Dusk At the End Please
New Rival

Shanum disappeared behind the door of his room. Liani just gawked at Shanum's suspicious behavior according to her, she was very curious about the sender of the message but she did not want to force it.

He hoped that Shanum would be willing to share whatever he was going through with him and face it together. It was enough all this time Shanum faced everything alone, as a good friend Liani wanted to be present in Shanum's life in a state of joy and sorrow.

Entering the room, Shanum immediately closed the door. Leaning behind the door he clutched his dress tightly, reluctant to read the incoming message that Liani meant earlier but he was curious.

Slowly he opened the screen that had been extinguished. Swipe the screen and click on whattsapp app and open a message from the same number a few days ago...

*Thank you for coming back.

*I'm happy.

The message is short but makes Shanum's heart pounding. His heart and mind were at war, his heart eager to reply to the message he believed from Akhtar.

But his mind still works well, he does not want to give the slightest hope even just by replying to a message. Especially being the third person between Akhtar and Raina.

Eagerly willing to agree to the whisper of his heart that believes that Akhtar still loves him, but he knows that confidence is good but self-conscious much better.

Shanum again chose to ignore the message and continued his activities to perform dzuhur prayer.

"I'm sorry Li", Shanum came out of his room after finishing his afternoon meeting. He prayed for himself because he knew Liani was being idolized. Shanum approached Liani and apologized.

"It's OK, I'm faithful to wait if you want a story" said Liani casually.

"The message seemed to be from Akhtar, Li" Shanum ducked as he said it, he did not want to make his best friend misunderstand.

"Well, seriously?" peekkik Liani seemed to be in disbelief.

"Why is he?", asked Liani curiously.

Shanum shifted his screen, opened a message from a number he did not save and showed it to Liani.

'Assalamu'alaikum'

'Shanon....'

'It's me'

'Akhtar Farzan Wijaya'

**

'Thank you for coming back

'I am happy

Liani read the row of messages Akhtar sent, she clucked a little annoyed.

"Ckkk....What does this mean?"

"Does he still expect you, Num?"

"Why is she engaged to be with Ms Raina?"

"What exactly was your relationship like?"

Shanum sighed hearing Liani strafe him with many questions.

He doesn't know what to answer.

"It seems you should talk. Solve everything now before there are any continuations that do not match expectations",

"From now on if something makes inner pressure, stay. We are too young for unnecessary stress" Liani concluded.

Shanum just smiled bitterly in response to Liani's remark, he knew his best friend cared about him a lot. Shanum pondered at Liani's every speech. Think back to what he'll decide next.

***

While elsewhere, Akhtar seemed unhappy with Raina's presence. After making sure Shanum went inside his service house without Ahsan. Akhtar rushed to the mosque to worship dzuhur and returned to his office.

It turned out that in her room there was Raina waiting with lunch.

"Assalamu'alaikum, Mas" Raina said upon seeing Akhtar's arrival.

"Wa'alaikumsalam" Akhtar replied directly to his desk and left the door open.

"Mas, I called you from yesterday not lifted up, my message is also not reciprocated, you are fine right, Mas? I'm worried about you.." Raina approached Akhtar's table and expressed her concern, now they were sitting opposite.

"I brought lunch for us, Mami who masakin special for prospective ghosts, hhe .. deliberately I brought here so we can eat both here", raina continued without waiting for Akhtar's answer.

Akhtar looked up at Raina's words, the words of the prospective ghost that Raina said were uncomfortable in his ears.

"Mas, I'm closing the door, okay?" Raina moved from her seat to the door.

"Eh don't shut it!" Pekik Akhtar when Raina already holds the door handle and will close it.

"Why?" ask Raina astonished.

"It's nothing but bad that we're alone in a closed room we're not mahrams" Akhtar replied looking for reasons that Raina could not refute.

Raina knows Akhtar has always maintained the boundaries of association with the opposite sex, which is one of the reasons why Raina wants Akhtar to be her lover. Finally Raina obeyed Akhtar's orders, even though her heart was a little coarse.

"Not yet Mahram, we will soon be mahram again" Raina explained.

Akhtar again melengos, he chose to open his laptop not to argue with Raina.

"I have an important job now. So if you want to eat please eat", Akhtar still trying to avoid lunch together with Raina.

"But I know that I brought you lunch" said Raina in a slightly raucous voice she looked sad because of the rejection from Akhtar.

