Chapter 12

"You bastards there, bastards! fresh-fresh! even fresher than the relationship between the two of you. Buy now, you sukis! hey, beautiful! buy now. It's cheap, come on." In a distant city where Bea lives and is a fish market vendor.

After he moved, he also stopped studying. He just built his own business using the money he saved that was supposed to be for his tuition fee.

His life is simple and peaceful now. However, just when she was about to start a new life, the man she was trying to forget suddenly reappeared.

"How much is a kilo of bangus?"

"One hundred-" he suddenly stopped speaking when he looked at the man who spoke.

Stephen? he said in his mind while he was stunned and staring at the gentleman.

"One kilo, miss." That's all he said to the girl as he handed over the payment.

He looked like a rock that just suddenly froze there. He couldn't believe that in the size and breadth of the world, path two had brought them together again. Tears almost filled his eyes, after he examined her from head to toe.

He is sure that his condition is fine now and the wounds on his body have also healed. He noticed that the wound he inflicted left a mark on his forehead, so the nightmare of their past returned to his memory.

He turned his attention to what he was selling. He took a bangus and immediately put it in a bag.

"Here," he said as he handed Stephen a fish.

"Thank you." After paying, he also left immediately. No greetings or greetings at all. He just turned his back and walked away from her as if he didn't recognize her.

"Psst! Bea." Perla, the vegetable vendor next to him, suddenly called him.

"Who is that? Do you know?" it asked him.

"Huh? no-no." He stammered.

"Ows? It's not? Why is it that if you stared at him earlier, it seemed like you two had a sweet time together?"

"You really are, Perla."

"You admit it. You two have a past, don't you?"

"You know, let's just go shopping. I need to get these things down right away because I'm still going to wash clothes at home." That's all he said as he splashed water on the fish products.

"Then you really don't know him?" it still scolded him.

"What are you, Perla?"

"Okay, okay. I won't force you anymore. As long as she's mine." After he said that, Bea looked at him for a moment and grinned.

"Or why, are you whining? I thought you didn't know Mr. Yummy?" he said to him.

"Mr. Yummy?" he said with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, why? are you whining again?" he just didn't say a word and a smile once again drew on his lips with a shake of his head.

"Oh, oh! what do those smiles of yours mean? Maybe, you also lust after my Mr. Yummy, right?" it still sticks to him.

"Desire? It's really me?" said the girl and pointed to herself.

"Hey, Bea. It's not like you're the youngest and most beautiful salesperson here, you should tell me that I'm ugly and not worthy of Mr. Yummy." Perla joked while holding her two arms.

"You know Perla, I'm not interested in him. So he's yours." He looked at her which made Perla happy.

"Thank you, Bea. When Mr. Yummy and I actually stay together, I will always consume your products. And since you are invited to our wedding, you will be the bride of honor for both of us." He said while clinging to the girl's arm.

"You know, never mind. I never dreamed of being the bride of honor at your wedding." After he said that, Perla immediately let go of him and stared at him.

"It's your Kj! You'll see, I'll show you that I'll get up and crush you." He said and his head was still looking up. Bea glanced for a moment and just grinned. After a while, someone suddenly approached them.

"What's wrong with you, suki? Buy you-" what he was about to say was cut off when he looked up at the man in front of him.

"How much is all that? I'll buy it." Aldrin promised the girl with a smile.

"Aldrin," he called softly with a smile on his lips.

"Long time no see, Bea." He greeted. Perla was curious about the two and approached the two.

"Hey, Bea, who is he? Your boyfriend? He's handsome. Your lips are also yummy." He whispered as he watched Adrin from head to toe, back.

"He's not my boyfriend, he's my best friend." He replied to Perla. "Aldrin, by the way, she is Perla. My sales associate here." When he introduced himself, he reached out his hand and held the young man's hand tightly. Bea noticed that right away, so she herself separated the two's hands.

"I'm sorry, Perla really has a disability." He just told Aldrin.

