TINA’S POV:

My palm is sweating.  I feel so nervous as I hold the steer of my car.  Yes I’m driving now, going to Aom’s house.  Since I woke up this morning, it’s Aom who’s in my mind.  Did she hear what Mean said yesterday?  Because when I grab the phone from her hand, the call was cut off already.   I tried to call her back for few times but its off.  So this morning as I wake up, I texted her and told her I wanna go to her house.  She said “Ok” so here I am, driving with lots and lots of thoughts in my head.  I drop by a bakery and buy a slice of greentea cake and chicken sandwich.  I bet she haven’t take anything this morning.

I stop the car in front of her house and parked there.  I still didn’t hear anything from the inside, did she fall asleep again after replied my text?  I stop my step on the doormat, doubting should I knock on the door or text her instead?  When my mind still playing with those questions, the door suddenly open and I saw that pretty smile on her face.

“I saw you walking from the car.”  She said, so I give her my smile too.  “Good morning.”  I said and she asked me to enter the house.  I sit on the floor in her small living room.  I put the bags from the bakery on the table, “For our breakfast.”  I said.  She then walked to her mini kitchen.  “Coffee or Tea?”  She asked me.  “Whatever you’ll give me.”  I answer her.  I saw her movement in the kitchen, that time I realize that there’s a left over meal.

“You cooked?”  I asked her again.  She turn her head and asked me with her facial expression.  I pointed to the leftover meal and she shaked her head.

“Someone’s came here last night?”  I still asking her some question.  She nod.  I had the feeling who’s come, but I didn’t ask her again.

“Not last night, but the day before.”  She said as she brings two cups of hot tea for us to the living room.  I nod.

She sit in front of me, waiting for something.  I wanna talk to her but I don’t know how to start.

“Did Mike come and bring you those food?”  I ask a super unimportant question.  She nod.  Of course he was, who else?

“So is everything alright now?”  I ask her again and she nod, again.  I can feel my body is trembling right now.  Mean is right, I can’t help of the jealousy I got everytime Aom mention the name of her boyfriend.  I guess I made the best decision and I have to tell Aom about it.

“Did you go on a date with Mean yesterday?”  She ask me and it makes me startled.  Aom saw my sudden reaction then she smiles.

“It’s okay..  You guys didn’t meet for a long time already.  And It’s nice to spend time with an old friend once in a while, right?”  She said.  I don’t know how to respond her, so I bent down my head a little bit.

“Why Tina?”  She asked me.

“......................”

“Is it something wrong?”

“Aren’t you jealous?”

“Why should I?  Do I have to feel jealous to all of your friends out there?”

“Why don’t?”

“Because I trust you..”

This sentence really make me feel guilty.  She smile warmly, and for the first time, seeing it make me feel bad even more.

“Can I tell you something?  Can I be honest to you?”  I ask her.

“Of course..  Just tell me, what’s wrong?”

I take a deep breath and say, “Mean and I are in a relationship.”

AOM’S POV:

“Aren’t you jealous?”  Tina asks me.

“Why should I?  Do I have to feel jealous to all of your friends out there?”

“Why don’t?”

“Because I trust you..”  I look at her eyes as I spell those words, and then I gave her my warmest smile.

We both remain silent, and for the first time, Tina didn’t smile back at me.  Is there something wrong?

 “Can I tell you something?  Can I be honest to you?”  She ask me, and I don’t know why, somehow the way she said those question really makes me nervous but I try to calm myself down.

“Of course..  Just tell me, what’s wrong?”  I answer her.  She straighten her sitting position and take a deep breath and then she said,

“Mean and I are in a relationship.”

DANG!!!!

It’s like there’s a HUGE gong hitting my head.  I can feel my whole body paralyzed.  I try to support my body with both of my trembling palm hand.  My face is getting hotter now, I can feel it.  I try to suppress my tears so it won’t come out.  I close my eyes for a couple second and straightening my position.  As I open my eyes, I smile to Tina.

“Really?  Since when?”  I ask her with my not-so-cheerful tone.

“Since 2 days ago..”  She answered, I nod.

“.....................”

“Aom, I’m sorry..  Are you okay?”  She asked me, I guess she feels something strange in me.

“Huh?  Yeah, I’m okay..  Just a lil bit shocked.  But that’s okay.. Its just....................”

“Are you mad at me?”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“I................”

“What do you expect me to feel?  Okay?  Well, I’m okay..  Is that enough for you?”

