"Shamill, please come and save me..." Elyssa said rushingly through the phone, once her call connected. She didn't even wait for the other person to say hello. 

"I am sorry miss, Dr Shamill is currently scrub in an operation, may I relay your message for him later?" Says the other person. Elyssa realizing her mistakes and blush several shades of deep red.

'Damn me. Why didnt I wait for the receiver to speak first?' She thought to herself. 

"Miss?" She heard that soft voice again, fish her out from her trance. 

"Ooh, its okay. I just call him back later. How long more did he need for the operation to finish?" She asked back, the staff on the other line. 

"It probably take another 20-30 minutes. He already halfway the surgery." The staff reported then.

"Okay, thank you. I'll call back later." She said then hung up. 

"El, lets go fix our lunch" her mom calls for her. She grunts inwardly thinking she need to cook in full attire. That was so damn hot. But as a nice daughter she is, she grab her hijab, pick her phone and go toward the kitchen to start cooking.

She was greeted by a very bright and happy face. Elyssa was rooted to where she stand, unable to move. Blinded by how bright his smile is. She started to feels butterflies sommersaulting in her stomach and her heart starts to race. If they go side by side with usain bolt she swear usain bolt will be defeated shamelessly. Her heart races too fast, she almost suffocated.

Seeing Elyssa not moving, Fateh strode towards her. 

"Hey, are you okay? You seems okay just now." He asked her waving his hand in front of her. 

Elyssa blink her eyes, dragged out from her deepest thought. Releasing the breath she didn't aware she was holding just now.  His soft and concerned voice sending warmth into her heart and soul.

"Nothing, I am okay. Where's my mum? She asked me to help her cook just now." She asked then, realized her mother was no where to be found after she scanned throughout her kitchen floor. 

"She's here just now but then she told me she want to pick up something from the backyard? I am not really sure what eaxactly the thing is since i never heard that thing she mention just now." he expalined.

"Ouh, okay." Elyssa said and walk out from the kitchen, trying to find her mother at the backyard. 

"Mom, what will we be cooking actually?" she calls her mother when she saw her squatting down, trying tu pull out something.

"Oh, i was thinking to cook asam pedas and rendang for Fateh. I think he will love to try our cuisine."  

"But mom, i think he has have it before. It's not like Thailand so far away from here. In fact their Tom Yum are more famous and delicious." Elyssa said then.

"Yup, but whatever he taste before not my dish" Madam Khadijah replies then and stick her tongue out.

They were on their way inside when Fateh approach them bringing Elyssa's phone.

"El, someone goes by the name Shamill wants to talk to you." He said, giving Elyssa her phone.

If her eyes were not secured safely in her eyes socket, it would pop out.

"Damn me! How can i forget to bring my phone outside just now!!"  She thinks to herself. 

"El? Did i heard right? Which random guy answer your phone just now? and he calls you what? El? Like seriously?"

He growl through his teeth, with his low baritone voice. he rarely use that tone unless he was ready to rip someone apart. Elyssa was dead worried for Fateh's life.

"Hey, Assalamualaikum." Elyssa said with cheerful, soft voice to cool him down. Hopefully.

Unfortunately, it doesn't do its job, despite make him angrier. Elyssa can hear his growl becoming lower even. And that seriously not a good sign. it a really really bad sign.

Elyssa cover her face taking a step away so they can talk in private.

"Hey, babe. Come on. Listen to me first, please.." She said then, try to rationalise his thought. 

Shamill was weaken by her soft plea. He take a deep breath and exhale slowly. Trying to gather every patience left in his body. When he felt calmer, then he said.

"Okay, start. And better let this be something reasonable okay?" he said then.

Elyssa then tell him from A to Z, about her night talks with him, her mother suddenly brought him back home with that weird idea in her mother's head. Eventhough Madam Khadijah didn't explicitly expressed what her thought, Elyssa can guess. 

She let out her breath she didnt even realize she was holding while telling everything to Shamill. And boy, she think she will go deaf after listening to a very high pitch yell of "What? Like seriously? Your Mom did what?" from Shamill. Thank God she distanced away her phone when he was screaming like crazy, and she can't help but giggles to his comical response.

