Late In Love
While Fahira was in Ariel’s room having a conversation, Darian met with his mother, Yasmin. Darian was a bit hesitant to tell Yasmin about all the events that had befallen Fahira and Ariel. He hadn’t fully disclosed the problems within Fahira’s family, including the planned murder involving Fahira’s own family members. However, Darian felt the need to explain it because he was worried that Yasmin might feel disappointed or sad about Ariel’s cold and withdrawn behavior.
And Darian’s worries came true. After listening to Darian’s detailed account, Yasmin immediately burst into tears. She couldn’t believe how complicated Fahira and Ariel’s lives had been. It was beyond Yasmin’s comprehension that a planned murder was committed by Fahira and Ariel’s own grandmother and aunt. Such a cruel story felt like something out of an Indonesian soap opera that she often watched, but this time, it was real and experienced by her own son-in-law and daughter.
“Darian, I hope Mama understands. Ariel has a different personality from Fahira. According to Fahira, Ariel became quiet and reserved after they were separated from their parents and moved to Jakarta. Even his heart condition, he managed to keep it a secret until Fahira found out when it was already severe. And that’s Fahira’s reason…,” explained Darian, not wanting to continue as he felt embarrassed and guilty about his foolish actions that haunted him with a sense of guilt for the rest of his life. And now, he was determined to redeem himself with his sincere love.
“Of course, Mommy will love Ariel like my own child. Besides, even before you asked, Mama had already fallen in love with him from the first time we met,” Yasmin confessed, as if she could see a younger version of Darian in Ariel. A reserved and closed-off person to everyone else but her. Only to her could the young Darian pour out his feelings. That only happened when her husband, Rusdi, was not at home.
It all happened because of Rusdi’s tough and disciplined attitude towards young Darian, causing his son to never walk his own path, and Yasmin couldn’t do anything about it because she understood that Rusdi’s actions were for Darian’s own good, even though it eventually transformed Darian’s cheerful nature into one filled with ambition and seriousness.
Feeling that he had conveyed enough to Yasmin, Darian bid her farewell and returned to his room.
His brown eyes scanned the room, but Fahira was nowhere to be seen. Then, Darian sat on the edge of the bed to reach for his phone, checking for any important messages or work-related calls. However, his hearing soon caught the sound of a running shower from the direction of the bathroom, and a smile appeared on Darian’s lips. He put his phone back on the nightstand and took off his shirt that clung to his body before heading towards the bathroom. Perhaps it was luck or maybe Fahira had simply forgotten to lock the bathroom door, but Darian was able to easily enter.
Darian remained frozen in place, struggling to swallow his saliva. His throat suddenly became dry and choked when he saw Fahira in the bathtub, still behind the curtain, and Fahira hadn’t noticed his presence there. It was Darian’s heavy voice that finally made Fahira’s eyes wide open.
“Why did you come in, Honey!” Fahira panicked, submerging her naked body into the foamy bathtub.
Darian chuckled, freeing the last piece of clothing that clung to his body. “The door wasn’t locked, Sayang,” Darian replied casually as he got into the bathtub with Fahira, a smirk on his face that Fahira had come to know since last night.
“Well, I’ll move then,” Fahira’s right hand reached for a towel while her left hand tried to cover her naked front. Fahira completely forgot to lock the bathroom door, still following the habit from her old home where they never locked the bathroom door.
Without saying much, Darian reached for Fahira’s body, cupping her blushing face. He planted a brief kiss on Fahira’s lips, making her beautiful eyes gaze at him nervously. His brown eyes shifted to Fahira’s slightly parted lips, as if challenging him to taste them. Fahira’s eyelids slowly closed as Darian’s face drew near. His hot, rapid breath brushed Fahira’s face, causing her heart to race.