“No............  I mean, I.....................”

“Why you do this to me?  Make me feel alive then drop me down so sudden?”  I ask her.  To be honest, I feel betrayed.  Why did she have to do this?  She said she loved me, only me.  But what happened now?

“I just don’t want to feel so hurt if I see you with Mike!”  She shout at me.  Ohh.. that’s it?  Is that the only reason why?

“Do you really love me?”  I ask her, my chect is up and down now, I try to hold my ego.

“I do love you, Aom.  So much.  That makes me hurt everytime I saw you with Mike.”

“.......................”

“I’m sorry..  I need someone who really can be there for me then Mean came, in the time I needed her the most.  Call me selfish, but at least if I saw you with Mike I won’t feel so hurt because I still have her.”

“......................”

“Can you accept that?”

“Is that what’s in your mind?”

“What?”

“It will be okay, it will be fine if you and I have someone else but we still having this kind of relationship?”

“I love you girls both.  This is my decision and I’m just hoping that I won’t hurt any of you.  I will protect you and Mean.  You both are important to me..”

“Do you wanna make a revenge?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you think that all this time I’m making you my “second” choice?  Is that the reason why you wanna make me feel like that too?”  My whole body is trembling now and I can’t help bursting out my tears anymore.  I don’t know what am I talking about but I feel so emotional right now.

“What are you talking about, Aom?”  She ask me as she try to grab my hand on the table, but I refuse it by pulling my hand out of her grip.

“It’s okay..  I understand now.  I accept to be your “second” choice as well..  Or if you want to be with Mean, then go on.  Don’t worry about me, I’m okay.”  I paused my word to take a deep breath.  “And thank you for being my ‘affair’ all this time..”

As I finish my words, I regret why I have to say it.  I drop my head on my knees as I hug it.  The tears won’t stop from falling out of my eyes.  I was so stupid!  I was such a moron!  Why can’t I control my emotion???

“I can’t believe you said that, Aom..”  I can hear Tina saying it in low tone.  I rise my head and as I look at her, she gave me a bitter smile.  This time I know I made a such huge mistake.

“You take me as your ‘affair’?”  She ask me.  I can’t say a word.

“I can’t believe all this time I’m just an ‘affair’ to you..”

“I mean............”

“It’s okay, I understand.  Your love for him is bigger than your feelings for me.  I know that, and now I understand who am I for you..”  Hearing her saying it, makes my ego come out even more.  I can’t control my feelings anymore.

“Bigger?  Do you know what is inside my heart??”

“At least I know some..”

“Ohh.. Tina.. And now you see that Mean is the ‘angle’ who saved your heart from falling apart because of me??  Then go on, build your love life with her and just DON’T CARE ABOUT ME ANYMORE!!!”  I get up from my seat but as I want to walk away, she grab my wrist and pull me to her embrace.  I can’t help to burst out my tears even more.

“Let go of me!”  I strugling from her embrace but she hug me even tighter.

“Where are you going?”  She asked me softly.

“It’s not even your bussiness!”  I answer her sarcastically.

“It’s my bussiness.”  She said.

“Stop pretending that you care!!!”  I can’t control my emotion now.  I feel so hurt, I feel so dumb, I feel sad, dissappointed, betrayed, and I’m tired of being strong!  She said nothing but hug me even tighter.  She rub my back and shooting me from bursting out of tears.

“You must be hate me, aren’t you?  You must be want to stay away from me..  I know you wanna leave me..  Just do!!!  I don’t wanna be your charity case!”  I said as I strugling from her embrace but she was too strong and I’m too weak.  I’m tired.  It’s all happened just in a week.  I can’t handle it, why am I so pathetic???

Tina loosen up her embrace and she grab my shoulder.  She looks at my eyes as she start talking.

“Can you stop talking for a second?  Can you listening on what I’m about to say?”

“....................”

“Who said that it’s all about charity?  Who said that I hate you?  Who said that I’m going to leave you?”

“....................”

“I love you even before you realize your feelings.  I love you even since the first time you walking through the door of the cafe few months ago.  I love you even though I know you love someone else.  I love you and I don’t care who you are.  Is it clear already?”

I just can’t answer or say anything that I just let out the tears and sobbing non stop.

“It hurts me a bit when you said that I’m just your ‘affair’.  But it won’t be a reason why should I leave you.  I won’t leave you, Aom.”  She said as she wipe away my tears.

