Bittersweet Arrangements : A Sugar Dady Affair

“Sis..!” Nindy called when Elena’s cellphone which was beside her rang again. “Sis El, Uncle Devan is calling again. It’s a shame he’s been calling for so long!” continued Nindy again because Elena didn’t move from her place.

Elena then brought the pajamas she had just taken from inside the closed walk-in and approached Nindy. Before taking her cell phone which was beside Nindy, Elena put the pajamas on the edge of the bed. Seeing Elena acting awkwardly, Nindy immediately left.

“I’m going to the bathroom first Sis,” said Nindy and then walked towards the bathroom. Nindy deliberately wanted to give Elena private time to receive a call from Devan. Maybe later, Nindy will talk to Elena at the right time.

Elena then went outside to the balcony of the room so that their conversation would not be heard by other people.

“Uncle, why are you using El’s telephone program? You really like bothering El!” Elena was annoyed without responding to the greeting from the man on the other side.

“There are people who say greetings that are answered first, El, instead of being judgmental like this!” Devan replied, smiling broadly when he imagined Elena’s annoyed facial expression. An expression he always missed without realizing it.

“There’s no need to use small talk. Uncle, what do you want to say? Hurry up. El is already sleepy!” Elena said so that Devan immediately ended the call before Nindy came out of the bathroom.

“Uncle just wanted to ask when are you coming home?” Devan replied with an even wider smile.

“It’s none of Uncle Devan’s business, right? Besides, it’s El’s choice, how long El wants to stay here, whether he wants to go home or not!” Elena said, increasingly annoyed with Devan’s attitude of interfering in her affairs. In the past, when she expressed her love, she was rejected, but now why does this adult man keep bothering her? Isn’t that enough to make him heartbroken?

“Okay, then Uncle, wait until Wednesday, if you haven’t gone back to Jogja, Uncle will pick you up!” Devan replied casually.

“Just leave it to Uncle, El doesn’t care!” said Elena, who had completely lost her patience. Even though he was on holiday in Surabaya to calm his heart and mind about Devan. But why does it seem like men are deliberately bothering her?

Tut… Tut… Tut… The phone line was cut off instantly. Instead of being angry, Devan just laughed. Getting satisfaction that Devan himself doesn’t know the reason for. If the girl were in front of him now, he would definitely pinch her cheeks because he was so excited.

Elena then went back into the room while thinking hard to prepare the right answer if Nindy asked her a question.

“Have you finished the call? How come so fast, Sis?” Sure enough, Nindy immediately bombarded him with questions.

Elena could only smile stiffly. His tongue was numb and he couldn’t speak. The expression displayed by Elena was enough to prove that Nindy’s assumption was correct.

“I’ll pray first Sis,” said Nindy again then took a mukena to perform evening prayers.

“Oh, Nindy found out because of the broken battery, so what should I do?” Elena grumbled to herself as she scratched the back of her head which didn’t itch.

Elena hurriedly climbed into bed while calming her heart which was starting to beat the drum. Opened the WhatsApp application on his cellphone. Seeing Uncle Devan and Citra’s names appear on the top chat list made Elena take a deep breath. Then she held it to her chest as hard as she could, then exhaled slowly and Elena repeated this several times. However, instead of calming down, anxiety invaded Elena’s heart when she realized that all the chats from Devan that she had deliberately ignored had changed color. The gray ticks have now all turned blue. Even the 2 newest chats.

Now Elena can no longer avoid Nindy, her younger cousin. Elena’s face suddenly turned pale as she imagined her confession in a moment. It would definitely be very embarrassing for him to have to admit that he had fallen in love with his parents’ best friend who was so far apart in age.

10 minutes later, Nindy followed Elena into bed. Not immediately lying down, Nindy sat cross-legged facing Elena with an unreadable gaze. Instantly Elena swallowed her saliva with difficulty. He was trapped and there was no way he could escape Nindy.

“Sister, you don’t need to be afraid if this secret is revealed. Sis El just answer my question honestly,” said Nindy seriously. “I don’t want to interfere in Sis El’s personal affairs. But this time I’m really curious,” admitted Nindy with a probing look.

