"Who are you looking for?" Araf asked. His head looked up, seeing where Edgar was looking."That's Balqis, isn't it?" asked Edgar, confirming what he saw.Araf crossed his arms. "All women look alike when seen from behind. There's no way Balqis is here. We are in Lebanon, not Indonesia. Besides, Balqis must have children by now. Let's eat. I'm hungry!" Araf also dragged Edgar. His friend was still looking in the direction he had just pointed, but Araf didn't care and continued to carry him."Damn!" Araf cursed when the restaurant was packed and had to wait in line to order again. "It's all your fault, Gar!"Edgar grinned. "Yeah, sorry. Just change restaurants; there are many here.""This is the most famous restaurant in Souk El Tayeb. Try it. Remember, Gar, my money is limited."Edgar laughed. "Just wait in line. It won't take an hour."After a few minutes, Araf and Edgar were seated with Lebanese food—yellow pilaf rice."This is called Rames in Indonesia. It's just rice mixed with ve
"I didn't expect a woman who looks like Balqis to be here," Araf responded. He started to put on his uniform. Today, the project was underway again. Just add a few finishing touches, and it was done.Edgar has yet to respond. Instead, he thought of Elissa. How was that woman? It had been a long since he had heard her angry tantrums and misbehavior that made Edgar smile. Fate had played with the blue-eyed man's heart. At a time when he was not sure he was happy with Elissa, fate brought up a figure very similar to Balqis - the woman he once loved.Not wanting to think about useless things, Edgar chose to leave immediately. He put on his project hat and stepped out."Are you leaving now? Wait for me!" shouted Araf, who hurriedly put on his vest and grabbed his project hat.Her name was Naia. In the meaning of the name, she is a beautiful and exotic ocean wave. It is very suitable when juxtaposed with Edgar, which means ocean. And the presence of that woman last night made Edgar unable t
Before Edgar and Elissa split up"Where are we going?" asked Elissa when Edgar suddenly asked him to go.Edgar fixed his sitting position. "Tomorrow, we will be separated for a long time. I go to Lebanon, and you go to Singapore. At least today, I want to take you for a walk. We don't know what will happen tomorrow. Who knows if today is our last day together.""Last day?""Yep. No one knows how long our life and togetherness will last. That's why, at least today, I want us to be alone, away from the crowd."Elissa raised her eyebrows. "When we're in the villa, it's not far from the crowd, right?"Edgar laughed. "This time, it will be different," he said later.Elissa leaned back. She looked away. She wanted to ignore Edgar's words but couldn't help herself. Elissa was very curious. The last time she went with Edgar was to watch the sunrise on a deserted beach. The memory was still beautifully stored in her mind. Elissa admitted that it was one of the most beautiful experiences in her
Edgar pushed his floating tent into the lake. He climbed up and held onto the rope he had set up just in case at the lake's edge."Let me help!" said the blue-eyed man as he stuck out his hand."I can do it myself!"Elissa was about to cross to the tent. But she hesitated. Once she stuck out her foot, she backed away again. This condition continued until the men who were fishing there shook their heads. They seemed to be annoyed with Elissa's pretentious attitude.Edgar still didn't lower his hand. He patiently kept sticking out his hand while smiling. Because she had no choice and was embarrassed to be the centre of attention, Elissa finally held Edgar's hand. She also jumped to Edgar. But she and Edgar fell together because she jumped in the wrong direction. Elissa is on top, and Edgar is on the bottom. And to make matters worse, the hook connecting to the lake's edge came loose.Elissa hurriedly stood up. Her face turned red instantly. Her heart was beating wildly. Her body immedia
"What are you looking at?" she exclaimed.Edgar pursed his lips. "There's a stain on the corner of your lip," Edgar pointed out."A tissue?" asked Elissa."I'll get some!" The man went into the tent. He began to unpack his gear. "Don't finish the noodles!" shouted Edgar."What? Who would want to eat bad food like this," replied Elissa, but she continued to slurp her noodles.Edgar returned. He sat in front of Elissa again. "I left my tissue behind!" he said with an innocent smile."So what?""Just use this!" Edgar approached Elissa. He pulled the hem of his shirt and wiped Elissa's lips."That's gross!" she screamed."Do you want to wear the shirt like before, or do you want me to clean it with a kiss?""Iu, that's disgusting! Our marriage was forced; how would I want to be kissed by you!"Edgar laughed again. He pulled off his shirt and rubbed it on Elissa. At first, Elissa was shocked and about to refuse, but the woman stopped when her nose smelled the scent of Edgar's body. This sc
Night fell. The night on the water turned out to be cold. Luckily, Edgar had prepared everything. He also designed a thick jacket for himself. Before going to bed, Edgar opened the cover of his floating tent. A small window on one side was used to look at the starry sky.After everything was done, Edgar went back into the tent."When are we going home, Gar?" Elissa asked."Tomorrow, I have to go to Lebanon, and you have to go to Singapore. At dawn, we go home," Edgar replied. The man then turned on a small LED light and was about to hang it on one of the tent's support poles. But just as Edgar was about to do so, Elissa prevented him."Can you just turn off the lights? The moon is enough to light us up tonight.Edgar turned to Elissa when he heard his wife's words. "Ok," he replied, putting the LED light back into his bag. Edgar then lay down next to Elissa."No blanket?" she asked.Edgar shook his head. "I only brought one. Just for you."Elissa got up. She then covered Edgar. Edgar,
Edgar stared at the ceiling. Her fingers twitched. He repeatedly wanted to speak but couldn't. His forehead furrowed. He had trouble starting a conversation. Being alone with a girl who looked so much like Balqis made Edgar nervous. The man closed his eyes for a moment. His thumb touched the wedding ring around his ring finger."So... are you married?" asked Naia.Edgar opened his eyes. He looked at Naia. He inhaled for a moment before finally opening his mouth. "Yes.""Why didn't you bring your wife here?""She... had some business in Singapore.""I see. ...." Naia nodded her head. Her fingers tapped on the notebook she was carrying. Edgar exhaled. The elevator ride was short but felt long when he was with Naia. She repeatedly looked at the numeric display above the elevator doors. Although the screen showed the numbers quickly, somehow, the numbers never stopped, and the elevator door opened."Um... why did Ms. Naia recommend me? Looks like we're ....""Just call me Naia.""Sorry?"
Elissa pressed the call option again. She waited for a while. This time, it was even worse. Not picked up but rejected. Elissa swallowed. She tried again. Fritz needs to answer the call."What is he doing rejecting my call?" Elissa wondered.When a thought popped into her head, her eyes widened. "No-no. There's no way he's doing that. There's no way Fritz is ...."She couldn't continue. She tried repeatedly to call Fritz to no avail.Meanwhile, in a room, Fritz was interrogating someone. He sat with one leg propped up on the other. He folded his hand. His eyes were as cold as a polar bear stalking its prey."Still not talking?" Fritz asked.The person he asked was still silent. Blood covered his face. But he remained silent. The breathing of the two men beside him was already laboured. They were too tired to carry out Fritz's orders.Fritz got up from his seat and approached the man he was holding. That person also looked at Fritz with a cynical gaze. He looked away."'Fuck all of you