Would You Listen?

BRAJAMOHAN'S MANSION

As the rain poured down from the sky, it couldn't make Ariel's emotion to be calmer with the cool weather. There's nothing that tamed his rage to Artemis for being an asshole.

He furiously walked out of the luxury mansion because Artemis made him more disappointed than before. He was suggesting a whole freaking insane idea to solve the chaos. So, Ariel couldn't resist staying, or he would punch him straightly. Meanwhile, Artemis was chasing after him to the lobby.

"Wait … Ariel, where are you going?" Artemis exclaimed at Ariel once they were in the lobby. Ariel did not want to answer anything. He paced himself to the car and got away immediately. But Artemis got him at the right time. 

"I will never listen to you anymore!" Ariel shouted, jerking off his hand. He looked furiously with raging breath and a stern facial expression. But Artemis didn't give up.

"This is the only way to do it!" he said to defend himself. Ariel, who already opened the door, then slammed it hard. He walked to him annoyingly while pointing his finger at Artemis's face to warn him towards his action.

"I don't need someone who always runs away from his responsibility whenever he has a problem with his acts!" Artemis stared at Ariel's orbs, and he could see the regret for him.

"You never have the consequences, do you? Don't you realize you seem like a jerk to me right now!" Ariel blurted more of his rage.

"But I have no other choice!" Artemis tried to cut off.

"You do!" Ariel still insisted. Artemis and Ariel were at the stake of glaring at each other as if they were raging bulls ready to fight. Suddenly, there was someone's voice that interrupted them. Lavender Smith, Artemis's mother, showed up gracefully from her parked car in the lobby. 

"What is happening here?" she kindly asked after locking the car. Both Ariel and Artemis turned their head to the right side to see her walking towards them.

She gawked at each one of them, and somehow it made Ariel's wrath calmer. 

"Mom?" Artemis called her, and Lavender was vaguely smiling at him.

"Are you fighting?" she asked both of them. She also stared at Ariel, but he chose to focus on something else.

"No, Mom. We are discussing things …."

"Here? Why don't you do that inside? It is raining. You can have chocolate and talk calmly," Lavender added while her eyes now landed on Artemis.

"It's fine, Mrs. Brajamohan. After all, I'm all done here, so I gotta go!" Ariel replied to her. Lavender glanced and further walked closer to Ariel with her gently looked.

"You should come more often. Artemis is your best friend, and you also can stay for a night or two. I don't mind." A glance of frown occurred on Ariel's expression toward her. 

He barely talked to Artemis's mom all this time. The moment he got stepped into the mansion could count with fingers. On the first day, when they were in high school and Ariel visited Artemis, he was yelled at by Ajax for recklessly parked his bicycle. As if the wife was coming from a different planet, she always smiled whenever Ariel visited.

"I am fine, Mrs. Brajamohan. I should go now!" Ariel insisted on leaving. He paced himself and turned back to his car. Lavender took one step forward and grasped her fingers, seeing Ariel left. Without saying anything to Artemis, Ariel took his way off the mansion.

"What happen exactly? Are you disputing to each other?" asked Lavender when she got closer to Artemis. Artemis did not smile nor answer his mom's question. He chose to turn himself to get inside the house and left her.

If his relationship with Ajax was described as the worst thing ever, then Lavender was super cold. Lavender loved her son Artemis so much. But Artemis did not have any warm bond with his mother like any other sons. He always felt that there's something wrong with his family. 

As for Lavender, she sensed that Artemis never paid any heed to her. But as far as he let her stayed by his side as a mom was quite well enough.

Ariel drove his car through the heavy rain in Jakarta in a lousy mood and starving empty stomach. He didn't even have lunch yet, although the time was 3 PM already.

At the same time, Artemis chose a similar situation. He stayed in his room alone without making any moves at all. Although his stomach growled, he ignored it.

In the nighttime, Marcella fixed herself to get ready to bed earlier. She wanted to get some rest before ten. So she washed her face, brushed the teeth, and combed her hair as always. 

When Marcella started to lay down her back, her cellphone vibrated.

"Ariel?" she hummed while frowning. Marcella took the call anyway after few seconds.

"Hey, It's me, Ariel. How you doing?" asked Ariel gently to her. Marcella straightened her back and leaned it on before answering.

"Hey, Ariel. I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"I'm just worried, a little bit." Marcella slightly smiled at the attention Ariel gave her. On the other side, Ariel also did the same. He wanted to call and listen to her voice.

"Are you going to bed?" 

"Well, I think yeah," Marcella half hummed to him.

"Hhmm … I'm sorry, I shouldn't have called you this late. I want to know your things. I can't just go away after …" Ariel paused, and Marcella bowed her head. He did not want to mention the intercourse accident, and it sounded impropriate. 

"Have you got dinner?" Ariel switched his subject into something else.

"Yes, I have it earlier. What about you?" Marcella asked with her soothing tone. 

"Well, I don't, hehe. I'm living alone so I will eat whenever I'm hungry. Sometimes at midnight, I always have late dinner." Marcella was silent, but actually, she nodded lightly.

"I'm calling because I owe you an apology for this afternoon. What happened wasn't predicted at all. Your father …" Ariel paused for more. It was so hard for him to talk with Marcella. He was nervous like hell. 

"I mean Mr. Katto. He thought I was Artemis, and I should have explained that. I'm sorry for being a coward." Ariel added his confession.

"It was not your whole fault anyway. Miraya and I also took the chance to lie to our Dad."