The First Curse of Love
52. Warm Soup Bowl

A few hours earlier...

"So Dean again where? Are you going to the hotel?" Qiara asked by phone.

At that time, Qiara was driving herself to the Dean's residence to pick up the book that was left behind yesterday.

"Yes. I'm at the hotel, right." Answer Dean.

"Yes, I stopped by the house for a while is okay, huh? That's the library book. I have to go back today too."

"But, Qi..." Dean's tone of voice sounded doubtful.

"Why?"

Dean did not answer. It was like he was weighing something. Qiara waited patiently for him.

"Danny is home. It was three in the morning before we arrived."

Qiara's heart was beating quite hard. Within seconds, both his legs and hands were numb. His focus was also suddenly lost until he unconsciously pulled over the car he was driving and stopped for a moment. Qiara's sigh sounded powerful as her shock and fear clashed against her.

"Qiara! You all right?" Dean panicked.

"QIARA?" Call Dean louder when no answer is heard from Qiara.

At that very instant, Qiara instantly regained her consciousness.

"I—Yes, Brother Dean. I'm not okay. Don't worry." Qiara replied hurriedly, before Dean's panic grew.

"Yes already. If you can't go home, let me just get people to write that book."

Qiara closed her eyes, taking slow breaths to calm her heart that was beating more than normal. After regaining her composure, Qiara said, "no need, Brother Dean. Let me just take it myself. After all, it's still nine o'clock past twenty minutes. Danny's not gonna wake up yet."

Qiara said it unconsciously. Although his brain did not want him, but his heart remembered every habit of Danny well. Danny always did, if he had gone through a long journey at night, Danny would have fallen asleep long enough in the morning. And he will only wake up when the time has shown ten o'clock past. Danny's habit was even Qiara memorized out of his head.

Dean was silent again. This time longer than before. His heart pinched when he found out that Qiara still remembered Danny's habits to such a detail.

"When Danny wakes up?" Dean tried to make sure.

"No will. Even if he wakes up, he has. I can what? Anyway, sooner or later, I will indeed meet him. I'm not going to shy away from the past anymore, and we've agreed to that, right, brother?"

"Qi...."

"Or doesn't Dean believe me?"

"Of course I believe."

"Then I'll go home now. I'm almost late. I have a lot of activities today."

"Yes already. You be careful, huh?"

"Yes, Brother Dean."

After ending her chat with Dean, Qiara once again sighed before finally driving back to her car.

Arriving at Dean's house, Qiara looks around, trying to ascertain whether there is a Danny or not. But once he made sure that the situation was safe enough, Qiara immediately picked up her book in Dean's study. After that, Qiara was about to get ready to leave again when she accidentally got her attention on the dining table. There were only a few slices of sandwich Dean had prepared for Danny's breakfast.

'Danny must have been exhausted after her early morning commute, and there was only a kandiwch?' Qiara thought without realizing it.

A moment later, Qiara shook her head a few times. What does he care? After all, he had ended his relationship with Danny three years ago, anything related to Danny now, was no longer his business.

Just as she was about to step her foot again, Qiara put her back down. He then glanced at his watch, thinking that there was still time for him to cook. It only took him about twenty minutes to cook Danny some soup. Departing from that, Qiara brushed aside all doubts, rushed to the kitchen, and immediately prepared all the ingredients she needed to make soup.

In a hurry, the careless Qiara accidentally injured his finger while cutting a carrot. Not wanting to waste time, Qiara immediately washed her hands and covered her wounds with potluck plaster.

At ten past five, Qiara had already finished everything, including cleaning the kitchen set. He had also served a bowl of soup on the table, but until then, Danny had not shown any signs that he would be out of the room. Qiara smiled with satisfaction as she shrieked inwardly; 'mission complete!'

"Hi, Mr. Adi! New dateng, huh?" Tegur Qiara was excited at a gardener who once came to take care of Dean's yard.

Qiara was already quite familiar with Mr. Adi because he was said to often visit Dean's house.

"Eh, Non Qia. Why?" Adi asked back.

"Book I'm missing. So, I came here to take it."

"Ohh that?" Sahut Pak Adi's.

"If so, sir, I'll go back to the house first, okay? The book has met." Qiara poked out the library's book in front of Mr. Adi.

Mr. Adi just nodded with a gentle smile.

Qiara exited the spacious courtyard of Dean's house, entered his car parked in front of the gate, then resumed his journey which had been delayed quite a long time.

...****...

"Qi—Qiara Serena?" Ogled someone right from the side where Qiara was standing right now with a trembling voice.

Qiara froze for a few seconds. He remembered that voice. How not to remember? If the voice used to be one of the most important parts of his life. One voice that never once said that she loved Qiara as well. One voice belonged to Danny, someone he once loved so much, more than he loved himself.

The voice belonged to Danny, someone who was once his whole world.

Qiara who was about to grab one of the books on the top shelf, finally turned her head and looked at Danny. As his eyes and Danny's eyes collided with each other, he gasped in shock. Because finally, after all these years, this man reappeared in his eyes in real terms.

Although from the beginning he already knew that he would soon be reunited with Danny, but still Qiara could not escape from his shock.

"See? I can't win if you choose to hide. I must have lost a lot in that, hahaha..."

Qiara felt her face as if it had just been doused by a bucket of cold water when she saw Danny dropping a tear before her. Just from Danny's eye gaze, Qiara knew that how great the man's longing was for her. But Qiara did not know what to do now. The entire cell in her brain took over her movements, so that just as Danny was about to grab her wrist to bring her into his arms, Qiara stepped back with her face down.

"Qia?" Once again the voice called out his name, messing up his breathing rate and making it a bit difficult to sigh.

He then forced himself to breathe, emboldening himself to return Danny's gaze. "H—Hay, Dann! How are you?" Ask her then, betraying her brain's orders. 

"After you've been missing for years, after you left me alone when you promised me you'd never leave me, you asked me how I was?"

"Danny, I—"

'STUPID 'BOMAN! Don't say anything now. Danny was furious' Qiara screamed inwardly, cursing what had just come out of his mouth.

"It looks like you already know that we're meeting today, you're already getting ready for this, right? Aye, right?"

Danny's fierce tudingan increasingly makes Qiara feel cornered. Then before he could answer, Mr. Rendra suddenly appeared and saved him from the critical situation.

"Mba Qiara, we have to leave now. It's about time. The kids must have been waiting."

Quietly Qiara sighed in relief. He then rubbed the corner of his watery eyes before finally saying to Mr. Rendra, "yes, sir. Let's go!"

"Who said you could go? Huh uh?!" Snapped Danny while gripping Qiara's wrist with full force.

Qiara grimaced softly, "Danny my hand hurts. Pleaseee..."

With a guilty look, Danny who began to soften released his grip. Guilt was immediately evident on his face when he saw Qiara's reddened hands.

"I'm sorry, but now I have to go. I'm really busy. We'll move on later, and you have every right to vent all your anger."

Danny snorted his smile cynically while throwing his face away. The opportunity was immediately taken by Qiara to go from the presence of Danny, while in the heart of hope, hopefully Danny does not follow him.

^^^To be Continued...^^^