“Why...?”  I finally ask her.

She smiled and said, “Because I Love you..”

MEAN’S POV:

Finally..  It’s official that I’m a girlfiend of Tina.  Two days ago Tina said yes when we met at her parent’s restaurant.  She said at least she won’t feel too hurt if she saw Aom and Mike because she has me too.  Well, that’s what I’ve said to her before.  I don’t know why, after seeing Tina with Aom that time, I feel so jealous and I suddenly remember how Tina treat me when we’re still together back then.  Okay, we were not couples, but at least she never look at someone else but me.  Not until that girl get her attention and now it’s all going to happen again with Aom?  Mark my word, I won’t let it!

Today Tina said that she wanna go to see Aom, so I told her to tell Aom about us.  She’s agree, so this will be a new start of ditching that girl named Aom.  Tina is with me, and that’s enough.  She doesn’t need someone else.  I already come back to her side and I won’t let her go again.

I wonder how it’s all going in that girl’s house today.  Will she accept it?  Or not?  But I wish they will argue a lot.  Do you think that I’m mean?  Well, that’s my name, Mean.  I don’t like to share. What’s mine is mine!  Tina is mine now, and she will be mine forever.  Just don’t blame me, I never saw Tina treat a girl like she treat Aom, that makes me upset and I want to feel it too.

I grab my phone and start type a text.

“Where are you, Tiger?”

I wait for a couple minutes then the reply-text delivered.

“Omw.  Text you later.”

See?  She’s on her way.  Then I shouldn’t be worried.

************

I took a sip of my ginger tea, I smiled when saw that little girl playing in the yard.  I look at my wrist watch, it’s 6.15pm.  She should be arrived in any minutes, so I sit and try to relax my body on the seat.  The twilight will come soon and seeing the sky from up here is really nice.

“Uncle Tina!!!”  I hear that little girl voice’s shouting.  There she is, someone that I’ve been waiting for has finally arrived, My Tina.  I grab my phone and start to type a text, “I’m upstairs.  I can see you with Reen from up here.”

As soon as she get out from the car, she hug Reen and then took her phone from her pocket.  After that she throw her sight up and smile when she saw me.  Oh my, that lovely smiling eyes, finally I can see it looking at me like that.  I smile to her and then I saw Reen also looking up so I wave my hand to her, but again, she hide to her uncle’s neck.  Cute.  She still shy to me even though we already met each other before.

Tina hold Reen tight as she walking to enter the restaurant, and in no time, I can see her showed up from the edge of the stairs still with Reen in her embrace.

“Hi...”  She said with her soft and lovely voice.

“Hi Tiger..”

“Sorry I’m late..”

“It’s okay..  Hi Reen..”

Reen is peeking from her uncle’s shoulder to see me.  I give her my tounge and then she’s hiding again while laughing.  They sit beside me already.

“Why you laughing, Princess?”  Ask Tina to her.

“Nothing..”  She’s answer and then laughing again as peeking at me.  I grin and now she’s looking at me with that, I don’t know, curious gaze?  I smile at her, she bent down a bit.

“What’s wrong?”  Tina ask her.  She didn’t answer but later she wishpered to Tina.  Tina smile as she said, “Reen is asking ‘who is this aunty’ to me..”

“Well why Reen not asking to me by yourself?”  I answer Reen’s question.  “It’s okay, I won’t bite..”

Reen is shaking her head and she’s start frowning, so cute.

“This is aunty Mean.  Uncle Tina and aunty Mean are already become friends for such a long time..”  Tina try to explain it to her.

“Since when?”  Reen’s asking.

“Even before Reen was born.”  Tina answer.  Seeing them chatting like that somehow makes my heart warm.  I never see this side of Tina before, and of course I’m glad to see it now.

“Waaaaahhh..  Reen is almost five now..”  Reen’s answered in an awe, but I’m not sure if she’s really understand or not.  “Aunty Mean also friends with my aunty?”  Reen finally ask me personally, but who’s her aunty?

“Who?”  I ask her.

“Aunty Aom of course.”  I don’t know why but my heart’s kinda fluttered when hearing Reen mention that name.  “If aunty Mean friends with aunty Aom, Reen wanna be friends too.”  I tried to smile.

“Why is that?”  Tina ask her.

“Because my aunty is a really nice Lady, her friend must be nice too.”