"It's okay, it's been a long time since I last saw your pretty smile." After he said that, the two young women suddenly became confused. Especially Bea who just stared into the young man's eyes and couldn't speak.

"I'm just kidding." He immediately recovered with some scratching on his head. The girl just smiled and she also breathed a sigh of relief. It seems that they suddenly fell in love with each other when he became serious, but he immediately took it back when he noticed that it was not the right time for him to express his love for the girl. Besides that, Bea is not ready yet, to open her heart again and receive love from any man.

"Psst, Bea. What did he say? I didn't even understand him, but I was shocked by what he said." Perla whispered in his ear but the girl just elbowed him in the arm.

"How are you? aren't you having a hard time living here? don't you miss your old apartment?" Aldrin asked.

"I'm happy here now. It's really hard to live alone but I can handle it. You, how are you? How did you end up here and how did you know that I'm selling here? Don't tell me you're stalking me now too?" he jokingly promised.

"Actually, we built a branch here in your area. When I first came here, I didn't expect to find you. I saw you giving bread to the children on the street. I want to approach you at times that, but I happened to be in a hurry and I had to get back to my office right away. That's why I promised myself that I would get back to you. And here I am now, standing in front of you. Staring at you and still marveling at your beauty, even you have no make-up on your face, messy hair, just slippers and a simple t-shirt. You're still beautiful in my eyes and you're getting even more beautiful." After he said that, Bea just swallowed deeply. He didn't move and just looked at the young man. Perla elbowed him in the arm and that's when he came to his senses and quickly avoided Aldrin.

"This Papa P is a very romantic person!" Perla whispered as she turned around.

"Papa P?" Bea wondered.

"Papa Pogi, are you whining?" he said but he just grinned and looked at the young man again.

"Thank you very much for visiting me Aldrin, but I'm busy right now." He said as he turned back.

"I'm sorry Papa P, he needs to get all his goods down before he goes on a date with you." Perla said indignantly and the girl suddenly took her by the arm to return to their respective places.

"I'll buy all of those." The two young women quickly turned to him and seemed equally shocked by what he offered.

"Wow! You're not only romantic but also a very kind person. Hey, Bea what are you waiting for? Pack all that and Papa P will buy it!" Perla said but she just stood there wondering.

I used to only see scenes like this in the show. The man will buy all the woman's goods so that she can claim his heart. After that they will both get better and fall for each other.

Every time I watch such scenes in the movie, I almost peed with excitement and even punched my pillow with so much joy. But now that it's happening personally in my life, it doesn't seem like I'm excited or happy at all.

I didn't even feel any spark from him. Could it be, because he is not the man my heart hopes for? or because I have become numb and afraid to love again? Bea thought to herself as she looked at Aldrin, who was also looking at her.

"Bea!" At the same time, Perla gently pushed him when she noticed that he was just staring at the young man in front of him.

"Huh? what's that again?" he said and Aldrin just grinned.

"Admit it, you're lusting after Papa P in your mind, aren't you? You're probably imagining that he's not wearing a top right now, after his muscular body and six packs of abs, right?" Perla whispered in his ear which surprised him.

"What are you saying, Perla? Maybe you're still imagining him like that." He weakly responded to the girl.

"Excuse me, if that's Mr. Yummy, maybe that's not what I'm imagining." He said with a raised eyebrow. Bea just smiled and shook her head.

"Hey, what's up? He's been waiting for you for a while now. Wrap all that up!" he said to him but he glanced at Aldrin for a moment.

"Are you sure? You're going to buy all of this? Or maybe you're just being forced to because of me?" he was curious about the young man smiling in front of him.

"Well, let's just say I bribe you."

"Bribery?" he wondered.

"Yes, for your time." After he said that, Perla pushed Bea on the shoulder again and she looked at the two with excitement.

"It's going to be a little while longer. What are you waiting for? wrap all that up and then go on a date with him." Perla said happily and Adrin simply laughed at what she said to the girl.

"But, where are you going to use all of this? as if you can consume it all?" he was still curious with regret on his face.

