The Times New Romance

Chapter 24: It's Too Late

Chapter 24

It's Too Late

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After Zayn flips away from Ayna, Ayna never sees Zayn again on campus. The guy never came even when other friends asked him. The guy not only left Ayna, but left the campus. No one ever knew where Zayn's house even the number he used to call was no longer active. Many rumors say that Zayn is on leave for college, but Ayna does not believe it. The guy cares a lot about education and is smart, why would he take a college leave that would only hinder his graduation time?

Ayna is still going through college like normal days. His image had changed from a student to a thief. The boys are not too ostracized Ayna in class, but her female friend shows clearly hatred. Countless times, the absence sheet proffered at Ayna was dropped just like that when Ayna was about to pick it up, or her leg was tripped to a fall that received a laugh reward when her leg was bleeding. Ayna did not know what sin she had committed until she was treated like this.

Being an unexpected figure in an environment is the toughest thing for someone. Physically there was nothing different from Ayna, but in her heart she was crushed. His heart was filled with questions demanding answers, but no one could answer them. His heart scratched every word of syndirian that was thrown at him. Unfortunately, the heart is a visible object that cannot be captured by the naked eye. Everyone thinks Ayna is okay, but not at all in it.

Only Mira who always embraces Ayna who almost gave up on continuing. Mira never stops giving Ayna the strength to hold on. "Udah so far, Ayna. You don't give up college. A lot of people want to go to college but they can't." That's how Mira's speech disrupts Ayna's complaints that Ayna is increasingly throwing. And that's why Ayna survived. He believed that even a great fire would be extinguished if Ayna did not return it with fire.

"Look, the road is very arrogant," said Ranya who never tired of disturbing Ayna. In the middle of the hallway, Ayna tried to ignore what she heard and continued walking towards her class. "He's never apologized to a classmate, has he? asked Ranya to Via who nodded.

"It's been two weeks but it's still shameless" Via replied as he played his phone as he glanced at Ayna as if waiting for Ayna's reaction.

"When he became a thief, Zayn never came to college again."

"Perhaps, she's ashamed that she's the same whore as a criminal chick." Ranya laughed with Via.

Ayna stiffened her jaw and stopped stepping and faced the three girls standing in the hallway of the classroom waiting for the class to open. "I'm not a thief" Ayna told Ranya, who smiled faintly. "Why are you always happy to accuse me of being a thief? I didn't accidentally put the wallet in and I'll change everything!" ayna's jolt was unable to resist the irritation. He took a step to leave Ranya and Via.

Ranya spouted laughter accompanying Ayna's departure. "Still arrogant, you thief."

***

The lecturer was explaining in front of the class, but Ayna's mind floated when looking at the blue screen of the pascal program display. Why does the writing feel like it's rolling to form Zayn's annoying face? Ayna shook her head until Mira frowned in the side chair. "Hey, Ayna? You're okay, right?" ask Mira was-was.

Ayna stopped shaking her head quickly. "I'm not papa, Mir," she replied." His efforts to eliminate the thought of Zayn even ended his head dizzy. Ayna snorted, but why did her memory of the pale tall man never disappear from her mind?

Ayna so remembered when UTS was taking place, Zayn only took fifteen minutes to make a program ordered by the lecturer and out of class first. While Ayna was still struggling on the computer when her friends one by one began to leave the room. When the lecturer left the class, Zayn quietly went back in and approached Ayna's bench.

"What are you doing here, Zayn?" ask Ayna.

The guy smiled. "Help you, what else?"

"This is UTS, I want to do it myself." Zayn thaws and then lets Ayna show Ayna's work. Zayn also laughed at the results of the Ayna program which was still an error when it was run.

"No, right!" Zayn began to see what Ayna had done wrong and sighed in resignation. "Liat! You're in the wrong coma, it should be after the quotation marks, Ayna."

Ayna grimacing. So annoying. Ayna had already racked her brain for almost an hour to think about what was wrong. It turned out that there was only one wrong comma he placed in his program code.

"Makanya, dating is the same programmer. A semicolon is observed, let alone you," Zayn said as he looked at Ayna, who felt her cheeks heat up. Zayn rattled the top of Ayna's head and lightly stepped out of the classroom.

Ayna thinks it's just a man's nonsense that Ayna shouldn't put to heart, but it turns out Zayn has given Ayna a blatant code that she likes Ayna.

