RUN WITH ME
CHAPTER 18: SPENDING TIME TOGETHER

"She is my grandmother, Eleonora Chakrawidara." Now Arunika and Gavin are standing in a room full of pictures of the dead. The photos were separated by a wooden bulkhead whose front was covered by glass so that families and relatives could still see the photo.

Gavin looked at the woman— according to his guess— was in her seventies with her neck hair that was almost all whitened. The woman in the photo gave her widest smile to the point that her eyes disappeared. On each side of the photo there is a bouquet of flowers the same as Arunika gave earlier. In one look Gavin can imagine how kind and gentle he is to the grandson.

"Today is the fifth anniversary of his death, so I came here to greet him" Arunika said with a look that could not be separated from the photo, gavin glanced at the woman next to him. He was able to capture the sad face of Arunika so that he could deduce how unfortunately the woman was to the grandmother.

"Over these five years, only I've been coming to him because they've been too busy with each other's affairs." Gavin understood to whom the word 'they' Arunika meant. Who else if not his own family.

"You love him so much, don't you?" Gavin finally made a sound after he had been a listener. Hearing that question Arunika smiled as she nodded.

"Only grandma reminds me to rest and take care of health. Only my grandmother could make both my parents shut up and take us to the park. I still remember being bought ice cream discreetly from a minimarket near my house because my parents were quite strict about food."

"We?"

"Both brother. Devian and Demian, I call him Brother Dev and Brother Demi." The brief explanation made Gavin remember the racauan Arunika two days ago, when Arunika fell asleep in the school health room. It turned out that it was true, the two names mentioned by the woman were her siblings.

"Both of my brothers are now medical school in America and my grandfather is abroad seeking treatment for a severe illness. So, I understand they are difficult to come here," Arunika said as she looked at Gavin with a gentle smile.

"How did you feel when your grandmother died?" gavin asked as he looked at the photo of Eleonora.

"Destroyed," Arunika replied with a laugh, while Gavin looked back at the woman next to him with a deep look.

"Since childhood I always make it as a pedestal and when my focus disappears, then I am also destroyed. To me, grandma is the only sane person in the Bumantara family. When he died, I immediately felt lost and it took time to accept his departure." Arunika continued with teary eyes. He did not want to show watery eyes in front of Gavin so he gently rubbed his pair of eyes.

Suddenly a beige handkerchief was plastered in front of Arunika's face. Arunika turned her head and looked at Gavin who was thrusting the cloth. Arunika gave a small laugh then accepted it and put it on. Gavin again realized that Arunika could have a side like this, he forgot because he always saw the cheerful side of Arunika who seemed to have no sadness at all.

After being calm enough, Arunika folded the handkerchief and kept it in a bag, there was no way she could return it in a dirty condition. Still with a gaze directed at the grandmother, Arunika again spoke, "who are you visiting here?" Of course he gave the question to Gavin. The one being questioned fell silent.

Moments filled with silence, until Gavin finally replied, "my mother." Arunika's eyes widened and immediately turned to the young man, giving an apologetic look. Gavin chuckles.

"It's okay, my mother died ten years ago."

"And you are still visiting him today," Arunika replied in a sad voice, deciphering how hurt Gavin was from the passing of his mother. Gavin understood the meaning of the sentence so he chose to be silent.

Before long Gavin reopened his mouth, "i visited him when I felt homesick and wanted to tell someone. She's my safest place." Arunika nodded in understanding, she understood that feeling very well because that was what she felt towards her grandmother. After that, there were no more sentences that Gavin said about his mother so that Arunika realized, the young man did not want to tell a story. Arunika can only respect Gavin's privacy by asking nothing more.

The silence was between them for a few minutes. Feeling satisfied to take off his longing on the grandmother, Arunika prepares to go home and Gavin catches the woman's movements so that he holds her hand, making Arunika who has not moved an inch from where she stands frowned in confusion.

"You want to go home?"

"Can you read my mind?"

They laughed after that. Actually Arunika began to realize the level of sensitivity of Gavin is quite high, but he did not expect his guess can be as precise, or is it because of his movements that are easily read by the man?

"Have breakfast?" Arunika shook her head in response, making Gavin again ask, "want breakfast together? It just so happens that I haven't had breakfast because I left early."

"Do you know a good breakfast?" asked Arunika with an uncertain look, inexplicably Arunika could guess that Gavin had not once walked around the city. But strangely he dared to take breakfast together.

Gavin was silent for a while then scratched his nape with his free hand, making Arunika laugh out loud immediately. As he laughed, his stomach started to hurt so much that he held onto it. Gavin's face turned red and lowered his head

Still with her unfinished laughter, Arunika rubbed back the corner of her watery eyes. But now it is not for sadness, but for the pleasure of Gavin's funny behavior. It took a few minutes for Arunika to finally be able to stop her laughter, she managed to catch her breath several times to hasten the cessation of her gel.

"Have you finished laughing, hm?" asked Gavin with a big smile. Although he was laughed at all by Arunika, somehow he did not feel so embarrassed and even relieved to see the smiley face of Arunika. He felt that the face was only suitable to give a cheerful face with a smile that was engraved every time, raising the desire in Gavin to keep the happy face.

"Already, already," Arunika replied with a ruckus, then she turned her hand held by Gavin until Gavin's grip slipped off. But then even Gavin's hand was grasped by Arunika and pulled slowly. Now Arunika walked in front of Gavin with both hands clinging to each other.

