Chapter 53: Chapter 53

The one word that slipped from Zidan's lips made Inez's breathing immediately heavier. Moreover, Ghea, the girl, bulged her eyes. Inez didn't leave immediately, she thought for a moment.

Inez turned her head again to look at Zidan. "There's no way you can just accuse without evidence, right?"

"I don't have any evidence," Zidan said. "But I saw everything." Zidan got a look that needed an answer from Inez. He immediately continued. "The night you gave me groceries at Cakra's house, a week ago, I was there."

"You were there?"

"You and Cakra didn't see me. I originally just wanted to go to Cakra's house, but it seemed like you and Cakra needed some time alone. So I didn't and chose to go back home."

"What happened after that?" Inez asked.

"When I was going home, I saw Rian taking pictures nearby. And now I know that he planned all this. He needed strong evidence to make everyone believe what he wrote on that paper. And a photo is more than enough."

"Come to think of it, I wouldn't be surprised if Rian did that." Inez growled in annoyance, her hands already clenched tightly.

"But that doesn't mean Rian did it, does it?" Ghea spoke up.

"Not necessarily how, it's all clear, Ghe! Rian is the culprit? What more proof do you need?" Inez immediately refuted Ghea's words. She glared at her best friend.

Zidan added. "If you don't believe me, I have other evidence. I also took a picture of Rian at Cakra's house at that time. Do you both want to see it?"

Inez shook her head quickly. "No, I trust you. Thanks, for the info."

"You're welcome."

"Come on, Ghe, we're leaving now!"

"Where to?"

"Find Rian, I'll finish him!" Inez exclaimed loudly. While Ghea just nodded in agreement.

Inez went to the back garden and sat on one of the chairs with Ghea. She had contacted Rian to meet here. And he said, Rian was on his way to that place.

Fortunately, Inez was not more upset. Rian had already arrived in front of Inez and Ghea. With her lips pressed together, Inez stood up from her seat and slapped Rian hard on the cheek.

PLAK!

A reddish mark was immediately printed on the boy's cheek. Inez slapped Rian's cheek. Rian himself was shocked, he held his cheek, which felt painful. While Inez only smiled sarcastically, Ghea had her mouth gagged.

"Inez, why—"

"Why did I slap you like that?" Inez cut off Rian's unfinished speech. Inez scrunched her waist, a lopsided smile on her lips. "Isn't the answer more than obvious? You made a mistake! Do you still want to ask why I slapped you?"

Ghea held Inez's hand. "Nez, stop being angry with Rian."

Inez immediately brushed Ghea's hand away. "You just shut up, Ghe!" Inez shouted loudly, and Ghea was immediately shocked.

Inez's gaze became even sharper. "There's no need to talk back, I already know everything. You're the one who spread the false information, right?"

Rian chuckled softly, one hand still holding his cheek, which was still tingling. "You already know?"

"What do you mean?!" accused Inez sharply.

"My reason is simple. I want you and Cakra to break up. If I can't get you, he can't get you. Make it even." Rian casually said that, which made Inez even more emotional.

"You bad boy!" Inez managed to land another slap on Rian's cheek. This time the slap was even stronger than before, making Rian hiss in pain. Meanwhile, Ghea let out a stifled squeal. It was different with Inez, who seemed not to be satisfied at all, making Rian suffer even more.

"Nez enough!" Ghea exclaimed. "Poor Rian!"

"You just shut up, Ghea!" Inez threw a sharp look at her best friend. Ghea really wasn't helping her at all.

"I did that on purpose."

"This makes me dislike you even more, Yan. I will never like a guy like you. And Kara's death because of you also makes me hate you even more."

"Kara?" Rian muttered, and the name was again mentioned by Inez.

"Don't tell me you forgot about her."

"I really don't know who she is." Rian replied quickly.

"Kara was my friend in middle school, and she likes you. But, you never looked at Kara. You rejected her objections. She ended up killing herself. And it's all because of you, Rian!"

Rian was silent, his mind immediately went to the past. And Rian remembered that he once rejected the presence of a girl who kept approaching him. Rian was uncomfortable, and finally he said firmly to the girl that he did not want to be close to her anymore. Rian didn't know that the girl was named Kara and committed suicide because of him. But according to Rian, it was something stupid and absurd.

"Do you remember who Kara is now?" said Inez.

"She killed herself?"

"Yes, and it was because of you."

"Why am I at fault? She killed herself because she was a moron! I'm not at fault! Everyone has the right to dislike other people. Blame your friend who doesn't use her brain!"

"YOU'RE SO CRAZY! I REALLY CAN'T GET OVER THE WAY YOU THINK!"

Immediately, Inez kicked Rian's stomach so hard that Rian, who didn't realize Inez's movement, couldn't dodge it. Rian fell to the ground.

