Why she kills

09

"I am assuming by 'us' you mean you and your guy Tenuk?" Johan probed, his tone neutral yet probing.

"...Tenuk is a fragile person, and I don't want the slightest harm inflicted on him," Iyaan responded earnestly, his concern evident.

"I see," Johan replied, acknowledging Iyaan's sentiment.

"He wanted to disclose the name, yet I stopped him--" Iyaan began to explain.

"Because you felt calling her out will put your lives in danger," Johan finished, understanding dawning in his eyes.

Their conversation was interrupted by the appearance of the waiter, who brought the bill in a wine glass. Johan swiftly took out his card and settled the payment, signaling the end of their meeting. Iyaan rose from his seat, and Johan followed suit as they exited the restaurant together.

Outside, they arrived at the bus station, where Johan sank onto a waiting bench. He retrieved a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, extracting one and stashing the rest away. With practiced ease, he produced a tiger mouth lighter from his sleeve and ignited the cigar, exhaling a cloud of smoke into the air. Iyaan observed silently as the smoke swirled around Johan's head.

"I assume you either expect me to train you or want me to pull some strings," Johan remarked casually between puffs of smoke.

"Neither," Iyaan stated, sliding folded cash across the bench toward Johan. He then plucked the cigar from Johan's mouth, crushing it in his hand before disposing of it in a nearby bin.

"That's bad for your health," Iyaan commented, an unpredictable hint in his voice.

As Johan regarded him impassively, a bus pulled up in front of them. Iyaan seized the opportunity, boarding the bus quickly and leaving Johan behind in a haze of smoke, his thoughts swirling with the implications of their conversation.

***

"I'm home, Tenuk," Iyaan announced wearily, sinking onto the cool floor of the hall. Tenuk emerged from the bedroom, his gaze falling on the keys lying on the table.

"You should keep things in their right places," Tenuk remarked, picking up the keys and bending down to place them in the drawer of the table. Before he could close it, Iyaan pulled him onto his lap.

"I come home tired, miserable, late, and this is what you say to me first?" Iyaan pouted.

Tenuk cupped Iyaan's face with both hands, squishing it playfully like a piece of slime. "Okay then. Tell me. How was your work?"

"Exhausting, as you can see," Iyaan replied, his expression still puckered from Tenuk's antics.

"Where did you go?" Tenuk inquired, his curiosity evident.

Iyaan placed Tenuk's hands on his chest, holding onto them warmly before answering, "You know, soon we'll be graduating, and we'll have to start working for real."

"Yeah. Did you go to an agency or something?" Tenuk prodded further.

"No, silly. I spoke to the professor about job possibilities," Iyaan clarified.

"What did he say?" Tenuk pressed on.

"...nothing," Iyaan admitted, a tinge of disappointment in his voice.

Tenuk rested his head on Iyaan's chest, and Iyaan instinctively began running his fingers through Tenuk's hair. Tenuk's voice came out muffled against Iyaan's clothes as he spoke. "Don't be discouraged. I know you'll do just fine."

"We'll do just fine," Iyaan corrected, a small smile forming on his lips.

Tenuk's face lit up with a bright smile before he lifted his head. "You can sleep on the floor tonight if you want."

"Yeah, no way," Iyaan responded, grabbing Tenuk around the waist and playfully tossing him to the side. Tenuk giggled like a child, and together they entered the bedroom, ready to rest for the night, knowing that graduation, and whatever lay beyond, awaited them soon.

***

At precisely six minutes past five, Tenuk's eyelids fluttered open, revealing the sparkle in his eyes. With a sense of excitement coursing through him, he leaped out of bed, radiating happiness as he pushed the curtains aside, welcoming the morning sunlight into their room. His room, their room, where memories and dreams intertwined.

Tenuk spun around, almost jogging to the side of the bed where Iyaan lay, still immersed in sleep's embrace.

"Important day. Why are you still asleep?" Tenuk murmured, gently tugging at the blanket covering Iyaan. But Iyaan, curled up in a ball, seemed unwilling to part with the comfort of sleep.

"Iyaan," Tenuk called out louder, rocking him to rouse him from his slumber. Iyaan stirred, sitting up with a groan, running his hand through his hair in a disheveled manner.

"What time is it?" he grumbled, his irritation evident.

"Five twenty," Tenuk replied mischievously.

"Ugh," Iyaan sighed in frustration. "It hardly takes us half an hour to reach campus, and the ceremony begins at ten! Why did you wake me up so early?"

"No complaining. Let's eat well and then dress up like our lives depend on it-" Iyaan snatched the blanket from Tenuk's hands, cocooning himself in it and flopping back onto the bed before Tenuk could finish.

"Come on, love. Waking up early is a good thing anyway-" Tenuk began, but once again, Iyaan cut him off, extending his hand to pull Tenuk close. Wrapping Tenuk in his embrace, Iyaan held him close, enveloping him in warmth.

"I-Iyaan. Come on, get up already-" Tenuk protested, his cheeks flushed.

"No. Let's stay like this for a while," Iyaan insisted, his voice soft and warm.

"What's up with you these days?" Tenuk inquired, turning to face Iyaan. Iyaan's embrace made him feel fuzzy and warm inside as he held onto the taller boy.

"Since the day you began taking the professor's advice, you've been acting weird," Tenuk observed lightly, innocence reflecting in his gaze as he looked at Iyaan.

"No, Tenuk. I just miss you," Iyaan admitted, tapping Tenuk's cheeks gently, a warm smile gracing his lips. Tenuk buried his face in Iyaan's chest, feeling comforted by his presence.

"How do you manage to miss me when we literally live together?" Tenuk chuckled softly, nuzzling closer to Iyaan.

"Haha. It's just how it is," Iyaan replied, drawing Tenuk closer in his embrace. Tenuk reciprocated, patting Iyaan's back gently as his eyelids grew heavy with sleep.

"It's cozy like this, right?" Iyaan teased, eliciting a nod from Tenuk, who pressed himself against Iyaan, relishing in his warmth and finding solace in his embrace.

"I guess it won't hurt to sleep some more," Tenuk murmured, his words trailing off into small hums of contentment, his warm breaths against Iyaan's body a lullaby as they drifted back into the realm of dreams together.

*1091 words*