So Many Times
TWENTY-THREE

...The sad thing about love that starts from friendship is that when love ends, it destroys the friendship...

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Ethan POVs

I don't know what time it is, but the bright sunlight penetrates the window curtain. I blinked my eyes and pinched the base of my nose, very dizzy.

I remember last night I was so drunk, even to go home to the apartment I was escorted by my friend.

* Flasback on

As I was about to get out of the car to meet Alana in her apartment, I saw Alana talking to a man.

I don't know who that guy is, but it seems familiar to me. I watched the two of them, Alana looked like crying and gloomy and the man calmed down and wiped Alana's tears.

Who was that man, when I got out of the car and walked towards them, yet they both had gone by on the bike. Wait.where are they both these nights.

I took the elevator and headed to Alana's apartment, apparently there was a solar uncle who looked angry. "Uncle, what's going on?" Ask me to go to Uncle Sun who is sitting on the sofa.

"Ah, Ethan, it's you." Said uncle patting my shoulder, I saw the look of uncle seems to have happened something between them.

"Uncle, what's going on? I mean, underneath I saw Alana go out with a guy..." I repeated a question that was not answered by uncle surya.

"That damn guy, that guy took Alana away. She instigated Alana to fight me and call off her engagement to Vano, damn it." Said uncle looking to hold back anger.

Actually, hearing that Alana and Vano broke off their engagement relieved me. But who does uncle mean, that damn man.

"What uncle does that man mean?" I asked him to try to find an answer from my uncle, whether this man was the same as the man who sent Alana messages back then.

"Dareel, that eight-year-old man who left Alana now he's back again, I don't know what plan he's made to provoke alana against me." Uncle's swallowing surprised me, now I remember everything.

Dareel, yes, the man who eight years ago left Alana, he's Alana's lover. Alana has always been proud of the man, yet she left Alana for no reason and that left Alana devastated. Even at the time of the departure of her mother, Alana still hoped that the man would come to strengthen Alana.

My God, why did Alana hide the fact that the man had now returned. Now what I'm afraid of is, Alana's back trapped by Dareel's mess.

There's no way Alana's that stupid to take Dareel back, no way. But what I saw in that earlier, Alana.

"Ethan's.. It was Dareel who made papa vano exposed to the scandal of embezzlement of funds and dareel also that made the uncle's company decreased." Said my uncle staring at me.

"I beg you, Ethan, tell Alana to stay away from that man. You're alana's best friend, no, Alana must be listening to you. Keep the dareel away from alana, really the man will make alana's life bad." Uncle continued.

I don't know why Dareel left Alana eight years ago, but I do know he hurt Alana. As a man, I know for sure, dareel shouldn't have done that.

I. I love Alana very much, seeing Alana hurt makes me so angry. Karna dareel also, making alana do not believe in a relationship.

I walked over to Alana's bedroom, maybe I found a sign of where she lived or some sort of clue about their relationship.

I was so shocked in Alana's room, in Alana's chair there was a man's jacket and shirt. Does this belong to Dareel? No way, surely their relationship is impossible to that extent, I shook my head to dispel bad thoughts.

"Auntie, whose shirt is this? I mean, who's the guy who's been here lately?" I asked my aunt when she saw her passing in front of Alana's room.

"Lately, Mr. Dareel has been visiting here a lot, sir. Miss Alana also often goes with him." Auntie said to me, I closed my eyes neutralizing the suddenly mounting anger.

Damn it, damn it. I shouted in my heart, what happened to you Alana.

Flasback off

I just realized that I was asleep on the sofa, when I tilted my body, I was surprised to find Alana asleep in a sitting position and her hands became a pillow for her head on the table.

I'm surprised to see Alana, since when was she here? Did Alana see me drunk? I hope I didn't say anything to Alana.

I stared at the tired face of alana very visibly, Oh my God... I'm disappointed with what Alana did, but I can't be mad at her, my heart hurts so much to see Alana like this.