Elena smiled wryly as she changed her position to sit. He grabbed a pillow and hugged it tightly to calm the pounding of his heart as if he was preparing to jump into battle. Elena must not be physically prepared but rather mentally prepared after confessing. Nindy will be the first person to know the big secret.

“Okay, I’ll tell you the truth. I know, sooner or later other people will find out,” replied Elena, who looked very nervous. A tinge of pink began to appear on her beautiful face. Elena never knows what will happen after Nindy finds out her big secret.

Elena started telling her story. From the start, Elena felt a tremor in her heart every time she met Devan until the man’s rejection. And all Nindy could do was listen and be amazed. Logically, he never stopped trying to understand what Elena was saying word for word. This fact really shook Nindy, who immediately imagined how Daddy and Mommy would react when they found out later.

“But Nin, I’m surprised at Uncle Devan. Why is he so annoyed? Even though I’m trying to avoid forgetting him quickly, learning to move on from him,” explained Elena with her signature innocent look.

“Oh…” That was the only response from Nindy who was still confused by all the facts she had heard.

According to him, Devan’s refusal was a wise decision considering that the two of them had a very large age gap. Elena herself was attracted to the opposite sex for the first time. It could be that Elena misinterpreted her feelings for Devan or it could just be temporary love, aka puppy love. Nindy tried to be calm with all the arguments. But when he remembered the language of Devan’s chat that he had read earlier, it clearly made him doubt it. Could it be that his father’s best friend is now chasing his older cousin’s love? If that was true, then Elena was really in big trouble. Nindy is sure that not only Daddy will be angry but her papa too.

“Why, just oh. Give me a solution, Nin. I swear I’m annoyed with those batteries!” Elena said with a pleading look so that Nindy would give suggestions or solutions to the problems she was currently facing.

“grandfathers?” Nindy repeated, still unable to digest all the facts she had just learned.

Elena nodded while supporting her chin with both hands. Looking at Nindy with full hope that the girl would help him find a way out.

“If you realize that Uncle Devan is a grandfather, why does Sis El like him?” Nindy’s question managed to bring a wry smile to Elena’s lips. If he knew the reason, he certainly wouldn’t need to feel heartbroken.

“Well, that’s the problem, Nin. I already know that Uncle Devan, my grandfather, I just like that,” said Elena, who now looked more relaxed. In fact, now Nindy is confused about how to answer.

“Sis, aren’t there any other guys? For example, your school friends?” said Nindy, trying to find out more information from the innocent girl in front of her. Elena is 2 years older than him, but Elena’s childishness is truly at the first level.

“There are lots of male friends who have a crush on me. But why is it that Uncle Devan is so much cuter and cuter than all of them?” Elena honestly with an innocent face.

“Yes, greetings…” said Nindy while holding her head which was starting to feel throbbing with pain. Nindy wanted to hit Elena on the head with something hard so that her memories would disappear altogether. So that the girl’s problem is resolved quickly and efficiently.

I swear to God, now Nindy is the one in big trouble. Why did he have to know about embarrassing things like this?

***

Yogyakarta, 06. 30 WIB

“Brother, finish your breakfast!” Vanessa ordered her husband, who had only been playing with food in front of her.

For the past few days, Jeremy doesn’t seem enthusiastic about doing any activities. If that’s the case, Vanessa will be the target. Jeremy will keep him at home. Whether it’s just casually chatting, discussing future plans for their three children, or doing activities that can never be missed, making out. Jeremy has also expressed his desire to have more children several times. But Vanessa refused. For Vanessa, having Elena, Ivand and Viero was enough. Moreover, the three of them have grown into teenagers now.

In order to make his wish come true, Jeremy repeatedly tried to ask for support from their three children to agree. But Jeremy’s efforts always failed because the three of them refused. They said Jeremy was more suited to cradling grandchildren than a child.

“Brother doesn’t have an appetite anymore, darling,” replied Jeremy languidly.

“Is it because of Sis El again?” Viero guessed while still chewing the food in his mouth.

“Why do you talk like that? Isn’t it true that Daddy can’t miss your older brother?” Jeremy said to his youngest child.