Darian’s lips gently pressed against Fahira’s soft ones, full of emotion. “Respond, Honey!” Darian whispered as he felt Fahira’s body tensing up because of his actions. He paused for a moment, looking at his woman with an expression that was hard to interpret. Fahira hesitantly lifted her hands, pausing for a moment before connecting their lips again. This time, Darian allowed Fahira to take the lead. She quickly adapted, and Darian liked it very much.
“From the beginning, I knew Fahira was a smart and agile woman,” Darian praised silently, enjoying every touch of his hands on Fahira’s body, his favorite part. It was a sensation they were experiencing for the first time. Making love in the bathtub turned out to be very enjoyable, just like in the romantic novels that Fahira often read during her free time.
And indeed, when Darian entered the room with two portions of food and drinks for them, Fahira was already fast asleep. While enjoying the delicious meal, Darian looked at Fahira’s peaceful face. For him, there was nothing more joyful than being with the woman he married just yesterday.
Finally, Darian decided to open his laptop to check his emails, which he hadn’t touched for three days. As expected, there were dozens of emails related to the company, all waiting for his prompt response. Darian became serious as he read through the emails and started replying to each one.
However, suddenly Fahira’s phone, which was on the nightstand, started ringing loudly, and worried that it might disturb his wife’s rest, Darian quickly grabbed the phone and put it on silent mode. Glancing at the names displayed on Fahira’s phone, Darian hesitated to open the WhatsApp messages from her two best friends. It still felt odd to him to invade Fahira’s privacy in that way, even though Fahira herself never minded.
The phone kept blinking, distracting Darian’s concentration. He sighed in frustration and rubbed his forehead. He wanted to scold his employees if they were in the office right now. However, all he could do at the moment was to grumble to himself. He looked at Fahira’s phone hesitantly, then, annoyed, Darian unlocked the PIN on Fahira’s phone and opened the WhatsApp messages from Mira. His curiosity got the better of him, wondering what the women were talking about that was famous for having 70 stories that wouldn’t end in a single sitting.
Mira:
“Fahira, you’re amazing! You made Optimus Prime smile all day yesterday. That’s rare!”
Susi:RêAd lat𝙚St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only
“Hello, Mrs. Optimus Prime! Ahem, how’s ‘MP’ doing?” Susi’s message further piqued Darian’s curiosity. He glanced at Fahira’s still calm face. Then, he reached for his own phone to find his wife’s contact number.
Enveloped in curiosity, Darian waited for the phone call to connect.
Optimus Prime calling…
Optimus Prime calling…
Seeing his own contact name on Fahira’s phone screen made Darian’s eyes widen in surprise. He couldn’t believe it. He then dialed his number again, still in a state of silence, while gazing at Fahira’s face. He started reminiscing about his favorite robot character from the movies, “Have I been that stern at the office?” Darian murmured to himself while recalling his behavior towards all his employees at work.
“Admittedly, I rarely smiled when replying to their greetings, but isn’t it a boss’s duty to act that way to ensure all employees under him are obedient and respectful?” Darian monologued in frustration. He never expected Fahira to save his contact with that name.
“You deserve to be punished for all this, my dear!” Darian whispered, placing Fahira’s phone alongside his own. He decided to close his email and shut down his laptop while grumbling to himself, “Fahira should be punished for daring to touch the feelings of her boss and husband like this.”
Darian decided to step outside the room to get some fresh air. He always felt stuffy inside the room, as just looking at his wife’s face was enough to ignite his manly desires. His broad steps slowed down as he saw his mother and Ariel engaged in a friendly conversation in the dining area. Ariel seemed to be laughing, as if Yasmin was telling a funny story. Quietly, Darian approached them without them noticing, and he overheard Yasmin mentioning his name.
“Are you both talking about me?” Darian teased, joining Yasmin and Ariel in the dining area.
“A little bit, Darian. Turns out you used to sulk when you were a child!” Ariel said, still amused.
“Well, Mommy is favoring me now. How could she expose her son’s secrets like this!” Darian protested, pretending to be angry, although deep down, he was extremely happy to see Ariel cheerful again.
