Angel stepped into the pool area wearing a thick white towel. She saw Dave swimming, Kina sitting by the pool with her feet in the water, and Doni lying on one of the sun beds wearing only shorts.
“Hi,” Angel greeted Kina.
Kina looked up, then frowned at Angel's appearance. “Hi,” she said. “What's with your clothes?”
Angel looked at herself and shrugged. “I'm not going down to swim,” answered Angel.
Kina's frown deepened. “That's no reason for you to wear a towel when the sun is shining so bright like this. Come on, open!”
Angel shook her head. “I'm fine. I thought you guys were going down to the beach. Why here?”
“Dave want to be here and he,” Kina pointed at Doni with her eyes, then continued, “can't swim so he prefer to just sunbathe.”
“Oh, I see.” Angel nodded in understanding. She knew why Dave didn't want to go down to the
Dave grabbed Angel's hand and took Angel to their room, then closed the door tightly and turned the key that was there.Angel widened her eyes when she saw Dave doing that. “W-why did you lock it?” asked Angel haltingly.Dave didn't respond. He wrapped his arms around Angel's waist and pulled her into a tight hug.Angel was stunned by him. She was taken aback, but said nothing and waited for Dave to speak again.“Are you okay?” he asked. Even though he seemed to be filled with anger, his voice and treatment of Angel was really gentle.Angel nodded. “I am okay.” However, the incident earlier had clearly managed to shake Angel in its own way. She wanted to explain everything to Dave so that there would be no misunderstanding between them.But Dave then said, “You don't have to explain anything, I trust you.”“Okay,” Angel muttered, then returned her husband's hug very tightly.
Since the holiday in the Maldives at that time, Angel felt Dave's treatment of her was different. The man was no longer as cautious as before. He came more often to Angel's flower shop just to have lunch together. Kina was there too, she came to the shop almost every day. The three of them had lunch together. And those were the times that made Angel feel so warm like she had a whole family. And the evening was the culmination of Dave's sweet demeanor. They would make love, or occasionally chat, or Dave would just cuddle her in bed and they would both fall into silence. Whatever Angel went through with that man, never once was bad or boring. Angel enjoyed every moment. Today, she and Dave were having a romantic dinner at an expensive fine-dining restaurant in town. The place is quiet and there are only a few visitors sitting far apart. Dave chose a table near the window so Angel could see the city view on a very bright night. “You want some more food?” Dave as
Angel closed the cupboard and climbed into bed, sat back down and started to open the diary, reading it.***“It's always a pleasure to be with you.” Diana rested her head on Brandon's shoulder, smiling as she watched the rain fall. “Do not leave me.”Brandon smiled and kissed Diana's forehead.“I don't and never will.”“Can we be like this forever?”“Forever, baby, have faith in me.”“You don't regret proposing to me even though I haven't graduated from college?”Brandon smiled gently. “Why not? You can get married and stay in college at the same time.”“You're right, you're right.” Diana laughed. “But only you will work for our household in the future.”“Who says it?” Brandon frowned, pretending to be serious. “I'll collect all the expenses I incur on you once you graduate from college and receiv
“Maybe you saw it wrong or you got so caught up in your daydream that you thought the guy looked like Brandon.” Clarissa glanced at her best friend who was so gloomy after telling the story.Diana sighed. “The problem was that he didn't look like Brandon. He's more like a misplaced hedonist prince in that coffee shop.”“If you're so curious, then why don't you approach the man?”Diana blinked her eyes. “I... I'm afraid.”“Afraid of what? Afraid to become a victim of the charm of the Hedonist Prince?” Clarissa chuckled.No, Diana muttered to herself. I'm afraid I'm going crazy and mistaking everyone for Brandon. I'm afraid that I've been living in my imaginary world all this time.Clarissa looked at Diana sympathetically. Her best friend was still daydreaming and looking sad, even a year after Brandon's death. Well, who wouldn't be sad if their lover died the day before their wedding
“His name is Brandon.” Diana smiled, reminiscing. “And I will always love him.”They sat in the corner of the coffee shop as usual. It wasn't raining hard outside, just a drizzle that was pleasing to the eye. Diana pondered while looking at the raindrops that formed lumps like tears on the glass, counting them carefully.That day Diana told her about her past, about Brandon, her true lover who was snatched away the day before their wedding.Adrian looked at her. “I'm sorry for your loss, Diana.”“It does not matter. Brandon will always live here.” She touched her chest cavity, where her heart was. Brandon had indeed died, his heart was no longer beating for Diana as he had promised. However, Diana's heart still beats for Brandon, hopefully for the rest of her life.***“Look who's waiting for you.” Clarissa smiled as she pointed in front of the campus gate. Several people seemed to
“So you're going to keep acting childish and avoiding Adrian?” Clarissa put her hands on her hips while looking at Diana who was so gloomy, sitting hugging her knees in the corner of the bed.“He's mean, telling me to forget Brandon.”“He's not mean. He just wants you to get up in the real world, step forward again, enjoy your life.”“By forgetting Brandon?”“You don't have to forget him. You can still keep memories of him in your heart, but you can't wallow in those memories. You have to move on, Diana.”“Your speaking style is like Adrian. I suspect you guys are conspiring.”Clarissa laughed. “Listen, my beautiful friend, we both love you and, because we love you, we think the same. Maybe Brandon over there will think the same as us.”Diana fell silent, taking Clarissa's words in silence.At that time they were choosing a ring and intended to
“In fact, it is highly discouraged for the recipient to know who the donor is from.” Doctor Kim, a cardiologist who is Adrian's own uncle, frowned as he read the file in his hand. “But since the donor's own family didn't ask to be kept secret, I don't think you're breaking the rules for asking.”“Who donated his heart to me, Uncle?”“Why are you so curious, Adrian? Aren't you better off not knowing? So you can live your life ahead well, rearrange your life, because as far as I know the heart is very healthy and suitable for you.”Adrian pinched the tip of his nose, feeling dizzy in his head. The question had haunted him so much and the dreams were present every night, that Adrian felt they were real. “I need to know, for my own reasons.”His uncle could only sigh. “Does this have anything to do with you breaking off your engagement to Kat? You made that good girl so sad.”Adria
The first time Adrian saw Diana was when the woman came out of the grocery store in the shop and stepped on the sidewalk.By then the cloud had darkened, sending the message that it was about to drop its cargo to earth. Adrian has finished all his business to live in Bandung. The administration of his lectures was in order and he had found a new place to live. A small house in the upper Bandung housing complex which is cold and lush by old trees that soar into the sky, directing its trunk like outstretched arms overgrown with leaves and soothing the soul.After that, he searched Brandon's home address, seeking any information he could get from the neighbors. He received quite important information, that Brandon died the day before his marriage to Diana. What kind of grief could Diana have endured at that time? Adrian didn't dare imagine it. It took two days until Adrian finally found the address of Diana's campus.By one of her college friends, he was told that