Ghea screamed even louder and more hysterically, she approached Rian and helped her up. "Is Rian okay?"

Relax, Ghe, I'm fine." Rian replied softly while holding his aching stomach. Inez was completely unexpected.

Ghea looked up, giving Inez a sharp look. "Inez! That's enough! You can't do this to Rian, you can talk to him nicely!"

"What's wrong with you, Ghe? You've been dividing him all this time. You should support me, help me teach this boy a lesson. Why are you defending Rian? I suspect that you like Rian!"

Ghea raised her head and stood in front of Inez. "If I really like Rian, what's wrong, Nez? Is there something wrong with you? I really like Rian! Satisfied now, huh?!"

***

Cakra wanted to solve all the problems that had been plaguing him. He wanted to live a quiet life, especially when last night his grandmother said something that made his heart flinch.

"Everyone makes mistakes. No one is pure and saintly all the time. So your father has no intention of accepting your forgiveness? Can you really?"

"Even God is merciful and forgives his servants. Is that too hard for you? Our fellow humans should be the same way. I know that forgiving is not an easy thing to do, especially if the person's actions hurt you too much. But how long do you want to keep doing this? I'm advice is that you should try to be sincere and forgive your father."

"Yes, it's hard, I know that. But you also have to remember, he's your father after all. Accept his forgiveness before it's too late. I'm also sure your father will explain something."

He thinks, if he remembers correctly, that was the longest sentence she ever said to him. He was truly touched. And he was already determined. Yes, he would end it all. He had to meet with his father. To talk about their problems together. Grandmother was right, he couldn't keep avoiding. He had to come forward gracefully.

And tonight, after all his work was done and he was about to go home, he happened to see his father entering a restaurant. He held his breath, his gaze not leaving the face of the man in the suit.

Reno glanced at Cakra for a moment, before finally entering his business partner's office to discuss something. Not long after, the man came out and approached Cakra.

"Can we talk now, Cakra? That's if you want to."

He nodded his head without thinking. This was the right time, now that he had met Cakra, to tell him everything that had happened.

The middle-aged man's face in front of Cakra was stunned for a moment, his eyes blinked, as if he did not expect that Cakra would agree.

"Do you want to?"

"I also have something to talk to ..." He held his tongue, and he looked up to look at his father's face. "... You."

Reno's face changed completely. He looked nervous. Next, the two of them positioned themselves to sit facing each other at the round table that was already there. Ever since, his heartbeat has been pounding. This was more than he expected. He felt tense, for some reason.

"Want to order some food first? You haven't eaten yet, right?" Reno asked enthusiastically, to which Cakra immediately replied with a shake of his head.

"I'm going home soon, no need. The restaurant's closed anyway," he replied quietly.

For a moment, there was silence that enveloped them both. Cakra was silent, while his father also seemed to lock his mouth.

Clearing his throat to dispel the boredom and silence, Reno refocused his gaze on Cakra. "Cakra, I have something to talk to you about."

"What do you want to talk about?" replied Cakra in a low voice.

"I want to try to apologize to you again. Do you want to accept my apology, Cakra? I'm sorry, I realize that I did a lot of wrong to you. If you ..."

"I already forgave you." He replied in a hoarse and trembling voice. "I'm also sorry that I acted inappropriately at that time."

"No, it wasn't your fault, son. It was my fault, and you have every right to be angry. I showed up suddenly in front of you, kept apologizing after years of not coming. I'm sorry, Cakra. I was wrong."

"I'm still disappointed, but I want to try to let bygones be bygones. I already forgive you."

"Are you serious?"

He nodded his head firmly. "Yeah ..."

An uncontrollable feeling of emotion immediately burst out, and Reno immediately stood up and took a seat next to Cakra. He hugged his son tightly. Cakra also felt relieved, he returned his father's hug.

"I'm glad you want to forgive me, son, I promise I won't make the same mistake. I promise you, Cakra."

"I believe that."

"Now do you and Grandma want to move into my house? We can live together. And you won't have to work at my restaurant anymore."

His father's last words made him blink. "Your restaurant?"

"Yes, this is my branch restaurant."

"So ..." Cakra thought about the events of the past few months. No wonder, his boss was always kind to him and often gave him a bigger salary than usual. He had refused, but his boss was not to be denied.

"How is it, Cakra?" Reno interrupted Cakra's reverie. "You want to, right?"

"I don't know, let me confirm with my grandmother first. Do you mind?" he asked.

"I don't mind, so let's talk about this with your grandmother first. I hope you will accept my request."

***

Inez, who was sharing a laugh with Cakra on one of the canteen benches, suddenly made the surrounding students feel jealous of her. How could they not, Both of them were joking with each other and indulging in intimacy. Love makes everything different, Inez and Cakra don't care about their surroundings, as if only the two of them are in the canteen while other students are inanimate objects. The world feels like it belongs to the two of them.

