Am I In Love?
Darian stretched his stiff muscles by raising both hands and leaning back on the back of the chair. He closed his eyes to relieve the strain in his tired eyes after spending the day dealing with files and laptop screens. Today, Darian intentionally cleared his meeting schedule to focus on checking the details of the reports from the finance director. Fahira had been going in and out of the young CEO’s office all day, carrying out all his commands. Darian had almost finished three cups of coffee today. Even for lunch, he chose to eat in his office, ordering delivery from his favorite restaurant.
Fahira started to worry when the time on her wristwatch showed three in the afternoon, and Darian seemed still engrossed in the stack of files before him. Fahira remained silent for a while until Darian’s voice startled her.
“What’s the matter, Fahira? Are you still sick?” Darian asked, making Fahira’s tongue feel tied.
Darian stood up and faced the giant mirror in front of him, which showed the hustle and bustle of Jakarta city. His left hand sank into his pocket, while his right hand held a cup of coffee, which he sipped slowly. Darian deliberately avoided Fahira’s gaze, which always reminded him of the hot night they had spent together. Meanwhile, Fahira gathered the courage to ask for permission to leave early. She really couldn’t do overtime today because she had to go to the hospital urgently.
“Excuse me, Mr. Darian, may I leave early? I’m sorry, but I can’t do overtime today,” Fahira said with a trembling voice. She looked at Darian’s broad back, which remained still. Darian remained silent for a while before finally speaking.
“Go ahead!” Darian replied shortly without bothering to look at Fahira. Instead, he enjoyed the sunlight on the western horizon.
“Thank you, Sir.” Fahira quickly left Darian’s office and hurriedly cleaned up her desk, bag, and turned off the computer before saying goodbye to Mira and Ray, her colleagues who were still focused on their work. During the last week of each month like this, all employees usually had to work overtime, including Fahira. However, due to certain circumstances, she had to prioritize Ariel’s recovery, her younger brother.
Fahira, who walked in a hurry, almost bumped into David, who had just come out of the bathroom.
“Sorry, Mr. David,” Fahira said while clasping her hands in front of her chest with a stiff smile.
“Be careful on the way!” David replied casually, to which Fahira only nodded. David smiled and waved, then headed to Darian’s office.
“Do you want to go home now, Boss? Or go straight to the gym for fitness?” David asked, now inside Darian’s office. Today was Darian’s fitness schedule.
“You go home; I want to go by myself,” Darian replied without enthusiasm.
“Okay, thank you for the bonus, Boss,” David replied casually but with a hint of curiosity. David was well aware of Darian’s recent change of behavior, but he chose to stay silent. He would wait until Darian himself would talk about his problems. Despite being friends, David knew his place and understood the boundaries of not interfering in Darian’s private matters unless the man himself asked for it.
As usual, Fahira went with Mang Damar, her regular motorcycle taxi driver, to Medical Center hospital. Ten minutes later, Darian’s car also left his skyscraper building. Unaware to Fahira, Darian’s car was only two cars behind the motorcycle she was riding. Darian intentionally followed Fahira out of curiosity since two days ago when he saw her entering a hospital despite looking healthy and fine. Darian wouldn’t stay silent if it turned out Fahira dared to lie for personal matters and leave her responsibilities behind.
Shortly after Fahira entered the hospital, Darian was about to get out of his car. However, he immediately aborted the plan when he saw someone he knew very well: Aunt Desi, his dad’s cousin. Darian just remembered that her son was one of the doctors at that hospital. Darian quickly turned on his car’s engine and left the hospital premises. He didn’t want his aunt to get any suspicious thoughts, especially since he and his mom already had a personal family doctor who was always available 24/7 if needed.
“Why did I follow that woman? I must have too much free time,” grumbled Darian when he realized he had just wasted his time. If Darian really wanted information about Fahira, he could simply order David to handle it, and everything would be sorted out in no time.
Darian’s car sped freely towards the kickboxing training place. He wanted to refresh his mind by releasing all his feelings. Feelings he couldn’t define himself.
The phone ringing interrupted Darian’s thoughts. Without a doubt, he knew it was his mom, Yasmin, and he knew what they would talk about. Alea must have complained about Darian’s rough attitude towards her the other day. He put on earphones in both ears, and when the call connected, Yasmin poured all her anger on her son. Calmly, Darian listened and only answered “yes” to Yasmin without any interest in explaining anything, as it would all be in vain. After Yasmin ended the call, Darian dialed someone else’s number and pressed the call button.
