Love Coiled Stains
Returning

Me, Arga, Bayu, Fiza and Dimas were sitting on the chairs in my living room. We'd like to hear what Dimas is going to explain about my best friend. Well Santi, he's my only friend.

"Now try to tell me what you just meant" my Pinta.

"Before I wanted to apologize to you Rea. I feel guilty for hiding this secret for almost a year. Now I realize that this is not good. I don't want to be always guilty of my guilt towards you. Moreover, you are a good girl. You are always kind to people" Dimas said, filled with guilt in his heart.

"Already, don't talk stale you better tell me what you want to tell me" said Arga who seemed still upset.

"You remember the event that made you finally marry Arga?"

Degs...

I was shocked, this heart actually did not want to recall that painful event. However, Dimas forced me to recall the event.

"Yes, I remember" answered me.

"Truely, what has happened to you was all planned by your friend Santi" Dimas began to tell stories.

Degs...

Back the shock haunted me. I can't believe that Santi could do this to me.

"You mean?" I don't want to guess too much about the uncertain.

"At that time, when you just finished meeting at the five-star hotel, Santi invited you to lunch, didn't he?"

I nodded in confirming.

"There is the beginning of the incident. Where Santi accidentally put the powder into your drink to make you half conscious when you go to the toilet at that time"

Back to my memory of remembering that incident. When I came back from the toilet and drank the orange juice, I suddenly felt dizzy.

"Santi deliberately took you to the hotel back and booked a room for you with the reason that you can rest there. But the truth is he did it so I could get into your room. I asked her to help him live out his plan. Where he'll take our picture in bed as if we're done doing it"

"Huh? No way, Santi couldn't have done that to me. He's my best friend, he's my best friend" I said in disbelief.

"It's up to you to believe me or not. Clearly this is the reality. He did that because he felt jealous of you. Riko, the man she's loved all this time is always after you, isn't she? Riko likes you and doesn't like her. Therefore he wants to take a photo of me and you to give to Riko so that Riko considers you a cheap woman and hates you. That way, he'll get Riko. And now it's been proven that she's not engaged to Riko. And the plan is next week they'll get married" Dimas explained again.

I closed my mouth wide open. I really can't believe what Dimas told me just now. Just because a man Santi my best friend from the time I was in High School could do this heinous thing.

"However, I haven't gotten into my room and done my duty, Arga has entered that room. And there have been events that made you and Arga finally married" Dimas explained again.

"Yes you were right, you were a boy with Santi back then at the hotel. I thought you were Santi's girlfriend. It turns out you're Santi's paid person" Arga said, recalling the incident.

"And one more. I've heard it was Santi who fired you from your job. I accidentally met him. He was talking to someone on the phone. And said it would remove you from your post by then. He is envious of you, because your position is higher than his. He has worked for a long time at the company. You who are new have gone up in office. Until he asks someone to manipulate the results of financial documents that make your company lose" Dimas explained again.

I pinched my head that felt dizzy. I really didn't expect what Dimas said. I didn't think Santi was that hard on me. Though all this time I tried to unite her with Riko. I never took Riko from her. Although my heart started to like Riko who was always kind to me and my family, still I rejected the glasses guy. Because I know how Santi feels about her. And I don't want to make our friendship break down just because of a man.

I covered my face with both hands. I was crying so much. I was very disappointed in my friend. She really is a two-faced woman. In front of me, she became an angel ready to protect me. But behind me, he was sharpening a sharp knife to stab me in the back.

"Why Santi, why do you do this?" I said in my tears. Arga saw me crying near me. He hugged me to calm my feelings of being disappointed with my best friend.

I returned Arga's embrace to make my heart feel calm. There's really nothing that can calm this heart but the embrace of the one we love, right?

"I'm sorry, Rea. I'm guilty of hiding all this. I feel guilty for you. I'm sorry, I. Forgive me" said Dimas apologizing to me.

"You're innocent Dimas. I should be the one to thank you. Because you have told me all this. It's just that I can't believe that Santi could do this to me" I said crying in Arga's arms.

Arga stroked my head to calm my heart.

"You're patient, Rea. Crying can make your heart calm. I'll always be by your side" Arga said, calming me down.

***

The night had come, the sun had taken its farewell from appearing itself upon the clouds. Arga and I sat in the front seat in my room.

"That's my best friend. How could he do this to me. What was my fault with her all this time?" My words are still in my tears.

"When I was, he was always with me. He even helped me get into my company. But why did he do this to me. I didn't expect him to do this at all" I said still in my tears.