“Oh, by the way, Ariel, I have a gift for you. But you must promise not to refuse. It’s your right!” Darian continued, then got up from his seat. He placed his arm around Ariel’s shoulder and led him towards the garage. Yasmin’s eyes misted at the sight of Darian and Ariel getting along so well. She was immensely grateful to see her son surrounded by happiness. If only Rusdi were still alive, he would have felt the same way Yasmin did now.
Ariel looked at Darian with curiosity as he saw something covered in black cloth in front of him. Darian’s smile widened as he extended his hand, inviting Ariel to uncover the gift. Ariel glanced at Yasmin, seeking permission, and she nodded.
With a pounding heart, Ariel stepped forward to reveal the gift. Sreeek… The black cloth slowly unveiled, revealing a dazzling sight that hit Ariel’s eyes. It was the sports motorbike he had longed to own. The latest model of the sports bike that had once belonged to Arya.
“Are you sure this is for me?” Ariel said, not taking his eyes off the red sports bike. “This is very expensive, Bang!” he continued, his fingers caressing the fuel tank, tracing it up to the handlebars of the bike. Darian smiled satisfactorily, with his arms folded in front of his chest. He actually wanted to give Ariel a car as a gift, but Fahira stopped him because Ariel wasn’t yet skilled enough to drive a car. Besides, it had been three years since Ariel had practiced driving, so Fahira allowed Darian to give Ariel a car only after he graduated from high school.
“Try it out!” Darian replied briefly. Ariel smiled and immediately got on his new bike.
The sound of the sports motorbike’s engine filled the spacious yard of the Setiadi residence. The bike, worth almost 78 million, began to glide slowly around the house.
“But I feel embarrassed to ride it to school, especially when everyone knows about your and Fahira’s wedding,” Ariel confessed after parking his bike. He was worried about being looked down upon by his friends for taking advantage of his brother-in-law’s wealth.
“Why bother about other people’s opinions? What matters most is the opinion of the people who love you. We are now one family, Ariel, so you don’t need to worry,” Yasmin said, gently caressing Ariel’s shoulder.
“Mommy is right. As long as we don’t harm others, we don’t need to be concerned about things that are not important to us. Whatever,” Darian chimed in, patting Ariel’s shoulder. “I’ll go to my room now; I’ve missed your sister!” Darian said, causing Yasmin to smile and playfully pinch his arm.
“Bye!” Darian left Yasmin and Ariel, whistling happily.
“Such a teenage oldie!” Ariel teased, raising both hands as Darian stopped in his tracks. Darian turned and chuckled, then continued walking up the stairs with his right hand raised.
Darian admitted that he was indeed an “oldie teenager.” He had only fallen in love at the age of 29, an age not considered young. But what was wrong with that? He was actually grateful because he didn’t have to experience the pain of heartbreak.
***
Falling in love is not just a matter of intertwined hearts, but togetherness in emotions until separated by death.
The soft moans that escaped from Fahira’s lips sounded sexy to Darian’s ears. Fahira’s strong grip on Darian’s hair only fueled his enthusiasm to complete their passionate activity.
After cleaning themselves, they left the bathroom together and proceeded to pray Dhuhur in congregation.
“I’m hungry, Honey. Let’s have lunch first!” Darian invited after they tidied up their prayer equipment.
“I’m tired, Darian,” Fahira replied with a pout, then moved to lie on the bed.
“Of course, you must be tired after the ’rounds’ we’ve been having since this morning!” Darian teased, successfully making Fahira blush again.
“Alright, let’s have lunch in the room. Give me a moment to get the food,” Darian said as he approached Fahira, who was now sitting with her back against the bed. He stole a quick kiss on her slightly swollen lips, a result of their earlier activities.
“Go away!” Fahira pushed Darian’s body away. She was truly exhausted, her body felt sore, and she just wanted to rest.