Chapter 35

"Umf, wait for a minute." The announcer lowered his microphone and turned to their staff asking why Furi still didn't come out from the back stage, when he had already announced and mentioned his name several times.

It seems that everyone is afraid and wondering about what is happening. Even Nasher was uneasy, so he thought of going to see the girl. But he was only a few steps away when he suddenly came out and appeared in front of them.

Sweetheart mermaid wedding dress, that is the current gown that Furi is wearing while she is wearing red heels that are quite high. That's why it seems like she has a hard time walking and she's not comfortable showing other people her smooth skin, as well as her perfect cleavage line that suits her revealing dress better.

"Okay, here comes our last bride Ms. Furi!" announced this to the girl and they all applauded at the same time. If the women were amazed to see Nasher, the jaws of the men watching them almost dropped when Furi came out and appeared in front of the stage.

Even Nasher was amazed by the girl's beauty and he did not expect it to turn out like that, when he himself bought that gown and even requested the stylists to make the girl wear it without Furi knowing that he chose it for him himself. He almost just stared and he repeatedly observed him from head to toe, back.

She's so beautiful. I knew it, that gown would really suit her. But I wasn't expecting more than this. I didn't expect him to just pretend to be another person. I feel that Furi is not the one in front of me now. I feel that she is not the girl I met and became my best friend. He is like a different person now in my eyes. I think she is the girl I secretly love. The young man's voyage in his mind. A sweet smile drew on his lips and he approached the girl. Furi stopped walking and just followed the young man's gaze. Until it stopped in front of him and placed one of his palms.

"I'm dying." He said jokingly. Furi just bent down and looked at the palm that was waiting for him. He slowly raised one of his palms and held her hand.

"Trust me, we will win." He whispered with a wink in one of his eyes. The girl seemed to smile and suddenly felt better. The woman who was afraid to appear in front of many people was suddenly relieved, when she was approached by her knight shining armor and offered her one hand. At that moment, the nervousness in her chest seemed to decrease, but she was still uncomfortable with the dress she was wearing. Nasher noticed that right away, so he just walked over his shoulder and covered his arm. Furi was surprised by what he did and just looked at the mischievous young man.

"Remove that arm from there if you don't want me to break the bones in your body." He only whispered to the young man but he just grinned and looked at him.

"Are you sure? I'll take it off?" he asked and he slowly removed the arm that was around the girl's shoulder, but Furi also stopped him immediately and he just let it go while the other man stared at his smooth arm.

The young man pursed his lips again and focused their attention on the announcer. After a few moments, their game started. They were given their respective mini tables where a plate full of flour rested. Inside that thick flour they have to find the couple ring without using their hands. The only thing they can use is their mouths. They will blow the flour until they find where the couple ring is. Then they will pick it up at the same time still using their mouths. The first to find the sing-sing is the winner.

"But before we start. Let's ask the contestants in front of us now if they are ready. Couple number one! Are you ready to win and get the five thousand?" the announcer asked the first contestant couple. The two of them looked at each other and suddenly the man kissed the woman on the lips, so the audience cheered and screamed. Even the host in front of them was shocked but had a smile on his lips.

"Okay, so what did you mean when you kissed him?" at the same time he brought the microphone closer to the man.

"Energy boost!" He looked at her energetically and walked on the shoulder of his lover who was blushing with excitement.

"Oh, our first couple was also strange. It was too romantic. Let's move on to the second couple. As for you, what is-" the announcer was suddenly interrupted when the woman pulled her boyfriend's necktie and kissed him sweetly lip.

The audience screamed and shuddered again. Nasher and Furi just swallowed deeply because they were so nervous, while they were watching their fellow contestants.

"Oh, it looks like our third prize, the couple kiss, is pointless! It looks like it's just a chick in our kisses today." The announcer said jokingly. He looked again at the second couple whose lips were still touching each other, so he just grinned and left them.

"Okay, what will our third participant do. You may have seen number one and two is a kiss couple they did to cheer themselves up. What will you fight for number one's couple kiss and two?" he asked the third couple, but they just bowed and seemed to be separated from each other. So the host came a little closer to them and he pushed the girl towards her boyfriend so they could touch each other.

"Wait a minute, are you really going to be a couple or not? The truth?" he was curious.

"That's true.. we just met last night." The man's response to him shocked everyone.

"So, you mean- you just met last night but he answered you right away?" after he said that, the young man just nodded and shyly held his boyfriend's hand.

"Honestly, I just heard such a story so I was a bit amazed by what you said. But, you, young lady. What motivated you to immediately accept this young man's love for you?" he asked the girl he was with and bit her lower lip.

"Umf-" she looked at her boyfriend first and looked at the announcer again.

"Can I just whisper in your ear?" he said and the host just nodded to him. The girl approached him and for a moment whispered something in his ear that surprised him. His eyes widened at what the girl said and stared at the young man's bottom.

