Paper Dove

How're you feeling?

I can't leave my job. Maria said that today I have a lot of agenda that has been arranged since last month. While attending the meeting my mind wandered a little to Jeni. Did my mom do anything bad to him? Or did you intimidate him? I'm starting to get anxious.

In the middle of the meeting, Doni walked into the meeting room and nodded his pardon to me. The meeting stopped immediately, I saw the look of anxious faces emanating from every face in the room. All the employees know Doni is my shadow, if he comes at a time like this it means something has happened.

Doni came up to me and whispered softly. “ Sir, madam is already in your workspace. Madam is in fine”, whispered slowly. 

I nodded while breathing a sigh of relief, then looked towards the middle of the meeting. “ Sorry for the interruption, please continue”, I said.

I heard some sighs of relief, they must have thought that Doni had come to complain about their behavior behind me. I stared coldly at the presenter and immediately focused on hearing Jeni was in my room right now. 

After the meeting was over I quickly returned to my study and found Jeni sleeping on the sofa. I squatted nearby, noticing his calm-looking face. Suddenly Jeni opened her eyes and immediately looked at me. 

He was so shocked that he couldn't say anything. I smiled at him to reduce the awkwardness between us. 

“ Did you wait long?”, ask me with such a close distance. 

“ Hmm... long enough I wait”, he said slowly. 

“ I'm sorry”, I said caressing her face. 

“ Juan “, call him. 

“ Yes ?”, I replied slowly. 

“ I'm hungry “, said plain. 

I laughed at his unabashed words. “ Alright what do you want to eat?”, I helped him sit down. 

“ I want to eat roasted duck, also fruit salad and french fries”, he said excitedly.

I knit my brows “ Okay, let's eat”, I agree to his wish.

She smiled hearing me accept her request. I knew right away that I liked her, I fell in love with this girl with all her behavior.

***

We sat in a restaurant, ordered all the menus he wanted. I'm sure we might not even be able to spend it.

I remember she was like this before, when faced with the stress of her shop being torn apart. At that time Jeni ordered a lot of food and sat down to eat with a long sigh.

Right now he looks like that. Jeni cut the meat on her plate with a long sigh many times.

“ Jeni did my mother meet you today?”, I asked trying to find the source of her stress.

She stopped chewing then spoke “ Your mother met me Juan. He said I don't deserve to be with you. We are different like heaven and earth”, Jeni spoke honestly while sighing again.

“ Maybe your mother will say that I am the most brash kid in the world because I denied it. Even if it is only once”, he continued. 

I stopped chewing and looked at him. “ What's your answer?”, I'm curious. 

Jeni put down her knife and fork. “ I said that you asked me to marry first in front of my grandfather. There are some things that might sound more, please don't be angry I only intend to fight bullying from your mother. I told your mother that I wouldn't leave you and if your mother wanted she could have you divorce me”, Jeni shrugged. “ I said that because... hmm... because ... contract kita”, he explained awkwardly. 

I smiled hearing his answer. Like I thought Jeni was different. “ It is true that I invited you to marry first and about our kiss this morning. I don't regret it”, I said looking at him. 

Jeni coughed at my words, she looked around our table as if she was afraid that someone would hear this secret talk. 

“ It ... My first kiss”, she said in a quiet voice.

“ Why am I lying? I've never been close to a man in my entire life. You know money was everything to me. I'd rather make money than spend my time on things that don't matter. So how could my first kiss just disappear because of you”, he replied quickly and slowly. He sliced the meat on his plate in annoyance.  

“ So I'm the first one to hold your hand, hold you, call you dear, hug you while sleeping and kiss you?”, I tease her. 

“ Yes you are the first. But hugging during sleep is because you keep pulling me and don't let me go back to my bed so it doesn't count “. 

I smiled hearing it “ So how do you feel?”, how can I really forget this dinner. 

She was silent looking at me then replied “ My heart is pounding even .. when you look at me”, she replied stiffly.  

“ Am I really making you flutter?”, he asked a little forward of his body. 

“ ahem... uhuk... hmmm”, he replied stiffly and took a sip of the wine. 

I smiled hearing his answer. “ I will do it” often, I said. 

He was silent not to reply to my words. I am glad to hear his confession. Am I allowed to love her?.I will make peace with my past from now on. All my guilt I will keep tight in my heart, this will be the suffering I must endure. But I'm still going to start opening up my new life, my life to this girl.

***

The next few days Jeni's assistant came to her face and said that Jeni was crying after her stepmother came to visit Jeni to the flower shop. 

I hit the table angrily “ That evil woman said what?”, Asku.

“ I'm sorry sir, I didn't hear anything because the madam asked me out of her room”, she replied bowed. 

“ Alright. Blacklist that family, don't let them approach Jeni even within 1 meter”, I order. 

“ Good tuan”, Doni replied representing the bodyguard.

“ How dare that husband and wife disturb our calm ”, I said coldly full of anger. 

When I came home I saw Jeni sitting down gloomily in the living room. He didn't realize I was home, he seemed to be thinking about something.

“ Jeni, I go home”, I reprimand her. 

Jeni who was shocked from her daydreams was immediately fooled “ Hi, you have gone home?”, she asked for a smile.

I looked at him and found sadness “ What's the matter?”, I asked.

“ Nothing Juan. I'm just tired of”, he replied with a smile. 

I nodded and spread my hand. “ Do you need a hug to relieve your fatigue?”, I asked. 

She looked at me and did not wait for him to run into my arms, his head leaning on me. 

“ Juan I just like this for a minute. Don't ask anything”, Jeni spoke in my arms. 

“ Alright “, I answered it. Next to my hand held her, the other hand turned on the music from my phone and connected it to the home speaker. The song Wonderful Tonight filled the room. 

Then I took her dancing with me. We move slowly to the left and to the right. Jeni followed my steps by continuing to be in my arms. We don't talk just enjoy the cool music. I carried Jeni in every movement to the rhythm until she fell asleep in my arms. 

***