Behind The Lies
First Meeting After Ten Years

Jakarta, early 2022.

Ashilla wakes up in the middle of the night. The void became an increasingly large hole gnawing at his life. A week ago he was asked to live in Jakarta by his grandfather, Ashilla had promised to help take care of his grandfather's textile company.

The twenty-eight-year-old woman was sitting daydreaming in front of the bedroom window gazing at the thousands of stars in the dark of the night. The sound of water gurgling in the pool behind the house never stops as if it is a relaxation of its own.

His mind floated thinking about the incident this afternoon when he was stuck in the traffic jam of the capital. That afternoon he was going to meet his grandfather's company investors at a restaurant. Talking about business on the sidelines of lunch was the first experience he ever had. However, that was not the burden on his mind at the moment, but the two men who continued to call out to him. “Aruna.”

While in New York, Ashila was a lecturer in Literature. However, in Jakarta he was required to get out of his comfort zone. If the father still exists, of course, the one in his current position is his father because somehow Ashilla doubted herself, she was afraid she could not build the business and make Ganjar Wijaya, the grandfather was disappointed.

That afternoon he forced his way down from the car driven by his grandfather's private driver. Yayan himself said that they had to turn around because the restaurant where the meeting was held was across the street where they were at that time. Not wanting to be late, Ashilla finally decided to go down.

“Non, sure you want to get off here?” ask Yayan to the master.

“Averse, ‘kan?” ask Ashilla to make sure.

Yayan nodded at the young mistress' question. Ashilla got down and ran to get to the other side. Suddenly the shriek of the horn shrieked making his heart beat in shock.

“In case of crossing hat–” The woman who was about to scold him suddenly blocked her own sentence. It seems that the driver was no less surprised by what he had just seen.

“Sorry,” said Ashilla, a second later she left without looking back at the woman who almost hit her.

He immediately went up to the second floor of the restaurant, but unfortunately Ganjar had just ended the meeting that afternoon.

“You're late, Shilla.” Stare at his watch. “One hour. Where have you been?”

“Macet, Opa.”

“Opa already said before.”

Ashilla nodded. “Sorry, Opa.”

“This is Ashilla Wijaya, my grandson. He will continue the company,” said the man who is almost eighty years old.

“So, this Ashilla Bu will inherit Wijaya Group?” ask one of my colleagues. Ganjar immediately nodded confirming the question of his business partner.

“I'm sorry I still learned a lot,” Ashilla said.

“Starting tomorrow I am officially retired and the company is fully held Ashilla. It is old like this, still chasing the world, it is fitting that I spend time with myself and God.” Ganjar then turned to Ashilla. “You don't want, the burden was finally transferred to my grandson.”

“Congratulations Bu Ashilla. Hopefully in the future Wijaya group more successful again.”

Ashilla just nodded. He was hesitant to run the company. He was not used to bother because Ganjar had been too pampering him.

The afternoon event ended with a meal and after Ganjar went home first.

“Direct to Office, Shil,” Unanjar preach before leaving.

“Aruna?”

I don't know why the name is so strange in Ashilla's ears. He raised his face and looked at the man who called him that. “Who is it?”

“Kak Iqbal's. Time Aruna forgot?” The man pulled up the chair and sat in front of him.

Ashilla is even sculpting. After one week in Jakarta, there was only the first time anyone called him by that name. However, feeling foreign, he got up quickly, but as he was about to leave the man held his hand.

“Please meet Iyash, he must be happy,” said the bespectacled man.

“Iyash?” Ashilla's forehead frowned instantly. “Sorry. You wrong people.” Of course it was because Ashilla felt completely unfamiliar with the man in front of her and the name she had just heard.

He tried to let go of the man's hand. “I'm not Aruna, you must be wrong person.” He's leaving soon. Unfortunately the man was chasing while continuing to call him Aruna.

“Aruna, Runa, Aruna wait.”

Ashilla was really upset, she was also embarrassed to be seen by so many people. Finally he turned around and showed his identity card to the man. “Ashilla Wijaya, not Aruna.”

The man stared at the name on the identity card. He was about to take the Citizen's Sign Card to see more clearly, but Ashilla instead kept him away. “Sorry I have to go.”

“Wait.” The man did not believe what Ashilla had shown. “You must be lying, after ten years where have you been all this time? You don't care anymore about us here?”

On the last rung of stairs Ashilla was stunned, then turned to look at the man. “Iqbal, ‘kan?” ask Ashilla.

The man immediately nodded as he came down from the stairs and slowly approached him.

“Sorry, I'm not Aruna, I told you, you may be wrong. Thank you.” Ashilla left immediately, however, the man went back after her and it made Ashilla feel afraid.

“Wait-wait, Aruna wait!” The man continued to insist. He even grabbed Ashilla's hand and held her back. Ashilla quickly brushed him off and quickly went outside. In front of the resto his body hit a brown-blazing man. He immediately pulled the man's hand and dragged him to the front wall of the restaurant.

He hid behind the man's chest. “Sorry, but hopefully you can help me from that stranger,” Ashilla said in front of the man's chest.

The smell of musk roars over the smell of Ashilla. He inhaled and filled his lungs with the scent. Somehow in a second he suddenly felt the man clutching him tightly. “Thank you yes, Lord.”

Ashilla was flabbergasted, three seconds later she felt the man clutching her cheeks, then showering her with a kiss on her cheek, forehead, nose and ending in her lips.

Ashilla's heart is beating. He wanted to get angry, but his body felt stiff. “Alhamdulillah, thank you God,” hiss the man while re-engaging Ashilla into his arms. “Thank you, thank you,” add the man earnestly.

Ashilla's heart was pounding. He should have been angry, he deserved to be angry because he had just been harassed, but strangely he just pecked and let the man hug and kiss him.

The man pulled his hand and was about to take Ashilla to his car. However, Ashilla regained her senses and immediately released the hands of the handsome man. He then took a step and immediately got into the black pajero waiting for him. “Street, Sir,” Ashilla said to Yayan.

“Good, Non.”

In the car the man's kisses continued to damage and dirty his mind, the thump behind his chest grew firmer. He felt the kiss left on his cheeks, forehead, nose and lips. The expression of gratitude even continued to echo filled his auditory cavity, not to mention the scent of musk left on his shirt.