"You are blessed above all." He joked with the man and patted him on the shoulder. The people there just laughed and laughed, then he went to the fourth participant.

"Contestant number four, wow!" he said after looking at her from head to toe.

"Don't you notice that our last two contestants dressed like pageants? Number four and number five. Both were strong and the gowns and suits they wore really stood out. But, everything is new. Let's ask our fourth partner first, if they are ready-" he had not finished speaking when the woman grabbed his microphone from him.

"We're ready." It's Turan with a raised eyebrow and a very serious face. Just by the looks of it, it's obvious that it's really combative and doesn't just lose the game. The host was surprised by his aggressive behavior, but he forced himself to smile and move to where Nasher and Furi were.

"Okay, it looks like our fourth contestant is heating up so let's move on to our last contestant. Contestant number five!" he shouted and the people there clapped and screamed.

"Of the many who wanted to participate earlier, you were one of the lucky ones chosen for this participation. But it seems that we are even luckier than the two of you. Look, I can hardly recognize the dress that we did not think possible just to be elegant in the eyes of people. It's not that I underestimate our product, but I'm just really amazed how you brought such a simple fabric. Do you? how do you feel about the dress and suit you're wearing now? are you satisfied? you or are you just forced?" he asked the two but they looked at each other before answering.

"Wait a minute, I've been wanting to ask you two this for a while. How long have you two been in a relationship?" he asked again which made them even more nervous. Furi bit her lower lip because she was so nervous. Nasher scratched his neck and forced a smile on his lips.

"That's true.." the young man said nervously as he looked at Furi who was obviously very nervous.

"The truth is,." at that moment the girl turned to him. He noticed that she was also nervous and didn't seem to know what to say.

"Well, can we first find out how old contestant number one is?" Nasher suddenly pointed to the first pair, so the announcer came over and reached for the microphone he was holding.

"Okay, our last contestant is asking how long have you been dating?" he asked. Furi seemed to frown at what Nasher said and there was a trace of surprise on his face.

"It's been quite a while, these years." The man replied to him.

"Wow!" they almost just stared and were amazed at the strong association between the two.

"By the way, after more than seven years you still have no intention of getting married?" he asked again. The two of them looked at each other and tears began to well up in the lover's eyes.

"Or why did you two seem so emotional? Did I say something wrong to you?" the announcer is curious about the two lovers..

"The truth is that today is our seventh anniversary and we just went to this place to celebrate."

"Ah okay, so you really planned to come here to celebrate the seventh anniversary of the two of you? Am I right?"

"Yes. But, maybe all of you are wondering why among the many beautiful places that can be visited, we actually ended up here."

"Actually, that's what I should be asking you now. Why?"

"Because this is the place where the girl I love was born. This is where she was born and because this is where her real parents live." Her boyfriend said as he looked at the girl and wiped the tears from her face.

"She's an orphan. I know this day is very important for her and it's also the day she met her real parents. But sadly to say, they're both no longer in this world." After he said that, his girlfriend just bowed down and fell on his shoulder. Some of them seemed to be emotional and even Furi who was moved to tears by what the lovers shared with them.

Nasher turned to her for a moment and noticed that the girl's eyes were full of tears. That's why he held his face and wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes.

"I don't know what to say, but I'm sure your parents are happy and secure now that you've returned to them. After all, it's rare for people like you to have the ambition to find their parents when you've been abandoned and left them somewhere. In addition to that, you didn't just go alone, but you brought the man you dreamed of spending the rest of your life with. For sure, there is no place for the happiness of your parents now if they are still alive. So, keep it up! and I hope the relationship between the two of you will be strong." After the announcer said that, a smile appeared on the couple's lips and their tearful eyes were replaced with joy.

"Wait a minute, it looks like contestant numbet five got us there, huh?" he said but they all just laughed.

"Okay, let's start the game! After I count to three, you will simultaneously blow the flour in front of you. The first person to find the engagement ring is the winner. Okay, ready!"

"One! two .. three go!" after he said that, the participants hurriedly blew a plate full of flour, their faces almost turned white.

Even Furi and Nasher just closed their eyes. They were still blowing when Nasher saw the couple ring on the plate and grabbed the girl's arm to signal to her that they had to take the sing-sing. However, he didn't care about her and they just closed their eyes.

"Hey, that sing-sing!" he whispered. The girl suddenly opened her eyes and looked at him.

"Huh?" was the only thing he said with surprise on his face.

"That sing-sing!" the young man pointed at him with his snout. Suddenly, the girl looked at their plate and she quickly dipped her face into the plate with flour to take the sing-sing, but when she lifted her face, there was almost nothing on her face except for the white flour powder.

The young man almost sat down when he saw her face. He was constantly crying loudly and still holding his stomach.