"Hey, do you think you afford to being giggly giggly about this huh? I nearly had heart attack just now when my scrub nurse told me that some girl called me during my OT time and asked me to save her. And I can't think any other person who dramatic enough to give me a call like that apart from you. And I was worried sick because of the operation taking a longer time than usual. I have a thousand and one ugly scenario playing inside my head about all those crazy bad scene from gangster movie and disastrous thing that could happened to you. I can't think straight because I kind of know you are currently taking leave because you want to pick up your Mom and I can't help thinking something bad has happened to you, thus the SOS call. Then when I call you many times, but was left unanswered. When it finally answered there's some random guy answering your phone. Do you know all of that was scaring the hell out of me? And now you did what? Giggles? Do you just seriously laugh at me?" 

Damn, that was so far the longest nag she ever received from the so called always cool Shamill. But she did understand, and felt guilty about it. So then she answered,

"Hey, hey, Shamill......" she calls him softly, but it was dead silent from the other line.

"Babe........." she calls him again, softer, trying her best to calm her bestfriend down. To wash out at least half of his worries and anger towards her.

"What?" he asked then, still half annoyed from the incidents.

"I am so sorry. Please forgive me." She said then, asking for forgiveness earnestly.

"I was so panic when my mom brought that guy home. I was afraid of the possibles of ugly ideas in her head. I don't know what to do, that's why I called you. I really don't expect things to escalated like this. I forgot to bring my phone out when looking for my mom just now. She was at the backyard plucking some herbs for our dish today. I thought it will be just for a short while but it dragged out too long being at the back. And I didn't heard your calling, that's why I couldnt answer your calls. I am so sorry for letting you thinks about all those possible unfortunate events upon me."

Elyssa tries her best to explain the situation to him. whenever there is miscommunication or misunderstanding it is best to settle it once and for all. If the matters dragged on too long and lose its best timing to explain things could go bad. Really bad. She can hear Shamill trying to stabilised his breath and anger and worries on the other side.

"What did he calls you just now? El? Didn't i was the only guy permitted to call you that aoart from your family? because i was basically family to you? Why was he calling you that?"

Shamill asked, more like a whine to be exact. He didn't like it even for a bit of that guy calling her El as his El. To be honest he hates it. especially when he hundreds kilometres away and couldn't protect what his.

Elyssa couldn't help but smile to his cute response. She was itching to but remembering his sulk and nag just now she holds it back. trying her best not to worsen his sour mood, thus the response.

"Hey, you know i will always be your El right." trying hard to clam his rage down.

"Where are you now?" she asked then. She was curious as now just 11.30 in the morning, and he was supposedly need several surgeries ahead for the day.

"Where else? I am on my way to save you." he said then.

"I took EL just now and ask Syariz to cover for me. I told you I was worried sick about you." He said then.

" Do you really need me or I can make a U-turn now?" He asked. There is slight hesitation, mixed with dissapointment in his voice, thus the small voice.

"Babe, I need you. Really. Save me from this awkwardness. Please. I am begging you." Elyssa said then.

"Okay, your superhero is on his way. please cook your Asam Pedas extra for me. I have another 30 minutes or so to arrive" he said then with a cheerful voice. and a mixed of something Elyssa couldnt really put it right. Was it happiness? Or proud? She can't pinpoint which exactly. Or just simply a mixed of everything.

She just shrugged her head and shoulders and walked into the kitchen back with a smile.

Fateh couldn't help but to feels a little bit of envy when he saw Elyssa's bright smile after having that conversation. As far as he remembers, he could have died answering her phone jsut now. The caller voice was so venomous after listening to his voice answering Elyssa's phone. If human can spit venom, then the guy was the only one who can. He couldn't help but to wonder, is that the man that she claimed was her best friend? the guy who pitifully lost his fiance in an accident few months back? The Guy her mom tried to pair with her?

If it so, it means his chance was getting thinner. From almost impossible to impossible. The guy on the phone sounded like he loves her with all his might to be so venomous with just some man answering her phone. Chills run down his spines with thw thought of his tone just now. 

He decided to keep silence for now, until he can gather more information on that guy, and their relationship. If he remembers well, Elyssa was not fond of her mother planning few months back. He honestly, sincerely hope that she didn't change her mind yet about all this arranged marriage thing. And boy, he did pray, earnestly in his heart so that Allah will ease his way to fight for her.

They was just finish  cooking and were arranging the dishes on the dining table when they heard a loud honk sound from front gate.

"Who could it be? We didn't expect guess today right?" Madam Khadijah asked. Elyssa just give her a pretty smile as she knows who the guest is.