Under The Rain's
Chapter 15—Waiting

Rafael's door was knocked before Erin, Adji and their daughter, who had fallen asleep in their mother's arms, returned to their home, which was not too far from the apartment complex. Rafael who is still awake to finish coding looks very chaotic with hair that never combed. The man had just missed a meeting of three of his best friends. Uh, not ... not to miss, he was deliberately not invited by his team. But Rafael understands the reason. He does not want to take a headache and stay focused on working.

“We go home, yes,” said to Rafael Erin. “Good you guys, hey, neighbors!” godanya while glancing at Reva who was also standing in the doorway to say goodbye.

“Chat, napa, Rap ..” Adji don't want to lose also tease, “don't diem-diem, bae!”

If you have excess energy, of course Rafael does not hesitate to pinch the tip of his pal's head. But what power, dizzy was being struck and he felt bad because Reva was still paying attention.

Erin and Adji's figure had already disappeared at the end of the corridor when Rafael realized that Reva had already closed the door. He took a deep breath. A moment of doubt crept into his mind, but he could no longer bear the cold treatment of his childhood friend. During that time Rafael continued to look for ways to be able to connect again with his favorite girl friend.

Rafael had to leave the house at seven in the morning to take Kaia to school, and she would only return from her office when evening came. During that time, as much as possible he observed Reva's movements. When Reva came out, when Reva came, she recorded it well in memory. While at home, he always put his ears wide on the border wall of their unit, hoping to hear something from the woman. Anything.

Eventually, Rafael succumbed to his turmoil. He had no power to stop the desire to knock on that door. He did that for Kaia. And he will do that for himself.

Geck! Geck!

Without waiting for long, the door opened. It turned out that Reva was still behind the door somehow thinking about what.

However, a split second later the door was about to close again after Reva realized who had just knocked on it. Unwilling to remain silent, Rafael immediately kept the gap open.

“I want to say, Yi ..”

“No!”

“Please, Yi ... just a minute.”

“I don't want to!”

“Please ... please .. please open the door. Please ... let's meet soon.”

“I said I don't want to!”

Of course for Rafael it is very easy to maintain a gap of one inch between the door and the wooden frame. Obviously her power was much greater when compared to the skinny woman behind the door, who was trying her hardest to push her shut tight. Rafael could have kept pressing until the gap was wide open. But he eventually gave up. He did not want to force let alone make Reva uncomfortable with his treatment.

The door was closed and the sound of a lock was heard. Rafael still won't get out of there. He kept looking at her, and imagined if only she had superpowers that could make her break through walls, he would naturally barge in and hug the woman inside tightly without letting go again. During his dozen years of friendship, Rafael has always embraced him. Almost every day. Hugging and ruffling her thick hair. However, it was only in return because Reva had already taken the trouble of doing her schoolwork. And that time he really wanted to hug her. As friends. As someone he cares about. As someone who always looks forward to his presence.

Rafael was still staring at the door behind the metal plaque numbered A07122 which was displayed in his line of sight. That day he had not succeeded in making the owner of the door open the thing for him. Tomorrow he will try again. And if tomorrow doesn't work out, tomorrow he'll try again. And whether it takes how much ‘besok’ then until the occupants inside it allow it to enter. Raphael will wait until that day comes. Keep trying and keep waiting.

“HEY! What's outside like this?” Nadia's distinctive chirping sound that has just arrived disperse Rafael's daydream. “You are so strange, deh, wandering alone outside!”

“Eh ... Nad, y-you're home?” said Rafael stammered because he was so surprised. Then he followed the backs of Nadia and Kaia who had left into the house.

“Iya, I'm home. Then what are you doing again?”

“Tadi, ‘kan, no Adji, Nad. Just got him back home.”

“So didn't meet me at elevator.”

“Adji or Reva?”

“Adjis. Udah, deh.”

Nadia relented. Her face was very dull because she was tired that night, but soon remembered that she had to immediately clean her makeup and finish the evening skincare routine.

“Kirain you nginep there.”

“Why? Can I play with my neighbor?”

“Ngak. Why, the hell, think it over there?”

“Iya, yes. I want, anyway, nginep. But Kaia asked to go home. You see tomorrow he promises to swim with his schoolmates under.”

“Udah Late, Nad. Kaia you are forced to be literate until this hour?”

“Yes, El. You know, ‘kan, we're family gathering at Diana's Tea house. Kaia took a nap earlier.”

Rafael glanced at his daughter who immediately threw herself on the sofa. “Kaia sleepy? It was midnight. Come, sleep. Toothbrush first.”

“That's me, El. You always watch out for Kaia doang, deh!” sambar Nadia while walking gontai to her bedroom, leaving Rafael who so feel wrong.

Unwilling to make a prolonged fuss, Rafael finally followed Nadia to the room while Kaia was moving to the bathroom to brush her teeth. “Iya, sorry, Nad.”

“That's right, no need to discuss, I'm really tired!”

“You didn't use skincare first? Let's get up, Nad. Spirit.”

***

It was almost 02:00 in the morning when Rafael finally finished with his coding. His legs felt very painful because he sat too long in front of the laptop. Before he caught up with Nadia and Kaia sleeping, he decided to go out to the balcony to get a fresh breeze while stretching his muscles.

The rain cycle in Bandung is uncertain. Sometimes day, sometimes night. However, that night the sky was clear and the air was not too cold, so Rafael could sit back for a moment on the balcony chair.

While playing the online game, Rafael continues to look at the balcony on his right. Who else if not Reva. He leaned his body to peek at the atmosphere there. It seems that the woman has not slept either. The lights in his room were still on and the door was still open, I don't know what he was working on in the early hours like that. But Rafael was no wonder. Reva has had acute insomnia since she was in school. Not infrequently he just slept late at night and woke up before dawn. Amazingly, he also did not feel sleepy when at school. The unhealthy lifestyle has been a long time, and Rafael began to worry because the woman will not continue to be young. For a long time he will be sick if he continues to lack sleep like that.

It had been three years that Rafael lived in the apartment, but only then did he realize that the distance between the balcony to the balcony was not far. He carefully observed the structure of the balconies there, then he began to measure the proximity of his balcony with Reva's balcony.

According to his calculations, Rafael could easily reach Reva's balcony with both legs long. Perhaps as a security, he will need a rope, because the unit is located on the seventh floor. But it is very possible to do. It is possible to jump into Reva's room through the balcony, if the woman does not visit also open the main door of her room. Rafael thinks he should try one day, because he knows that Reva rarely closes her balcony door. The woman greatly enjoyed the huge gust of wind freely going in and out.

At that time, it might only be a matter of waiting for a while until Rafael finally began to think about doing things that he had never done before. For Reva. There is no point to return. Reva was already in front of him. It was impossible for him to let the tense situation between himself and Reva drag on.

There are so many things that he planned early that day, hopefully one of them works. Everything just waits for time.