RUN WITH ME
CHAPTER 8: MEETING

"Rosverd's family?"

"Yes, their company will launch a new product and later tonight its official event. We're leaving at six in the afternoon, so soon you and your mom will be going to a clothing store to buy new suits and dresses."

Gavin was silent at the words. This all explains the strangeness he felt when he heard his father's whereabouts at home, the man did not work because there was another event waiting for him. After digesting the information, the child nodded in understanding.

"Is there anything to talk about again? If there's none, I'm leaving." Seeing Harris's lacklustreness, Gavin turned around, ready to walk away. But the next sentence that came out of the lips of the father made Gavin again rotate the body dramatically.

"Later you'll also play one piece at the show, the Rosverds asked for it."

"I don't want to" Gavin quickly replied.

"Why?" harris asked as he closed the book in his hand, then placed his head on the two arms whose elbows rested on the table.

"Time is too high. It's twelve in the afternoon and we're leaving in six hours. Soon me and Rebecca are going to a clothing store that will at least take four hours. Lalu—" exclaimed Gavin trying to give an excuse. But his words were cut by Harris.

"Call her mother, Gavin, and why would it take four hours at a clothing store?" I asked Harris confused.

"He's always a long time to buy new clothes. An hour spent thinking about choosing clothes, then another hour thinking about sandals, then another hour confused about choosing what bag is suitable, and then another hour confused about what bag is suitable, and another hour confused to buy which jewelry. If I'm 30 minutes done, but he'll hold me back to ask which is good" Gavin complained with a tired face. This always happens every time she and Rebecca go to buy new clothes for an event.

Looking at the annoyed face that was actually quite funny in Harris's eyes, made her smile a little. I do not know when the last time he saw his son was complaining with the face of ogah-ogahan. Indeed, since the passing of his first wife, Gavin began to stay away from all members of the Kanagara family. And the distance was further away when she married Rebecca.

"And you know that it took me at least an hour to memorize one piece." Continue Gavin by exhaling slowly.

"Then you can bring your pieces and practice between times waiting for you. Gavin, this is a direct request from them and it's hard to resist because our family has been working with them for a long time. And if the elders hear your refusal, you can be scolded. So, can you keep up with that request?" Harris tried to ask for Gavin's understanding with the softest sentence possible. Gavin stared at Harris's image, which was not much different from his color, seconds later he nodded weakly.

"All right, I'll play."

Harris smiled, "thank you."

...⁕⁕⁕ ...

The short needle had pointed at the number six and the long needle pointed at the number twelve, making Harris— and Gavin— stare at the second floor of his house and shout, "sweetie, we have to leave now!"

Soon there was a reply scream whose voice was quite echoing, "I'm coming!" A few seconds after saying that line, Rebecca emerged from the stairs in her long blue dongker dress. Looks very graceful, but also sexy because of the type of clothes that are off-shoulder and in the legs there is a thigh-high hemisphere. Harris who saw that fell silent and smiled lovingly.

"Beautiful," praised Harris as she peeked at Rebecca's cheek. The wife simply chuckled and praised Harris' good looks with a whisper.

Gavin, who had seen the couple's affection, cleared his throat a little and laughed awkwardly.

"Erlan's been with the nanny?" harris asked, nodding by Rebecca.

"Then, come on, go, go," Harris asked as she walked out of the house with her hands holding Rebecca. Gavin just stood still and followed behind.

In the yard of his house was parked two white sedan cars, ready to take the three people to the venue. Harris and Rebecca enter the first car, while Gavin enters the second. Before long, the two cars were walking away from the house for a while.

During the trip, Gavin was busy looking at the city's crowded streets. His head had only thought of two things, namely the intimacy of the couple in his front car and the piece he would play later. Seeing the loving couple makes Gavin think back to his family life when his mother was still with his father, inexplicably Gavin feels his father loves Rebecca more than his mother. When conscious of that thought Gavin immediately laughed inwardly. Of course like that, his mother had died ten years ago, Gavin was not even sure if there was still love from his father for his mother or if his heart had changed and no longer loved his mother.

In the second year of his mother's death, his father suddenly came to Gavin with a woman, none other than Rebecca. Eight-year-old Gavin was confused. Gavin remembers once, his father tried to explain slowly who the woman was and how his heart was for her. He was also not stupid to realize his father's intention to marry Rebecca so that a word appeared in his heart, liar.

Shortly after the meeting, his father married Rebecca to a very lively and joyful event of the entire Kanagara family. It was very different from the marriage of his father and mother which was only held in the church and only one member of the Kanagara family came.

