Love Without Memory
Equally Thumping

The clock had already shown at 11pm when Aleea had just arrived home after finishing her busy life in the shophouse with Tika.

Just as Aleea brought her steps inside the house, Aleea heard the sound of steps approaching towards her running.

Alee turned his body and saw who was running towards him.

"I'm guessing you must have forced Nathan to come home first!" vina said to Aleea with an annoyed look.

"If you're just here to make a fuss, you better go home, I'm so tired and don't want any fuss here!" reply Aleea who did not heed Vina's speech.

"I'm here to see Nathan!" vina.

"If you want to meet her in person, do it outside the house, not in this house, that too if you still have the shame of being a woman!" aelea.

"I don't care, and Nathan never bothered!" reply Vina.

"But that's a problem for me and I have the right to determine who can and should not come here!" aelea.

"Right? are you sure? I doubt it!" reply Vina defiantly.

Aleea let out a long sigh then took her step out and called for the security guard.

"Please get him out of here sir and don't let him into this house again!" aelea said to the security guard.

"Mother knows me, right? you know I'm close to Nathan, right?" vina asked the security guard who approached her.

For a while the security guard was in doubt, whether to expel Vina or not because the security guard also knew how close Vina and Nathan had been since before Nathan married Aleea.

"Look at Aleea, you have absolutely no power here!" vina said with a triumphant smile.

"Why just shut up, sir?" nathan asked who suddenly went down the stairs, walking towards Aleea and Vina.

"Why are you hesitant to do Aleea's orders? she's Nathan's wife, she has every right to decide who can and can't come to this house!" nathan spoke to the security guard.

"But Nathan....."

"Bring him away sir, he's so annoying!" aelea said to the security guard.

"Good non," replied the security guard.

"No Nathan, you can't be like this to me, can't I be free to come here whenever I want, what if there's a job problem....."

"Stop making excuses to try to meet my husband Vina, you can meet him to discuss work while in the office, not in this house!" aelea said cutting off Vina's speech.

"You are close to him, even very close compared to other employees, but that doesn't change anything, you are still the employee who works under him, while I, I am his wife!" aelea continued with a sharp look at Vina.

Aleea then took her steps away, while Vina just kept quiet by holding back her frustration, especially when the security pulled her hand out of the house.

"Don't touch me!" vina said as she pulled her hand from the security guard violently.

With resentment and anger mounting, Vina took her step out of Nathan's house.

"You are close to him, even very close compared to other employees, but that doesn't change anything, you are still an employee who works under him!"

Aleea's words reverberated in his head and made him even more annoyed.

Despite that, Aleea's words were indeed true, no matter how close he and Nathan were, he was only an employee working under Nathan.

"Just wait for Aleea, this time I will make Nathan kneel under me and give me everything I want, I will not soften again this time!" vina said full of anger.

**

Elsewhere, Nathan followed Aleea up the stairs after Aleea left Vina.

"Where are you from?" nathan asked Aleea.

"It's none of your business" replied Aleea who sounded still upset.

"Wait!" nathan said by pulling Aleea's hand so that Aleea would stop her steps.

"If you're upset with Vina, don't vent it on me!" said Nathan.

"I don't care what your relationship is with him, but if he can come here as he pleases and suddenly you see him, it's just going to make Nathan's new problem, so try to be firm with him!" reply Aleea.

"I get it, I'll talk to him!" said Nathan.

"At least don't do it in this house, do it where no one sees it" Aleea said, pulling his hand from Nathan.

"Do what do you mean, Aleea? don't you know I don't like it at all, didn't you trust me yesterday and realize that misunderstanding?" nathan asked who ran back after Aleea.

"Come on, I'm so tired, please don't bother me!" aelea said that she would open the door to her room.

But suddenly Nathan restrained Aleea's hand, drawing Aleea's hand and making Aleea step closer to him.

"You have to believe that if I had no relationship with Aleea, no woman in the world would ever make me fall in love with her other than you, so don't you ever think if I'm doing anything wrong with Vina behind your back!" nathan

Nathan's resolute voice and the sharp look in his eyes for a while left Aleea speechless.

Their extremely close distance and Nathan's hand clasping Aleea's did not make Aleea move in the slightest.

"I've only been in love once and it's only with you Aleea, no matter how Vina tries to tease me, I only love you, only you, Aleea," Nathan said.

DEGH'S... DEGH.... DEGH.....

The heartbeats of both beat fast, pounding in the chest like a drum ready for battle.

Although Aleea was never sure of his relationship with Nathan, Nathan's remarks he had just heard made him flutter.

Similarly to Aleea, Nathan felt his chest pound as he said what he had just told Aleea.

Even though he did not feel like saying that honestly, his chest continued to pound along with the clock seconds which was like walking very slowly.

After a long while of silence with both eyes staring at each other, Aleea finally came to a realization of what was going on.

Aleea then pulled her hand from Nathan then walked into his room just like that.

While Nathan was just silent by holding his chest that was still pounding.

"What is this strange feeling? am I nervous about lying to her too much?" nathan asked inwardly and brought himself into the room.

"Aaarrgghh shit, I seem to be overreacting in lying!" said Nathan who felt the thump in his chest did not go away.

On the other hand, Aleea was still standing behind the door of her room. He was silent by holding his chest that kept pounding.

"Why did Nathan suddenly say that? doesn't he love me no more? but why does he seem so sure of what he said, is he possible......"

Aleea shook her head, trying to ignore what Nathan had just told her.

Aleea put her bag on the table and dropped herself on the bed.

"Why am I still pounding? it's like a new thing I felt during my time with Nathan, aaargghhh!"