Arunika drew a little of her body with beautiful curled hair in Gavin's eyes, "now I will take you to a nice breakfast place nearby and for a day I will be your guide to get to know this city better. Prepare your feet, yes," he said with a feisty smile, making Gavin smile.

"Alright, I'll let myself follow where you took me away."

"This is called chicken porridge, often used as breakfast by people here because the content is not too heavy. There are people whose mornings can't eat rice or other heavy foods, so they replace them with porridge." Clearly Arunika while offering a bowl of porridge with various contents.

"It seems like I've seen this food, but not with this much content," Gavin commented which made Arunika chuckle.

"Well, there's one debate young people talk about here a lot about this food." Gavin gave an interested look at Arunika's words. Debate about porridge?

"First, there are people who prefer the porridge to be stirred, as you do now," Arunika said, pointing at Gavin's porridge bowl which had all been mixed in. Gavin looked at the bowl with a plain face.

"Secondly, there are people who prefer the porridge not to be stirred and eaten separately, like mine," the woman continued, pointing at her own bowl.

"The debate is which way is the most delicious to enjoy this porridge?" Gavin kept silent for a while and pointed to his own bowl. Arunika chuckles at seeing that.

"I'd rather mix everything on my plate to make it taste even."

"But the porridge is better if not stirred so that we can feel the original taste of each content," Arunika replied with a ignorant face. Gavin finally realized the meaning of the debate so he laughed.

"It turns out that's the point," he said, nodding in understanding.

"Yes, it's all just a matter of taste and being joked by them." It was Arunika who made Gavin get to know something new about this new place. Honestly, Gavin was happy to have the opportunity to get to know his mother's country of love, but it was difficult because no one invited him. So, he was grateful that this woman in front of him understood and was willing to introduce him.

Twenty minutes and two people spent in the small shop. After that, Arunika invited Gavin to take a leisurely walk in the CFD (Car Free Day) area. Gavin did not understand, but Arunika said he would explain later. Be them drive by Gavin's car, while Arunika asks her driver to go home because Gavin will take her home.

About forty minutes they spend on the road to the nearest CFD area. Arriving there, Arunika invites Gavin to get off because the car must not enter the area. The two began to walk on the sidewalk. Gavin can see many people doing sports, such as running and cycling, there is also a leisurely walk with family. There really is not a single vehicle in the area so that everyone can move comfortably.

"You should've known about this because Germany and England have free cars, right?" Gavin nodded slowly then shook his head, leaving Arunika confused.

"I remember in England it was held several times, but if in Germany I don't remember it at all because I was a child." It was clearly Gavin who made Arunika nod in understanding.

"This activity is carried out every Sunday from six to ten in the morning. So, if you are tired of exercising at home, you can come to CFD areas. There are many locations, so just look for the one closest to your house."

They continued to leisurely walk out of nowhere, letting both feet take command. Arunika continues to talk about many things— mostly contains silly stories— and Gavin is more likely to be a listener while occasionally commenting on the story of the woman.

"I remember one funny incident about Floyd and Maverick. You know Floyd's very happy to bother Maverick and that kid's easy to get emotional." Gavin nodded with his eyes continuously towards Arunika whose lips seemed to have no brakes.

"When they were first grade, Floyd had stolen Maverick's tracksuit and was hidden in a men's bathroom. Then, as the sports clock arrives, Maverick frantically searches for his shirt while accusing Floyd and forcing him to tell him where his shirt is. The gym teacher of that time was known to be very hard, but he retired after we went up to second grade." Arunika changed her walking position to step backwards with her body facing Gavin. Gavin became a little worried so several times he noticed the area behind Arunika while listening to the babble of the woman.

"Saking up Floyd, he finally takes the eraser and throws it at Floyd. Floyd managed to avoid and the eraser hit the gym teacher who—" The sentence was not able to finish Arunika because she screamed a little because of Gavin who suddenly grabbed her. Arunika was quite surprised to see the action, while Gavin had held both shoulders, brought his face closer and left a few inches of distance.

"You're okay?" gavin asked with a panicked face. Only then did Arunika wake up from her daydream and glance at the little boy on his two-wheeled bicycle who stopped not far from them. It looks like he almost got hit by that bike and Gavin saved him.

After rearranging her head, Arunika gave a smile and her thumb to Gavin, "i'm fine, thank you. Your reflexes are good too." Gavin breathed a sigh of relief and released his grip on Arunika's shoulder, then subconsciously patted Arunika's head slowly.

At once Arunika and Gavin looked at each other and blinked several times with Gavin's hand still perched on Arunika's head. Gavin quickly pulled his hand, panicking and confused as to why he was doing it. While Arunika is also no different from Gavin, so he walked up to the little boy while trying to calm his heartbeat.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it" said the little boy with a downcast face. Arunika also knelt one foot to be able to align her height with a gentle smile. He also gently stroked the boy's head.

"Sister is okay, but if you want to bike, not on the sidewalk, yes. This place is used for walking, so if you are cycling here it could harm others, understand what you mean?" The little boy was silent for a while, seemingly digesting Arunika's words. Shortly after he nodded with a radiant face, fortunately he met with a good brother.

The little boy thanked him and ran his bike on the highway, while Arunika stood back up and patted the knee he used to kneel. Then he looked back and saw Gavin who was already smiling gently at him, it seemed like the man was no longer ashamed. And for some reason, they laughed at each other with Arunika who was back walking beside Gavin.

Without them noticing, there was someone staring from a distance in his sports clothes. His face showed a surprised expression, but was also confused.

"Arunika with Gavin? Since when are they dating?"

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