1437 - I Love You Forever

55.

God sometimes has His own way of showing things that must be learned in this life. Like what happened to me. I actually learned life lessons—lessons about relationships—from my patients.

It had been almost two weeks since I fought with Giandra, and I hadn't spoken to her in that period of time. Not merely responding to her messages.

I cast my eyes over the building in front of me. Many things and memories happened in this place. How I met Giandra's father for the first time, how I spent the night with that girl, and even how we nearly went down the stairs.

Yes, this was Giandra's apartment.

You were absolutely mistaken if you believed I would meet her. Giandra still lives in my apartment. I came here to clean up her belongings. From the start, I wanted her to live with me and asked her to rent out this apartment.

I went into Giandra's unit after saying hello to some known faces in the building. Pushing the door carefully after entering the smart lock code. Her peculiar scent gently made its way to my nose. My chest felt tight. It had often struck me that I missed that girl.

Her smile. Her laugh. Her witty gaze. Her scent. Her body. I missed everything.

I tidied up some of the things we had discussed taking to my apartment. My hands, which were busy collecting things, suddenly stopped when I felt the presence of another person in the room.

"Permisi, apa ini benar unit apartemen milik Giandra?"

My ears remembered this voice very well. I, who was standing with my back to the owner of the voice, slowly turned my body to face her.

She was a little taken aback when my sight suddenly fell upon hers.

"Maaf, saya pikir ini unit apartemen mili—,"

"Ini memang milik Giandra, bu." I cut her words off.

That beautiful middle-aged woman gave me a perplexed expression.

"Saya sedang membereskan barang-barangnya. Saya tidak mau Giandra untuk tinggal di sini lagi, karena terlalu berbahaya buat dia." I explained in more detail so she wouldn't be confused.

Yes.

The lady standing before me was Giandra's mom.

I handed her a cup of tea before sitting on Giandra's sofa.

"Maaf, nggak ada suguhan yang lain karena apartemen ini sudah lumayan lama kosong, bu."

She nodded with a smile. Understand what happened here.

"Giandra sudah lama tinggal di apartemen saya di Jakarta. Saya nggak bisa membayangkan dia tinggal di sini." I paused my words for a moment before shrugging my shoulders. Forcing a smile on my lips. "I worry too much."

I fiddled with my fingers and allowed an idle moment to occur between us. We were silent for a long time and lost in our own thoughts when Giandra's mother started speaking again.

"Terima kasih atas bantuan nak Jagad selama ini."

"Apa uang yang dikirimkan sekretaris saya cukup untuk ibu dan adik Giandra?"

She nodded.

I gave her a look. Compared to our previous meeting, she appeared more cheerful and relaxed.

"Adik Giandra juga sudah dapat pekerjaan. Bukan pekerjaan yang besar tapi bagusnya dia sudah mulai bisa mandiri dengan dirinya sendiri."

I smiled and felt all grateful if the help I provided was useful for both of them.

"I get so uneasy with her living far away, despite our condition." She pressed her lips together. "I mean, you know, her father."

I nodded.

She clamped her fingers down on the tea cup. Her other fingers were busy crumpling her dark blue skirt, which made it look a little wrinkled. I could see how hard she held back her emotions.

"I always wonder if she's managing without me." Her expression was both relieved and disturbed. "Is she locking her windows and doors? Is she spending the night by herself? Those sorts of things. I can't help but worry."

She looked at me with a smile on her face. "But I'm glad Giandra has such a wonderful boyfriend like you."

Her hand, which was starting to become wrinkled, gripped mine tightly after placing the tea that was starting to cool on the table.

"Seperti yang sudah saya bilang sebelumnya." There were muffled sobs that could be heard between her words. "Saya mohon kamu jaga Giandra baik-baik. Anak itu tidak pernah merasakan sepenuhnya cinta dalam hidupnya."

My throat tightened. My eyes felt hot, and the feelings of when I cried in my own room, when I hated the rain that night, and when I missed Giandra's presence filled my mind again.

"Thank you for loving my daughter so deeply."

*****

The door in front of me looked familiar. I could even imagine what was going on behind it. This door would have been easy for me to open. It was just a matter of typing in the numbers on the black smart lock handle that was installed there.

However, I decided to ring the bell at the dimly lit entrance. I put my hand over the peephole and purposefully aroused curiosity in the person behind it.

"Siapa?"

I could hear her voice piercing through my ears without permission. It fostered my deep, intense longing for her.

Once again, I rang the bell. Quietly. As usual, when I teased her, asked her to open the door, even though I could open it myself.

Slowly, I could hear the sound of the door lock being opened. And when the wooden door in front of me opened, I could see the face I had missed. Her cheeks are a little taken care of, but her beauty remains unchanged.

Even the feelings I thought were gone were still there. The scars that I had assumed would never go away were beginning to mend. And I could see the smile growing on those lips that I had missed.

I couldn't even remember how terribly I hurt her feelings. But she was just naturally strong. She was a person who would not be taken down. Or be bent or broken. Someone who was stronger than anyone else.

I softly grabbed her cheek, planted a kiss on her lips, and moved her face away. Giving her a better look one more time.

Her forehead slowly furrowed. Her lips were pressed. Trying to hold back the tears that could escape at any time.

I gave her another kiss after a gentle laugh.

"Hey. I miss you."