Dusk At the End Please
Dilemmas

Two great days in Bogor. It was a very short time for Shanum. But two days were long for Akhtar and Ahsan.

Inversely with Shanum. The two established and handsome men lived the longest two days of their lives.

Akhtar was agitated, his heart riled to think about the new reality he knew.

*flashback

Two days ago...

Waking up lethargic because his eyes never closed last night. The file in his hand was still tightly held.

Last night, he closed tightly to the sheet of a woman's curriculum vitae that was always in his heart.

Akhtar repeatedly took a deep breath and exhaled violently, trying to take off everything that bound his heart.

She ruffled her hair, furious, holding back the regret and resentment in her heart knowing the fact that Shanum was unmarried.

Curriculum Vitae Shanum that he received last night from the staffing department made his heart tight, his breathing choked, his chest as if narrowed. He is incapable of speech.

His heart trembled in happiness mixed with deep pain while reading the curriculum vitae. The photo attached to the cv sheet is clearly a photo of the woman of his heart, Shanum Najua Azzahra.

The words he said to Shanum.

**I thought you were tough enough for that,

*can be like a fish guarding its coral reefs

*and a bee that guards the hive.

*but I realize, sometimes we have to accept with a free heart that for some people we are not important to them

**My perspective is too high, though,

*when expecting happiness from humans then leave one room to save disappointment is true, it is true,

*because it turns out my debt wasn't sought,

*hadirku was not expected either

*and my return was not expected.

*It turns out loving alone feels this painful.

Akhtar rubbed his face recalling the words he said when he first met Shanum. There is anger and disappointment in every sentence that just slides from the tongue.

Regretfully, don't trace about Shanum any further. The information he got from his best friend Andi when he went to Garut that Shanum was married was quite convincing. He simply believed in the information that his best friend had given him.

Akhtar tildak thought of other possibilities. Until concluding, Shanum did not wait for him and chose to be with the others.

There were also glimpses of the announcement event about her and Raina. Akhtar could not imagine how disappointed and sick Shanum heard the announcement made by his father.

*In addition to devoting herself to the foundation, Ananda Raina will also devote her life to accompanying our proud son, Akhtar Farzan Wijaya,

"Astaghfirulloh ..I really hurt Shanum a lot" he murmured.

It was fitting that Shanum's words during their first meeting seemed to strike back at Akhtar, showing just how much Shanum felt hurt and disappointed.

And no less important that disturbed Akhtar's mind during these two days was about Ahsan's statement that introduced Shanum as his future wife.

*Bro, this is my future teacher, Shanum Najua Azzahra,”

*Honey, this is Akhtar, Akhtar Farzan Wijaya. My best friend is also the chairman of our new foundation and this is Raina my best friend as well as the future wife of Akhtar.

"Aaaaarghhh.." cried Akhtar again shuffling his hair.

"Why is this so?", he murmured.

Actually on one side of his heart Akhtar was very happy to find the fact that Shanum was not married.

It means there's still a chance for him to be back with Shanum. As long as the yellow janur had not arched, wasn't the path for them together still wide open.

While on the other hand, Akhtar was confused with the fact that he was no longer a free person now.

The entire foundation already knew that Raina was his future wife. Even the plan in the near future their engagement event will be inaugurated soon.

Akhtar could not imagine what would happen if he returned with Shanum and left Raina just like that.

Not only would the extended family oppose his decision but Shanum would definitely be affected. He did not want Shanum's good name to be broken because he was branded as an actor, aka a male usurper.

Another fact that Akhtar is still difficult to accept is about Ahsan.

And why should Ahsan? his close person, the person who had always accompanied and supported him, Ahsan always accompanied him when he was alone and lonely.

Even in a state of slump when knowing the painful facts about Shanum from one of his friends in Garut, Ahsan was the one who always supported him.

Really Akhtar also wanted Ahsan to be happy with his life, Akhtar knew the romance story of his cousin was not going well.

Akhtar knew that Ahsan was pursuing his love which he was still unable to reach.

Was the one Ahsan was after all this time Shanum?

but...hasn't Ahsan been waiting for someone all this time?

so why did he introduce Shanum as his future teacher?

