The Honorary Owner
63

The hour hand is almost pointing at the number six, but the sun has not yet shown its light. The overcast sky and rain spots became the morning greeters of the residents of the Capital City. Ruby was well dressed, the bag was neatly draped on her back. But the woman sat propped up on her chin at her desk, staring blankly at the dewy window.

Her swollen eyes were already evidence of her wounded, sick and fragile heart. Once again he felt the heartbreak of the same man. God is talking to her, maybe this is the end of the love story between Ruby and Iqbal. Yeah, Ruby's reassuring herself. He will bury his first love, he will slowly erode the name Iqbal from his heart and from his do'a-do'ya.

Tok to tok.

The sound of knocking on his door was ignored, he was lazy to talk, lazy to move, lazy. He is just enjoying his position now.

Chequek!

The door opens without the consent of the owner. Ruby did not intend to turn her body, she already knew for sure it was the owner of the house where she lived at this time.

Hiko put a glass of warm brown milk in front of Ruby, then leaned her butt on the edge of Ruby's desk with both hands that went in her trouser pouch. He looked at Ruby who was unmoved by her presence.

"You don't want breakfast, drink milk." Said Hiko.

Ruby clasped the milk glass with both hands, warming her cold palms. "Thank you" he said.

"Lo want to work with those rich puffy eyes?" Ask Hiko.

"How else." Ruby replied, she started drinking little by little the milk Hiko gave her.

"Perhaps people will think I've made you cry." Hiko Mumbles.

Ruby did not respond.

"Why don't you marry him? He looks perfect from any side." Ask Hiko.

"Yes, besides Abi, he's the best guy I've ever known." Ruby looked back at the dewy window of her room, her memory twisted back to the figure of an Iqbal.

Hiko smiled, "And you choose even a rich depraved guy I made you marry?"

Ruby took a sip back at her milk, then looked at Hiko. "Because someone makes me flawed and doesn't deserve a perfect man like Iqbal."

The words that came out of Ruby's mouth were like sharp knives that she threw right in Hiko's heart to make him speechless.

Ruby gulped down the milk and stood up to leave but her hand was held back by Hiko.

"Do you hate him?" Ask Hiko.

"Sure, how could I not hate him." Answer Ruby.

"What if one day you find out and meet that person?" Ask Hiko again

Ruby was silent, she looked at Hiko as if to tell her that she had met the man who took away her honor.

"Do you know who that person is?" Hiko asked who was curious about Ruby's eyes.

Ruby nodded, "I already know and I've met him."

Silent.

The two stared at each other without a word coming out. Raindrops and the clockwork clenching of the walls in Ruby's room are the voices between their silence. Hiko gripped Ruby's wrist tighter and tighter.

"Are you trying to break my hand, Mom?" Ask Ruby.

Hiko stretched his grip as soon as possible, but did not let go.

"Would you believe if he said it was out of his control?" Ask Hiko.

Ruby shook her head, "I still hate her." Ruby said, "The voice, the manner, the face, the scent of the perfume, the touch! I hate him so much!" Ruby said, Her breathing is hunting because it restrains her anger.

"I hate him, he ruined all my life! Forcing me to let go of the man I love! Makes me hate myself!" Shouted Ruby, releasing all his anger that he had been damning.

Ruby pulls her hand from Hiko's clutches, but Hiko doesn't let it slip.

"Take me off!" Ruby Pinta.

Hiko shook her head, now she pulled both Ruby's hands. Make the woman stand right in front of him.

"I'm sorry, By." Hiko said after she was silent for quite a while.

"Why am I sorry?" He knows what Hiko means, but he chooses to pretend he doesn't know.

"Gue kesel lo because it has leaked my relationship and Nara to Heru. All my work is messy because of Heru. I told them to kidnap you and take you to my apartment. My intention was just to snack on it, but since I was too drunk that night so it was out of my control doing it to you."

Ruby silently looked at Hiko, hearing the retribution she had always asked in her own mind. The tears that he thought were gone were still there, and just flowed down his cheeks.

"I have never told anyone about your relationship, Mas Heru has known about your relationship since the beginning of his marriage to Nara. He was silent, pretending not to know, closing his eyes and ears. She just hopes Nara can slowly love her. But you're getting out of control. You and Nara who have a forbidden relationship, Heru who is hurt and I who became the victim of your misunderstanding!"