“Come to the boxing training place, I need a sparring partner!” Darian ordered David, who instantly received a harsh reprimand through his cell phone. Darian was sure David was on a date with one of his women, and Darian joyfully canceled their plans.
Angry? Of course not. Darian burst into laughter when he successfully provoked David’s anger, just as he always did. Darian deliberately prevented David from planting seeds in random places. Since high school, his best friend had been known as a playboy. So, every woman who liked Darian ended up in bed with David. David even casually told those women that Darian wasn’t interested in the opposite sex and was gay. Was Darian angry this time? Of course not either. With David’s confession, Darian was freed from flirtatious women who wanted to get close to him.
David arrived while Darian was in the middle of sparring with the studio’s trainer. Darian stopped his activity and smiled as he approached David, who was giving him an annoyed look. “Go change! I need a sparring partner!” Darian said without feeling guilty.
“I was just about to have a different kind of duel in the bedroom if you hadn’t interrupted. I need some release, not like you who always duel with punching bags!” David retorted angrily, then punched Darian’s shoulder quite hard, causing him to take a step back. David immediately walked towards the changing room.
Darian chuckled, which only made David even more irritated. Darian always disturbed his enjoyment. Despite being annoying, David remained loyal to his friend. One of the perks of having a cold and good friend like Darian was that David got whatever he wanted, including women. Darian was a workaholic, while David enjoyed the company of women, which was quite enjoyable.Content rights by NôvelDr//ama.Org.
“You lose!” David declared as he saw Darian’s annoying expression while waiting for him in the ring.
David climbed into the ring with a sly smile, while Darian just looked at him expressionlessly with one eyebrow raised. The fierce fight between the two friends was about to begin. As per Darian’s request, they didn’t want anyone else interfering in their match. So, the trainer chose to leave them alone, as they always did. The employees at the studio were already used to the chaos that would unfold and had prepared medical equipment just in case, as Darian and David tended to spar as they pleased.
The fight began. This time, Darian instructed David to make the first move. David’s agile attacks were skillfully blocked by Darian. A powerful counter hit David’s jaw, making him even more furious. However, David deliberately chose not to retaliate, only focusing on blocking Darian’s relentless assaults.
“Don’t tell me you want to beat me up just to vent your frustration about Alea?” David said, breathing heavily as he tried to cope with Darian’s relentless attacks.
Unlike his usual self, Darian’s mood was in complete disarray. The last time David faced Darian’s wrath like this was when his father passed away three years ago. Back then, David was severely beaten and even had to be hospitalized. David intentionally allowed Darian to unleash all his emotions. But this time, David was a bit puzzled. Could it be that Darian was so frustrated just because of a woman who resembled Atiqah Hasiholan?
“I’ll give you the latest Pajero Sport model if you manage to sabotage that arranged marriage plan!” Darian offered with panting breaths, continuously attacking David with a combination of jabs and crosses.
David’s smile widened as he continued to endure Darian’s relentless attacks. Boom… Darian once again landed a hard punch on David’s left cheek, causing him to stagger back into the corner of the ring. Darian returned to the center of the ring, taunting David, underestimating his strength. As Darian’s bodyguard, David should be better at sparring than him.
“I gladly accept your challenge, Darian. When else would I get a free car just for sleeping with a woman, hahaha!” Conquering women was no difficult task for a player like David.
“Fine, do whatever you want! Just keep that woman away from my life!” Darian retorted.
They resumed their fight, but David still felt something odd about Darian’s demeanor. Darian seemed preoccupied with something else, not about Alea or his mother Yasmin, but something more serious. Suddenly, a smile spread across David’s face as he remembered their conversation from the other day. This time, David took the offensive, although Darian skillfully blocked all of David’s attacks. When he saw an opportunity, David whispered, “I wonder which woman managed to break your virginity seal, Darian,” while trying to stifle his laughter as he noticed Darian’s sudden distraction. Boom… David successfully slammed Darian’s body onto the ring. “You lose!” David jeered, laughing loudly, while Darian stretched out his arms, trying to catch his breath.
“I’ll find out who that woman is!” David continued and then laid down next to Darian in the same position.
“Don’t touch her!” Darian threatened firmly, which only piqued David’s curiosity. David laughed sarcastically, looking at Darian, who was still staring at the studio’s ceiling.
“Finally, my friend is experiencing love,” David mumbled to himself, smiling triumphantly.