Loving You Through Do'A
6. Gathering

That day was Akbar's last day of work, because the day after tomorrow he had to go to school as usual. The salary given by Mr. Heru was enough for the cost of daily necessities. Akbar came to the office to say a lot of thanks to Heru and his other friends, as well as Doni who felt lost.

Mr. Heru hopes that one day after Akbar graduates he will work in his company again. Eve lost it so much, she looked at Akbar unceasingly, moreover she and Akbar had not been too close. Even Akbar did not know that Eve was a non-Muslim. Akbar walked over to Eve's desk and thanked her for being so attentive to him all along. And Eve hoped she would keep communicating as usual and be able to meet.

Akbar did not want to break the friendship with friends in his office. They are considered to be like their own brothers. So whenever Akbar has free time, he gathers with them especially with Doni.

Akbar with Hawa, Doni and two other friends went to one of the cafes near his office. At first Akbar refused Doni's invitation but when Eve forced Akbar to agree.

While they were having a fun conversation, Akbar's two eyes looked at the two eyes he often saw in his studies. Yes, those two eyes are Zahra. Akbar immediately changed his behavior and hoped that Zahra did not have any thoughts about him.

After paying for his order, Zahra sat behind where Akbar was sitting with his friends. Zahra opened her laptop and began revising her writing. Sometimes Zahra looked one by one Akbar friends who were not his schoolmates. But what makes Zahra curious is the girl who is next to Akbar.

This time the chat was no longer interesting to Akbar, he just looked at Zahra who was so serious with his laptop. Eve glanced at Akbar and looked at Zahra. Now Eve's heart was agitated with Akbar's gaze on Zahra. He felt that there was something between them.

"Do you know that girl?" Eve asked, stopping their conversation and turned to Zahra.

"He's my schoolmate. Just a minute." Excuse me and come to Zahra's table.

"Assalamu'alaikum." Akbar.

Zahra stopped the writing, though,

"Wa'alaikumsalam."

"May I sit down?" Ask Akbar.

Zahra nodded in response.

"What's wrong?" Ask Zahra.

"Emmm... Do you go to the cafe often?" Akbar asked back.

"Almost every day I come here. You haven't answered my question." Zahra answered looking at Akbar's slightly confused face.

"I... I. I just wanted to say hello to you. I happen to meet you here." Akbar said scratching the back of his head despite not itching.

"Next night you come to school?" Ask Zahra.

"God come." Reply Akbar.

Eve wondered what Akbar and Zahra were talking about. Actually Doni knew that Eve liked Akbar, but he had not asked anything about Eve. Doni looked back as Eve walked up to Akbar, stunned for a moment when she saw Zahra. He only wondered if he was Zahra. If it is true, Akbar is very lucky to know him and it is not wrong if he loves him.

Zahra's face was very beautiful and her gaze was shady, as if showing that she was a good woman. To anyone who saw him would be stunned in awe of him, it would not be strange if Doni just kept quiet to look at him. At school, almost all students admired Zahra for his attitude towards his fellow friends.

"Hi! I'm Hawa, you're Akbar's friend huh?" Eve extended her hand to meet Zahra.

Zahra glanced at Akbar for a moment, "yes, I'm Zahra his schoolmate." The answer is a friendly smile.

Doni who heard it immediately smiled happily, for some reason he was grateful to finally find out the woman who was being loved by his friend.

"Beautiful to Akbar's friend." Whisper Goddess on Doni and Hendri.

"Banget!" Hendri.

"I think yes, Akbar likes it as much as it is." Saying Goddess.

"Who does not have a crush on such a beautiful girl. Rarely are there beautiful girls but not much behavior, do not feel she is beautiful. Even most of the faces are ordinary but feel the most beautiful." Hendri.

"Hush! Ghibah to both." Doni Sahut.

"But you're both not feeling that Hawa has a crush on Akbar?" Ask the Goddess who doesn't care about Doni's words.

"Emmm... I think so." Reply Hendri.

"It's not like it was the other time." Said the Goddess ensuring.

Doni just listened to what Dewi and Hendri chatted.

"You've known me for a long time?" Tanya Eve downed Akbar's drink, but Akbar had just drunk it.

Zahra glanced at Akbar for a moment, "the first time I came to school, that's where my acquaintance started." Answer Zahra.

Eve was silent for a moment, feeling jealousy in her heart.

