Aster Veren
Episode 235's

- Esther

Uh shit! I have to say something, don't let Carel know, let's hold Aster. Don't cry, can't, just can't cry. My mind tries to hold back my tears as I think of something to say.

"Tell me! Is something bothering you?" He asked suddenly, to my surprise. I quickly shook my head that was stuck to the chest of his field.

"Really?"

"Yes." Yeah."

"All right ..," she muttered to me in surprise as I felt her gentle touch on my back, even I felt warm now that Carel had returned my embrace.

"So who's your girlfriend?" I asked to feel Carel's body being looked up to, like I managed to surprise her.

"Ap—you heard that from them?" His words tried to let go of my embrace again, but it didn't work because I tightened my arms again.

For the time being I felt like I couldn't talk to Carel if I saw her in person, so I decided to hug her so I could avoid her gaze.

"Hear what? I didn't hear anything. Didn't you have a lover as long as we didn't meet? Whoishe? Don't you have any intention of introducing her to me?"

"Huh?"

"don't have? You don't have a lover?" I kept pushing it. I don't know if I saw him in trouble because my question made me feel a little bit happy because I nailed him.

"I—"

"You said it to Dean when I passed out that night, right?" My words loosened my arms and Carel quickly let go of my arms, giving me the reflex to look up and meet her red bead.

Eh? Am I overreacting? My mind when I see Carel's red face.

I was told by Kalea and Dean in my final moments before deciding to go look for Carel after he finished talking to Teo. Dean said Carel took me from him who helped me first, and the thing that surprised me the most was when Dean said Carel stressed that I was his girlfriend.

And right now I want to make sure of it by continuing to urge him. It's a little childish, but it's very rare for me to see Carel's embarrassed face.

"You—"

"Hmm?"

"Damn them! Just watch out for them, I'm really going to beat them all up ...," he muttered looking annoyed as he tightened his grip on my shoulder.

"Don't want to say it directly?" My words again managed to draw his attention back to me, his glowing red bead looked back at me with a very visible expression of surprise. Even unconsciously the tears that I had been holding back had dripped by itself.

I don't know, is this feeling I'm feeling happy or sad? I was sad to learn that Carel suffered because of me and how hard he struggled to find me. And on the other hand I'm happy because I misunderstood what Dean said this afternoon. Knowing Carel didn't have a boyfriend somehow made me feel relieved and happy.

"... It seems Dean misunderstood. I'll explain it to Dean if you don't mean what you said that day. You said it just to bully her just so you're going to—" I said at a standstill as I felt Carel's hand push my head closer to her face.

Eh what? Huh huh? I continued inwardly when I felt the touch of Carel's lips on my lips as I could not continue my words in shock at his actions.

Then I felt a gust of wind blowing back on my body in a situation I never expected. I saw Carel had closed his eyes along with his hair swaying in the wind.

My heart! My heart felt my heart beat that began to race along with Carel who had released me.

"I ... love you so much Aster." His words with a long pause managed to surprise me for the umpteenth time, then I saw that his red bead was already looking at me gently as the finger of his right hand gently wiped away the tears on my face.

"... hiks, I know. Me too, I love you Carel." My cry grew even more when I saw Carel's smile that somehow hurt me. It was as if I knew all the difficulties and felt relieved when I saw him smile at me.

"Eh?"

"Haha, I'm sorry hiks haha .. This is strange when I feel happy but my tears keep coming out hiks."

I intended to prick her and was determined not to cry in front of her. But these tears of mine really can't be compromised. So sucks!

"Come here!" Carel hugged my body again and patted my back gently, then rubbed it gently.

"Hiks, Karel ... Carel Carel hwaaa I can't help it anymore. All this time I was so afraid that we would never see each other again, I was afraid that at the thought that everyone would completely forget me like my father. I was afraid that if my presence could harm Uncle Tesar and Aunt Nina, I was afraid that Dean and Sarah would be in danger because of me, I was afraid when I had to sleep in a dark place to hide from people. I—ugh hurt ...," I literally let go of everything until I felt pain in my chest. It felt like just yesterday I was crying in my father's arms, now I'm crying in Carel's arms.

"Aster—"

"I was afraid but not anymore, because I have you who have always been in my most difficult circumstances Carel. Although you may not be lucky to have me but I'm lucky to have you." I continued to lower my voice even more as Carel suddenly let go of her embrace.

"Who is unlucky to have you?" The question confused me with her reaction, was she upset?

"You?"

"Say again!"

"You."

"Again!"

"Kam—" I said back to a standstill when Carel kissed me again suddenly. Surprised me with a different kiss than before. Somehow why does it feel like his tongue went into my mouth?

It's bitter! Is it because he smoked? My mind remembers the puff of smoke coming out of Carel's mouth.

"Hah~" said Carel and I at the same time as our kiss ended, "I never thought that I was unlucky to have you. Even at our first meeting in the rain that day, I felt very lucky to have met you. I'm lucky because you love me too. So don't ever think like that again. Understood?" The next made me understand.

"... but Carel, that was ...," I said as I grabbed my lips and looked at Carel's red bead that seemed to tremble slightly, even the red hue on her face again sticking out of her face.

"Bitter!" I continue to surprise him.

"Ap—bit?"

"Yes, it feels like ... are you smoking?"

"Ti—no where might I—"

"Don't lie. You think I don't know? I saw you smoking long enough." My grunts while shaking his waist stared at him sharply.

"That ...,"

"I've heard everything from Teo." I said after sighing deeply, "pardon me Carel. Because of me you went through a very painful time. Wish I could have made a better plan than my death engineering plan. Maybe it won't hurt you too much." I dare not look at Carel's red bead.

"No, don't say that. I knew it was the best thing you could think of at the time. Besides, with your plan it's the enemies of the Veren family so stop looking for you right? The men the old man sent also stopped looking for you within two months. So I thought it was a pretty good plan, you managed to fool everyone including myself. And I'm also sorry that I couldn't get you safely, if I could have come on time, maybe you wouldn't have gotten hurt." He said, holding both hands and speaking softly.

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Thanks for reading...