TRAUMATISED
EPS. 8. Forced to drive Richard.

Asha sat on the paving block with Nathan beside her, he straightened his legs forward because Asha felt again the pain in his wrist and it was impossible to hug his own knee as he used to do. In front of him was a large barrel containing a warm flame reaching the body of Asha. There was only one or two people who were awake and going around making sure that no one was still wandering around and waking up except Asha and Nathan.

Nathan greets his friends on duty before the two men leave him and Asha with the light from the campfire. The tent that is built around them looks calm everyone must be exhausted and have fallen asleep not to mention the cold air Bandung is always the best blanket to make anyone feel at home to linger in place his comfortable sleep.

"Ahh Nathan, did Asha's team lose?" ask the girl suddenly.

Nathan snorted with a smile even after his leg was injured he was still thinking about whether his friends would get punished or not.

"Fortunately, there is a team with a difference of one flag. I don't think your sacrifice was in vain either."

"Thank God, Asha can't imagine that Asha's men tomorrow have to wear a negligee." The girl chuckled to herself imagining how ridiculous it was.

The two began to relax, Nathan could even smile at the trivial things he heard when once again the man was so flat and only reacted to things that invited his emotions.

"Sister Nathan seems to know too much about Asha." The girl smiled bitterly.

Asha still remembers when Nathan hugged her in the toilet then the man who drove Asha to the hospital and now even when Asha's nightmare came the man heard it clearly.

"Surely in my heart I wonder why Asha is screaming like crazy, why Asha is coming to the hospital and why Asha is having such a nightmare."

Asha was silent, her hands leaning back supporting her own body while staring at the fire that was starting to shrink until Nathan threw a few pieces of wood into it and made it re-enlarge. "Don't share anything you don't want to share. Being comfortable with yourself feels better."

"I don't know who the man you called in your nightmare, but he's not a good person to leave you with a bad state to this day."

Nathan actually wants to hear Asha's explanation but the girl just keeps quiet, as if she's playing with her own mind while Nathan doesn't know.

"Yes, he's definitely not a good guy for leaving without saying goodbye." Asha smiled bitterly, she laughed at herself who foolishly could not get up to this moment.

"Asha lives in the past when she must be all right."

Asha cried again, though she held her voice so as not to get sobbed but Nathan knew the girl was crying again. For Nathan who doesn't know what it's like to love, what happened to Asha is like a joke. How can one live with memories and wounds for years and allow oneself to be destroyed. Had Nathan been in the position that Asha felt he would have gone on with his life without turning his head to even care about the person who hurt him. "Sorry Brother." Asha wiped her tears while Nathan was still silent staring at the bonfire, this was the number of times Asha said sorry even though she was innocent of anything to Nathan.

Nathan is still silent, he does not know what to react to or should sympathize how at the pain that the girl feels which is clearly Nathan's feeling to protect the girl is getting stronger. There was one side in his heart that didn't want to see the weak girl continue to be like this like a small touch could make him a great injury while Nathan was the one who didn't know how it could be happen. The man wanted to know how to make Asha comfortable and lean on her as if Nathan was able to do so with all the power he had as well as the feeling that he was a reliable person.

A strange feeling in Nathan's heart always appears suddenly every time he comes into contact with Asha, he who has never been in love still rejects it. Nathan knew he was just sympathetic.

"Tomorrow we'll go home, you'd better rest too."

"Hm." Asha nodded as Nathan then helped her again to walk inside the tent. Nathan who was sitting in his chair pulled another chair so his feet could rest as well but he never really fell asleep, several times Nathan was awake just to ascertain what nightmare Asha came again but it seems Nathan's attitude is too excessive because Asha this time slept comfortably.

The time shows at 04:30 when some people are performing congregational prayers in the mosque. Nathan decides to walk around because he can't possibly fall asleep again.

"There's a wind how you get up at this hour!" said Dio who was about to go to mushola.

He knew Nathan could never get up early especially if he did not pray so there was no reason to wake up. Unless Nathan hasn't been asleep all night.

"What time's it going to work?"

"It's 8am after the closing ceremony."

"Don't come to my house today or call me for any reason!" Nathan patted Dio on the shoulder before the man left his best friend in front of the mushola.

"Gue to your house later malem!" dio shouted at Nathan who did not care about him.

The closing ceremony went smoothly within half an hour, Nathan gave the closing words before everyone finally dispersed. The man approached Asha's tent and asked the girl's bag for her to give Asha.

"So we've anterin bag has Asha brother." Answer one of the three.

Nathan didn't answer anymore, he then left with a strange feeling. He did not know how to be impulsive when he saw Asha's friends and took the initiative to take the girl's belongings without being asked.

So do Asha's friends who seem confused, because they know that Nathan has never done anything trivial or something like this.

Nathan then goes into his tent which has begun to settle, he finds Asha walking limp holding a large backpack on his back. The man pulled the Asha backpack and asked for it forcibly while Asha could only be confused.

The man then held onto Asha's shoulder, leading her to come out so that Asha would not fall. Nathan begins to not care about the views that people give him especially the friends of his generation who know very well how the man is.

"Sister." Asha is uncomfortable with the gaze people give but Nathan holds her shoulder until Asha feels that she is safe within Nathan's reach.

"I'll take the car, let me drive you along."

“Do not misunderstand. I just want to make sure you're okay at home."

"It's also part of the committee's responsibility." Nathan

adding, he tried to prevent Asha from thinking differently than he intended.

Asha did not even think as Nathan thought.