INFINITE LOYALTY
DIA

The sound of dried leaves being stepped on, making his eyes instantly open, Riani's vigilance made him immediately wake up, with eyes directly towards the source of the sound.

"You?! riani asked in shock when she found out that the one who came was the man who had accidentally always met her.

"Yes me, sorry...If my arrival has disturbed your sleep" said the man in a friendly tone.

"I'm sorry...Are you following me?" ask Riani to investigate.

"Yes, I'm following you" the man replied honestly.

"When do you start following me?" asked Riani again who was surprised by the man's lightness.

"Actually all our meetings can be said to be accidental coincidences"

"A coincidence accidentally?" ask Riani who is increasingly probing.

"Yes, because just now when I was cycling, I saw you enter a path that people rarely pass, because I was worried you were lost so I followed you" he explained.

Hearing the man's explanation and his attention, in Riani's heart there was a sense of wonder, and when she looked carefully at the man's figure her heart trembled, because the man was exactly the same as her, from the eyes, from the eyes, his smile, voice and tone were exactly the same as her, as the man standing in front of her was now an example of a perfect resemblance of her...

"Thank you very much for your concern, sorry if I've been troubling you..." Said Riani who immediately realized from her daydream.

"I don't feel any hassles, and I hope you don't mind if we can be friends" the man smiled, extending his hand towards Riani.

"Of course I don't mind" Riani replied as she returned the hand of the man in front of her.

"Include my name Rifai, it's good to be friends with you" said the man with a meaningful look at Riani.

"I'm Riani, thank you for being friends with me" Riani replied with a sweet smile and released her hands, in her heart immediately felt relieved because the man was indeed not her and could not be her...Because he preferred to give up his life and leave Riani in despair and pain at that time...

"I actually have another name, but I prefer to use this name, because this name he gave me, and it means a lot to me..." It was clearly that man called Rifai.

"Surely he's a very important person to you?"

"Yes, he is precious and meaningful to me..."

"Fortunate is she, for having someone who loves and loves her as much as you do..."

"But unfortunately...He doesn't know my whereabouts and feelings..."

"How come? isn't he always with you?" riani asked in surprise, because as far as Riani knew the woman who was with her and holding her friendly must be the woman she loved, let alone staying at a resort with her.

"You mean?" ask Rifai who was confused.

"Ehem...The woman who was walking with you, when we passed each other and met the first time, wasn't she your lover or even your wife?" riani asked carefully as well as curiously.

"How can you tell if she's my wife?" rifai said back asking with a smile full of meaning.

"O! Ahem...Because at that time I saw that you two were so friendly and romantic, like a newlywed couple on their honeymoon" answered Riani awkwardly and unkindly.

"You're right but rather she's my future wife, we both came here to prepare for our wedding which was planned to be held at resort X"

"Oo so...Congratulations and sorry if I just guess..." Said Riani sambi shook Rifai's hand briefly then immediately released it as a sign of apology and congratulations on the happy news about Rifai's wedding plans, and then immediately released it as a sign of forgiveness, but for some reason deep down he felt like there was a pain that cut his heart, but he did not know what that feeling was and why?

"But my heart and my feelings are not what you saw back then..." Rifai said with the look on his face that instantly changed with sadness.

"You mean?" riani asked curiously and was surprised by the change in Rifai's face.

"Maybe I look happy, but my heart and my feelings feel empty and lonely, I feel like I'm in a relationship of intimacy without romance..." Reply Rifai who is now sitting on the sand with an empty view towards the sea.

"Wad...If the problem is I do not dare to comment a lot, because it concerns your privacy relationship with your partner" replied Riani, because she was also confused to answer it especially she was very well aware of such feelings, as well, later it will be very difficult in a relationship, especially in relationships to the household level.

"It's okay...Can we not talk formally? I want us to talk like friends, aren't we friends now?" pinta Rifai at Riani while looking towards Riani who was still standing beside her.

"Of course I wouldn't mind, hadn't I told you before? it's just that I feel like you're the one who'd mind being friends with me..." Reply Rifai who seems to know what is in Riani's mind.

While Riani was only speechless, her mind was now in a state of turmoil due to the problems she was facing, and she did not want any other problems that would only add to the burden of her mind again.

"Actually I don't mind our friendship, it's just...We both have partners, I'm married and you'll soon have wives, so I don't want them to misunderstand our friendship..." Riani explained.

"I'm very understanding of that, so you don't have to worry"

"Okay, well then let's be friends" said Riani as she invited her hands, who was immediately welcomed by Rifai by replying to Riani's hand.

then the two stared at the sea that was pounding its waves at their feet.

"Ria...?" call Rifai again in a soft voice, hearing his name with that name Riani was surprised, because as she remembered only he called her by that name.

"What did you call me?! ask Riani curiously.

"Riani" replied Rifai quickly while turning his face the other way.

"Oo Sorry...I think I heard it wrong.

"I must have heard it wrong, because only he called my name that way..." His whisper in his heart.

The daydreams of the two dissolve on the figure of him without a name, who was once present in their respective past lives.

.............

Until a few minutes later...

"I'd better continue cycling, I'll say goodbye first..." Riani said as she stood up from her seat.

"Do I need to ride a bike?" said Rifai volunteered.

"No need to thank you, I still want to go around, there are still many places I want to go, but I want to be alone..." Riani answered trying to break Rifai's desire to accompany her.

"Then it's okay, but please don't get used to sleeping alone in any place, because it will invite danger to you..."

"I know, once again I say thank you very much for your concern..."

"Sama-sama, are you sure you don't want me to be with you?" asked Rifai again to convince himself.

"I'm sure Fa'i...I don't need to be accompanied, okay?"

"What did you call me?! this time it was Rifai's turn to be surprised after hearing Riani call his name with the name earlier, because only he called his name like that when he was together once...

"I'm sorry if I called you wrong, because somehow I suddenly want to call you by that name, but if you mind then I'll just call you Rifai, how?"

"I don't mind you calling me that, and I just want you to always call my name by that name"

"Alright Fa'i, then I go first" Riani said as she walked towards the tree where her bicycle was rested, and Rifai followed her from behind.

"I go first Fa'i, bye..." Riani said, Rifai only nodded to see Riani who had been pedaling slowly on her bike, her eyes fixed on Riani from behind who started to move away from her, until finally Riani's shadow disappeared at the crossroads.

Then Rifai took his bicycle which he laid not far from him to stand.

With a step that seemed hopelessly Rifai led his bike down the beach leaving the place, he did not heed the pounding waves about his legs that were now nothing, he deliberately took off his shoes, he deliberately took off, like he wanted to let go of her in his past yet the truth was that he was unable to let go of even just his shadow...

...☆☆☆...