ACE
He woke up when he heard the sound of his cellphone. No, it wasn't a dream that he slept with Gina. Instead of picking up his cell phone and answering it, he was still dumbfounded and could not barely move from where he was. So Gina herself answered his caller.
"Just a minute, please," she said to the person on the other line and handed him the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hello bro, I assume your wife is okay. She's the one who answers the phone, right?
He turned to Gina. "Yes. Why? Did something happen?"
"I followed her after her class, then she and her colleagues entered a coffee shop. I really wondered why her class ended so early. I also went to the coffee shop but she was gone."
"Where are you now?"
"I'm on the road driving."
"Well, it's very obvious, though. Are you free? I would like to talk to you."
"I can't be with you bro, I'm heading to Maryam's shop."
Gina suddenly clung to him, she was still not dressed so he continued to be distracted.
"Ahm..." he can no longer think clearly. "Ah...is that so, right now?"
"Can't you hear me, bro? I'm going to Maryam's shop right now because they were attacked by the bad guys."
"What?" He sat up straight. "When?"
"A while ago."
"Okay. I'm going there."
He turned to Gina and she stared questioningly at him, he quickly stood up. But in his haste, he did not notice that only one blanket was covered over their bodies. He pulled the blanket upright, and Gina's body was exposed. He just swallowed by what he saw. Then he turned to the person on the phone again. "When you get there, just wait for me."
GINA
She just stared at Ace as he was getting dressed. She was about to ask Ace something but suddenly something took over her mind. That's right, something is going to change. Because after what happened to them, she became even more in love with the man. True, their marriage has changed because they have shared the deepest intimacy like a real couple. Something has changed because she is no longer a virgin. She had already given up her victory flag to her husband, but of course she also wanted that. She just hoped that he would feel the same way, too. Her presence just returned when Ace suddenly spoke.
"The thugs attacked Maryam's shop." Ace said after getting dressed. "I need to get there."
"Me, too." She said.
Ace approached her and tapped her on the shoulder. "I don't think that's a good idea."
She stood up, and now she dressed right in front of Ace. But he averted his eyes from hers.
"Why not?"
"Many of you are curious, Gina. But right now, the place isn't safe there because there might be stray bullets."
"In that case, what do you think of yourself? Iron Man or The Man of Steel who can't be hit by bullets? If you can go, I can go, too. Maryam is also my friend. So I also want to help."
When she finished getting dressed. Ace looked at her again. "No, you stay here." He firmly said.
"I can't understand Ace, why are you so close to Maryam?" She said tentatively.
"She's easy to know. Easy to like."
"You're right, she's the most down-to-earth person I've ever met. But what exactly is your connection to her?"
ACE
He just ignored Gina's question to him, instead he read the text from Noel.
From: Noel
Bro, let's go to Maryam's shop together so you can drive me. I'm still sleepy because I didn't sleep last night.
To: Noel
You idiot, you're going to make me your driver? But it's okay, as long as after ten minutes you should be here.
Message sent ...
"What did you say again, Gina?"
"What is your connection with Maryam? Why are you close?"
"There aren't many people I call friend, Gina, but Maryam is one of them."
"What about me?"
He didn't immediately answer Gina's question. Her eyes were full of anticipation, and she was just waiting for his answer. What could he say to her? Friendship was the least of what he felt. But after the lovemaking--
"What about me?" she asked him again.
He didn't say a word and instead he caressed Gina's cheek and traced her lips with his fingertips. After a few minutes of staring at each other, someone suddenly blew a horn, and he used it as an excuse not to answer. He looked out the window and Noel arrived just in time.
-----
Thirty percent of Maryam's products were destroyed before the police arrived. And he knew it was revenge on Maryam when she helped Gina escape from Brando.
"My insurance will cover the losses." Maryam told him. "But the delays in getting the goods to the stores will be devastating. If I can't fill the orders, the results will show up next season in reduced orders. A smart businessman like Brando understands that."
"We'll get him, Maryam. I promise you that."
"That's what Johnny told me, too. But still, it hurts. I've worked hard for so long to get to this point. I was just getting comfortable enough to take some time off." She sighed. "Thanks for checking on me."
"It's a good thing that Judge didn't leave you alone."
"Even if it's sad, but every time you think that you have a lot of sympathy, your sadness will be alleviated." Maryam said with a forced smile. "Have you told Gina about Brando?"
"Just a little detail."
"What are you waiting for Ace?"
"Right time."
Maryam tapped him on the shoulder. "Do you know something I've learned, Ace. The right time doesn't ever come on its own. The right time is always a choice you make."
He really thought about what Maryam told him, until Noel took him to his father's house. He still doesn't want to see Gina because he's getting more and more guilty. He also knows that they still have an unfinished business. But he was tired of fighting his feelings, especially after what happened to them this morning.
-----
"I'm so stupid," he said as he looked at the big garden in his father's house. "I don't know how that happened. I thought, I can control everything."
"You're just a man, Ace."
He turned and crossed his arms. "That's all? Is that all you can advise me as a father? I didn't use protection, Dad. What if...God. I can't believe that it didn't really cross my mind."
"Maybe she took pills."
"If she did take pills, why didn't I see her drink? But I wonder why she put condoms on my room."
"Is that so, maybe she left it there in case you brought another woman home." His father said smiling.
He's just scratching his head. "If I get her pregnant, I won't leave her. I will be a father to that child."
"Is it just the possibility of her pregnancy that you're afraid of, son?"
"Of course. What else?"
His father leveled a look at him. "I hope you will learn from my experienced son, and accept what you cannot change. Maybe that's the signal that you need to tell her the truth."
"If I tell her the truth, I don't want her to live in fear. I know she's also worried about Brando Nicolas even if she insists on not showing it to me. If I tell her the truth, she'll fear him a hundred times more than she does now. And my only chance to keep her safe is to keep her ignorant."
"I think you don't give her enough credit, son. You know her, you can convince her to leave and go somewhere else."
He knew that in the tone of Brando's words when they last talked, he might be trying to take Gina's life. "Because of me, her life was in danger. So if I take Gina away, Brando might even say that's a weakness on my part. I'd be dead."
"Damned if you do. Damned if you don't." His father said.
"And no matter what happens Dad, I have to protect her. Because I know in my heart, that she is safe with me."
*****