We, From The First
#50. Days With You

"The days I spent with you were the brightest moments of my life. And, having you beside me as part of my daily filler, is my dream come true. Please tell destiny not to dare take you away from me. If I have to let go of myself to keep you by my side, then I'll let go of myself. If that's the only thing I can do to make up for the time I lost in the past, I'll risk it."

...****...

Aira runs out of her apartment after receiving a text message from Nico asking her to catch up with him in front of her apartment building. With a breath of air, Aira approached Nico. Nico also had a reflex to catch Aira's body that was a little unsteady because of running. Nico held onto both of Aira's shoulders with an anxious look already painted on his face.

"Why run, anyway?"

"I don't want you to wait long."

"Cish, you stupid cunt!" Sizzle Nico while floating a soft toy on Aira's forehead. He hugged Aira's waist with both hands.

"Where? Have you met Rakha?" Ask Aira later.

"Are you always worried about everyone like this?"

Aira was silent for a while. Her face looked confused, "emmm. because Rakha is your best friend, Nic. I also can't lie, if Rakha has been a good friend for me all this time. I can't ignore Rakha."

Nico nodded. He even understood the words of Aira just now. There was not the slightest bit of uneasy feeling after hearing Aira speak her thoughts about Rakha.

"Rakha says he still needs time. For the time being, he wanted to be alone and didn't want to be disturbed first." Say Nico quietly while attaching Aira's hair to the back of the ear. "So, let's wait for him. Okay?" Nico continued, bowing his face to see Aira's eyes more clearly.

There was no answer from Aira. All that was heard was the sound of his regular breathing. Nico knew that Aira felt a bit of disappointment now. But again, Nico understood it very well. After all, Nico didn't want to be an annoying boyfriend to Aira.

While from the side of Aira, he also knew that Rakha was a valuable friend to Nico. Aira knew correctly, that Nico also definitely did not feel fine after Rakha tried desperately to avoid him. Only, Nico did not want to show it in front of Aira because he did not want to make Aira worry about him.

"Yes, Ra. I'm going home now, huh? It's malem. I'll pick you up tomorrow morning."

Aira nodded slowly. A moment after, he suddenly felt Nico kiss his forehead gently and let go of his embrace.

"Good night..." Pamit Nico's.

After Nico's departure, Aira suddenly felt the need to do something. He must repair the relationship between the two friends at all costs.

...****...

After receiving a message from Rio, Aira immediately rushed to B-Cafe. Apparently, since a few days ago, Aira had asked Rio to preach it in case Rakha came to visit B-Cafe. Aira wants to meet Rakha. Aira wanted to talk to him, and if possible, Aira wanted to settle her matter with Rakha so that the situation between them could be back at ease like before.

Upon arriving at B-Cafe, Rio who was standing behind the cashier's desk immediately pointed to the second floor to give Aira a code that Rakha was in the Mini Cinema.

"Thanks, Yo!" Aira said as she walked past Rio and climbed the stairs to quickly meet Rakha – before she escaped.

As soon as she opened the door, Aira could see the checkered Rakha and turned to her with a look of surprise and disbelief. Rakha was suddenly confused and did not know what to do. Aira's sudden appearance after more than a month they did not meet, managed to make Rakha jerk instead of playing.

Not to mention at that time, Rakha was playing back a video slide show that showed a portrait of Aira taken in a candid photo by the Patuh Karya High School Documentation Team during the Last Game implementation a year ago. Aira automatically looked at the screen, but she did not show a startled reaction. Because for Aira right now, there's something much more important than that.

"Ra?" Lirih Rakha in the same tone was not as trusting as her eyes.

"Do you hate me, Kha?" Ara without aling-aling. It's like he's been holding that question for the past month.

"Aira, why the hell did you come straight to say that?"

"Then, do you hate Nico?"

Rakha chose silence. But his silence seemed to mean yes. Seeing Rakha's obvious reaction, Aira nodded her head. He was heard sighing before finally opening his mouth.