"What are you doing! You have so many questions. I'll be the one to wrap them!" the young man was speechless because Perla led him and immediately wrapped his fish products in plastic.

"Oh, that's it! Go ahead, go with him." At the same time he pushed him closer to Aldrin.

"Are you ready?" the young man asked him.

"Huh? re-ready? where?" she was curious and he suddenly grabbed her by the hand. Perla was biting her lip with so much excitement that she even followed the two as they walked out of the market.

"Is it me, Keylan? When will Mr. Yummy hold my hands and invite me out to eat?" he whispered to himself as his two palms came together.

*********

"Aldrin, where are we going?" said the girl when they arrived in front of his car.

"Just, you'll know too, so get on." Aldrin's car opened for him but he hesitated to get into his car.

"Or why?" he asked the girl.

"Is it really okay for me to ride in your car? I mean, look at what I'm wearing now and these slippers. I might smell like fish-" he was cut off when Aldrin suddenly picked him up and took him inside car

The girl was shocked and confused by what he did as she followed Aldrin's gaze as he turned to the driver's seat.

"Seat belt." He said as soon as he got inside.

"Huh?" The girl's mind is still floating because of what the young man did earlier that she didn't expect him to pick her up.

Aldrin didn't just repeat what he was saying and he just approached her and pulled down the seat belt on the girl's side, while she stared at him.

Then for a moment he caught a glimpse of her blushing face.

"Are you okay?" he wondered when he noticed that both of her cheeks were red.

"Y-yeah." He answered briefly as he turned to the side window. The young man simply smiled and then he drove the car.

The two were silent for a moment. Aldrin glanced at the girl and didn't seem to know how to start talking to her.

"By the way, have you eaten yet?" he asked.

"Yes." It responded with a nod.

"Do you want something to eat? My treat." He said more but Bea didn't seem interested in what he offered her.

"I'm fine." He said that his attention was only focused on the outside.

It was quiet again inside the car and Aldrin felt a fear that it might be one of him.

"Bea, are you really all right?" he asked seriously. The young woman took a little longer to answer because suddenly something about Stephen came to her mind.

"Actually.. I saw him." It was a weak promise that made the young man turn around.

"Who are you referring to?" he was curious.

"It's Stephen." After saying that, he turned to the young man he was talking to. Aldrin was shocked by what he heard so he put the car aside for a moment and stopped.

"Wait, did I hear that right? You saw Stephen? and you're still here?" he said with surprise mixed with surprise.

"Yes, earlier in the market." He responded with a nod.

"Are you sure it's him you saw?" he assured the girl.

"Even at first I couldn't believe that I would see him there. You told me then that he doesn't remember anything about the two of us," he stopped for a moment and bowed.

"Is it true.. that he has forgotten me?" Aldrin didn't answer him but just drove off again and pretended he didn't hear.

Bea just wiped her tears and glanced again at the sliding window. Just for a few moments, the silence between the two of them was broken again when he spoke about Stephen's partner.

"Sofia," when he mentioned her name, Aldrin turned to him for a moment.

"How is he? Maybe they came here together." He added. The young man still did not speak to him and focused his attention on driving the car.

"Me? Aren't you going to at least ask me how I'm doing?" he just said to change what they were both talking about.

"From what I see of you now, you seem to be okay and happy with your life." Said the girl after looking at him from head to toe.

"No, I'm not. You just don't know the hardships I went through just to find you." When he said that, Bea suddenly stared at him. He seemed to sympathize with her feelings and because he didn't want to let the young man down.

"Aldrin," he called softly but suddenly he laughed loudly and his face showed that he was forced to smile in front of him.

"Just kidding! You probably expected me to answer you like that, right?" he said jokingly so Bea just smiled and her nervousness decreased.

After a few moments, Aldrin stopped driving again.

"Just wait." He got out of the car and took something from behind it. Bea followed and seemed to wonder why he suddenly got out of the car.

After a while, he saw that he was carrying bags in his hand containing fish, these were his goods that the young man had wholesaled earlier.