"If you?" Ask Zahra.

"Laughter is my workmate." Reply Akbar. He answered Zahra's question.

"Work?" Zahra asked again.

Eve nodded steadily, "don't you know that Akbar worked during this school holiday?"

Zahra shook her head slowly, it turned out to be true what she thought all along that Akbar was busy with his work. But Zahra wants to know the reason why Akbar works on school holidays. But he felt the time was not right to ask that he finally undo his intention to ask further.

"Sorry I'm bothering you guys." Zahra kept the writing and closed the laptop and put it in her bag.

"Would you like to go home?" Ask Akbar.

"Yes." Yeah." Answer Zahra.

"I'll take ya."

Zahra shook her head, "I'm taking the car."

"I'll drive you until you get in the car."

Zahra was silent, glancing at Eve who turned her face away from him and Akbar.

"Eve, I'm first. Assalamu'alaikum." Zahra.

"Wa'alaikumsalam." Answer Eve slowly.

Eve's eyes stared at Zahra and Akbar. He endured the extreme jealousy in his heart, like he had just fallen from a bed because of his dream. Her lips drew a smile while calming her own heart. Because he doesn't want his friends to know how he feels.

"Thank you for taking me to the parking lot." Zahra smiled when she was in her car.

"Either. Emm... You're okay, right?" Ask Akbar.

"meaning?"

"Emmm.. No, you be careful when you get home." Reply Akbar.

Zahra nodded, "Assalamu'alaikum."

"Wa'alaikumsalam warohmatullohi wabarokatu."

Akbar looked at Zahra's car leaving the cafe and himself. There is a sense of regret why Zahra should know that she works from Eve. He was afraid that Zahra might think of him, but his heart touched him and told him in his heart that Zahra was not like that. He will understand everything.

Akbar breathed out and went back into the cafe and joined his friends. But he did not see Eve there, apparently he was going to the toilet.

"That's what Zahra's called?" Ask Doni.

Akbar nodded.

Doni smiled as he patted Akbar on the shoulder. Actually Akbar knew what his friend meant, only that Doni did not want to say it in front of Hendri and Dewi.

Inside the toilet Eve was sitting pensively, she was still thinking about the gaze Akbar gave Zahra. But he denied that Akbar loved the girl, thinking that they were schoolmates, nothing more and had no feelings. Even so he could not lie to his feelings if he was jealous, he wiped his tears and walked out and approached his friends.

"Sorry for long." Said Eve sitting next to Akbar with a smile despite being forced.

"Are you okay?" Ask Akbar.

Akbar shook his head slowly and saw his friend who was looking at him.

"We're rik first." Doni.

"What's that?" Akbar was astonished to see his three friends standing up.

"We have to. Bye, assalamu'alaikum."

"Wa'alaikumsalam warohmatullahi wabarokatu."

Now Akbar moved to sit in front of Eve and saw her friend was still silent from the toilet. Akbar knew there was something Eve was hiding.

"There's something I need to talk to you about." Said Eve slowly.

"What?" Ask Akbar.

"What do you know about Zahra?"

"Zahra's? Emm... Zahra's my schoolmate." Akbar answered who did not understand why Eve suddenly asked about Zahra.

"What else do you know about him?" Eve still holds her drink.

Akbar thought a little, "what is Eve?"

"You just answer my question."

Akbar sighed, then smiled before telling him about Zahra.

"Zahra that... A good woman, Zahra is different from the rest, every time Zahra speaks as if the listener is hypnotized in her soft voice. Zahra it..."

"Then what do you know about me?" Eve immediately cut off Akbar's words that were telling how Zahra was in his eyes.

Akbar frowned, not knowing where Eve's question was going.

"You're my friend." Reply Akbar.

Eve looked at Akbar's face, while Akbar immediately looked down when viewed by Eve.

"You don't know anything about me at all. I am a non-Muslim, Mr. Heru is my adoptive father. He promised my father would take care of me like his son, so my name was changed by Mr. Heru. My real name is Maria. Adam was the first son of Heru at my age so he gave me the name Eve." Eve told me about her own past that she had been living in.

Akbar was surprised to hear that he did not even know who Eve was, and where she came from. Of his four friends, it was indeed only Eve that he did not know about her family.

Eve smiled, "it's up to you to call me Eve or Mary, I prefer Mary."