"Why? What are you doing there? Hurry up, get the one sing-sing! Maybe someone else will get ahead of us." The girl said but she was still laughing when the host noticed them.

"Oh, it looks like contestant number five's bride has already gotten a pair of sing-sing. Only the groom is waiting, but what else is he doing?" the announcer was curious and approached him for a moment.

"What are you two doing there? Don't you want to win?" He just whispered to the two but Nasher still didn't stop laughing and just pointed at Furi's face. The host looked at the young woman for a moment and as soon as she turned around, she immediately turned away when she saw her white face.

Even the audience is entertained by the two of them, while the girl's face is still serious and there is a line of wonder on her forehead.

"Stand up and say that!" he said angrily to the mischievous young man. A few moments later, Nasher stopped laughing and stood up. He continued to blow the flour again but Furi grabbed him by the back of his head, at the same time burying his face in the plate of flour so that he could immediately take a pair of sing-sing.

Apparently, Nasher didn't expect the girl to do that to him. So he immediately raised his own face and faced the girl.

"Why did you do that?!" he said annoyed but she just smirked at him and avoided looking at him.

"Okay, we have a winner!" the host suddenly announced so they both came to their senses and turned to the speaker.

"The first winner of our participation is contestant number one!" he said more and they all clapped. Furi spit out the sing-sing in his mouth in annoyance and just hit the mischievous young man next to him on the head.

"Ouch!" he moaned and just grabbed the back of his head.

"You're so slow! If you had only taken the sing-sing earlier, we would have won. You still promised me something earlier, but it's just air coming out of your mouth!" said the girl with her two eyebrows together and her arms crossed. The mischievous young man seemed to just grin at him and wipe Furi's face with one of his hands.

"And of course, this is really the highlight of the night. Who will be contestant number four and five, or who will be the lucky groom who will receive a sweet kiss from their beautiful bride as the last prize of this night." After saying this, Nasher and Furi suddenly looked at each other. Their eyes widened in shock and their hearts beat faster.

They seem to have lost their minds about the final prize. So the two of them were just complacent even though they didn't get the first prize. But when the announcer mentioned the last prize again, their nervousness almost doubled.

"It's really your fault!" the girl said to him in a whisper but with almost annoyance.

"Just pray that contestant number four will get the last prize." He also whispered to the girl. However, even though it looks normal on the outside, it doesn't seem to matter to him whether they win or not. His hands were almost shaking with so much nervousness, so he just hid it and tucked it in his pants so the girl wouldn't notice.

"Our last sweetest prize will go to?" the final contestant who won started to be announced and almost all the viewers there were shouting the same number.

"Number five! number five!"

"That's the last contestant!"

"Go! Number five!"

"Kiss! kiss!"

Both of them closed their eyes and put their palms together as if praying, while the tension between the two participants was intense. Even contestant number four wants to avoid the final prize, because the truth is that they are just like Nasher and Furi. Who only pretends to be a couple to get the first prize. However, they also failed and prayed that the announcer would not mention their number.

"Our last winner is!" their hearts beat fast again because they were so nervous. But when the announcer mentioned the last contestant who won, it seemed that their world suddenly stopped and they just froze where they were standing.

"Contestant number.. FIVE!" the people screamed with joy and some of them even jumped. Almost all of them were satisfied with what the host announced, except for Nasher and Furi who were suddenly deafened by what they heard.

***

(NASHER'S POV)

"Congratulations, contestant number five!" the announcer made an announcement but my mind seemed to be floating and I was deaf to what I heard. I was hit by Furi's elbow, so I turned to him with a look of surprise on my face.

"What?" I'm curious.

"Nash, they say we won." He said. I heard what the announcer said but it seems that my mind just doesn't want to accept the fact that we won.

"Congratulations to the both of you, and here it is! what everyone has been waiting for the most. The couple kiss prize from contestant number five!" This announcement made even more noise in the whole town and it was like we were both celebrating.

"Nash, find a way. It can't be." Furi whispered to me. Just by his voice I can already guess how nervous he is. Anyway, I can't really blame him because I just forced him to join this and besides that he already has a girlfriend.

"What do you want me to do? Tell them all that we're really just pretending?" I also whispered to him but he just frowned and raised his eyebrows.

"It's your fault, Nash! If you don't stop them, well! I'll tell them the truth myself." He responded strongly to me which shocked me even more. I have to admit, I'm also nervous and afraid of the nonsense I started but I can't finish it.

Because this is hard. It's very complicated. We are good friends, but he can't act freely, because he has to be careful with his every move. It's like he has a girlfriend with him at home all the time.

"Let's just do it," I hissed to him at last, which shocked him.

"What?! are you going crazy Nasher? we can't do what they ask. You know that, don't you?"

"What do you want me to do? Do you want them all to get mad at us and call us cheaters?" we are still arguing with each other. But not shouting, but hostile whispers.