I tried to sit down and my movements made a sound, making Alana wake up from her sleep. "Sister, ah sorry I fell asleep here" said Alana curling her hair up.

"Sister, you were drunk last night, you're not usually like this. What's up?" Alana followed behind me. "Sister, what's going on? Why silence me?" Said Alana shaking my arm.

Alana keeps following me in the kitchen and tries to help me make milk. Really seeing it makes me angry, I'm not mad at him but I'm mad at myself for not being able to take away this love.

"What because of what you said yesterday?" Ask Alana quietly behind me. But I remained silent, I was afraid that staring at Alana would make me uncontrollable.

"ETHAN, LOOK AT ME DON'T KEEP ME QUIET LIKE IN!" Shouted Alana pulling my hand. "WHY CAN'T I SHUT UP, HUH? ARE YOU THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN BE SILENT, SO? AM I NOT A STRANGER TO YOU?" Answer me yell at Alana.

I felt my chest go up and down, and I tried to stare at Alana. Now Alana looked at me with a confused look with watery eyes.

"Why kamari? Isn't being with Dareel more fun, huh? Along with the man who dumped you and left you. Why come here instead, am I not a stranger who knows nothing about you? Ah, rather you think I'm a stranger, you're Alana." I stared at weak alana.

"Go home, seeing you here makes me feel like you're not the Alana you used to be." I said to Alana who did not part with my words. I turned around and poured warm milk into the glass.

"Let me help you, brother," said Alana as I struggled to close the teremos. "ALANA, I TOLD YOU TO GO! FOR GOD'S SAKE, DON'T MAKE ME ANGRY." My screams in front of Alana but unconsciously my hand made the teremos fall and make hot milk scattered on the floor.

"Is that how angry you are with me? You didn't ask me why that night I went with a dareel and avoided papa?." Alana's question wiped her tears, I just quietly took my eyes off the alana.

"Well, you can be mad at me, I'll wait for you to talk to me again." Alana smiled wiping away the tears that kept flowing, desperately wanting me to hug this woman yet I could not.

I looked at alana who was walking with a slight stumble, I glanced at the blistered part of her leg. Did the hot milk hit his leg. As I was going after her, Alana had entered the elevator. Damn

Alana POVs

I cried sobbing in the elevator, my feet hurt with hot milk. But my heart hurts more, I've never seen Ethan this angry, even yelling at me.

Ethan was so disappointed in me, I hurt him, he didn't want to talk to me anymore. I stared at my feet that were slightly blistered due to the hot water.

I want to get away from everything, Nattali, Yes nattali. And yes, I haven't told you about dareel on nattali either. I hope Nattali isn't disappointed in me, I'm so scared.

*

"Alana, come in, God, what happened? Have you been crying?" Nattali led me to sit on the sofa. "Good, what's your leg? Just let me get you some warm water and ointment" said Nattali standing up leaving me in the living room.

I saw my phone keep ringing, I quickly turned my phone off. I don't want to talk to Dareel or anyone right now, I just want to be with Nattali.

"Remove your leg, I've been dripping with antiseptics. Maybe a little bit of a pain, don't cry okay." Nattali rubbed my blistered skin with a rag and warm water.

"So, where can I be alone." I tried to take a washcloth from Nattali's grasp. "Alana, shut up." Nattali glared at me and continued to clean my wounds then applied ointment as well.

"Already," Nattali put away the basin and the rag. "Thank you, brother." I hugged him and leaned my head on his shoulder.

"Hey, what's going on? The al? You crying?" Nattali asked as I started crying in her arms. "I'll tell you everything but don't scold me and..  And don't hate me, promise me." My words are sobbing in Nattali's arms.

"Say, Al, what happened?" Nattali held my shoulder and looked at me sharply. I wiped my tears and began to tell everything, starting from my matchmaking with the vano that had ended, about the dareel that turned out to be his best friend Dion, he said, and about the cause of Dareel leaving me eight years ago.

I told Nattali everything, including what happened to me and Ethan, about what I heard from Ethan's mouth when he got drunk yesterday.

...TBC...

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