Akhtar let out a long sigh seeing this situation, he became unbearable and chose to go to the sopa in his room.

"Then we'll just eat here" Akhtar asked

"Good Mas" replied Raina enthusiastically he brought lunch and arranged it on the table, removing two plates and two spoons that he deliberately brought from the house.

Tok tok...

The sound of knocking on the door distracted them.

"Assalamu'alaikum" Ahsan came to the Chairman's room and said his greetings.

"Wa'alaikumsalam" Akhtar and Raina compactly replied.

"Ciee...kompak really nih candidate manten replied his greetings, is it as good as yes?!" teasing Ahsan while cheering in and sitting on the sopa beside Akhtar.

"What the hell are you" Akhtar pelted Ahsan with a sopa pillow.

"Hehe..woles bro, sorry if I bother you" Ahsan replied.

"No, thank goodness you didn't come to lunch, right? let's have lunch together", Ahsan said while offering a plate filled with rice complete with side dishes that Raina had filled while Akhtar chose to take another supply box.

Ahsan did not refuse, she happily enjoyed her lunch. Raina appears to be lacking in enjoyment as her plan fails to have lunch together with Akhtar.

After lunch Akhtar and Akhsan prepared to go to the secretariat room of the committee, Ahsan came to the room Akhtar deliberately to inform about the meeting today.

His intention was just to convey a notice but in fact Akhtar participated in the meeting because he knew the agenda of today's meeting was the fixation of the event to be held in Pangandaran.

Akhtar deliberately attended the meeting, in addition to avoiding Raina he also knew that part of the event was Shanum's responsibility, that means Shanum will be present at the meeting today and Akhtar can meet with Shanum again.

***

Ting..

The sound of an incoming message on Shanum's device disperse his daydream. He switched to staring at his gawai and opened the messaging app.

*excuse

'Sister wait for you at the secretariat, the friends of the event team are already here'

It turned out that the message from Ahsan, almost Shanum had forgotten that at this time he had to prepare an event for Pangandaran later.

"Li, I forgot Brother Ahsan and the friends of the event team are waiting on the sekre, I have to go there. You can come, right?"

"Huh, what?

"Mine me" Shanum said.

"Ooh.oke.oke, but I want to take a shower first you yes, then I will follow", replied Liani.

They both got out of their seats and went to different destinations.

Shanum walked towards the office of the secretariat of the foundation's activities committee yesterday. His location is still in the main office building of the foundation, so he also had to walk through a row of teacher and lecturer offices.

Sometimes his journey stopped because he met a colleague who greeted and invited him to chat even though he was just asking for news.

"Assalamu'alaikum, Ms. Shanum.

"Wa'alaikumsalam", Shanum turned his head towards the source of the sound. He saw a man smiling at him.

"Where are you going, ma'am?" tanyakanya.

"Eh Mr. Arga, I want to go to the foundation office building" Shanum replied.

"Ooh I happen to want to go there too, there are files that I have to take care of." said Arga.

On the way to the foundation's office building they kept chatting.

"Num, why not become a lecturer?" asked Arga without calling Shanum with a formal call.

When they are both quite familiar. Arga was Shanum's classmate when S2 first attended college. They are scholarship students and together as regional students make them feel as happy as they should.

Many of Shanum and Arga's fellow comrades were selected to become educators at the foundation, but only the two of them qualified that year.

Not many know that Shanum and Arga are close friends. The difference in the level where they serve makes them rarely meet.

"I don't think I have enough knowledge to be a lecturer, Ga'' Shanum replied casually.

"You know, who said it? ridicule me you?" it was Kilah Arga who thought Shanum's answer was illogical even as mocking him. Arga even hit Shanum's shoulder gently with the map he was holding. Arga knows Shanum has a good competence to be a lecturer.

"Hahaha...why?" Shanum chuckled and asked Arga.

"Still nanya again", Arga's jolt again smacked the map he held onto Shanum's shoulder.

"I'm not confident yet to become a lecturer before I can graduate S3, Ga. If you are now in college again, I am very happy with the horror you can pass the S3 scholarship" Shanum replied explaining the reason.

During the course of their chatter, sometimes interspersed with laughter that shows they are very familiar. So cool it does not feel they have arrived in front of the committee secretariat room. Without them noticing in front were two people staring at them sharply with clenched hands.