"Sir, we're here." The driver's words drew Gavin's consciousness. He was staring out the window and sure enough, a European-style building with luxurious decorations was in front of him. Before long the door next to Gavin sat open and after exhaling slowly, Gavin moved his foot to the ground and slowly exited the car. And when he turned his head to the right, Harris and Rebecca had also descended.

The arrival of the Kanagara family certainly attracts the attention of all people there because this became their first appearance at an upscale event. It did not take long for one family to be surrounded by guests who came, various sentences full of praise thrown with a face full of smiles. Gavin who is aware that his existence is less noticed—because all attention is given to the couple in front of him—pun slowly away from the crowd and succeeded. Gavin had moved away from there and was walking without direction. As his eyes circled around the corner of the room, accidentally his two blue-green neutrals caught one figure that felt familiar. After confirming, Gavin smiled and walked over to the figure.

Even though the figure was standing in a dark enough place, inexplicably Gavin was convinced of the identity of the figure. The closer he got, the more confident he became. In contrast to that figure who still gave a confused face. When the distance between Gavin and the figure was only about three steps, the look on the face of the figure turned to surprise.

"Hello, Arunika," said Gavin with both hands put in a bag of pants.

"Why does it look so happy?" asked Gavin while changing his standing position to beside Arunika.

"Because I finally have a friend here, since then I have been bored because there is nothing to talk to," Arunika replied as she took a small cake and gave it to the man next to her.

"It tastes like lemon cake, or maybe this is indeed a lemon cake with bite-size. Of all the cakes, I think this is the best." Gavin happily accepted the cake and ate it in one mouthful. A few moments later he nodded, confirming Arunika's words.

"The truth is you've tried all the cookies here?" gavin asked as he stared at the long table next to Arunika.

"Yes, I was already here about thirty minutes ago," Arunika replied in a confident tone, then plucked back one lemon cake from there.

Gavin who saw that chuckled, "so looks bored," he joked.

"I told you, right? The only thing that saved me was the cookies here." Arunika with her cheeks slightly bloated because she was chewing, Gavin slightly anxious made.

"And since you keep eating, you don't even notice the stains here?" Gavin's finger moved gently on the corner of Arunika's lips with a cake stain, whether the cake the woman ate. Arunika who noticed Gavin's actions was slightly surprised and rubbed back the corner of the lips that Gavin wiped.

"Has it gone?" Gavin nodded with a smile.

"Thank you, friend," said Arunika who made a corner in Gavin's heart throb a little.

"This feeling again," inner Gavin. The throbbing he had felt two days ago, when he asked Arunika not to interfere with his decision, and now reappeared. What cause? But the thought was quickly dispelled because he recalled the incident two days ago.

"Sorry." Arunika turned to look at Gavin and gave a confused face.

"Why are you apologizing?"

"Two days ago, I was too rude to you." Arunika fell silent and tried to recall the incident touched on by Gavin.

"Oh ... events in the indoor field? With Archie's gang?" Gavin nodded twice, confirming both of the women's questions. Arunika also smiled and wiggled softly his four fingers.

"It's okay, I get your point. After all I have also crossed the line, I cannot force my stance on others. So, forgive me too, yes," Arunika replied with a gentle tone and a straight look at Gavin. The man who got the look smiled, returning Arunika's smile.

"Oh yeah, keep your phone how?"

"Buy new, how else? The phone was completely damaged, fortunately I still remember the ID and password, so all the contents are still safe." Gavin nodded in understanding.

A few seconds later the stage lights lit up and led to one person there. Gavin and Arunika know him as the head of the Rosverd family, aka the person who led this event. About thirty minutes the man presented everything related to his new product which was plastered beside the stage. After that, the show goes like before—drink and talk to others—but with a different topic, that is, about the new product of the Rosverd family.

"What do you think?" arunika asked Gavin after the head of the family stepped off the stage.

"Fairly useful for daily life, especially its usefulness is also not too large," comments Gavin who responded to nods agreed by Arunika.

"Then you'll buy it?" Gavin's forehead frowned, while Arunika laughed.

"I already have items that function similarly and are still fine, so why should I buy a new one?" reply Gavin casually. Arunika nodded in understanding.

"Does that mean you're in a relationship too?" Really, this question Gavin never expected came out of Arunika's mouth. Being slightly surprised by him, the man was silent for a while, while Arunika raised one eyebrow waiting for a reply from Gavin.

"I don't know, 'cause I've never been in a relationship." Enough answers to make Arunika surprised because the woman initially had two allegations about Gavin's answer, Gavin will answer yes with confidence or not with an attitude of shame. But Arunika understood that floating answer.

"It's better to answer it like that." That sentence Arunika ended with a ruckus, unaware of the sad face that Gavin showed.

"Hello, sorry to interrupt your conversation, may I interrupt for a moment?"

...⁕⁕⁕...