"I'm sorry, Kha. But I won't apologize to you because I'm with Nico. From the very beginning, from the past to the present, Nico has always been the only one for me. And I've waited long enough for this day. I understand why you end up angry, I won't pretend to be stupid, and act like I don't know anything. But please—" Aira hung up her sentence. He then bowed his face and closed his eyes, with great pressure, he continued his truncated sentence, "please, don't hate Nico too much. I don't want your friendship to be ruined."

Rakha was heard sighing quietly while showing a tired smile on his handsome face. From the sentence that Aira had just spoken, Rakha thought that Aira understood all her weaknesses, Aira knew her frailty very well. That is what makes Rakha's heart sick. Accompanying his heartbreak, the NSYNC song This I Promise You which he sang himself with the piano continues to spin from the screen, and increasingly makes the atmosphere sad.

"Kha, you're my best friend. And forever it will continue like that. I know it's selfish, but I don't want to lose my best friend."

...****...

Rakha had just arrived at her house and was getting ready to rest for a moment before she finally received a message from Yumi.

Rakha sighed quite long. Although with a heavy step, he finally forced himself to catch up with Yumi. And once on the field, Rakha was immediately greeted with a view of Yumi who was sitting in the middle of the field while playing the ball in his hand.

Yumi raised her face and immediately raised her right hand as Rakha walked closer towards her. Rakha swiftly patted Yumi's hand, then sat down beside her.

"What did you call me?" Ask Rakha to the point.

However, not yet Yumi opened her mouth to answer her question, Rakha hurriedly preceded her, "semalem Nico who came to get angry with me, this afternoon Aira. Are you also going to take the ration to get angry at me?"

"I don't want to interfere with Nico's business. But Aira is constantly guilty of the same elo, Kha. I can't bear to squirm Aira every day like a confused person."

Hearing Yumi's explanation, Rakha recalled Aira's words to her this afternoon. In fact, what Yumi told him was very contrary to what Aira said.

"I'm sorry, Kha. But I won't apologize to you because I'm with Nico."

Rakha snorted her smile after Aira's voice passed in her head. He bitterly said, "why is everyone on Nico's side?"

"Kha?"

"Gue just didn't know how to behave in front of the two of them, Yum. All my life, this is my first time in this situation, so now I am confused about what to do. My heart aches every time I see Nico with Aira. But I also hate treating Aira the way I hate."

"But when are you going to behave like this? Long before Aira came along, Nico had been a friend of Elo, Kha. This is a situation that you cannot avoid. The only thing you can do is accept."

After that, Rakha was not heard to reply to Yumi's words. On one hand, Rakha secretly felt that Yumi's words had a point. But on the other hand, suddenly Rakha felt that Yumi had been in the same position as him to make Yumi able to say things like that with great confidence.

...****...

Nico, Rio, and Natta are gathering at the B-Cafe rooftop while chatting with each other about their experiences as freshmen. They look great and enjoy every minute of their time together. These days, they rarely get together, even if they get together, they are never complete because Rakha is always missing with thousands of reasons.

"It turns out you all can still laugh, yeah, without me?" Said someone with a cynical tone from the direction of the door.

It was then, simultaneously, that Nico, Rio and Natta turned to the source of the voice and found Rakha walking towards them in such a relaxed manner. And as if nothing had ever happened between her and Nico, Rakha immediately took a sitting position right next to Nico. Seeing Rakha's attitude, Nico could only be flabbergasted.

Rakha smiled so widely. Then with a motion that is not less relaxed, he patted Nico's shoulder quite hard, as if to convey a signal that he was fine, as if, and accept his defeat in terms of winning Aira's heart with a chest of air.

"Thank you for coming back." Nico whispered quietly without seeing Rakha.

Rakha laughed grinningly after hearing Nico's words. He looked at Nico's face from the side and said, "no need to thank you. I'm not finished yet. If later if you let your guard down, that's when I'll go in and get Aira from lo."

Instead of being angry with Rakha's words just now, Nico just smiled in a knot. This time he stared back at Rakha, and confidently said, "wait a minute. But just so you know, I'll never let my guard down. You know me, right?"