He still followed her with his gaze. He noticed that he was handing the bag he was holding to the people on the side of the road. He even handed out fish to the taho seller.

Little by little, people are approaching him. He also has a lot of them, so he just gives the fish to everyone. The people he shared something to eat or a dish were very grateful and smiling.

But he didn't expect that he would be bleeding there and there was a chance that there would be girls hugging or even kissing him on the cheek.

A sweet smile appeared on the girl's lips as she watched him. He seems to change from what he sees from the young man. As far as he knows, it is elusive in humans and very sensitive especially when it comes to other women. But at that time, the girls on the road almost started fighting over him.

But he couldn't stand it anymore and approached the young man. He took her hand and led her out of the crowd.

They both ran hand in hand. Aldrin smiled as he looked at their two hands holding each other, so he tightened his grip even more and just followed the girl back to the car.

"Go!" Bea said to him when they got inside.

"Turn it on if you don't want us both stranded here." He added. Aldrin glanced outside for a moment and noticed some women hugging him earlier crossing towards them.

"What? Are you going to wait for them to come here? Or is it because you are enjoying what they are doing hugging and kissing you?" he said with a raised eyebrow. He swallowed deeply and immediately started the car to leave that place. The young man just looked at the side mirror and let out a deep breath. The girl glanced at him and shook her head.

"That said, you still haven't changed. You're still the Aldrin I know." He said with a grimace on his lips.

"PTSD or Posttraumatic stress disorder, is what you are currently experiencing right now. I don't need to explain the full details to you because you already know what I mean, don't you?" said Wayne, Robin's doctor friend.

"Do you still have trouble falling asleep at night? Is your insomnia attacking you again?" he said as he stood up and opened the window.

"I still dream about him. Sometimes I just find myself crying and calling his name." He replied while leaning his head and back on the hypnotheraphy chair.

"What do you often see of him?"

"About the past between the two of us. When we were still studying and the three of me and Stephen were together."

"Done?" Robin couldn't speak immediately and bowed his head.

"Robin? are you alright?" he asked him but he still didn't answer and suddenly he grabbed his chest as if he was running out of breath.

"Robin, calm down! take a deep breath first. Inhale-exhale, inhale-exhale." He followed her breathing deeply and then he took some water and handed it to his friend.

After drinking the water, he calmed down and leaned his head on the chair.

"I'm having a hard time, Wayne. I feel like he's right next to me and calling my name over and over again." He said that there was a tear in the corner of his eye.

"I know what you're going through is hard now, bro. But just cheer up and have fun so you can forget quickly. Or you can just travel again like you often do before." He recommended it to him and sat in his place.

"You know I have patients who experience the same thing, just like you. Some of them go on adventures to other places they've never been. Or they do things they've never done before. throughout their lives. What i mean bro, if you don't help yourself you will only get more difficult and hurt. Now think about what you want to achieve in life. What you really dream of doing and consider this a new chapter of your life." After saying that, the young man leaned his head back on the chair and looked up at the ceiling.

"Slowly close your eyes and think about what makes you happy." He followed her while closing his eyes.

In his mind he sees himself standing on a beach. The waves are crashing hard and the breeze feels great.

He took a deep breath and felt that peaceful place deeply. It was only a few moments before he opened his eyes when someone suddenly called him.

"Robin!" when he heard he immediately turned behind him.

He saw a woman in a white dress with a flower crown on her head. He looked closely at the girl's face, but no matter how hard he tried to recognize her, his vision just got dimmer.

"Robin!" she called him again so he was forced to step towards that woman.

"Who are you?" he asked but she suddenly turned and walked away from him.

"Wait a minute, don't go! don't go!" he repeated so that Wayne stood up and woke him up by tickling his finger.

Robin opened his eyes immediately, sweating and panting. His friend again handed him water and a handkerchief, a seat to wipe his sweaty face.

"So, there's another girl?" he asked openly when he sat down in his swidel chair.

"What do you mean?" he asked while placing a bottle of water on the desk.

"Ara, you said. You kept mentioning his name earlier." When Robin heard, his eyes suddenly widened and he couldn't believe it.