"If only I knew this would happen. I wouldn't have come here with you." That's all he said and he bowed. I just washed my hands. I felt uneasy about the decision I was thinking about.

If I follow what people want us to see, I will. But what will come in return is that my own friend and the girl I secretly love hate me.

"Oh, contestant number five. We don't have time, so if we can, let's speed up what you already know, what our audiences are asking for from you two. Maybe no one will be angry if you give it to us because you two are lovers, no right?" the announcer joked, but we suddenly looked at each other and just fell silent.

"Okay, ladies and gentlemen! Let's count down together for our final prize, contestant number five! Are you ready?" at the same time he held the microphone to the audience.

"YES!" they shouted. So they screamed and applauded.

"You must have heard how wild our viewers are. So, contestant number five. After we count to three, you groom-  you may kiss your bride." The announcer said more but I just turned to Furi and avoided looking at me.

"Okay, ready? one!" they started counting. Furi hit me on the elbow again and the two eyebrows still met.

"What's up, Nasher? stop them. Don't stare at that, make a way." It communicated weakly but firmly to me.

"Two!"

But I didn't answer him at that moment. My mind is confused and my heart feels like it's going to explode because of the speed with which it beats.

"Two and a half!"

Whatever! was the only word that came to my mind. I quickly turned to Furi. I held him on both cheeks and made him face me. He seemed surprised that I did that, but I didn't care anymore.

Whether he gets angry or hates me, that's the only solution I can think of. There's nothing to lose if she's the first woman to touch my lips.

Maybe I am naughty and playboy when it comes to women. But, since I was born in this world, only the pillow and the wall have touched my virgin lips.

I'm a man and a bit arrogant. But I'm not like other men who will take advantage of a woman's weakness. I also don't like to hurt women, in fact I'm the one who often walks away from them even when they're close to me.

But I also realized. That's what happens when you're born handsome.

"Three!" right after they counted to three, I brought my face closer to him. Our lips were touching each other. His eyes widened in shock as I stared at him.

I feel my heart beating faster. Like a horse race, he is ahead of other horses and wants to get to the finish line. But even before I reached the finish line, I suddenly felt a strong blow from my face.

Because of the force when he punched me, I just sat on the floor. It was only then that I came to my senses and looked up at them. I could clearly see the burning of anger from his eyes.

"Furi, let's go." Her boyfriend grabbed her by the wrist. I know Furi was also shocked by what happened but is it right for them to leave me there alone?

I wasn't the only one who was surprised when he punched me in the face. Even the spectators and our fellow participants could not believe the scene they witnessed.

It's just like a movie scene where he's the star and I'm the extra.

I just grinned and stood up. I rubbed the liquid red that was on the side of my lips. The announcer approached me with a worried look on his face.

"Oh my gosh! Who's crazy is that guy? And why did you just let him steal your soon-to-be bride from you? You know, it's not that we're gossiping about the love triangle between the three of you, right? But, who is that girl's original boyfriend really one of you two? is it really you or him? you know, from my position there earlier. I just noticed that this sister girl likes hot and handsome guys! I think she likes keep making friends with him." Despite the serious and unexpected event, this announcer still managed to joke in front of many people.

I know he's just doing that, for the sake of his show! but it just pissed me off because his joking seemed out of place. Besides, I was hurt and punched in the face because of their childish prize idea. So instead of laughing at them, I just walked out, taking off the suit I was wearing.

I returned to the dressing room alone. The other staff met me and took my number and any other information that they could contact me with. I know it's a big opportunity for me. By chance I may even be discovered and become famous as an artist. But I chose to keep quiet. I just ignored them and went inside.

After I closed the door, I immediately got dressed and changed my clothes. I just let out a deep breath when I remembered the embarrassment that happened to me earlier on stage and in front of many people.

I faced the mirror and placed my two palms on the table. I just looked closely at the wound I got on the edge of my mouth. The wound is still a bit sore and fresh, but it's bearable.

I also know myself that I really deserve to be punched in the face. I could feel in his fist and the looks in his eyes how much he was angry with me earlier. As a man, I understand him. If I were in his situation, maybe he wouldn't just hit me, I might even have trampled him and humiliated him in front of many people.

But I also know that he was just keeping up with me earlier. I saw Furi hold her by the hand and even though she didn't tell us with words, she was holding her back and telling her to do what she was planning to do.

However, I was not worried about the wound I had received. I'm just more worried about him. Just by the expression on her boyfriend's face earlier, it was as if he was about to start a fight right away without listening to Furi's full reason and explanation.

Is he okay? should I trust her to that man who will never hurt her?

But what if.. what if they don't understand each other and I'm the reason for their separation?

While I was thinking about that nfa, I bowed for a moment. A few moments later, I raised my head again and looked in front of the mirror.

"Then wouldn't that be better?"