“That’s it, Ivand will go first,” Ivand interrupted after taking a sip of his milk and then got up and put on his school backpack. Viero also said goodbye to his parents when they left for school.

“Brother, follow El, right?” Jeremy continued after his two sons left.

“It’s up to you, Brother. But I’m not coming. I can’t bear to leave Ivand and Viero at home without the two of us,” replied Vanessa, giving her permission.

Jeremy looked thoughtful as he looked at Vanessa deeply, then said again, “Okay, then you won’t be there for long. Maybe visit Daddy and Mommy last night. It’s been almost a month since I’ve seen them.”

“Yes, bro, when Ivand and Viero are on school holidays, we’ll just go there, besides, they’re going to have exams soon. Brother, you know it’s impossible for us to be there for a while, right?” Vanessa replied again.

“Just invite Zakky, don’t Mr. Yunus.” Vanessa replied again. When traveling far away, Vanessa always orders Zakky to accompany Jeremy. Apart from being young, Zakky is also skilled at martial arts. Although Vanessa never doubted her husband’s abilities. But age certainly has a big influence, right?

Jeremy just smiled in response. In fact, Jeremy’s plan was to go alone using air transportation to make it more efficient. But if the queen had given the order, how could Jeremy refuse?

***

Surabaya, 13. 25 WIB

Elena was putting nail polish on her fingernails when Nindy came into the room. Right now it’s time to go home from school. Earlier, after chatting with her grandmother, Elena returned to her room. While listening to music, Elena then chose Nindy’s nail polish color and put it on.

“Are you having trouble again, Sis?” said Nindy when she saw Elena who was wearing nail polish.Nôvel(D)rama.Org's content.

“Yes,” replied Elena briefly without diverting her attention, which was polishing the nail of her middle finger.

Nindy then changed into her school uniform into casual clothes. Don’t forget that Nindy also washed her feet and hands before getting into bed. Now Nindy is looking deeply at Elena who is still serious about her activities. Since last night, Nindy has felt uneasy thinking about Elena. But what’s worse, his older cousin actually looks very calm. Elena herself felt the burden on her heart lessened after telling Nindy everything. At least Elena can freely express herself without having to put on an act like she usually does in front of other people to cover up her secret.

Nindy was just about to open her words when suddenly the bedroom door opened. Kyla came and joined them.

“Is it cool, why did you choose red nail polish, Sis El?” Kyla protested while watching Elena who had just finished her activities.

“Fiery red!” said Elena with a chuckle.

The three girls are now sleeping on their backs, facing the pastel-colored bedroom ceiling with their own thoughts.

“Let’s hang out! I want to see Aunt Devina’s boutique collection, especially the accessories.” Elena opened the chat.

“Come on, Sis. Mama, there’s a new product that’s just been launched,” said Kyla enthusiastically.

So, the three girls got ready and headed to Devina’s boutique. Because they avoided traffic, they arrived at their destination quickly. The boutique staff welcomed them warmly, and one of the employees informed Devina about the arrival of the three girls. Since Devina still had to finish her almost completed work, she instructed her employee to accompany her two daughters and niece first.

Following the boutique staff’s directions, they went straight to the section with the latest and best-selling Outfit Of The Day (OOTD) items. They began selecting and trying on clothes according to their individual tastes until they felt satisfied.

At exactly half-past five, the three of them headed home with Devina. Throughout the journey, they joked around until they finally arrived at the house.

“Hey, isn’t that Daddy’s car?” exclaimed Elena upon seeing her Daddy’s car in the driveway.

“Yeah, why did Daddy come here?” Kyla asked, still not pleased with Jeremy coming to pick up Elena. Kyla wanted to spend more time with her cousin.

“Come on, let’s go down!” Devina commanded, then quickly exited the car.

The three girls got out of the car, following Devina’s steps. They immediately entered the house, heading to the living room where the voices were coming from.

“Daddy!” exclaimed Elena, feeling so excited to see the man she missed so much, as she ran towards him. However, the smile on Elena’s face vanished instantly when she saw the man sitting next to her Daddy – the annoying man she desperately wanted to avoid.