13. Their Talks

"Why do you think Aruna changed her attitude to me?" A young man looked uneasy with the talk of a girl who filled his heart completely, the Red Radiance

"How is she different? She is always like that. Nothing has changed" Agus was occupied with the stick games in his hands. He was trying to beat his dying hard opponent.

"After what we have been through so far, there should have been a better chemistry built between us" That restless man put down his game stick and gave up. He left the game.

"Hey, you're lost, you must treat me!"

"Come on. This place bored me." Damar exclaimed and Agus abruptly stood up to follow him.

.

"Did you hear any news why suddenly Aruna went back to her home?" now the two young man were hanging up on their favorite place, having their meal, and started talking.

"I have no idea. Dea may know better about this". Agus explained.

"Ufff… I don't think she will tell me. I have asked her several times but she preaches me instead." Damar grumbled.

"Cut it out Damar. You'd better look for another girl. You don't know Aruna's current status yet, if she is separated or not. You had better stop chasing her." Agus told his point of view.

"If only I could, I would happily do that". He was still grateful that what he wanted would be back to him.

"I really think you are too naïf. Try to open your heart…. By the way, it's a waste of time talking to you about this. Many people have said so to you but you hardly listen." Agus lost interest in talking with Damar because it would always ended up around Aruna.

"What else am I supposed to do? I'm tired of hoping but I'm still…"

"Stop it! Look who's that around that corner?" Agus pointed to a direction. A group of young girls were taking pictures secretly of a man who preferred to be known as an indie writer and an indie song composer.

Once he disappeared for pretty long time and wandered to some places. He explored and flooded his Instagram with his adventures. Later he made a clarification in his social media account that when there were thousand reasons to start, there would also be thousand reasons to end. He wanted to start something totally new. And that left big questions for his fans.

Some speculations were built among his fans upon the leaving of Padang man as a public figure. And the speculations were positive that Damar was tired of the life of a fame and chose to stay away to a normal life. He resigned from the artist management who had made Danu Damar famous. His fans could understand that and eventually all the scandals twined him faded.

Time healed. It could do many things at a time, even to bring her back. She was the one who was supposed to be cleaned from his mind, from his heart ,and from a strong will to own her.

Too bad she came back from the impossibility as if she brought a hidden message why she came back at the wrong time.

If her coming back home was to be freed from the chained around her hands, she should have been happy. Unfortunately it was not a happiness that he could see on her face.

She remained calm while bearing loads of burdens. This made Damar dying for curiosity .What had happened to her? She was not the same cheerful girl he used to know and fill up his days.

* *

A message in a WhatsApp group from the authority to the spies he sent to watch his wife in daily life received different response. One of them was the back of that woman with her pony tail.

The photo was a reply to a question: where is my wife?. And each of the spies sent different answers quickly.

Aruna was in a class. She was taking a lecture she was longed to have. And in every class, Hendra sent his people. Just two days before now two spies took captures of the young master's wife of Wenceslas. They were Timi, and Salsa, a lady with athletic posture.

"How is she doing today?" the blue eyed man inquired again in telegram.

"I was a hard day for her, but she was strong and she faced it pretty well".

"Meaning?.

"Like most sharp comments in social medias, Ms. Aruna also got them. It's just they mostly mentioned softly, like whispers but I believe she heard it". Hendra read that short message. He stood up, grabbed his coat and left his place. Although he spent time by calling to each other every night, he still hadn't found the right time to visit her. It was all due to his huge responsibilities as the President Director to be that needed his immediate presence.

Aruna hardly complained. She simply said she had a fine day, her work at Magic Letter was great, she had had her meal, and she was busy with her assignment to finish.

On the first day of her college she told him how she felt. She hoped the lecturers who had rejected her joining the final examinations would finally accept her because she had completed all her assignments like her other friends who came to classes regularly.

"Hery, get my car ready"

"Where are we going to go, Sir? You are having a meeting an hour from now" Hery opened the door of passenger seats for him.

"Cancel the all. I want to see my wife". He knocked his fingers on his knee, the rhythm of impatience and anxiety.

* *

"Isn't she Aruna?" such whispers flew around anytime she passed by flocks of students.

"She is brave enough to go back to campus despite the fact that her spectacular marriage fell through. Her husband had a love affair with another woman". Such gossip echoed anytime Aruna walked by groups of students at her campus.

"No kidding!"

"You didn't follow the infotainment?"

"Ugh…my boarding house has no television"

"Look at this!" one of them browsed an online media. And the title made anyone who read it would heat up. "Who says the are just friend? Tania and Mahendra were caught drinking in a five-star hotel room'

"Lie can't be hidden forever. It will eventually be disclosed. A drama actress, Tania, was the mistress of a young successful entrepreneur.

"Hi to all Rengginang Crumbs followers. Don't get shocked, will you? Oh my God.. let me be the one in this drama…. Oh gosshhh… I don't know what to say! This is fixed! No hoax! The only heir of a multinational company, that gorgeous looking guy was caught having a love romance with a girl. He hid her. The initial is T. that handsome guy has a wife, initial H. what were they doing in Bali?" and some Instagram sinister accounts started discussing, criticizing , talking about the photos spread all around the social medias. That account got more cruel once it was taken over by Pradita team.

So far Hendra still had not had time to straighten up the misleading gossips. He gave more priority to some abandoned projects and the falling of the stocks in order to keep the trusts of clients and customers.

Hendra focused on fixing the internal problems in his company before he gave attention to the public affairs. All of those issues made him hard to find the right time to meet his wife.

"Hey, hearsay Aruna has separated with her husband"

"How did you know that?"

"If she is not, how come she is coming to campus with that motorcycle. The old one. And look at her outfits. It's not the same as when she first came on television"

"Stop talking about her, will you? I feel sorry for her, you know"

"hehehehe…I wish I could. It's nice gossiping"

"Hahahaha….you're right"

.

"put this on. Ou don't need to hear them gossiping you" A young man put an earpiece on her ears.

"Damar?"

"What?"

"Errrr….thank you". She smiled to her best friend's help.