8. Change

"Every human being experiences change. Of course, the change leads to the better. If it leads to the worst, then you are not human."

- Laura Chintya Bella

***

"Riri, straighten his hair to look like a normal man." Laura took Angkasa to one of the salons she frequently visited.

Ri Salon.

The salon belongs to the person Laura calls Riri. Actually, his name is Richard, a beautiful man who wants to be called Riri to make it look cuter. When she first heard it, Laura was very disgusted, but when she saw his face and nickname it suited him very well. Laura also invests in Ri Salon because even though Richard's behavior is ridiculous, his hairstyle is really satisfying.

"Oh my gosh, who is this here. How come you didn't come and tell me first." Richard took Laura's hand and shook it. His face was made sad, making Laura snort.

"Ri, take good care of mine. I don't want any defects." Laura glared at Richard warningly. Richard was indeed a beautiful man with a ridiculous nature. But, behind all that, Richard is also an informant who sells dark and classified information for a high price.

Richard's face turned to one of surprise. When Laura labels something as hers, it's a warning to Richard not to look for information about hers without Laura's request. Richard let out a resigned sigh, it would be a shame if he didn't find out about the man who belonged to Laura. Richard is helpless because among all his customers, Laura is one of his customers who always pays more than the rate set by Richard.

Richard brought his mouth to Laura's ear a short-distance away. "It's a shame because this is the first time Laura has claimed something as hers."

Brack!

"Ugh!" Richard winced in pain when he was suddenly slammed hard. His eyes looked annoyed at the man who was currently hugging Laura tightly.

Angkasa growled in rage, its eyes pierced at Richard as if they wanted to tear him to dust. How dare the beautiful man touch and approach Laura, who belongs to him alone. Yes, Angkasa belongs to Laura, and Laura belongs to Angkasa, there's nothing wrong, right, Angkasa thinks of it that way?

Laura turned to the side to observe Angkasa who was still staring at Richard with murderous intent. "You don't like that man?"

Laura's voice distracts Angkasa, she looks at Laura sadly then nods his head without trying to hide his dislike for Richard. "Good! We have the same taste. He likes to tickle me. That's why I never liked him!"

Angkasa nodded again enthusiastically, his eyes even sparkled just because he had the same taste as Laura, which was not liking Richard at the first meeting. They talk about their dislikes as if the person they are talking about isn't there. Richard hearing how they were so engrossed in talking about it made Richard frown.

"Laura, that's bad." Richard stood up with difficulty because of his aching back.

"Because I'm not a good person." Laura answered calmly. "So hurry up and do your job because I'm not a patient person!"

With unsteady steps, Richard began to take his equipment and approached Angkasa. Angkasa held Laura's hand tightly because he didn't want Laura to leave him with Richard. Laura sat on the chair beside Angkasa with a heavy heart, her hand couldn't even leave Angkasa's grip. Laura who was bored started playing with her cellphone with the other hand. Meanwhile, Angkasa was busy playing with Laura's soft hands, even though there were many scars.

After waiting for an hour because he not only cut Angkasa's hair but also gave a tattoo on his neck which contained several injection marks which reduced the beauty of Angkasa. Laura knew that the man she was carrying had an incredibly handsome face, even though it was covered in dust. Angkasa has a naturally handsome face even though he grew up surrounded by dirt, and that's a plus that makes Angkasa attract Laura's attention. Well, basically a handsome person, no matter how dirty his appearance will look charming if you look closely.

"Wow! Where did you pick up this guy! What a cheat! When his good looks beat my cuteness!" Richard shrieked in surprise because he didn't expect the man Laura had brought him to be more charming than the cuteness he was proud of. Tch, indeed, natural beauty and artificial beauty will be clearly different when juxtaposed together.

Angkasa glanced at Laura to see how Laura would react to his change. His body flinched as his eyes met with Laura, who was staring at him intensely. "From the start you were handsome, now your good looks meet the standards to be my boyfriend. That's if you want our relationship to be more than master and pet."

Laura shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, regardless of Angkasa's response. Angkasa's face instantly reddened. His eyes widened as if to say, 'Really?' with his hands shaking with nervousness.

Laura tilted her head after interpreting Angkasa's gaze. "Well, even if it doesn't meet the full standard, there's still a chance to be my boyfriend."

Angkasa nodded his head unobtrusively. Seeing Angkasa's enthusiasm to become her boyfriend, Laura's gaze went blank for a moment. Angkasa saw the change in Laura's gaze, his brow furrowed in question.

"Well never mind. Now, we're going to the hospital. BTW, Ri, I picked this guy up at the Mental Hospital."

***

The breeze that blew warmed the bodies of two people who were on the hospital rooftop. They were in a state of hugging because one of them was scared, as evidenced by his body shaking badly. "How long are you going to hug me, hm?"

Laura was about to let go of Angkasa's embrace, but instead of letting go, the hug only grew tighter. Angkasa's body was shaking, the man was terrified because they were in the hospital and there were many people in white uniforms that scared him. The memory of being tortured for years still lingers in his mind. Even the pain and helplessness he had always felt was still felt today. All of that is not easily forgotten, especially since he felt it for a very long time.

Laura patted Angkasa's back. It's not that she doesn't know what Angkasa's fear is caused by. However, if he continued to sink into his fear without even trying to fight it, Laura would have to leave him. She… didn't want a coward and useless man. If he wants to be by her side, then the man must fight his fear because the world is very dark for an innocent man like Angkasa.

Angkasa's age 17 years, the same, it seems. But his mind was still like 10 years before he was in the Mental Hospital. The thoughts of a 7-year-old child still occupying his brain, he wanted Laura's protection without knowing that Laura's shield was covered in thorns. Even if Laura was protecting herself, she would have to be hurt first to be able to find safety in her life.

"Hey, look at me." Angkasa lifted his head from the crook of Laura's neck. His eyes filled with fear and sadness, looked pitiful.

Laura's hand cupped Angkasa's face, her thumb caressed Angkasa's soft and smooth cheeks. "You know what failure makes people look pathetic in this world?" Laura spoke in a low voice.

Angkasa shook his head because he didn't know what Laura meant. His mind is still simple, like a 7-year-old child who has never experienced failure in his life. "It's not failing in competition, let alone failing at achieving something we want. But, because we fail to fight our fears, that make us look pathetic. In our lifetime, we will never achieve something we want without fighting fear. We can't achieve anything."

Angkasa contemplates with raging thoughts. Laura's words were true, he really didn't want to fight his fear. But, if he didn't do that, then…

"If you ask for my protection, then who will protect me? I …" Laura averted her gaze from Angkasa. "Need protection too."

Laura's voice was filled with a deep sense of loneliness that made Angkasa's chest tight, even though he wasn't the one who felt it. "You are 17 years old, just like me. At our current age, if you want to defend something, then you have to protect it with your own hands. Because in this beautiful world, we have to pay a price to get what we want. Everything there must be a price, even if it's a trivial thing."

Angkasa fell silent with trembling lips, his hands even went cold when he managed to draw a conclusion. He knew what all of Laura's words meant. His words meant that Laura would leave Angkasa if Angkasa couldn't do anything even to protect himself.

Laura, who managed to catch Angkasa's anxious expression, smiled faintly. Her hand stroking Angkasa's hair made Angkasa calm for a moment. "Turns out you're smart too. Without me needing to say it, you'll know what I mean."

"From now on, you have to start from scratch to become Angkasa Ardiansyah who is 17 years old, not 7 years old."