Arga clasped my hand to calm my disappointed heart.

"Not be sad anymore. Your tears don't deserve to come out for someone like him. Sometimes, we can't figure out what people are going to do to us" Arga said. I held Arga's hand back to me.

"Until his heart, pity Riko" I said again.

"Rea, don't cry. Yes" He said again.

Because of that incident, it made my heart feel chaotic. I also asked Arga to accompany me to sleep with me at the boarding house. Right now I really need a friend who is my own husband so that this heart feels a little calm. Arga agreed to accompany me that night.

We slept in the same bed. I saw Arga slumbering in his sleep beside me. I woke up from my sleep and sat in my bed. I still think about Santi who is so brave to me. Tears continued to roll down my cheeks. I had considered Santi as my own brother to stab me in the back.

I stared at the sleeping face beside me. I took Arga's hand and I held it tight and kissed my husband's hand. I really miss my husband.

"I'm sorry, Arga. And thank you for being here for me" I said softly.

Arga did his duty as a Muslim when the dawn of Azan reverb. I am still sleeping in my sleep. Because I'm getting monthly guests.

I squirmed as dawn broke. And sitting on my bed was still in a state of heavy eyes. I rubbed my eyes.

"Good morning" Arga said with a plate of fried rice and a glass of milk in his hand.

"When have you prepared food like this? It's not your prestige to do this" I said in amazement.

Arga grinned like a hippo misbehaved.

"Please eat" said he put the food brought earlier on the nightstand.

I just saw the food.

"Why? Don't you like the food I bring?" Ask Arga again.

"No, it's not. It's just that I don't normally eat right after waking up like this" I said.

Arga nodded in understanding.

"So you really don't want to? If you don't want to, I'll eat it. I will prepare another meal for you" Arga said again.

"So you haven't had breakfast before?" Ask me.

"I'm just like you. Just waking up can not eat immediately. I just feel hungry now"

"Yes, eating is okay" I replied.

"Arga" I said after a long time of silence.

"You better go home. I want to take a shower and get ready to go to work. And thank you for accompanying me tonight"

"So I called Bayu's sister. I asked him for permission to take you off work today"

"Why do I have to take a day off work?" My word.

"You see how you are now" Arga said.

I was silent thinking about Santi who could bear to me.

"Rea, don't be sad anymore. It's not appropriate for you to shed your tears for a friend like Santi"

"I just can't figure out why Santi would be with me like this. Poor Riko, I'm not the only victim. Riko is now a victim because of her vile self"

"Yes I understand all that" said Arga.

"Did you? You don't understand my situation. You never feel what it's like when our own fallen friends. Which makes me lose my honor. Which made me lose my way back then. And that made me look at all people with contempt" I was clearly with emotion.

"Do you love Riko?"

I just kept quiet I couldn't answer Arga's question.

"Jawab, are you expecting him?" Repeat it again.

"Me and Riko were just friends. Even if there was a connection between us, it would be over. Just like you and me. It's all over" I explained.

"Son, it's not over with me" Arga said quickly.

"Rea, let's go home with me. We begin our new life. We open a new leaf" Arga said, pleading.

"Son, I don't want to. I don't want to live in honey. Just like Sandra who doesn't want to be in honey" I said.

"Okay, I used to be able to accept all this because I'm sure our relationship will end in divorce. But this is another one. And for me it was an error" I said filled with pain in my heart.

"And if you want me to live again with you, I reiterate that I don't want to. Because you already have Sandra. You are so dear and love to him. You and Sandra are living happily. So I asked, let me go. Don't you go back to punishing me with this bond" I said again.

"So I beg you to let go of me" I said, leaving Arga straight into the bathroom. Arga just sat quietly not making the slightest sound.

***

I sat daydreaming on a rock where I used to hang out alone there. Arga came to me.

"Rea" Her reprimand shocked me.

"Arga, what's up" I said.

"There's something I want to talk to you about"

"What are you talking about?"

Arga held both my shoulders. Looked at me deeply.

"Try you to look me in the eye. And see if there's a lie in there?" Ask her.

I looked into my husband's eyes.

"Rea, I love me more than my love for Sandra" he said with confidence.

"It's Arga, don't make me face you too much. I'm tired of my feelings that are always being played by you" said I turned my eyes away.

"Better, you just go home with Sandra. I don't want to listen to anything anymore"

"Sandra is no longer in our lives. Right now there is only me and you in our relationship" Arga said.