End Journeys
Close Old Books, Open New Books

"Ruby I beg you!" Albert tries to chase after Ruby who runs away to avoid him.

The waves on the beach, strong winds with dark clouds, a sign of rain accompanying their chase action.

Ruby stopped running because her injured foot stepped on a shell. While running, Ruby left her footwear just like that in a hurry to avoid Albert.

Ruby decides to go to the beach to calm herself down. However, it was unexpected that Albert was also there.

"Albert, I want to calm down. Please leave me alone."

Ruby walked by enduring the pain from the wound that was on the sole of her foot.

Albert followed Ruby from behind because he was worried, he brought Ruby footwear.

"Albert!" Ruby yelled at Albert for following him.

"It's.." It's not over Albert spoke, someone came to take Ruby's footwear out of Albert's hands.

"Ruby, are you strong walking? Go up to my back, I'll carry you, "Thomas carried Ruby when Ruby had not answered Thomas.

"How did you get here?" ask Ruby.

"I used to run in the morning here" jawan Thomas.

"Where are you taking me?"

"Wait here" replied Thomas.

Ruby sits on a beach chair while waiting for Thomas. Albert still seemed to be wandering on the beach, as if he wanted to get close to Ruby but did not have enough guts. She realizes that she has let Ruby down, but she is eager to explain firsthand what really happened.

Albert is seen starting to approach Ruby but he turns around after seeing Thomas coming.

"Ruby's.."

"Ah, you've come."

"I treated your wounds first" Thomas cleaned Ruby's wounds with alcohol and applied the wound ointment.

"Thomas, I'm sorry to bother you," Ruby felt uneasy about having troubled Thomas who wasn't very familiar with her.

"I just want to get more familiar with you. I know you're a good man" Thomas said.

Thomas then drove Ruby home.

Thomas' words weighed on Ruby's mind. He sat on the porch watching his wounds.

"What does Thomas mean I'm a good man? Let's not say she heard rumors going around about me and Sam, "these thoughts kept on overshadowing Ruby.

"Ruby," someone peeked at the gate while calling Ruby's name.

"Kylie, you surprised me."

"Why are you so hard to contact?" ask Kylie.

"Missing died. I turned it off exactly" replied Ruby.

"What's the matter again?"

Ruby then told her what was happening in the library and on the beach.

"I don't really care if Albert likes Evelyn. My feelings for Albert were also ordinary, I was just surprised that he expressed such a feeling so quickly. He and I are not in an official relationship so it's legal if he likes other women. What makes me angry is that he scolded me for no apparent reason, without knowing the problem and plus he did it in front of a lot of people. I'm ashamed," explained Ruby.

"All right, the point. First, he's playing you. He expresses his feelings for you but likes other women. What he wants, Lord..."

"Either," replied Ruby briefly.

"And the second one as you explained earlier. Hm, interesting."

"What's so interesting?"

"I should have been on the scene at the time, I'd have taught you a lesson from that woman named Evelyn" Kylie said.

"I don't want to deal with him. Just now college has been hit by a strange problem," complained Ruby.

"It turns out you can also complain yes," Kylie burst into laughter.

The sound of a motor approaching. The sound of the motor was familiar to Ruby's ears. Of course, it's Albert's motor.

"That's Albert" Kylie said.

"Leave it. Come on in," take Ruby.

"Pity him. Just talk to me for a second" Kylie suggested.

"All right," Ruby walked out the gate.

Albert seemed to have just parked his motorcycle outside Ruby's house.

"What's up, Albert?"

"Ruby I want to straighten out yesterday's problems" Albert replied.

"Alright please," Ruby replied.

"First I want to apologize for my rude behavior yesterday. I'm guilty of reckless accusation when I didn't see the incident from the start" Albert expressed regret.

"Okay" replied Ruby.

"Ruby, I beg you."

"please what? I've already forgiven you. Now go home" cried Ruby.

"I'm not done yet" replied Albert.

"What else is it?"

"The Evelyn Problem. I'll explain, you misunderstood. It's true that I told Thomas I liked Evelyn but after meeting you I felt more comfortable with you" Albert explained.

"Is it that easy for your feelings to change?"

"With you it feels different. You're like the man I've been looking for all this time. You can understand me, unlike some of the others I approached. They wanted to be understood but didn't want to try to understand how I was feeling" Albert explained.

"I don't care if you like anyone, you and I don't have a relationship either. So just forget about it" Ruby said.

"Are you angry?"

"No,Albert. Go home," Ruby asked.