They shared jokes and laughter together. Until finally, both of them simultaneously pressed their lips together when their nerves caught Rian and Ghea, who were walking next to each other, approaching the two of them.

Cakra and Inez glanced at each other. Until finally, only silence crashed between them.

Ghea, who was still standing right in front of the bench that Inez and Cakra were sitting on, cleared her throat softly. Ghea adjusted her glasses, which were slightly slumped, then spoke softly.

"Can we both sit here?" she asked softly.

Inez looked at Cakra for an answer. Actually, she herself objected because, right now, she just wanted to be alone with Cakra. After that, Cakra nodded, making Inez feel a little disappointed. Inez returned her attention to Ghea.

"Go ahead," Inez replied.

"Thank you." Ghea smiled slightly, before she took her seat, she turned to Rian. "Let's sit," she said lightly to senior.

Rian complied, and the boy sat right in front of Cakra. They both faced each other and threw flat gazes. Suddenly, the silence spread very quickly.

Ghea let out a long breath. Unable to bear this awkward sound, she cleared her throat softly, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "Nez, I have something to talk to you about."

"About?"

Ghea didn't answer right away, first gathering her courage. A few minutes later, she looked straight at Inezer courage. A few minutes later, she looked straight at Inez. "I want to apologize to you, about what was planted at that time. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."

Oh, that one." Inez nodded in understanding. Actually, she didn't think much about it. Inez had almost forgotten about it. The pretty girl smiled slightly. "Never mind, I almost forgot about it if you didn't remind me. You just relax, I've already forgiven you. Besides, you're not really at fault here."

"Really? Do you want to forgive me?" A happy look appeared on Ghea's face.

Smiling widely, Inez's head moved up and down. "Yes, you're my best friend after all. A trivial matter like that doesn't need to be exaggerated."

"So we're good?" asked Ghea.

"We're good," said Inez.

Both girls then laughed simultaneously.

"I'm here to apologize too." Rian suddenly raised his voice. Making everyone stare at that guy. Rian swallowed, his gaze directed to Cakra. "Especially to you, Kra. I realize that my actions toward you have been far from good. I was wrong, and I've confessed everything. I surrendered myself to you. I apologize for my bad treatment of you."

"I accept your apology." Cakra immediately said, cutting off Rian's unfinished speech. Cakra looked at his brother with a faint smile. "This is what I wanted all along. I don't like fighting. I'm also sorry if ..."

Rian shook his head firmly. "You never did anything wrong to me. Don't apologize to me. I'm the one who's wrong here. I'm sorry, okay?"

Cakra's smile grew wide. Steadily, he nodded.

"Thank you, I thought it would be hard for you to forgive me at first. I didn't know it was this easy. I'm sorry about what I've done to you. Once again, I want us to get along, you're my younger brother. As your older brother, I shouldn't be like this."

"I told you, I don't like fighting. I'm glad we're getting along like this. Thanks, right?"

"How can you say thank you?"

"I'm just thankful that you came here and didn't want to start a fight." Cakra was half-joking, he chuckled softly. Then, Rian's laughter followed.

Rian then looked at Inez. "I also want to apologize to you. I'm sorry that I've been chasing you. I know that feelings can't be forced. And about your best friend ... I honestly didn't know Nez, I'm sorry about that too."

Inez closed her eyes. She shook her head. "Alright, let's not talk about that. I'm not angry with you, I already forgave you."

"Are you serious, you want to forgive me?"

"As long as you don't chase me anymore, I forgive you."

"No, it won't happen again." Rian suppressed his voice. "Thank you for forgiving me. For now and in the future, I want our relationship to be fine."

"Yes, I hope so too," Inez said.

"Yes, that's why we came to see you two, to apologize. Sorry for disturbing your time, right? We're going to leave now. Let's go." Ghea stood up from her seat, followed by Rian.

"Let's continue our courtship, let's go now." Rian said while chuckling softly. Then he and Ghea left Cakra and Inez's presence.

Inez stared at Ghea and Rian's departure. She felt something strange. Rian seemed to be holding Ghea's hand. Perhaps ...

"Ghea!" Ines shouted, calling her best friend's name. Ghea and Rian stopped when they heard Inez's voice because they weren't far away.

"Why Nez?"

"Are you two dating?!" Inez asked. But Ghea smiled and turned around. Ghea pulled Rian's hand. They both ran away.

"I'm sure they're both dating now. What do you think, Cakra?"

"No idea." Chakra replied nonchalantly, he shrugged his shoulders.

Inez clicked her tongue. She threw her boyfriend a sardonic look.

THE END