Unknowingly Ayna's eyes warmed up. His heart was not so calm after expelling Zayn from his life. He thought, his heart would be relieved when Zayn stopped bothering him, but why was it just empty that he got as if something had just been snatched away from him? It seems Ayna has gone mad.

***

"Hey, Guys! I have an announcement."

Gio opens the word in front of the class with Kenan and Siti. Ayna, who was initially uninterested, focused on the three people in front of the class. I don't know why his heart is beating. Seeing Siti standing there, Ayna assures them that they will discuss the case of the loss of the wallet and class money.

"Gue hope you stop bullying Ayna in class" Gio said as he stared at the petrified Ayna in his chair. The girl did not understand what was going on. Gio also looked at Ranya who had turned a panted eyeball. "Especially lo," ketus Gio made Ranya grunt amusedly.

"Gue's? Why just me?" reply Ranya with her distinctive shrill voice. "The money he stole wasn't my money, but everything."

Gio kicked down the table which made Ranya aghast. Kenan immediately moved to hold Gio whose emotions could explode. "We never had any evidence that Ayna was the one who stole it, so stop accusing her of being a thief." Gio straightened his back and looked at the rest of his class. "This is happening to all of you."

Kenan. "Yes, I agree with Gio. Siti just told me that the money is back in one piece."

Ranya dropped her jaw and Via widened as all eyes blinked in disbelief. "Who's changing?" tanya Via demanded an answer that represented the question mark of the IT class child.

Kenan took a long breath. "Gue can't say because the important thing is that the money has come back. So I hope, you guys can forget about this problem and hopefully this problem never comes back." Kenan looked at Ayna who was sitting in her chair. "Gue as the class representative, apologize to you, Ayna."

Ayna nodded and smiled faintly. His heart melted a little, but a million questions seemed to hit him. Who changed the money?

***

Ayna Nabila: Nata, are you home?

Ayna sent a message to Nata via whatsapp that only ticked one. Ayna took a deep breath while walking alone as Mira went home first to take care of her ailing father.

Since the day that Ayna pretended to call Nata, Nata became difficult to contact even the message was only replied two days later not as fast as usual. While walking, he tried to calm his mind. It should have been Nata, but why did Zayn take over his mind?

Ayna did not understand her way of thinking. Ayna walked and was surprised when she turned the corner of the building. Nata was found with a woman. Nata's one hand stuck out as if blocking women's access leaning against the wall. Ayna was not sure what they were talking about, but the woman's cheeks met as Nata smiled while looking at her.

"Nata," call Ayna to make the boy look over. However, there was no look of surprise at all, Nata even grasped the hand of the woman that Ayna did not know who. Ayna's heart felt pinched. "Ah, your pantes can not be contacted, it turns out to be busy with other girls," cynical Ayna. I can't believe I saw Nata. The person who almost Ayna loves trust entirely turns out to be the one who likes to play with women.

Nata chuckles bland. With a distance of a meter, Ayna only realized a lot of plaster attached to Nata's face and his arms were open because the man was wearing a polo shirt. Some bruises that have turned blue appear to decorate his skin. "Why did you call me, Ayna?"

"Make what?" ayna asked unable to contain her irritation. "I was going to accept you as my girlfriend, Nat. I believe in you, but what do I see now? You're busy with other girls."

Nata smirked a little, then whispered to the woman beside him. The woman kissed Nata's lips, which almost made Ayna vomit all over her stomach. However, it was not jealousy that crept in his heart. It was precisely this growing feeling of guilt towards Zayn. You're right, Zayn. Nata is not a good guy. That guilty feeling cut his heart. Especially when Ayna realized, it was too late to apologize to Zayn.

The woman left as Nata stepped closer to Ayna. Nata moved her fingers gently stroking Ayna's hair which Ayna immediately tepis.

"I can't wait for you, Ayna. And now I like it for you. You're not attractive anymore."

Ayna gaped in disbelief. "So that's what you said when I started believing in you?"

Nata tidied up the collar of her polo shirt. He looked at Ayna without interest. "From the beginning you never liked me, Ayna. Even seeing your reaction, you're not too disappointed to see me walk the other way." Ayna remained silent. He meditated on Nata's words and justified them in his heart. "You like Zayn. Your heart has chosen him not me."

