Fated To Be Yours

(12 years earlier)

"What do you think will happen if we can't be together anymore?" Javier looked at Laura with a very intense gaze.

Laura frowned after hearing Javier's question. The movement of her hand eating the ice cream instantly slowed down. For a few seconds she just stood there and watched Javier questioningly.

"Why are you asking me that? This is our last meeting because you have to go to London," Laura grumbled.

Javier raised both eyebrows. "No, I was just wondering if you couldn't see me anymore, what would you do?"

Laura didn't answer. She didn't understand why Javier was suddenly asking such a creepy question. However, she didn't think much of what Javier said.

Laura casually kept shoveling ice cream into her mouth. She didn't have the slightest interest in answering Javier's question. Aside from the fact that the creepy question came out of the blue, Laura was also annoyed that Javier only mentioned his departure to London three days later.

"You suddenly left me and only told me now. Then you gave me that creepy question instead of calming me down?" Laura grumbled.

They had been friends since they were little - 5 years old. And now, when they were in Senior High School, they fell in love.

Their relationship had only been going on for two years, but Javier suddenly announced that he had to go to London. With no certainty of when he would return.

"I don't know how to calm you down. You won't calm down even if I try to comfort you," Javier said.

"You could at least tell me when you'll be back," Laura retorted later.

"I still can't, Laura. Oh, maybe I'll come back after I finish my studies at the university," Javier replied.

"Maybe?" Laura asked. "Why are you still unsure?"

Javier chuckled.

Seeing Javier reminded Laura of the strange, loud characters in the novels she read. As Laura recalls, talkative characters like Javier have two options: one is not to die the first time - especially in adventure game series novels like Hunter Games, yes... the second is to make the main character fall in love.

Actually, Laura is more confident about the first option. Unfortunately, this world is not the world of Hunter Games-although Laura doesn't want it to happen in real life.

As for the second option, it already happened. Laura was already in love with Javier.

"Uh, do you want to see something?"

Without turning to Javier, Laura just cleared her throat briefly. Very briefly. Showing interest and not showing interest at the same time. Laura really didn't want to hear Javier's voice but still had the heart to listen to Javier's ramblings which Laura felt would be strange and rambling.

"I have something!"

"What? Do you want to make a scene?" asked Laura, still in no mood to turn her head to Javier. "There's no one here."

"Oh, no. I want to show you something. Here!"

Without a word, Javier reached out to grab her wrist and brought her around in a small jog. Javier's sudden movement made Laura almost squeal. Laura tried to keep her legs from dragging with her, over and over again, but Javier chuckled and kept his grip on her wrist.

"Come on, don't live your life so rigidly!"

"Javier, what are you doing?" Laura kept asking the same question she had been asking all along. They were still running small. A fleeting feeling of worry rose in Alisa's chest.

Considering that there was no one here and Javier could do something wrong-or worse, take himself somewhere dark....

"Stop, Javier!" snapped Laura abruptly, jerking her hand so hard that Javier stopped running.

The image of the man with Kiana uttering that vulgar-sounding sentence in the library made Laura's heart skip a beat. After Javier's grip was no longer on her wrist, Laura held her own hand with a gasp.

"I don't want to come with you, what are you doing?" Laura asked.

The passionate turmoil came back.

Javier looked at Laura in astonishment for a few seconds. It took a while for Javier to notice the look in Laura's eyes that radiated fear for whatever reason. Even though Laura tried to put on a sharp face, her slightly trembling hands said otherwise.

"Hey... calm down..." Javier's voice softly greeted Laura's ears. One palm of his hand was pointed forward as if signaling that it was okay.

"Okay, I apologize if I came across as pushy. I want to change my sentence: let's see something. I want to show you something fun-really fun and not in a negative sense," Javier continued, moving both his index and middle fingers in a V shape as he said the last two words.

Laura looked at Javier uncertainly.

Suddenly Javier's facial expression looked guilty. "Maybe you're scared because of my weird way of talking, especially since the park is quiet, but I really didn't mean anything by it. Okay?"

The rhythm of Laura's breathing slowed to a steady pace as the passionate turmoil began to fade from her chest. Doubt still shone in Laura's tanned eyes. But the sharpness of Laura's gaze slowly changed as her face no longer showed trembling. The image that appeared playing the man's sentence in the school library earlier receded in a matter of seconds.

Laura quietly exhaled slowly. She didn't realize that her lips had suddenly raised their voice, nor did she know why the memory of the bastard's vulgar sentence was still in her mind.

Javier looked at her apprehensively-not because he was afraid she would scream again, but because he was worried about making her uncomfortable. The concern in Javier's eyes was obvious as if he didn't hesitate to show it. Laura instantly felt guilty for thinking badly of the man.

"What do you want to show me?" Laura asked in a low voice. She pretended to put on a normal face when her heart was wracked with guilt. "Don't... don't mess with me."

Javier's sigh of relief slowly came out with his palms. The corners of the man's lips lifted into an amused smile, followed by a short laugh.

"What am I trying to do? You're not a threat, so why should I be mean to you?"

Laura's eyes still searched Javier's direction. Laura didn't know that the look on her face would make Javier want to laugh. But the atmosphere was not favorable. Instead of laughing, Javier smiled with his eyes sparkling with sincerity. He extended one hand to Laura.

"Want to see for real?"

Laura let out a rough breath. She clearly understood the meaning of Javier's outstretched hand. Immediately shaking her head, Laura said quietly but firmly, "I walk alone. I don't need your hand."

Laura's eyebrows raised. She glanced at her own hand, then withdrew it. The atmosphere was suddenly awkward-only for the man. But it didn't seem to be for Laura as she waltzed out of his way when he hadn't even told her where he wanted to show her.

