Chapter 2. Restless

Fahira handed a piece of money to Damar after he dropped her off in front of the Mawar public housing building. Her steps were weary as she made her way to the stairs leading to her unit on the second floor. Her mind was exhausted from a long day at work, especially since she had been experiencing sleep disturbances since last night. Thoughts of Darian caressing her body kept crossing her mind every time she closed her eyes.

Creak. The door to her home opened, and Fahira entered, immediately approaching her younger brother, Ariel, who was engrossed in reading a book on the floor with the TV on.

"Fahira!" greeted Ariel as he shifted positions to sit up and closed his book.

"How are you feeling now?" Fahira asked, touching Ariel's forehead to check his body temperature. Last night, Ariel suddenly shivered with a temperature of 38°C, and today he had to take another day off from school. Since being diagnosed with a heart condition, Ariel often had to miss school.

"I'm feeling better, Mbak. Oh, let me make you a drink," Ariel said, getting up and heading towards the refrigerator.

Fahira placed her bag on the table and stretched her legs. She took off her scarf and blazer, placing them on her lap. Shortly after, Ariel returned with a glass of cold tea and handed it to Fahira.

"Thank you, little brother," Fahira said, reaching for the glass and taking a sip until it was empty.

"Fahira, I'm sorry for causing you trouble like this," Ariel said sadly, looking at Fahira, who immediately smiled back at him.

"Don't worry about it. Hurry up and get ready. We have an appointment with Dr. Gavin this afternoon. I called last night, and we got the number three slot, so we mustn't be late," Fahira continued, changing the subject.

"I promise, I'll get better soon and graduate from school quickly so I can find a job and..."

"You don't have to worry about that right now. The most important thing is for you to focus on school and get well soon," Fahira interrupted before Ariel could continue. She didn't want to see sadness and vulnerability in his eyes every time Ariel expressed his feelings.

At 04:30, they arrived at the Medical Center where Dr. Gavin practiced. The handsome and young cardiologist had been Ariel's attending doctor since he was diagnosed with arrhythmia four months ago. From Dr. Gavin's explanation, arrhythmia is a heart rhythm disorder that indicates a disruption in the heart's electrical system, causing the heart to beat too fast, too slow, or irregularly. This condition occurs due to disturbances in the electrical impulses that regulate the heartbeat, leading to the heart not functioning properly.

Dr. Gavin's observations indicated that the main cause of Ariel's condition was the heavy pressure and stress he had kept to himself for so long. And of course, Fahira knew the exact reason.

Reluctantly, Fahira recounted the events that happened to her and Ariel three years ago to Dr. Gavin. She explained about their life in Surabaya when their parents were still alive and the accident that befell their family. Fahira's honesty made Dr. Gavin feel a sense of unease and sympathy.

However, Fahira knew better than to divulge all the details since she herself never knew how she and Ariel ended up in Jakarta. Even the apartment where they lived seemed to have been prepared for the two of them. What's even stranger was that Fahira received a letter stating that she and Ariel had to stay there for an unspecified period for their safety. During the first month of living in that apartment, Fahira used the money included in a brown envelope under the letter to meet their needs until she found a job.

After consulting with Dr. Gavin, it was decided that Ariel would undergo a heart ablation procedure, which had a permanent success rate of 97%. Tomorrow, Ariel would be admitted for observation by the medical team before the operation. Knowing that Ariel would soon recover filled Fahira's heart with immense happiness. Her sacrifices would not be in vain.

***

The next day...

Darian had just taken off his coat and placed it on the back of his large chair when he noticed the sight of hot coffee mingling with the rays of sunlight filling his room. It was his secretary's signature coffee, which he enjoyed every morning. Darian let out a frustrated sigh as he once again found himself thinking of Fahira's sad face. The girl seemed to have mesmerized him, rendering Darian helpless with his own feelings. He shook his head to dispel the unfamiliar emotions that had been bothering him for the past few days, then opened his laptop. He needed to check the emails he hadn't had a chance to open yesterday.

Darian reached for the phone on his desk and dialed the extension that connected him to Fahira's desk. As he waited for an answer, he absentmindedly toyed with the rim of his coffee cup with his fingertip.

"Unusual for Fahira not to be in my office by 9," Darian muttered to himself as Fahira had not yet picked up his call.

He placed the phone back on its receiver and grabbed the coffee that had been a target of his frustration. As the dark liquid warmed his throat, Darian suddenly realized that this coffee was not made by Fahira. He roughly placed the cup back, causing some of the liquid to spill onto the table.

"David, come to my office immediately!" A loud, high-pitched voice echoed before a folder was thrown far from Darian's desk.