Ayna. "What's? I-i-"

"Our business is done." Nata pointed at the wound on his own face. "Zayn fucked me because you told me we were dating when you never called me. I wasn't originally intent on retaliating, but unfortunately I was let go, Ayna. I'm sorry, Zayn you love is seriously injured. Most likely he was not treated in Indonesia. I really understand how Abhicandra's family has the only son who's seriously ill."

Ayna sculpting. Nata's words were hard to digest by him. "Sa-sick?"

Nata was flabbergasted and then violently crushed. "You really don't know?"

"Don't beat around the bush, Nat! What's he sick of?"

Nata smiled triumphantly. "Congenital heart disease from birth."

****

Ayna took the bus to the hospital. Graha Mulya was in line with Nata's saying that the last time the ambulance took Zayn there. He closed his gaping mouth while reading the symptoms of congenital heart disease that almost all Ayna had witnessed firsthand.

At the park, Zayn's body collapses and he has trouble breathing. His legs looked blue and had swelling because blood did not flow smoothly into his legs. The drugs that Zayn had covered in the car were drugs that Zayn had to take every day. Ayna's eyes are heating up. Why didn't he realize it? Ayna starts crying when she remembers Zayn reluctantly playing an extreme game and says it harms her heart.

Ayna thought it was just a pleasant talk, but Zayn actually said it was because of the heartache he was suffering from. Zayn's pain is a sign of symptoms of his disease is relapsing.

Ayna reached the hospital and immediately asked the guarding nurse. "Doc, was there a patient named Zayn who was rushed here a few days ago?"

The nurse who had just hung up the phone call, frowned. "I'm sorry, is this with you?"

"I'm his friend. Ayna Nabila."

Sister named Jihan was flabbergasted for a few seconds then smiled faintly. "Zayn's been waiting for you a long time."

Sister Jihan took Ayna up the elevator to the third floor of the hospital. Ayna traced the passageway while guessing where Sister Jihan was taking her. Ayna was stunned when they came to a ward door that read Mr. Zayn Abhichandra's.

"Zayn's inside?" Instead of replying, Sister Jihan opened the door of the ward. An empty bed with a blanket folded neatly so the first sight Ayna saw. I don't know why his heart is so tight. It was not only his late feelings that he realized, but also Zayn who hid his illness.

"This is Zayn's ward or the boy calls his private room." Sister Jihan smiled as her eyes flashed with sadness. "The boy always said, a woman named Ayna will come here sooner or later. Zayn always wished he had a chance to be honest with you about his illness. But, he never had a chance and he sent me a message that one day you came, please tell me about Zayn's true situation. He doesn't want you to be hurt when he finds out Zayn has a disease that can't heal. He was born with congenital heart disease and other complications, but his passion for college was so high because he never wanted to miss studying to be a normal child who could be relied upon."

A single tear slid onto Ayna's cheek. He never knew a man as happy as Zayn who always seemed to live like a moth that likes to approach the fire, instead took pains to hide his illness.

Ayna understood why Zayn dared to do anything. Maybe for him, he never had another chance if too afraid to do something because the time was never friendly with him.

Memories of Zayn also appear drowned in Ayna's mind. Something slips in the chest. So painful to remember.

*I envy and hate your short thoughts.

I'm not bothering you. Instead I want to share happiness let you feel at home in college here.

If you're alone with you, Ayna, anything that seems meaningless can be special.

You never waste my time. It is precisely with you that I can feel alive, Ayna*.

Ayna started crying. All the memories of Zayn flashed inside his head. Zayn's sweet smile. The movement of his hand rattled the top of Ayna's head. Zayn's lips are funny. And highlight Zayn's disappointment as soon as Ayna drives him away. How many wounds has Ayna inflicted on that guy?

Ayna smothered her mouth. He groaned in his tears. Sorry, Zayn. Excuse me. I didn't know you were sick. You are willing to fight for science, but I am never grateful and always give up for college. There is no science that is useless. You made me realize that, Zayn.

Jihan reached into her white coat pocket and thrust a white paper at Ayna. "He knew a day like this would come. The day he didn't get to say goodbye. The day you must have come here looking for Zayn. He always said he'd put on a Love GPS for you and telepathize him until someday."

Ayna chuckled amusedly as her tears trickled down. "Zayn," heid. Even at times like this Zayn can still be funny when his presence is not around Ayna.

Ayna caught her breath and rubbed her wet face and took the letter. "Can I tell you where Zayn is now?"