Finally Javier chuckled as he shoved his hands back into his hoodie pockets and caught up with Alisa from behind.

"Do you know where the place is?" he asked, deliberately playing a prank on her.

Laura stopped walking and turned around to stare at Javier with irritation.

"So don't keep quiet. You should have told me while I was walking."

Laura flinched for a moment. Her gaze fell to one side, the edge of the path near a tree with a large trunk.

"To your right," Javier said. "Lucky you didn't miss it, Miss Laura?"

Laura's face held embarrassment. If she had continued walking or Javier had not made a sound to reprimand her, she would have just walked away without asking where the place was.

While Javier chuckled and walked over to the spot, Laura was the first to walk quickly. The corner Javier was referring to was not too dark due to the reflection of the garden lights.

"What are you trying to show me? Nothing," Laura said as she heard the scraping of shoes and asphalt behind her. The sound of Javier's shoes.

"Excuse me," Javier stepped up from behind Laura, causing her to shift her body, "it's not what's visible to you. It's the invisible ones."

Laura was taken aback that Javier didn't just sneak up on her as he advanced to stand in the middle of two sizable tree trunks. But Laura's amazement was short-lived. She watched as Javier reached out to one of the tree trunks. Laura took a step forward with her eyes narrowed to sharpen her vision.

Among the fat branches of the tree, there was a big hole similar to the hole for squirrel eggs in cartoons. The woman's eyes widened as Javier noticed the gap.

"It's right here," Javier said. His outstretched hand was already retracted, this time something seemed to be in his grasp.

As soon as he turned around, Javier opened his palm and showed two leaves with root fibers hooked into small holes in each. A kind of leaf hanger.

"Leaf hangers. Have you ever seen one?" Javier asked.

Laura's brow furrowed. She gave him a strange look, but couldn't help but smile a small, amused smile. Very small. "Leaf hangers?"

Javier nodded and raised his eyebrows once. A proud smile curved his face. "Personally made. I wonder if I'll sell it?"

Unable to hold back an amused smile, the corners of Laura's lips finally lifted.

"What the hell?" Then the woman chuckled. "Let's see. You've been making this all this time? All alone and no one around, you made this?"

The two-leaf hanger moved into Laura's hand. She didn't look at Javier who nodded again in response. For a moment, Laura looked at the two-leaf hanger that she had left hanging in front of her eyes.

It was only as long as her little finger. The fibrous roots were actually inserted into small holes in the leaves - surprisingly, the holes didn't look messy - to connect the two leaves.

"Why two?" asked Laura without looking away from the leaf.

As if he understood what 'two' meant, Javier mumbled for a while. "Hm... when I made that, I thought one was missing. Then for some reason I thought of you. So the other one is just like you."

Only then did Laura's eyes shift to look at Javier. The faint smile on her face slackened.

"Why?"

"Why... what?"

"Why should I be the one to cross your mind?"

Javier looked confused. Soon, without hesitation, he answered, "It's for you. Well, one leaf is you, and the other is your soul. So you and your soul are one."

Laura's eyebrows drew together. "Don't lie," she said before lowering the two-leaf hanger. "Tell me the truth, why did it have to be me? Why did you want to make this for me?"

The frown lines on Javier's forehead were now visible. Noting the change in Laura's face that showed sharpness.

"You... why?"

That was the only sentence that came out of Javier's mouth.

"It's okay. You're trying to cheer me up by giving me this, right?" asked Laura while showing the leaf hanger in her hand.

"That's right. You can keep it for me," Javier replied. "Until we meet again later."

***

"You're going to marry Javier, Laura."

The childhood memory of the last time Laura and Javier had met was shattered in an instant. Laura looked at Javier - who hadn't seen her in twelve years - sitting in front of her.

Laura really didn't expect this to happen.

"Married?" asked Laura, looking at Handrick, her father, confused. "But, Dad... I already have a boyfriend."

Javier was still looking at Laura intensely. His gaze wouldn't move an inch.

"I don't want to care about that, Laura. Haven't you guys been close since childhood?" Handrick asked.

"Right..." Laura answered hesitantly, her gaze on Javier a little scared. "But we haven't been together for twelve years."

Javier then moved his gaze to Isaiah - her father.

"If he doesn't want to accept this marriage plan, it's better not to force him," Javier said in a firm voice.

Laura was a little taken aback by these words. Ever since she saw him here, Javier's aura had changed drastically from the past. It felt like the Javier she knew then was different from the Javier she knew now.

"I don't want to make anyone suffer for pushing myself," Javier continued, looking at Laura again.

This time Javier's gaze was not only sharp, but implied disappointment.

Laura suddenly understood that Javier was disappointed with her for having another lover. But unfortunately Laura couldn't say anything.

"There's no way we're canceling this wedding, Javier," Handrick replied, giving her a formal smile.

After that Handrick turned his gaze to Laura.

Seriously, Handrick said "If you refuse this, Laura, then I can't put my trust in you."

Laura immediately shook her head. "No, Father, don't. I can't let your company go to someone else."

Handrick nodded his head with a proud smile.

"Good. You should do that," replied a calmer Handrick. "We'll take care of the wedding concept. But as for that, I'll let you guys decide."

"It would be better if the two of you started to approach each other like before. It's been twelve years since we've seen each other, there must be a lot of changes," Isaiah said.

Handrick immediately nodded his head. "That's right. I agree that you should start over."

Laura and Javier looked at each other. It was different than the situation before. It was awkward between them now.

Twelve years of separation had brought many changes to them.