are adults, Mas, they have to learn to take risks from every action they take! remember Mas Eddy is a soldier who should really understand what responsibility means. They play with fire, meaning they must be ready to burn.”.
The Lieutenant was silent to see me who was spilling anger on him.
“You're right, I'm sorry. I shouldn't just shut up.”.
I took a deep breath trying to calm my heart that seemed to be about to explode, I again exhaled while standing followed by the Lieutenant who also stood before me. Looking into his eyes I said.
“Mas Yudha thought with silence that no one would be hurt. Bang Eddy's wife would not feel betrayed by her husband, Bang Eddy will not be punished and Leona will still have a good name as a good artist, but Yudha forgot that there was me… the first person to get hurt from hearing the news.”
“I'm sorry, Za, I didn't mean it that way.”
“But now I know what I mean and my position in Mas Yudha's heart.I have no meaning to you and am in the last words after your friends and Leona, the woman you just met.” I said as I turned to leave the Lieutenant.
“Za! Za! Wait!” The Lieutenant grabbed my hand trying to stop me, he turned my body to face him.
“It's not like that, Za... You mean a lot to me, Za, you know that!”
“I do not know... I really do not know.” I shook my head in despair, and to be honest I couldn't afford to be there any longer.
I could see the earnestness from the look in his eyes that looked into my eyes, his hands clasping my hands tightly.
“Yesterday I spoke to Leona asking her to end this all, she promised upon arrival in Jakarta she would take care of it, I would also talk to Bang Eddy. I promise, Za, I will, I'll clean up this mess as soon as I can, so I'm sorry, Za.”
Sekali lagi aku melihat kesungguhan di dalam sorot matanya membuatku tertunduk melihat tanganku dalam genggamannya yang kuat seolah dia tak ingin melepaskannya, melihatnya seperti itu membuat hatiku mulai luluh, karena jujur saja dalam hatiku terdalam aku sangat mengerti posisinya saat ini, dan aku juga sangat paham alasan dia mengambil keputusan seperti itu. Tapi perasaan egoisku tak ingin mengakuinya dan memaafkannya begitu saja… tidak akan!
“Mas Yudha speaks with Leona?” I asked with eyes still staring at our interlocked hands.
“Iya.”
I now look into her eyes still staring at me with guilt, and it makes my heart melt.
“Both?”
“I-iya... no! There's Fadhil and the others too.”
He changed his answer after seeing my eyes round looking at him furiously.
“Two or same others?”
I saw the Lieutenant take a deep breath looking desperate, and it made me feel sorry. But of course I held him back, don't expect me to just forgive him.
“Za, I can't talk about it if there's anything else, so I'm chatting together. sorry.”.
“What's the talk?”
“What I said earlier was that he stopped this lie upon arrival in Jakarta.”
“Terus?”
“So he said yes, he will clean it up upon arrival in Jakarta.”
“Terus?”
“Terus..?”
“Continue chatting what else?”
“No more, that's all... really, Za, after that I immediately followed Fadhil the same others to the restaurant.”.
I looked at him in full probing making him take another breath and dispose of it desperately.
“I'm serious, Za, I'm not lying.”
“So you guys have lunch together... again?!”
“Not just the two, there's Fadhil too.”
“Photo again rich in Myanmar?”
I asked with eyes constantly staring at him sharply, for a while the Lieutenant seemed to think then grimaced while nodding making me stomp my hands until our grasp was released.
“But not only the two, Za, with the others also.” Quickly he explained the conditions back then after seeing me angry.
“Let me guess, you sit next to him?”
The Lieutenant grimaced again while nodding, “It was forced, Za, because there is no more seat.”
I took a deep breath then looked at him with annoyance..really, I would have liked to have shouted in front of his face back then..was he too kind, innocent or stupid? Aaaah! I'm really confused how he graduated to be a member of Garuda's army!
“Let me tell you! When in Myanmar also you do not eat duvet?”
“Iya.”
“And see what he can do with those photos? he can edit it as if you were just the two of you and then upload it on sosmed and everyone believes that you're dating. And now, I'm pretty sure she'll also be uploading it on social media to convince everyone that you're really dating. I can even imagine what he wrote.. ‘lunch with Mas Lieutenant on the sidelines of our activities in the child tribe in’.”
The Lieutenant seemed to have realized that, some time I had seen him angry but did not know how he could return to normal behavior. He grasped both of my hands that were still upset, his eyes looking at my eyes softly.
“I'll make sure it won't happen.” The Lieutenant said trying to calm me down who was still upset, “Now that I am here, I can immediately act if they do something, unlike yesterday, I won't just shut up this time.”
Listening to the words of the Lieutenant made me look at him for a while and again I saw the earnestness in the look of his eyes made me melt, I looked down at my hand that was back in his grasp, I saw my hand, realizing how the Lieutenant seemed to fear my loss left me no longer knowing what to say, other than,
“Appointment?” just to make sure that this time he will be beside me to guard my heart.
“Promise,” he said gently, and it was enough to make my heart a little calm knowing he would not break his promise.
For a while we were silent with our hands still clutched.
“So... already not angry anymore?”
I looked into her downed eyes looking at me gently.
“Slight.”
The Lieutenant smiled at my answer and then nodded in understanding.
“Ya already but don't be angry for long.”
“Why?”
“The anger is megemisin but also nakutin.” The Lieutenant seemed to shudder when he said that I wanted to make me pout.
“Hahaha... tuh gemesin,” said the Lieutenant while pinching both of my cheeks making me grimace.
“Aww!” I stroked my cheek while glancing at him, which only made him laugh again.
That night we managed to straighten out the misunderstandings so far, the misunderstandings that have made me hate him among my longings, the misunderstandings that have made me fall, the misunderstandings that also make him as hurt as I am.
*****