"From what I see of you now, it looks like what I'm saying is right. Then who is she? who is Ara? and how do you two know each other?" he said while he was silent and had a trace of surprise on his face.

"Did I really mention his name? I haven't seen him before." He said with a shake of his head.

"Do you like her?" Wayne said suddenly which surprised him.

"Huh?" at the same time he looked at his friend in front of him.

"Or do you feel something special to her?" Robin was silent again and he was confused about what to answer. So Wayne stood up for a moment and took his flower vase displayed by the window.

After sitting down, he placed the pot on the desk and took the water that Robin was drinking earlier.

"For example, you are the water and Ara is the plant. What do you think is most important to him in order for him to survive?" Wayne said to his friend and what he was referring to was the flower vase he was holding.

"Sunlight."

"And why?"

"No water."

"Exactly! In order for him to live, he needs water. But you are the water, so are you ready to share it with him to save his life?"

"Yes." He responded quickly.

"Even if we say so, you'll be the one who's empty?" Robin thought for a moment and looked back and forth between the plant and the water.

"Maybe, I'll still give everything to him because he needs it more." After he said that, Wayne suddenly hit the table and looked at his friend with a smile.

"Why? What does this have to do with the two of us?" he is curious

"You're in love bro! Who is that Ara and are you ready to sacrifice everything you have for her?" he said and he seemed to get what he was going for.

"Whether you confess to me now or not, I already know what the right answer is." He said to her while returning the flower vase to its original place.

"All this time, I'm just confused about his true feelings for me. Even though he has hinted at me several times, I still can't confirm to myself, if I feel the same way about him ." The doctor just turned around and returned to his seat.

"You're wrong bro. You're not really confused, you're just confusing yourself. Maybe it's because you're not ready yet and you need to heal first. Before you admit to yourself that he's really important to you" you."

"I'll admit that I do look up to him but that's all."

"Listen, Robin. I don't know who this girl is but I think she can help you a lot especially in your current situation if you just stick to her. I mean- if you just follow your heart everything will be fine with you too."

"Wait a minute Wayne, I forgot to tell you something. She has a boyfriend and they are about to get married. So do you think I still have the right to approach her and talk to her after what happened between the two of us?"

"Stop! what did you say? something happened to you two?" Robin was suddenly silent and stiff as a rock. It seems that he was also surprised by what he said to Wayne and he forgot to quickly pick up this secret friend of his.

"Seriously, Robin? Has something happened between the two of you? How long and how? Where?" he asked her one after the other.

"In Japan." He answered weakly.

"Japan?! are you carrying a suitcase here because you just came from Japan?!" he said to the young man in shock and he just nodded his head.

"So something happened between the two of you recently? Then, why did you come straight here? You can follow him or you should go home first."

"That's also what I'm wondering about. I've been traveling to other places peacefully for more than seven months now, but this disease has struck me again."

"What do you think caused your illness to attack you again?"

"I don't know. It's just that after we got off the plane and when I saw the proposal of-" he was cut off when Wayne suddenly stopped him.

"Wait a minute. You mean you saw her boyfriend propose to her face to face? Am I right?" he said and Robin just nodded.

"Oh my gosh!" he said while clapping his hands.

"It's just like a TV series, right? I didn't think it could happen in real life and even to you my friend!" He said that there was laughter and a lesson for his friend.

"What's so funny about that?" serious harvest of the young man. The broad smile he had earlier was immediately restored and his face became serious again.

"I'm sorry to tell you this bro, but I think it would be better for you to distance yourself from her first or even better to stay away from her. As she is going to marry another man, you probably know if what's better for both of you, isn't it? and if you just keep doing this, your current situation might get worse. The only thing I can tell you as your friend and not a doctor is to find your yourself. Travel again or go to faraway places, where you are far away from the problem. Where he is not there. There is no Ara and life is just peaceful. It doesn't matter how long it takes you, the important thing is that you get well and go back to the old you." He said with a hint of concern and concern for his friend.