"If Heru had understood from the beginning, why would he still marry Nara? He's the one who's wrong is already the third person between me and Nara. He should have gone, not me! If he gave up from the beginning, this incident did not happen to you. I and Nara must have been married from the beginning." Hiko defended herself.

Ruby took off Hiko's hand. "And after you blame Heru who has become the third person in your relationship, in the future you will blame me for being the third person also between you and Nara!?"

Hiko was silent and could not answer Ruby's question.

"Since childhood I've always thought about marrying the man I love, the foreign man who would make me his priority, take care of me, love me and protect me. But now I have to be between you and Nara, be the third person, not prioritized, often neglected like dust powder in the air.

I'm not begging for your attention and I never expect anything from you. I am here because of my will. I accepted your proposal also out of my own volition. You can blame me for all this. But please, don't hurt my parents with your and Nara's relationship."

Ruby looked at Hiko, reconfirming if the man understood her words then left her room.

Hiko looked at the woman's departure, again he was not willing to let her go just like that. But he also had no reason to hold it.

**********

By using online taxi services Ruby arrived at his office. His conversation with Hiko and Rain in the morning that caused the traffic jam made him late to the office.

"Sorry, I'm late." Ruby said when she opened the door.

Ruby just smiled and sat down at her desk. Not until his butt sat on the chair, Tasya approached him.

"Come, By. Wait for Heru sir." take Tasya.

"Remain, Ma'am?" Ask Ruby

Tanya shrugged both of her shoulders, "Follow it."

Ruby stood up, with Abriz, Rangga and Tasya heading to Heru's room.

In Heru's room, he was already sitting on the sofa waiting for the presence of four animators. "Sit down ..." Her speech.

The four sat down.

"So gini, there was my friend who became a lecturer at one of the Art Institutes in Jogja asked several animators to fill the seminar and the animation film Festival there. Because I think you guys have the best skill among others, I want you guys to go to Jogja. How's it?"

Ruby looked at each other with Tasya, figuring out what Tasya wanted.

"Gue rada maksa, because he's my good friend." Added Heru.

"How long, sir?" Ask Rangga.

"Two daily doang. Tomorrow's seminar, Wednesday's film festival ..."

"Thursday's a day's walk bonus huh, brother." Cut Abriz.

"Lo don't think you have any responsibility here?" Heru throws his ballpoint pen at Abriz.

"Yes, it's been rinsed." Abriz muttered, throwing back Heru's ballpoint pen.

"Airplane tickets will be sent to whatsapp Abriz, tomorrow morning flight at five in the morning." Heru Clearly.

The four of them were shaking their heads.

"Okay, you can go back and prepare for the work you'll be staying for two days."

"Good, sir."

The four men also left the room.

"Tomorrow at the airport." Tasya.

"Gue nebeng lo ya, Sya." Pinta Abriz's.

"Lagian lo this, today is still a walk. No bike, nowhere is it hard, Briz." Rangga.

"Gue is living my life, Ngga. The important thing is that his school is okay. I can walk everywhere, there's a bell here. Haha." Abriz's laughter was still with his high level of confidence.

The three friends just shook their heads to see Abriz's behavior.

"But I'll go back first yeah, I want my cast control. I'm making the same schedule as the doctor." Abriz raised his hand wrapped in a cast.

"I'm anter brother." Ruby offered herself.

"Loh, Ayoooo!" Reply Abriz spirit.

The four of them returned to the Animator's room and started working.

***********

Ruby had finished her work early so she could take Abriz to the hospital. With Abriz he said goodbye to the others to go home first.

While Hiko picked up Ruby at the usual time, she waited for a long time and finally decided to ask the receptionist for help to help her to tell Ruby if she was waiting.

"Sister Hiko." Sapa Irma who saw Hiko's presence.

"Hi." Reply Hiko, he gazed around Irma and there was only Tasya. "Where's ruby?"

Irma and Tasya stared at each other, they hesitated to tell Hiko.

"Ruby ushered in Abriz's mas for control." Answer Tasya later.

"Abriz?? The guy who likes Ruby?" Hiko clarified.

Tasya nodded.

"Thanks yes!" Hiko then left Tasya and Irma.

Annoyed, he got back in the car and pulled out his phone to call someone.

"Hallo. Ra's. Lo where? You go to my house now yeah, we meet there."

- Connected

.

.

.

.

.

I'm sorry that you can not reply to your comments one by one because you are busy with the main job. Keep supporting aiko yaaa. like, comment and vote.