20. Who are you?

"Excuse me?"

"Yes. I—" Daniel glared in surprise when he saw his brother was standing beside him, chuckling softly. "I thought you were a ghost," he said.

"There is no handsome ghost like me!"

Daniel just cleared his throat in response to his brother's words which didn't change at all. He turned and walked out of the airport to his car, followed by Danish who was walking alongside him, but there was no chat or small talk between them.

When he was in the car, Daniel started his car leaving the airport yard which was quite wide. Every now and then his eyes glanced at Danish who was daydreaming at the car that was driving in the opposite direction through the windshield.

"Do you want to go home or—" Daniel hung up on him, letting Danish answer it herself without needing to be asked.

"To my apartment!" said Danish who was still staring out the car window. "I want you to shut up about my coming to Indonesia!" he continued.

Daniel raised an eyebrow not understanding, he is part of his family. His arrival this time should be very influential with the state of his house which now feels deserted. "I don't understand!" said Daniel.

Danish took a deep breath and then looked at Daniel who was focusing on the road in front of her. "I don't want Daddy to know I'm here!"

"So you haven't told Dad yet?"

Danish just nodded in response.

Danish's mind re-considered about what problems his older brother was experiencing. He didn't understand the thought of Danish as if she didn't care about her father anymore, after the problems that had caused them to fight.

Daniel stopped the engine of his car right in the basement of Danish apartment, he wanted to have a longer chat with his brother. Danish had already got out of the car and walked away leaving Daniel who had just got out of his car. After the car was locked, he chased after Danish who was almost out of sight.

Daniel regulates his irregular breathing when he arrives at the door of Danish's apartment. Danish had already entered, and Daniel regretted his earlier movement running from the basement of the apartment which finally could not catch up with Danish's big steps. He unlocked the doorknob and then went inside.

Danish came out of her room, had changed into a more relaxed outfit with a plain white t-shirt and shorts.

"Did you run the marathon?" Danish asked as she walked toward the kitchen.

"After chasing the thief!" Daniel sat on the sofa in the living room. His finger pressed the power button on the television remote in front of him.

"Thief?" Danish walked to the sofa where Daniel was sitting, carrying a bottle of drink and a glass.

"My heart thief!" Daniel answered ambiguously.

Danish chuckled. "Think about the thesis, Daniel."

"I'm staying here, okay?"

"Yes."

Daniel nodded his head while drinking the glass already filled with drinks by Danish. The ones who have problems are only Dad and his brother, but that doesn't mean Daniel also has to keep his distance from Danish who has started to keep his distance from Father. He is aware that every problem has a solution, Daniel is sure that he can reunite his family. Previously, his mother had always been the mediator in every commotion. And now, it was Daniel who had to replace the figure of his Mother, melting the high ice cliff between his Father and Danish.

****

Two hours Emilly waited for Daniel on campus, accompanied by her favorite novel. Earlier, Rachel had asked her to go home together, but with her trusting attitude, Emilly finally waited for Daniel until the man called her back.

It's now five o'clock in the afternoon. Emilly had contacted Daniel's number almost twenty times, but he didn't pick up. Meanwhile, Daniel is still struggling with the blanket that covers part of his legs, his cellphone is on silent, Daniel's habit when he wants to sleep, he said so that no one would disturb his every good night's sleep.

Emilly stood up and took her bag, she walked out of the classroom with stomping feet and a face that was already red with anger. "Watch out for you!" Emilly grumbled as she walked along.

Emilly stopped a taxi that passed in front of her. It didn't take long to get to her house. Arriving in front of the gate of her house, she went straight into the bone-white house, she climbed the connecting stairs to her room on the second floor.

Emilly threw her body on the bed, looked up at the ceiling of her room and the balloons with a photo of Emilly attached at each end with her ex-lover. "When can I forget you?" she said softly.

Emilly turned her body and her hand reached out to find the cellphone in her bag. Emilly's forehead wrinkled when she saw three missed calls with unknown numbers. She tried to call back the number, she thought that it was Bobby's new phone number, because her brother likes to change phone numbers at will.

When the connection was connected, it didn't take Emilly long to wait until she was finally picked up.

"Hello?" Emilly greets someone on the other end of the phone.

"...."

"Hello, who are you?"

Emilly woke up then sat with her legs folded cross-legged and took a pillow to put on her thighs.

"Hello?"

Emilly is still patiently waiting for her interlocutor on the phone to answer. But suddenly the connection was cut off just like that made Emilly squint one eyebrow.

"Not clear!"

Emilly threw her cellphone to the corner of the bed, then lay back down while reminiscing with the photo in front of her. Memories flashed back when Emilly closed her eyes.

Toookkk.. Tookkk... Tookkk..

The sound of a knock on the door from outside her room made Emilly reflexively open her eyes then immediately opened the locked door of her room.

*****