*************

”How’s your meeting with Aom?”  I finally ask Tina about it.  To be honest, I’m still curious about what had happened few days ago even Tina told me already about that right after their meeting.  But somehow I’m still  not satisfied with her story.

“Why asking it again?  I told you already, didn’t I?”  She answer me and I hate her saying it, it’s like she don’t wanna tell me what really had happened.

“Can’t you just tell me what had happened without anything hidden?”

“I’m not hiding anything, I told you everything already.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah..”

“Is she really okay about that?”

“I guess so.  She still have Mike after all..”  Tina shrughed, her phone is vibrating on the table after that.  Tina grab it and read a text and smile.  I don’t want her smile because someone else and I know that it’s Aom who text her.  I slowly grab her phone and I put it aside.

“I told you that I don’t like you answering any phone call or text when we’re together, didn’t I?”  She hold my hands and take her phone back with her other hand.

“I know but I told you I can’t ignore this one and we agree about it, aren’t we?”

I frown while taking out my hands from her grip.

“It’s just a text, Mean.  Can you bear with that?”

“Why its like she’s more important than me?”

“You both important to me..”

“I love you, Tina..”

“Yeah, I love you too..”

I hug her arm and rest my head on her shoulder, and suddenly I saw Reen’s face turn to an unexplainable expression when walking to us.  When I tried to call her, she turn around and run away.

TINA’S POV:

I’m looking at the girl who’s sweating in a corner of the kitchen.  She’s baking right now.  Wearing a cute apron with hair tied up.  I think I really fall in love with that girl.  The girl who simply make me fall in love with her smile.  The girl who made me stunned on my seat as she walked in.  The girl who makes me feel alive when hearing her laugh.  And the only girl who makes me realize that Love is all about seeing happiness in the eyes of someone you care.

“Watching your girl, eh?”

An almost wishpering voice suddenly came.  I startled a little bit, it’s Pita.  She caught me looking at Aom, again,, so she smiled.  “She looks perfectly fine now, is she still taking her meds?”  She ask me again, I shake my head.  “No, she just takes vitamin once a day.  I think she’s perfectly fine now.”

Pita nodded.  She then face me, looked me in the eye as she start to talk.

“Tina, can you please promise me something?”

“What is it?”

“Can you please take care of her?”

“Why did you suddenly say so?”

“Tina...”  She paused and take a deep breath,  “I know you know her already, and as you can see, she’s one lonely girl even though she can cover it with her smile and laugh.  She need someone beside her,,,,,,”

“But she has,,,,”

“And that is you, not Mike.”  Pita grab my shoulder as she continue speaking.  “Tina,, Aom needs more than just a boyfriend or a lover.  She need companion, potection, friend, partner, family,, and she got that from you.  Please do take care of her with your life..  She trusted you and I trust you too..”

I remain silent.  I’m thinking on what Pita just said.

“You still want to see her smile and her laugh everyday, don’t you?”

I nod, then Pita smiled.  “I trust you..”  She pat my shoulder, and then walking out from the kitchen.

Aom is done putting the batter into the oven.  She make a satisfied smile on her face and she turn her body, its the time when she looks at me.  I smile to her as she walked to my direction.

“I’m done.  Just need to check on the cake about,,,, 20 more minutes.”  She said.

I gave her tissue, she wipe her sweat from her temple, and my hand just reach her face, fixing her bang and caressing her cheek after that.

“Water?”  I ask while giving her a bottle of mineral water.

“Thanks..”  She said while taking the bottle from my hand and then took a sip from it.

Drrrrrtt!  Drrrrrtt!

I can feel my phone vibrating inside my pocket so I took it out.  A text from Mean.

“What are you doing?”

“Working.. You?”  I replied her, and in a second I already get the reply.  Sometimes I’m wondering, why girls always fast in replying text?

“Thinking of you..  I miss you..”  I unconciously smiled reading her text, “Me too.”  I replied.

“Is it Mean?”  Aom asked me and I nod.

“No wonder you smiled happily like that..”  She said with low tone, and as I looked at her, she smiled.  But that wasn’t her smile.  I don’t know why she looked strange.

“She just asking me what am I doing right now, so I said I’m working.  She shouldn’t ask it actually.  Where will I be at this hour if not working?  Silly right?”  I laugh as I put my phone back inside my pocket, but Aom didn’t smile at all.  Okay, I think I shouldn’t talk about this.  But to be honest, I don’t wanna hide anything in front o