"Excuse me guys..." Sela Rio suddenly who had been watching Nico and Rakha's movements

Nico and Rakha were compactly staring at Rio, and cast a questioning gaze. While Natta, he tried desperately to hold back his laughter so as not to break at that moment.

"At the next meeting, do I need a boxing ring for you?"

...****...

The laughter of Nico and Aira in the afternoon seemed to be a backsound of their sensitivity. They both look happy and are so compatible to play basketball in the middle of the complex court. The atmosphere was quite quiet, there were only the two of them on the field, fighting over the ball and trying to get it into the ring to get points. So far, Aira points are superior to Nico. That's what makes Nico occasionally deliberately cheat to tempt Aira and make her focus messy.

"Niko! If you cheat again, I go home." Threaten Aira with a pretty serious tone. That thing, Kontan alone makes Nico a little panic.

"Yeah, sorry, sorry. I'm just kidding." Sergei Nico.

Aira grunting. Then walk to the side of the field to get a drink. The game was only ten minutes ago, but the power has been drained because it has to serve Nico's cheating game.

"Where do we bet?" Challenge Nico as he walks towards Aira.

"Males ah, you cheated!"

"And I'm sorry. Promise me, I won't cheat this time." Nico said solemnly.

Aira seemed to think. Trying to consider Nico's offer to bet.

"What's the bet?"

"If I win, stay home tonight. I'm running Man's marathon."

"cheat! It's not my schedule to go home yet!" Resist Aira.

"That's what it is, huh?"

"Enak. Let's play!"

Aira finally accepts Nico's challenge. He returned to the middle of the field after previously robbing the ball from the hands of Nico. He then nimbly dribble the orange ball in his hand. Nico was amazed for a moment. This girl can do it too, he thought.

At the beginning of the game, Nico let Aira feel the upper hand. Aira continued to put the ball into the ring without any significant resistance from Nico. Realizing that Nico was currently underestimating him, he immediately blocked Nico who was dribbling the ball while saying, "don't lose. I'll actually lose."

"Unfortunately, I won't lose this time." Answer Nico lightly.

He then leaned his face towards Aira who was trying desperately to reach the ball from her grip. Aira was completely unaware of what Nico was going to do, until suddenly Nico took the opportunity as Aira let her guard down to gently kiss her lips in two seconds. As if he did not feel guilty about what he did just now, Nico pivoted to save the ball from the reach of Aira. Then in an instant, the ball had entered the ring perfectly. Nico immediately cheered, while Aira, he was still glued to his place again while touching his lips.

"No, cheat again!" The protest of Aira for the second time.

"Who is cheating? It's called strategy!" Reply to Nico guiltlessly, who successfully made Aira pout afterwards.

Nico then smiled obliquely. And so on he managed to score points without giving Aira the chance to snatch the ball from him. Now, he had managed to surpass Aira's points so easily.

Sure enough, Nico won the bet. And in the evening, Aira volunteered to stay the night and accompany Nico to spend an episode of 'Running Man' which he had not watched for four weeks.

"The world is up, no." Gerrutu Aira's.

...****...

Nico hissed and smiled after ending his conversation with Nana through a text message. After missing the news for months, who would have thought that Nico would hear the news of the closeness between Nana and Ian. But even so, Nico was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief after knowing that there were those who could pay attention as well as look after Nana during her studies abroad.

"Who's chat for the first time, Nic? How smiling?" Aira asked who suddenly entered Nico's room while carrying a plate of fruits that she had peeled and cut together two glasses of water.

Aira then placed her luggage on the table before finally sitting next to Nico.

"Chat with Nana. I just want a mastiin what he really deket same Bang Ian what not."

"Natta's Ian?"

"Hahaha yes. I've known for a long time that they're deket. But Natta said, since Nana lived in Germany, she became more and more close to Bang Ian."

Aira simply smiled listening to the story Nico spoke of.

After they finished discussing Nana and Ian, Nico turned on the television in front of him and started watching the 'Running Man' program that he liked so much.

To Be Continued...^^^