Under The Rain's
Chapter 48—Old Love

For the sake of more awake privacy, Rafael decided to drive Adji's car to the corners. There were still too many things he had to tell Reva, and the quiet place behind the market was not really quiet. They had to find a more secluded, more shady space. To that end, Rafael needs to call Adji and ask him to return to the hotel by using an online taxi, and his friend who is understanding just agrees.

“I think we should go home, my house is not far from here. Kris will soon be coming,” Reva's advice while tightly grasping the seatbelt across his chest. He really doesn't know where Rafael is going to take him.

“I know this area, just calm down. Kris will not meet us,” replied Rafael while paying attention to every corner of a quiet hilly road overgrown with large trees on his right and left.

“Not that, El. But at home there's CCTV, she'll know what time I'm home. I just got permission to market earlier.”

“You scared? I'll take you to get inside the house if I need to.”

“No! I don't want to find any problems .. please ..”

“You're actually married to her to avoid trouble?”

“You're with Nadia instead of avoiding trouble too?”

Rafael immediately turned to the woman sitting in the front passenger seat, looking to the left side of the road that was only filled with thickets.

“Sayang ... You are still jealous of Nadia?” goda Rafael while driving.

Reva immediately glanced sharply at the man. Maybe he joked when he was afraid to face the anger of Kris. “Ngak,” ketusnya short.

Realizing that he has irritated Reva, Rafael immediately convinces his best friend.

“You know, ‘kan, Yi ... How is my relationship with the girls? Nothing can ever exceed my closeness with you.”

“Set where did you go when I really needed it again?”

“I'm the same Mama almost every day looking for you when we know that you're leaving home. But you're not anywhere. Mama until saranin make a police report .. unfortunately, the same marriage Nadia already live itungan day.”

Finally Rafael found a suitable place to park his car for a moment. It seemed that he had climbed too far, because the peak of the merapi was clearly visible from there. “We are here first, yes,” he said while turning off the car engine, then looked to the left where the woman was still pensive looking at the dark clouds.

For a while only the sound of the natural orchestra sung by the tree-waiter was heard. I don't know how many male barrels perched on the big trees, but the place sounded boisterous typical of the mountains.

Rafael turned his head against the seat, looking to the left side to look at the woman. Next to him, Reva finally did the same, so they looked up.

Not enough with a face-to-face meeting, Rafael grabbed Reva's fingers to insert between his fingers until there was no space left. The grip felt really tight, and Reva did not refuse that time.

“Once again I'm sorry. Should have ... I came to you much sooner. I never thought it would take four years to recover from a coma. Sorry, yes.”

“Maybe .. should have even been from before you applied for Nadia.”

“You really. But, you shouldn't give up at that time either, Yi. I'm stupid and don't know myself .. but you can't give up.”

Feeling irritated, Reva immediately got up from the leaning position, and he removed the links of Rafael's fingers to fold both his hands on his chest.

“So, in your eyes is still me wrong, El? This all happened because I gave up?”

Rafael followed Reva up, leaning slightly towards the woman.

“Iya .. I hope at that time you keep calling or texting, if you need to slap me, or report what has happened to our parents. I hope you're the one who threatened to take the police, not Nadia. I hope you come home, angry until I come to my senses ...”

“El ..”.

“I am a Khilaf, Yi, but I never willingly let you go. At that time I was just scared and confused, and I was affected the same way people said about your father. But it wasn't long, after that I found you everywhere ...”

Reva came back to tears after listening to the man's explanation. He admitted that he was in a hurry to get out of the house. He was very disappointed in the people around him. His father who cheated for hundreds of millions, his mother who blatantly cheated on him in front of neighbors, Vienna who never came to see him and left him alone, and Rafael ... the man is clearly having an affair with a woman who has been his obsession since High School. At that time, for Reva it seemed like there was no other option but to go as far away from everyone as possible.

If only Reva had been patient and lasted longer in that house, the continuation of his life path might not have been as severe as he finally had to live. However, at that time Reva was eighteen years old, still very young, and no one wanted to guide him to make a decision. He really doesn't have anyone anymore.

“I was forced to go, El, I don't know what to do anymore when no one wants to care.”

Reva again leaned her head against the seat, took many long breaths and exhaled slowly. Thinking of the possibility that he could have married Rafael made him slashed to tears. The man was the only one he wanted, there was never another. Prince charming, the idol of heart and soulmate.

“Udahlah ... Anyway, same Nadia you have Kaia. And I have nothing. Not yet given a name, my son has to go again ...”

When remembering about his son, Reva's throat again dried up until it hurt so much. Thousands of tear particles started coming again to dot the corner of his eye, and Rafael could see that. “We move to the back seat,” take him.

Reva, according to him, although his steps were shaky, he followed Rafael to move. Without waiting long, the man immediately asked, “so I can hug you, ‘kan, now?”

“I don't know.”

“I lost my first child before we even met, Yi .. I can't and won't lose you either.”

“I told you, .. It's too late. Things have gone a long way since I got married.”

“Listen to me, Yi, it's not too late. Please, give me one more chance.”

“What do you mean?”

“I love you. I made a mistake and I want to fix everything. I love you ...”

“No bis—”

“Can! You see all the wounds on your face and body? You can sue all of that in court. There is a law for violence. Does he always like that?”

“Cuma .. if you are drunk again .. he is often drunk ...”

“Often? I know how his anger is. I've been in that position, and the effects can be years later. I can't let you be in danger in her hands!”

“But, El—”

“You love me?”

Reva choked for a moment to look at the man, then let out a long sigh through her increasingly quivering lips holding back the pain.

Silence was felt between the breezy air in the morning towards that afternoon, then Reva began to reply to caress softly Rafael on his handsome face. A face that never failed to make him fall in love somehow since how many decades ago.

“I ... I have never not loved you, El ..” Reva replied in between sobs, “from then until now .. and I don't know how much longer.”

At once Rafael was filled with honesty, and his heart almost exploded. Actually, he was sure that Reva still had the same feeling, but the quiet woman always tried to cover it up and it made Rafael feel very frustrated. Listening to him say such love words managed to make Rafael lose his sanity for a moment.

In the wake of the hillside atmosphere, Rafael emboldened himself to embrace the woman he loved so much, and unexpectedly, Reva returned the embrace. I don't know how many kisses landed on Reva's forehead, on the sidelines of a caress on her long black hair.

The longer they hugged the tighter, breaking a million longings that were held in the heart.

Unable to be held back, Reva wept in her arms, until she flooded her black shirt with tears that continued to pour down.

Rafael let Reva cry until satisfied in his chest. There had been too much suffering alone, and Rafael knew the woman's habit of harboring everything. However, that time Reva had to cry. Cry until all the pain flows through the trail of tears on her cheeks. All of his weight had to be blown away along with a rough gust of breath coming out of his lungs.

“I have to go home, El.” Parau heard Reva's voice from inside Rafael's warm embrace. “I'm afraid that Kris will come to know that I've just returned at this hour.”

“I'll take you home and meet him.”

“No! Not now! I need to talk to both of her. I want everything to be done well if it has to be done. Please ...”

“Ya already, Darling. But I'll stay here until I'm sure you're okay. I'll take care of you from a distance. I'll find a way.”

That day Rafael was forced to let Reva go home before he could actually take her away. Even so, his determination was already unshakable again. He would risk everything to get Reva back to him.