Just A Dream

The woman Laras asked was also crying. Even her cries were much louder before Laras asked her. No, no, no. Laras kept shaking her head repeatedly to get rid of the stupid thoughts that were present in her brain. There's no way she'd break down the emergency room door and look for Panji in there blindly. Or, scream and hit the doctor who treated Panji in the face.

"You, who died?" asked the woman when she had calmed down.

"No!" Laras immediately refuted in a high tone, so that several people paid attention to them. "No one died in there. You know, this was all a dream!!" Laras stood up and shouted, stealing the attention of everyone in the corridor at that time.

"Listen, everyone! This is all just a dream, you just need to wake up and wash your face to wake up. Just so you know, your family or partner didn't die, they're still in the carriage. The one in that room...." Laras pointed to the tightly closed ER door. "Someone else! Not our family, not our partner!!"

One of the middle-aged women approached Laras, patting her lightly on the shoulder. "We all know, this is hard to accept. But, son, the one inside....is true. Someone we've been waiting for, someone we've missed so much face. And yes, they're inside, lifeless."

After hearing that sentence, there was a lot of ringing in Laras ears. The ringing was always heard when Laras was afraid, afraid of the many bad possibilities that were lodged in her head.

Covering her ears with both hands, shaking her head vigorously and continuing to say no, is what Laras is doing now. She closed her eyes, predicting a prayer that God might hear.

"Yes, Lord. If I may ask, please make this just a dream. I am afraid, Lord. This is too painful, this is happening too fast. I love him, Lord, loves him very much. I need his presence."

As if God had heard her prayer, Laras felt her head spinning so hard that it caused a very painful headache. Her ears were still ringing, even louder than before. Laras felt herself being pulled from one dimension to another. Where her body feels swayed to the right and to the left, many times, with a very fast duration.

Laras shouted, but for some reason her mouth felt numb. Until she felt a rough hand that cupped also patted her cheek. Surprisingly, Laras still couldn't feel what was happening. The climax, Laras suddenly opened her eyes and glared. Her breath was ragged, as if she had run about four kilometers without stopping. Her eyes flashed here and there, and found a familiar face who was also looking at her warmly.

"Panji?" Laras asked in a low voice.

The man whose name was called smiled faintly. He who was squatting was about to stand back up at first, but failed because Laras suddenly lunged at him with a tight hug accompanied by tears. "Aaaa!! I miss you so much!!" He cried making Panji frown in confusion.

His body was unsteady because Laras' body rested completely on his body. Until Panji lost his balance and fell backwards with Laras still in his arms. "Hey?! Ouch!"

"Ugh!! Why did you fall?!" Laras screamed in annoyance and immediately got up because they were the center of attention now.

"Ouch, you suddenly hugged me. I was shocked, I was about to stand up until I couldn't. I'm sorry, is there someone who is sick?" asked Panji when he too got up.

Laras smiled sadly. For God's sake, she really missed the figure in front of him. She wanted to hold his tighter, longer, and if possible never let go. Or if Laras allowed it, she wanted to kiss Panji now. Just a moment, to convey how much longing she has endured this week. But of course Laras was still sane and wouldn't do that.

"Why? Is there something wrong with me?" asked Panji because Laras kept looking at him with a smile. Panji should be happy, but for some reason she was surprised. Why is Laras like this? What did she go through for a week to change her character?

"You don't want to hug me?"

"Huh?" Panji's response was as quick as the way Laras asked.

Of course, Panji frowned in confusion. From time to time Laras asked whether Panji wanted to hug him or not, because of course the answer was yes, really wanted to. But, Panji realized, he was afraid to make Laras uncomfortable.

"Is it possible?" Panji asked while scratching the back of his neck that didn't itch.

"If you can't, why should I offer it?"

Yes too, yes.

Then without waiting long, Panji pulled Laras into his arms. He embraced the little body into his warm body. Sending a feeling of longing that mounts to end soon. Panji inhaled the floral scent of Laras perfume. The same smell, like the smell he had smelled before. It seems Laras never changes the scent of her perfume.

"Your perfume smells the same as before. Never changed, and I still like it." Panji said when his arms were released.

"The smell of my perfume?" Laras asked and Panji just nodded in response.

"How do you know if the smell of my perfume never changes?"

"When you were in school, and I accidentally hugged you. I live perfume with the same scent as I breathe now."

"You ever hugged me?! When?!" Laras shouted. She was surprised, when did Panji hug her? Just met recently.

"When you were about to pass out on the street, I was the one who caught your body. I was also the one who carried you to the clinic."

"Good grief." Laras rubbed her forehead. A little disbelieving because so far she had never met an angel who helped her at that time. Turns out, he is Panji.

"I apologize for being presumptuous of taking this from you. At first, I didn't want to return it. But it seems, you need it now."

"What's that?" Laras asked when she saw Panji reaching into his trouser pocket.

"Dreamcatchers." Panji held out the long necklace to Laras. "I'll find out what it means, this is a necklace to ward off nightmares. You must be having a lot of trouble, huh? You have to wear this?"

Laras received the necklace with the owl pendant. She smiled faintly. "When did my life not have a problem? This was the last necklace my father gave me before he turned into a devil. He said this was a necklace to avoid the devil. Because I wanted to avoid my father, so I wore this necklace at that time."

There was no response from Panji, there was only a hug. The hug was much tighter than before. Complete with a soft caress on her back as well as a light peck on her temple.