30 DAYS WITH U
28. BE MY TRUE LOVER 8
“So, have you heard?”
Keila who had just arrived at his office with a gasp of breath as she was about to arrive late, was immediately drawn closer by Saints who were sitting together with Nuri and Irine.
“A-what should I hear?” asked Keila with her breath still stinging. “Is something happening?”
“Sssstt. .” Nuri gestured to Keila to lower the volume of her voice. “Listen, Brother. Yesterday the handsome young director apparently came into the office and went home when almost all the employees had gone home.”
“And unfortunately, Yuna who made the declaration to make the young director fall in love actually got a great fortune from God and met the young director.” Suci added with a look of her annoyed face.
Wahhh, I really did not expect that the news spread so quickly. Even though it was still morning and the incident had only happened last night, but people had heard the incident yesterday and gossiped about it. I wonder how handsome the young director is until the news quickly spreads. Keila who listened to Sacred and Nuri's words could only speak inside her own mind as it was too shocked to see the speed at which the news spread.
“Yes, I'm really upset. How does the serpent woman always get good luck from God? It feels as if what he wants will always be obtained easily,” said Nuri who also felt annoyed like Suci.
“This time,” by Keila. “What gets the wish easily? You guys misjudged it, Suci, Nuri.”
“Why not? Isn't that right?” holy Question does not accept. “Look at that, Yuna. Many men had already chased him, but he was never satisfied. And this time when there is a handsome man who has a higher position, Yuna is also after him and soon, the young director will probably fall into the arms of the snake woman.”
“I'm grateful not working one department with that snake woman,” added Nuri.
“You guys misjudged. If Yuna easily got what she wanted, then she would not need to chase after that Director Rafandra. Just look at her sweet-faced efforts with that spoiled voice in order to get the attention of Director Rafandra and her assistant Liam! If you see it for yourself, you will definitely not say that Yuna got her wish easily.”
Same with Nuri and Saints, Keila also felt annoyed with Yuna. But Keila doesn't like it when people give wrong judgments to others especially when that person is her own friend.
“Wait!” sela Irene's.
“What?” Keila, Nuri and Sacred asked at the same time.
Irene then looked towards Keila with narrowed eyes and probing. “How can Kak Key know if the easy director is named Rafandra? As I recall, we never told Big Brother the name of the young director? Big brother who had been ignorant could not possibly know the name of the young director.”
Shit, I'm slipping. Keila cursed in her mind while trying to find the right reason for the mistake she had just made. “Bu-isn't his name on our director's name list?”
“But not all this time Brother is a person who is indifferent with our directors. Even we here all know, if big brother never even remembers the faces of all our directors including our young director who rarely shows his face. So how can you tell if Rafandra is the name of our young director and Liam is the name of our young assistant director?”
Keila looked at the gazes Irene, Sacred and Nuri were probing towards her. Damnit. I really fucking shit. If Saints and Nuri were alone, that reason of mine might have been well received. But this time, Irene caught my mistake. His brain is the smartest among the four of us.
Keila let out a long sigh and chose to give up because of the gazes of her three co-workers that were pointing at her as if to shoot a killer laser at her. “Yes. I also met the young director yesterday when I came home late.”
“Really??” tanya Suci and Nuri together because they feel happy.
“How do you think about our young director?” added Sacred who looked at Keila with sparkling eyes.
“Yes, Brother. He's handsome isn't he?” added Nuri.
Keila shook her head. “I don't know.”
“Yes, why can't sister know?” added Nuri.
Keila exhaled wanting to answer Nuri and Saints' questions, but her intention was then stopped when Irene first answered Saints and Nuri's questions, representing her.
“Don't tell me, Big Brother came home with earphones in Brother's ears and bowed Big Brother's head like Sister's custom all this time?”
Keila nodded her head. “Yes, that's exactly what happened. I did see our young director Liam-assistant. But our young director's face, I didn't see it because it was covered by Liam. I know that the young director was named Rafandra too because Yuna called her name to greet him.”
The conversation then came to a halt when Mr. Great came and disbanded the small group of Keila and his three companions. The conversation halted and then resumed when lunchtime arrived.
A week passed quickly due to Keila's busy work. Keila's activities that require Keila to leave early in the morning by bus, then return home from work more than her coworkers, can indeed make Keila forget her new habits when with Andra.
But the longer time passed, the shadow of Andra suddenly appeared out of nowhere in Keila's sight. Andra's shadow would appear clasping Keila's hand as Keila walked in the crowd. Andra's shadow would sit next to Keila and smile as Keila sat on the bus listening to a song. Andra's shadow will appear when Keila eats both breakfast, dinner and lunch when together with her three colleagues. The same thing that happens when the shadow of Andra appears in Keila's view: Andra will look at Keila with a smile on her lips and a loving look in her eyes and when that happens Keila's heart beats faster, at the same time the pain in Keila's chest feels.
Andra's shadows that appear make Keila increasingly drown himself in the busy work. But the more Keila sank into her work, the clearer Keila saw Andra's shadow, even as if Andra was actually on Keila's side of – just like a month ago.
The shadow of Andra who had just looked at Keila with a loving look and a smile on her lips slowly began to speak to Keila – just like when Andra talked to Keila for a month yesterday.
As Keila wore a short dress to throw away her trash on her day off, Andra's shadow spoke to Keila.
“It's too short. People can see your beautiful legs.”
Keila who had finished throwing her trash now returned to her apartment and saw the messy condition of her apartment because of her busyness during this week, once again the shadow of Andra spoke to Keila.
“See your apartment in! Really like a ship broke.”
As Keila cleaned her apartment while singing loudly, once again Andra's shadow spoke to Keila.
“Your voice is the most beautiful voice I have ever met. Just one voice from you can bring me happiness. You may not realize it but to me, that voice of yours really makes me opiate.”
Keila, who had finished cleaning her apartment, prepared her breakfast in the morning. But because it was too tired, Keila felt full and did not eat well.
“Wasting food is a sin, don't you know?”
After a day of cleaning her apartment, Keila stared at the window and saw the rain start to fall. As usual, Keila would sit on the porch of her apartment listening to a song while staring at the rain. Because today Keila felt bad to eat, today Keila deliberately did not make steamed bread.
Once again, the shadow of Andra appeared beside Keila and sat down together with Keila. Andra's shadow smiled and looked at Keila with a loving look at Keila. Andra's shadow continued to be beside Keila even as the rain stopped.
Whether it was luck or not, Keila did not know. But. . . The hard-to-see rainbow appeared again in front of Keila and in front of the shadow of Andra who was sitting next to Keila. For the umpteenth time, Andra's shadow said to Keila repeating an old Andra speech she had spoken to Keila.
“For me, you are the rainbow of my life that gives color to my life. Remember that, Keila.”
After hearing the words from Andra's shadow, Keila's tears fell and for the first time Keila cried because of Andra. Keila caught her tears falling down with her palm and asked inside her mind. What do these tears mean? Did I really lose Andra? Does this mean I'm really in love with him?