Elegi Of Rose

"Hey," Yeyena peeked in her doorway as she was about to close her suitcase. Her friend frowned when she saw what she was doing. "You're leaving?"

Ayu did not answer. "You need fresh clothes? I have some in my closet if you want. You look like hell, Yen," she tried changing the topic.

"Did you and Roy fight? Why are you here?" Yeyena entered her room looking serious. She had dirt on her cheek, but it seemed that she didn't care. It was new for her to see Yeyena without makeup or jewelries. "Something like that," she answered. "So, fresh clothes?"

Yeyena nodded and she was grateful she did not ask anything further.

Inside her closet, Ayu fought the urge to cry. It was the first time in weeks that she actually had someone she could talk to if she wanted. And how she wanted to do that right now!

Yeyena might not be the perfect person to cry on, but she was the closest person to a friend right now.

"Hey, are you okay?" Yeyena asked with concern.

"No, no, I'm not," she sniffed, grabbing a white shirt and a pair of pants. "Do you need some socks or something?"

"Yu, what's going on with Roy? I can't believe you're actually crying right now."

"I'm not crying."

"Yes you are," Yeyena insisted, grabbing her by the shoulder and turned her around to face her. "Yes, you definitely are."

"He served me with divorce papers," she finally blurted out, and the moment she did, the tears rolled down.

"He what?"

"He served me with divorce papers. You're not deaf, are you?" she pushed the shirt towards Yeyena and walked out from the closet. "Why the hell would he do that?"

"It's a long story and I don't want to talk about it," she answered, sitting on her bed.

Yeyena walked towards her with a frown, "You weren't stupid to sign them, were you?"

"Of course I didn't sign them."

"Then what did you do?"

She told her what she did and Yeyena laughed. "You did what?"

"And now I think he's angry and any time soon, I expect he'll deliver me another set of papers, probably tear-free."

"That's why you're running away," Yeyena pointed out, looking at her suitcase.

"Whatever the hell it means, I have to go. I just need to think and be away for now."

"Where will you go?"

"Somewhere," she shrugged. The two of them were silent for a while, and then Ayu smiled. "I guess you will get your chance when I get to sign those papers." "Oh, don't be stupid," Yeyena huffed. She pointed at the door over her shoulder with her thumb, "That guy out there whimpering in pain is my new target." "Uh, I hope he's not a target for you to shoot. You didn't shoot him, right?"

"Of course I didn't! But I would not hesitate shooting him again if it means saving his life," Yeyena said seriously, which made Ayu even more curious. But she knew better than to ask. "You're not in grave danger, are you?"

"Huh, well, not when you think to the extreme," Yeyena said, taking a step towards the bathroom. "When it's all over, I'm going to tell you all about it. But you better be around when I do that. You have to get back soon, Yu. You have to fight." Yeyena's blue eyes were strong as she said that.

Ayu sighed and nodded. Whatever was going on between Yeyena and Henry, it was bigger than a crazy divorce, she thought. She envied Yeyena's courage. She knew she was capable of it, but she couldn't make a fool of herself around Roy. She had done enough, and it was time he acted if he was intending to keep her. But on the other hand, Roy loved his solidarity, and maybe he wanted it that way.

So she'd let him, but she would not give him such an easy way out.

He would have to chase her if he wanted those papers signed.

*****

Yeyena and Henry left before sunrise. Ayu hoped they'd be safe because she knew they were in deep trouble even if they wouldn't say it.

Tori dropped by to give her the tickets she asked for and to tell her good luck after promising she wouldn't tell a soul about her departure. She borrowed Tori's car and drove to the airport. Her manager would deliver Roy's car herself. She was a bit too early for her flight so she went to a café and called some people. She was going back to the Indos and was planning for a longer stay. The warm weather would help, she thought.

After talking with Gugun, she checked her watch. She still had an hour left before boarding. This must be the most punctual day she ever had! Her phone rang and thinking it was Gugun calling about something he forgot, she answered the phone.

"Hey, did you forget something?"

"No, I think you forgot something," Roy's irritated voice said from the other end. Shocked, Ayu withdrew the phone from her ear and checked the screen. Why didn't she check it when it was ringing? "Ayu," she heard his voice float in the air. She held the phone back to her ears.

"What?"

"You forgot something," he reiterated.

"Those damned papers? Oh, yeah, leave them with Tori."

"Where the hell are you?"

"Like I'm telling you where I am," she scoffed.

Planning your weekend reading? Ensure you're on

05s.org for uninterrupted enjoyment. The next chapter is just a click away, exclusively available on our site. Happy reading!

"I know where you are. What I want to know is where you are exactly?"

Wait, he knew where she was? Ayu punched the red button of her phone and panicked.

Hide, her first instinct told her. She grabbed her bags and stood up. She could hide in the bathroom. He couldn't get in there. "Where the hell do you think you're going?"

Ayu closed her eyes. Shoot. What the hell! How did he find her that fast?

She continued to walk on though as if she never heard him. "Ayu," his voice called out behind her.

I'm not hearing this... I'm not hearing this... she said over and over again like a mantra. Should she run? She could run and he wouldn't be able to catch her because he was in crutches.

But before she could do that, she felt a hand on her shoulder, and that strong electric energy ran through her once again. With anger, she whirled around and faced him. "What?" then she saw that he was standing there without his crutches. She looked down and saw that he was wearing shoes. "Oh, great, you can walk now," she said, disappointed. No running, she guessed.

"Where are you going?" he asked with a frown. His face looked cleaner. He probably found time to shave after all. And his hair, though still in a mess, looked fresher than the last time. Okay, so he could take care of himself. That's great. Great for him.

"It's none of your business," she snapped, shoving his hand off her shoulder.

"You forgot something," he said, reaching inside his brown jacket.

Ayu knew what he was talking about, and it hurt. That same wrenching in her heart started to ache just like the last time. But she fought it. She fought it hard.

Fine, she couldn't enjoy watching him chasing after her to get her to sign the papers, but maybe this was for the best. Maybe signing those damned papers would make things easier for the both of them.

He seemed eager to get her out of his life despite her hopeful thoughts. She was going to give him what he wanted-after all, that was what she wanted in the very first place when she met him, right? Oh, yes, those days when she wanted him to suffer for what he did to her, those days when she was begging to have a divorce. But no matter how she urged herself to think that way, now was different because she wanted him now. She would have jumped with joy when he gave her the divorce papers earlier in their marriage, but now was too late to be that happy.

When his hands came out and reappeared, he was holding papers. Well, what did you expect? A ring? Come on, of course they were divorce papers!

Maybe another certificate of a star named after her? Well, it was not, because when Ayu snatched the papers from his hand and opened them, they were the exact same thing as the ones she tore and made into a collage two weeks earlier. She refused to look at her husband and read the first page, but not really reading it. "Well, I guess you were fast enough to catch me," she said, feigning nonchalance. "Where do I sign?" she asked, tasting the hurt and the bitterness in her tongue.