HATE Before LOVE
Run To You's.

*Flashback*

Elif ran to withstand the piercing pain of his feet. He did not know how far he had run, how many people had tried to stop him, but Elif kept running. His feet hurt, his heart did too. His eyes blurred because of the clear membrane of tears that bathed the two corners of his eyes.

Every now and then he looked back, the screams of his father or the man he had known as his father echoed in his head, the footsteps of the man chasing him as fast as he ran. He no longer cared about the strange gazes of the people he passed by, no longer concerned about the heat of the asphalt that he poked with his injured and bleeding soles.

He just wanted to get as far away from his father as possible. His father's frightening eyes, like a starving lion looking at helpless prey, frightened Elif, even as he ran, his body trembled in fear.

"He... my father.he...no.. my father..." Repetitive speech came out of his mouth as long as he kept running.

Until he finally stopped. His feet could no longer move. Then a woman wearing an ojek rider jacket approached her, the only person who approached her as everyone moved away and looked at Elif with a disdainful look there with a fearful look. Maybe they think Elif is just a bum.

"Your feet are bleeding." Say the jacketed woman softly. Worrying looks. "Let me take you to the puskesmas."

Elif shook his head, he grabbed the woman's hand, looking at her with a pleading gaze. "Please.help me..."

"Sure, sure." The woman patted the back of Elif's hand, calming. "What can I help you with?"

"Please take me to the apartment."

"Why not go to the puskesmas first?"

Elif shook his head quickly, "Don't, please.don't go to the puskesmas, to the apartment..."

"All right, all right," tell me where the address is, I'll drop off."

"But I don't have any money to-"

"It's okay, come on, your legs should be treated immediately."

The woman helps Elif stand up and walk towards the matic motorcycle, he put a helmet on the Elif's head and helps Elif to get on his bike, then he climbs and leaves the location.

Elif shows the way to Ardan's apartment through shortcuts, small streets of the village. Not accidentally, but he deliberately passed through the streets as he ran, he avoided the streets that have crossroads with traffic lights that contained CCTV. So even now he directs the road, passing through the village road that is not touched by CCTV. He is just on guard, maybe his father will report to the police and of course the police will look for his whereabouts by checking CCTV.

Even so, his fear did not disappear, he still felt followed by his father, his head repeatedly looking back to make sure no one was following him. They stopped at the apartment building but not at the front of the building, but the emergency door at the back of the apartment building.

His trembling hands had difficulty unscrewing the helmet, until the kind woman who had ushered him helped him.

"Are you sure you don't need me to come in?" ask the woman.

"Yeah. T-thank you."

"Together."

"Please don't. don't tell anyone..."

The woman smiled then left Elif.

Elif knew there was CCTV above the door, he had no other way, Elif lowered his hair covering his face, then stepped quickly through the door. He immediately climbed the emergency stairs to the twelfth floor, where Ardan's apartment unit was located.

While being alert, he continued to climb the stairs. As soon as he reached the 12th floor, he immediately went to the door of Ardan's apartment, pressing the automatic lock code that he had known since working as a secretary Ardan. As soon as he got into the apartment, he went straight to the kitchen, picked up a knife and hid under the bar table in fear.

*flashback off*

Ardan got out of the car as soon as Teddy opened the door. Teddy realized something his boss didn't seem to realize. A haired, messy woman in the wind was sitting alone on a garden iron chair with her head lowered almost touching her own knees.

"Sir" Teddy nodded his head at the woman.

Ardan widened his eyes, "Elif?" Her speech.

A scene that Teddy believes can only be seen in Korean dramas or romantic soap operas, now he watches it directly without a scenario. What a beautiful sight. Teddy left there without a sound.

"I remember. I remember everything." Elif said on the sidelines sobs.

***

Ardan gave Elif a glass of water after they were inside the apartment. Elif was calmer after he told her all the events, from Zehra who had explained everything and his lost memories, even so Elif still clearly looked so devastated by the circumstances and reality.

"I never thought there would be someone who held such a grudge, until good was not seen." Said Ardan staring gently at Elif, his hands outstretched, gently rubbing Elif's cheeks from the remains of tears. "Don't cry for her again, please."

"I'm not crying for her" Elif said. "I'm crying for myself. Am I a fucking carrier? Do I not deserve to feel the affection of a father? Not even my real father wants me." Elif lowered his head, he was sad again.

Ardan approached, pulled the tiny body of the woman and hugged her, calming her down. Then she said, "You are my luck, you are the second woman to make my heart give in to love."

"Second?"

"Of course." replied Ardan confidently.

Elif immediately released himself from Ardan's embrace, he looked at Ardan with his wet eyes, "Second?" Elif.

Ardan gave a smile, anxious to see the face of Elif who was holding back jealousy. Can't bear it not to pinch Elif's cheek.

"Why are you so adorable."

"Don't tease me, Ardan." Elif turned her face between blushing and jealousy.

"I'm not teasing you." said Ardan. He grabbed Elif's chin with his fingers, bringing the face of the woman he loved back to him. "You are the second and last. Since I won't be able to take the place of my first love, after all if I do, I'll be an ungodly child."

The gaze of Elif's eyes slowly changed, from furtive jealousy to light once she realized who Ardan's first love meant.

"Mama Hanna" he said.

Ardan chuckles.

"Why don't you just say it." Elif clucking.

"If it wasn't so, I couldn't see that adorable jealous face."

"I'm not jealous." Elif.

"Your eyes say something else."

The two of them laughed for a while.

"How are you feeling now?" ask Ardan seriously.

"Better." replied Elif.

"Are you still afraid of the reality you now know? Or are you relieved that all your questions have answers?"

"I don't know, Ar, I don't know what I'm feeling right now. As Mom told me all about it, I really felt like I was losing my way, but once I remembered the missing piece of my memory, I was no longer too afraid to accept this reality." elif replied hesitatingly as to how he felt at this moment.

"I'm really sorry for your hand, Ar.." said Elif full of regret.

"It's okay, besides this stitch marks make me look more..what yes, macho." said Ardan while smiling widely. The smile that made Elif so grateful.

"Thank you, Ar, I feel at ease with you."