THE GUARDIAN OF THE HEART

Chapter 22, Old Wound (End)

"Shak, I as your friend don't want you to be called a coward" said Bobi.

"I also don't want you to continue to be ostracized with friends." he continued.

Sherly who was very angry to hear that immediately said :

"I want you to fight, Shak. You have to show me who you really are." Sherly murmured.

"Yes, Shak. I want you to come along" said Bobi.

"But how do I come? Does he have a coach?" ask Sherly.

"He's been kicked out of our Taekwondo school team" Sherly grumbled.

Bobi was silent for a moment while muttering.

"I'll find a reference later" said Bobi.

"Think about it, Bob. Thanks though. I'm not going to compete" said Shaka who had just been silent.

He then placed the invitational poster on the table.

Sherly and Bobi looked at Shaka at the same time. They were shocked by Shaka's reply.

"Let others think I'm a coward. I don't give a shit. I just want to live my life now" Shaka said.

"But, Shak.." said Sherly.

Shaka looked at Sherly with a smile.

" There's nothing, Sher" said Shaka.

"What matters is that you're with me, that's enough" he added.

"There's enough threes, how's Besty going?" chirp Bobi suddenly.

Shaka and Sherly immediately looked towards Bobi. Bobi swerved towards Shaka and Sherly while showing off his innocent-looking face. Shaka tried to signal to Bobi by shaking his head. While Sherly looked at Bobi sharply and then lowered her face. Bobi who means joking becomes misbehavior. He forgets Shaka's message back in class not to discuss Besty in front of Sherly. Bobi apologized to both of them.

"Maafff, just kidding" said Bobi, scratching the back of his head.

At the same time, suddenly a girl came into the cafe and approached them. Bobi and Sherly are shocked when they see Dari standing in front of them.

"Hi, good afternoon." said Tari.

"Sore, Dance" said Shaka.

While Bobi and Sherly can only be silent looking at Dance. They did not return the greeting of Dance. Sherly is silent because she understands the relationship between Shaka and Tari in the past. Sherly knows very well how Tari played Shaka to make Shaka hurt and changed. So that he hated Dance and did not want to say hello. While Bobi was silent because he did not expect Tari to come back for so long. He did not really understand what happened between Shaka and Tari in the past. He only finds out that Shaka used to fall in love with Tari. But Tari went away from Shaka's life. He was silent because his brain was wondering what made Tari come here. Why else would he come here, huh? bobi thought to himself.

Dance who realized she was being harassed by Sherly and Bobi immediately cleared her throat and said :

"Ehemmm, said you want to say something, Shak?" tanya Dance makes Sherly and Bobi look towards Shaka.

Shaka, who noticed this, tried to calm down and then said :

"Sorry, guys. I'm staying at the next table for a minute."

Then Shaka and Tari sat at a table in the middle of the room. Bobi looked at Sherly's face looking at Dari with hateful eyes. It felt like Sherly got up from her seat to pull Shaka out of this room. But her heart told her that Shaka must have had a special reason to meet with Tari by taking the three of them along

After Shaka and Tari went to the intended table, they pulled up the chairs and sat facing each other. Then Shaka opened the sentence with :

"What do you want to order?"

"Well, what matters to you" replied Tari.

Shaka just smiled faintly at the words of Dance. Dance is still like it used to be, likes to brag, Shaka thought.

Shaka then ordered hot chocolate for Dance. While waiting for the drinks ordered, Shaka tried to chat casually with Tari.

Not felt, cloudy shade the sky and rain drops wet the city of Malang. The cold weather enveloped the atmosphere in the cafe. Adding to the freezing mood of Sherly who had been silent while looking at Shaka and Tari.

Bobi tried to melt the atmosphere by inviting him to have a casual conversation. But Sherly just answers with just her while still looking at Shaka. Bobi finally gives up on this situation and chooses the relationship between Shaka and Sherly as the topic of his conversation. The topic that makes Sherly automatically now turned to look at Bobi with a sharp feeling and ready to pour all the embers in him.

Meanwhile, after the atmosphere felt good, Shaka began to talk with serious mimicry.

"Dance, thank you for expressing your feelings and choosing me to be the most important part of your life" Shaka said.

"Honestly, I used to have that feeling in my heart too. But when you played and rejected me, I realized that feeling was wrong and not in its place." continued Shaka.

Shaka spoke firmly in the tone of his words. He deliberately did so that Tari did not see the gap that would later give a chance of hope to like Shaka again.

Dance breathed heavily. She looked at Shaka with her eyes open.

"I'm sorry, Shak. I promise I won't play you. I promise I won't repeat the old mistake. I love you, Shak." said Tari sobbing.

"Dance, sorry I can't be a part of your heart. I have someone I love with my whole heart. And I'll never leave him " said Shaka.

"But I love you so much, Shaka. I don't want to lose you " said Dari in tears.

"Dance, you don't love me. But obsessed with me because of your past trauma. You are afraid that you will be lonely, because the person you love has abandoned you" Shaka said.

"No, Shak. I need you and I don't want to lose you" said Tari.

"Conscious, Dance. You cannot force your desire. Nor can you demand others to obey your will. I can't, Dance." said Shaka.

"Krandmr...!!!

Shaka heard the sound of the table being kicked. Shaka and Tari turned towards the table. They saw Sherly looking at Bobi with red eyes as she held back her anger. They also saw Sherly tidying up the bag on the table. Sherly then stands up and leaves Bobi alone at the table. Sherly walks past Shaka's desk and heads to the exit. Shaka then looked at Bobi who could only be silent while shrugging her shoulders.

Shaka then stands up from his chair and tries to chase after Sherly. When he got to the front door of the cafe, Shaka saw Sherly had entered the taxi and left the cafe in the rain.

Shaka returns to the cafe and then takes Bobi out. Before exiting the Cafe, Shaka paused for a moment at the Dance table and said :

" I'm sorry Dance, I still have other business. I'm asking, please don't call me again. Because I don't want to be in touch with you anymore."

"I've closed my old wounds and thrown all the memories of you away from me."

"I'm sure you've grown up to accept the reality of life that happened. Make peace with your past and live your life well." he added.

Then Shaka and Bobi went to the cashier to pay their bill and then left Tari who was crying alone at the Cafe.