"I'm sorry, what's wrong, sir?" David asked, taken aback by the unusual state of his boss's office. It was a mess. Without waiting for any orders from Darian, David immediately picked up the scattered papers from the floor.

"Where's Fahira? Why isn't she here in my office at this hour? She's not picking up my calls either!" Darian's voice boomed, making David lower his head in response.

It was unusual for Darian to be so angry like this. Normally, when Darian was in a bad mood, he would ask David to accompany him to a nightclub. Darian would have fun with fellow young executives, accompanied by alcohol and attractive women by their sides. However, strangely enough, every time Darian entered a nightclub, he always prohibited David from touching alcohol. He instructed David to take him away when he became unconscious due to alcohol. That meant Darian didn't want to end up in bed with unwanted women.

"Did Fahira not inform you, sir? She's not coming to work because she's sick," explained David, placing the neatly arranged documents on Darian's desk.

"Sick?" Darian murmured softly, causing David to be puzzled by the unexpected change in his boss's expression.

"Yes, sir. Fahira is sick. She told me this morning," continued David, furrowing his brows as he noticed the change in Darian's facial expression.

"You should leave my office now, and today I don't want to be disturbed by anyone," ordered Darian, making David quickly step out of Darian's office before becoming the target of his boss's wrath.

After his personal assistant left, Darian took out his cell phone from his coat pocket. He unlocked the screen and found several missed calls and text messages from Fahira, asking for permission to take a day off from work today.

***

Two hours passed, and Darian was immersed in the stack of documents in front of him. He read and studied each one carefully before signing them. "What's happening to me?" Darian murmured in frustration as the papers in front of him still couldn't drive his thoughts away from Fahira.

Suddenly, his phone rang, interrupting Darian's reverie. Seeing his mother's name displayed, Darian answered immediately.

"Good morning, what's up, Mom dear?" Darian pretended to speak gently, still irritated with their conversation earlier in the morning.

"Good morning too. Meet Alea at the Japanese restaurant this afternoon. She'll be waiting there at 1 pm!" Yasmin ordered with a tone that Darian knew he couldn't argue with.

"Alright, Mom dear!"

"Watch out if you come up with excuses again!" threatened Yasmin, which instantly elicited a sarcastic laugh from Darian.

"Are you sure you won't be jealous if my love is shared with another woman?" Darian teased while trying to hold back his laughter, successfully teasing his mother.

"Mom is serious, Darian," Yasmin said in a soft voice, sighing deeply.

"Alright, Mom, I love you," Darian chuckled, ending the call with a farewell greeting.

At 12:30, Darian paused his work. He put on his coat and quickly headed for the exit, as his mother called again to remind him of his promise to meet a girl named Alea. David smiled and nodded as he followed Darian's steps toward the executives' special elevator.

"When will Jakarta ever be free from traffic? It's annoying!" Darian complained as they got stuck in a long traffic jam.

"Hehehe, it wouldn't be Jakarta, Boss if it weren't for the traffic," David replied casually.

"If it weren't for the Madame Boss's orders, I wouldn't bother meeting that woman," Darian continued, earning a laugh from David.

"The Madame's orders are your command, sir!" David replied, receiving a hard punch on his shoulder.

"Yeah, you're right," Darian agreed. "Finding a wife that fits my criteria is challenging, huh, Vid?" he added, feeling frustrated.

"What are Mr. Darian's ideal woman criteria, may I ask?" David's question naturally provoked annoyance in Darian. The question sounded mocking to him.

After being stuck in traffic for quite some time, the car they were in finally managed to break free from the gridlock. Darian glanced at his wristwatch, which showed 13:25, indicating that he was already late from the time set by his mother. However, Darian's gaze suddenly fixed on the woman who had been disturbing his mind since this morning. The woman was standing by the roadside, at the end of a zebra crossing, with pedestrians waiting to cross.

"Fahira," Darian murmured soundlessly as he looked back when the car had passed Fahira's location. As the car was moving slowly, Darian still had a chance to see Fahira crossing the road while carrying a plastic bag, heading towards the Medical Center hospital.

"Is there a problem, sir?" David asked, feeling puzzled as he noticed Darian continuously glancing behind.

"No, just keep driving!" Darian replied, quickly adjusting his sitting position.

Darian couldn't shake off the image of Fahira from his mind. He wondered why she was heading to the hospital. Was she feeling unwell? He felt an internal struggle within himself, torn between his responsibilities and the inexplicable concern he had for Fahira.

"Sir, are you sure you're alright?" David asked again, this time with more concern in his voice.

"I'm fine, just a little distracted. Let's focus on the road," Darian replied, trying to hide his unease. He knew he had to clear his mind and concentrate on the meeting with Alea, but Fahira's presence was still lingering in his thoughts.