Why Shanum, why Shanumnya?

Various questions continued to fill Akhtar's mind. He felt that this puzzle was too complicated to solve on his own. He must find a way out.

flashback off

Her life has been a mess for two days. His mind could not escape from Shanum, Shanum and Shanum.

Armed with the phone number he got from the curriculum vitae, Akhtar continued to contact Shanum. Akhtar needs an explanation, but unfortunately since that night Shanum's device has not been active.

Based on the information he got from his confidants, he knew that Shanum was coming back to Bogor. Right now there was nothing more he could do, other than continue to send him messages and wait for Shanum to reply.

Akhtar continued to monitor his device, not letting it stay away from him for a while.

Every minute or even second he opened the whattsapp application, rereading the message he had sent to Shanum but it turned out that two days had passed his message was still check one ash.

Even Akhtar ignored the incoming chats and calls from many people including Raina.

Today is the third day since Akhtar sent a message to Shanum. His anxiety was even more stirring when he found out that Shanum had not returned.

Is it not early in the morning all the committee will go to Pangandaran Beach? why hasn't Shanum returned? his inner.

That morning Akhtar kept pacing around in his office room. It's been three days that Akhtar hasn't even gone to the company. He was in the foundation office.

Akhtar's room in the foundation's office is on the second floor. The window of the room was right facing the main gate to enter the territory of the foundation, so as to clearly see who came and went out.

Akhtar even directly monitors the main gate cctv connected to the computer in his room.

There was nothing Akhtar did in the office other than looking at his gawai, staring at the computer monitoring the cctv of the main gate and occasionally seeing firsthand the state of the main gate from his office window. Hoping for Shanum's arrival soon, return to his official home.

While in the other part of the earth not far from where Akhtar was, Ahsan was feeling the hardness of his heart.

It had been two days that Ahsan had been unable to contact Shanum. The messages he sent two days ago were not blue-tinted. Everything even covered the ashes of one.

According to the information he got from Liani, Shanum was returning to Bogor. Following Shanum to Bogor was not a difficult thing for him. I really want him to do it. But Ahsan understood that Shanum disabling his clothing meant that Shanum really did not want to be disturbed.

It's the third day Shanum's gone. The disbandment event will be held tomorrow at Pangandaran Beach. They will leave early in the morning, so they can reach Pangandaran before sunrise.

But Ahsan had not obtained any information about Shanum. She was worried that Shanum would not be part of the event.

Liani who was targeted by Ahsan scooped up information about Shanum was even irritated, her gaze never stopped ringing because Ahsan who kept sending her messages asking about Shanum.

Let alone Ahsan, Liani herself a close friend of Shanum did not even have access to contact Shanum for nearly two days.

For two days Ahsan did not do much. He simply monitored his playbook, read the message he sent to Shanum who was still one-coloured ash, then sent Liani a message asking about Shanum.

Every morning until noon Ahsan spent his time in the park where Shanum used to relax with his novels.

He returned home when the sun was almost overhead and returned to the park at dusk.

Sitting alone in the garden until the stretch of orange in the sky slowly disappeared.

Ahsan was already like a person who had no activities other than doing those two things. Though usually, in his spare days like this he always filled his time with useful things such as writing a journal, filling a seminar or just mgegowes with his bicycle community.

But this time Ahsan completely lost his spirit, he still did not feel good yet to explain about him who introduced Shanum as a future teacher to his cousin and best friend.

Ahsan knew, that night Shanum was angry because his acting was so convincing. But it was not without reason that Ahsan did that.

He just wanted to make his best friend and cousin was calm because he saw himself was happy to have a prospective companion. Recalling their conversation a few days ago that Akhtar was not feeling good about getting engaged while Ahsan had not yet gotten her love.

Though it was not like that, Ahsan did not know that Akhtar's heartbreak was not really because of it. Precisely with what Ahsan did added to the anxiety and turmoil of his cousin increasingly stirred.

The night since the foundation event ended, Akhtar and Ahsan had never met again. They are busy with their own world, immersed in their own thoughts.

Without them knowing that they have in mind are the same person.