**

The day has changed. Aleea woke up from her sleep early in the morning. That day he was ready to restart his activities as usual.

After she finished preparing, Aleea picked up her sling bag and carried her out of the room.

After closing the door of her room, for a moment Aleea fell silent. Last night's incident between him and Nathan suddenly reappeared in his head without him asking.

"Forget Aleea, maybe she just wanted to convince if she didn't have any relationship with Vina!" aelea said in her heart.

Aleea then walked down the stairs, got out of the house and left for the shophouse with the taxi he had booked.

On the other hand, Nathan accidentally wakes up early, hoping to meet Aleea before Aleea leaves the house.

Dressed in his white shirt, Nathan walked out of his room. Nathan halted his steps right in front of Aleea's room, bringing his gaze to Aleea's room door.

"Did he sleep?" nathan asked in his heart.

Nathan then took his step down, making sure Aleea had not left the house.

"Bi-morning," Nathan said to the aunt who had just arranged the food on the dinner table.

"For Mister" replied the aunt.

"Is Aleea not out of bi's room yet?" ask Nathan.

"Non Aleea has been gone since, sir," replied the aunt who made Nathan so surprised.

"Since then?" nathan asked repeating his aunt's words.

"Yes, non-Aleea is used to going early in the morning" replied the aunt.

"What time did he leave? it's still very early in the morning but he's been gone since!" nathan asked in his heart.

"Let's go, I don't want to know!" nathan grumbled with a shake of his head and then enjoyed his breakfast with a slight annoyance.

After finishing his breakfast, Nathan returned to his room, put on his suit, picked up his briefcase and walked out of his room to leave for the office.

Just as Nathan was passing through the main door of his house, he saw the mother's car entering his yard.

Nathan let out a long sigh, ready to answer all the questions his mother would have asked him.

"Why are you at Nathan's? shouldn't you still be in Paris?" hanna asked without further ado after she got out of her car.

"There is a problem that requires Nathan to come home, after all Nathan and Aleea have also felt quite a vacation in Paris even though only a few days," replied Nathan.

"What problems do you have to go home to, Nathan? Evan and your papa have overcome all the office problems, so don't look for excuses just to want to go home sooner than you should!"

"Nathan will explain later, now Nathan has to go to the office!" said Nathan.

"No, explain it to Mama right now!" hanna said, holding Nathan back.

"But ma....."

"Now Nathan!" hanna said firmly.

Nathan sighed and told his mother why he had come home from Paris sooner.

"Nathan meets Vina there, Nathan doesn't know how Vina can find Nathan but in essence Nathan is very disturbed by Vina's whereabouts, so Nathan forces Aleea to go home" Nathan explained.

"Vina? but mama already asked Evan to hold Vina by giving her a lot of work, is it possible that Evan lied? is it possible that Evan told Vina where you are?" ask Hanna guess.

"It is impossible for Evan to do that ma, Evan has indeed given a lot of work to Vina, he even refused permission to leave Vina, but Vina remains off even though Evan forbids it," Nathan explained.

"Then why did Vina meet you there, Nathan? Paris is vast, there's no way she'll find you so easily!"

Nathan was silent for a while, he couldn't have told his mother if Aleea had told Vina where Nathan was.

"There may be someone who knows Nathan there and spreads the word that Nathan is there with Aleea" Nathan said, trying to influence his mother.

Hanna snorted dejectedly, her plan to give Nathan and Aleea time on vacation failed.

"Now that Nathan has to leave, you don't have to worry, Nathan will be preparing for another holiday for Nathan and Aleea!" nathan said as he took his steps away from his mother.

"Don't just vacation Nathan, you should also give happy news to mama, you understand what Mama means, right?"

Nathan just waved his hand at his mom without saying anything by continuing his steps and getting into the car.

"Good news? that's impossible!" nathan smiled faintly and drove his car away from home.

Arriving at the office, Nathan immediately took his steps into his room and found Vina who was already sitting in his room.

"What's wrong?" nathan asked guiltlessly after what happened last night.

"Do you still need me here?" reply Vina asked.

"Of course, you're one of the best apart from Evan here" Nathan replied, taking himself to his desk.

"Are you going to keep me here?" asked Vina who carried her gaze following Nathan.

"Of course, what do you want? a raise? a sabbatical? shopping voucher?" nathan replied casually while turning on the computer in front of him.

Vina just kept quiet, she then put an envelope on Nathan's desk.

"What'sthis? vacation ticket?" nathan asked as he opened the envelope and read it.

"Aaahhh, letter of resignation" Nathan said after skimming Vina's resignation.

"What do you want to keep you in this company?" nathan asked with his eyes on Vina.

"Our relationship" Vina replied without hesitation.

"What relationship do you mean Vina? haven't I told you how our relationship has been all this time!"

"Maybe yesterday I was too careless and underestimated myself, but now I won't let you down easily again, Nathan!" vina.

"So, what do you want?" ask Nathan.

"I want us to be more than working partners, more than just superiors and subordinates, you know I've liked you all along and you know how I work so hard on all of our projects, isn't that all profitable for you!"

Nathan nodded his head slowly and moved from his seat and walked towards Vina.

Nathan carried himself sitting in the corner of his desk, looking at Vina who was sitting in the chair before him with a smile.

"You're right Vina, you're indeed profitable for me, all the projects you've been working on have always satisfied me, you're also a beautiful and near-perfect woman" Nathan said, holding the edge of Vina's chin.

Vina smiled and grabbed Nathan's hand and held it, but just smiled, looking at the woman he had known for a long time.