Albert took the bike and went home. I don't know why Ruby's feelings are mixed, between sad and angry.

"What's wrong?" ask Kylie.

"He apologized. I'm sorry and the problem is over" replied Ruby.

"Why is your face so stressful?" Kylie asked while laughing.

"It's okay" replied Ruby briefly.

"It looks like you're starting to put some sense into Albert" Kylie conjectured.

"Then?"

"What?" ask Ruby.

"What's weighing on your mind?"

"I'm not sure my relationship with Albert can go back to normal" Ruby replied.

***

Morning classes have started. Ruby's a little late. He had just sat down, but he had been appointed lecturer forward to explain the paper he had collected last week. After the presentation, Ruby went straight to the library. He skipped the afternoon class.

"Ruby, why here?" ask Thomas.

"Oh, hehi Thomas. I'm badmood," replied Ruby.

"Happeningly. Me too" replied Thomas.

Ruby smiled and picked up a book.

"Ruby's.."

"What's up Thomas?"

"I wanted to tell a story but was confused about who I was going to tell my problem to" Thomas said.

"Try on Albert," suggested Ruby and she continued reading her book.

In her heart, Ruby suspects that Thomas wants to tell her a story, but at this time she does not want to listen or tell anyone. Thomas just sat quietly beside Ruby, flipping through her book but not being read. He picked up a new book but did not read it either.

"What's up Thomas? Tell me" said Ruby, who felt sorry even though she didn't want to talk to anyone.

"Am I not interrupting?" ask Thomas.

"If you want to tell me, please tell me," Ruby said as she looked at Thomas with her sparkling eyes.

Thomas was silent for a moment, then he put down the book he had taken.

"It's actually Evelyn's problem" Thomas said.

"Oh, dad. What's wrong with her?"

"i like it. I've had time to approach him even we tell each other every day. But all of a sudden she was dating someone else" Thomas told the story.

"really? With Albert?" ask Ruby.

"No. He's a cop" Thomas replied.

"You could ask if Evelyn's interested in you?"

"haven't had time. But I guess because she responded to me means she's interested in me."

"You want to hear my opinion?" ask Ruby.

"Of course" replied Thomas.

"I think when he's close to you, he might be close to some other person. I mean, he's choosing which guy he feels is really good for. The man who can make her comfortable and she put her choices on the man" Ruby said.

"Can be. But still I was the one who approached him first why did he choose that guy?" said Thomas.

Ruby felt no need to answer Thomas's question. Thomas seemed to be carried away by emotions after telling the problem.

"Take it easy, Thomas. I can't help much" Ruby said.

"I'm fine" replied Thomas.

Thomas's phone rang.

"Why did Albert call me?" ask him to yourself.

Thomas picked up Albert's phone.

"Let's go to class. The second lecturer has arrived. Looks like we'll only be given a task. Albert said the lecturer will be meeting today" Thomas explained.

Hearing the word lecturer will be meeting, Ruby immediately put his book and looked sumringah.

"It looks like you really like empty hours" Thomas said.

"Who doesn't like empty hours?" Ruby asked while laughing.

"alright. Let's go to class."

Thomas and Ruby go to class together.

"Ruby. Let's go to the cafeteria for a second, I'm thirsty," Thomas said.

Ruby followed Thomas' footsteps. They ordered lemonade ice and drank it in a hurry. Thomas's phone kept ringing, but Thomas ignored it.

"Your phone" Ruby said, pointing at Thomas's phone, which she had placed on the table.

Thomas ignored her and continued to drink his orange ice.

"Come to class."

They then walked towards the classroom located on the second floor.

"Ruby, Thomas."

"Oh, why are you out there?" ask Thomas to Albert.

"I'm actually looking for you because you didn't answer my phone" Albert said.

"So I went to the cafeteria for a while with Ruby" Thomas replied.

The three of them went to class together. Looks like the teacher was at his desk. All the students in the class looked at them.

"Where are you guys?" ask lecturer.

"Sorry sir, you're from the library" replied Ruby.

"Not you guys to the cafeteria" Albert said.

"At first we were from the library but stopped by the cafeteria for a bit" Thomas replied.

Thomas looked at Albert in surprise.

"good. Please be absent then this assignment to be collected next week," the lecturer gave them a question sheet.

"Okay sir" replied Ruby and Thomas.

"You guys dating?" ask their teachers.

Ruby looked surprised by the question. The whole class cheered. Ruby's face was flushed red but Thomas looked relaxed.

"Yes Sir. She's my lover..."