Both of Akbar's eyes looked at Eve's face that was holding back crying, maybe there was something else that made her become sad like this.

"What makes you sad like this? I don't feel like it's your past." Ask Akbar.

"I've liked you since our first meeting. I like you because you're my friend. Next time I'll tell you again yeah, now I have to go home. Bye." Eve leaves Akbar alone.

When Eve said that, the image of Zahra's face flashed through Akbar's mind just like that when he was not thinking about it. 15 minutes later he left the cafe and went home to calm his mind.

Arriving at the house Akbar saw a car in front of his house. As he entered, he saw Zahra sitting with his mother and Khodijah. He was confused as to why Zahra could know his house, but soon Efendi came out of the kitchen. Akbar immediately shook hands and sat in the living room.

"Later on my substitute night, yes." Kyai Efendi.

"Taa... But mr. kyai... L am... I can't do anything." Akbar said stammered.

"Can't talk like that, son, sir, it means well to you." Said mother.

"You know, you haven't tried either." Khodijah.

Akbar glanced at Zahra smiling to hear her mother and sister talking to him.

"I used to fill with motivations Pak kyai, I do not understand very well about the book." Akbar said again.

"Then just do it as you, don't be someone else." Kyai Efendi.

As Akbar was thinking about the offer, Zahra made a sound.

"My uncle is going to Egypt there is a need, and it seems like my uncle likes the way you deliver when you study, so he asked you to replace him. Don't be like my uncle, be yourself. We are both studying books, right? My uncle is still learning."

Khodijah was silent for a moment to hear Zahra's voice because he felt familiar.

"Emmm.. Well, mr. Kyai, I'll fill out the study later tonight."

"Alhamdulillah, then excuse me to go home first. Assalamu'alaikum." Kyai Efendi.

"Wa'alaikumsalam warohmatullahi wabarokatu."

When Efendi and Zahra came home, Khodijah sat in the guest room asking about Zahra.

"I think I've heard his voice, brother. But where is it." Her speech.

"She's a veiled woman in our studies." Akbar said leaning his body on the bench.

"Subhanallah, very beautiful, brother, it's so said he softly again. May he be brother. Hehe." Khodijah said with a smile.

"Aamiin's." Mom's smiling.

"Zahra was from a family that was devout in religion, let alone his brother a religious figure in Egypt. So you guys don't think like that." Akbar.

"No one knows, after all, new mothers see it once it feels so cool that it is nearby." Said mother.

"Mom." Call Akbar.

"What?" Ask mother.

Akbar shook his head slowly and went into his room. He assures that when his sister speaks like that, he does love Zahra, but for now he wants to work hard so that his family is equal to Zahra's family.

The evening of the study went well, but Akbar did not see Zahra. It seemed that the woman was not present, she was sitting in front of the mosque with her best friend Furqon.

"Think of that veiled girl's a bar?" Ask Furqon.

Akbar looked straight ahead, "no." The answer.

"We've been in this position since childhood, so I understand what you're feeling."

"Do I deserve her?" Ask Akbar.

"Why are you asking me something like that?" Furqon asked back.

"She's not just any girl, me and her it feels like the earth and the sky." Akbar.

"Although it complements each other right? Without the earth, there is no life, without the sky the same. God created all things to complement each other, though the distance between them is very far."

Hearing Furqon's words, Akbar became convinced and felt as confident as he had originally written a letter to Zahra.

"You must often2 read stories about friends of the prophet bar, a lot of lessons that we can get. Nothing is impossible if we mix our affairs with God."

"You're my personal motivation, I'm too busy motivating people but I need to be motivated myself. Hehe." Akbar said chuckling at his best friend.

"Hay we come in, sleep, wake up a third of the night, tell him to God even though God knows your heart." Furqon said embracing his best friend.

They entered the mosque and began to read the holy verses of the Quran. At around 11 pm, Akbar slept inside the mosque with his best friend who had accompanied him since childhood.

..."O God, you know what I am feeling. Don't make me fantasize about her, God, because I'm not her lover. And I am strengthening myself, that You may make me his eternal lover someday. I believe that You will give me the best gift." Akbar....

..."Missing me by praying is my way. I hope he does the same with me. I am weak without you, O God, I am sad without you. Cuddle up to me when I feel sad about your creation. For You alone are all-loving, You who never leave me, and You alone never make me languish." Zahras....