Nick Carraway, is a young Yale graduate who works as a bond broker in Manhattan. He rents a house at West Egg on Long Island across the water from his cousin, Daisy. His neighbour there is the enigmatic Jay Gatsby, a self-made millionaire from the Midwest who lives the high life from the profits of his minor criminal activities. Gatsby’s infamous parties are attended by many guests who do not know their host. Nick becomes cynically fascinated and transfixed by Gatsby, and their friendship nurtures many confidences. Carraway learns that Gatsby and Daisy had been in love, but that Daisy had not waited for him to return from the war and had married another. Nick arranges a meeting between the two, and Daisy finds herself impressed by the change in Gatsby’s fortunes. Daisy’s husband Tom, himself already involved in an affair with the garage-owner’s wife Myrtle, becomes jealous of Gatsby’s attentions to his wife. Then Myrtle is killed in an accident, and Tom tells Myrtle’s husband that Gatsby is responsible. Through it all, Nick watches as Gatsby is betrayed by his own dreams, which have been nurtured by a meretricious society.

Andrea took Ludwina to her physiotherapy session every Saturday in RSCM hospital. Every time they came, the therapists' strange expressions did not bother Ludwina. In fact, she couldn't care less. Andrea, who was convinced that Ludwina had not really sprained her ankle, enjoyed her acting in amusement.
His face was dying to look serious while carrying Ludwina down from the car into the therapy room. When the girl was helped by the therapist to 'treat' her legs, Andrea would sit in a corner, reading a book.
Occasionally, he would glance from behind his book and see Ludwina following the therapist's instruction. Andrea's smile while reading his book made him look even more handsome, and Ludwina could never concentrate on her therapy.
After the session, Andrea would carry her back to the car and check her progress.
"My leg still hurts .." Ludwina pouted, "Ugh, this is so annoying. I can't do anything fun. I really want to watch The Great Gatsby at the cinema ... I've been waiting for the release since forever. It's adapted from one of my favorite books!"
Andrea didn't know how he should respond to that. He guessed Ludwina was looking for an excuse for him to take her to watch a movie together.
Actually, he was happy to go with Ludwina to the cinema. She wouldn't even need to pretend to have a sprained ankle. But unfortunately, Andrea still remembered his past experience when he was in a relationship with Adeline, which ended in a broken heart for him.
He did not want to risk getting hurt one more time if he fell in love with a girl from a wealthy background.
"Let's just eat ice cream ..." Andrea finally said as if he didn't hear Ludwina's complaint. He walked to the nearest minimarket and bought two Magnum ice cream. One for Ludwina, and one for himself.
Ludwina ate the ice given to her with a frown. "Ugh .. the movie is awesome... sobs."
They returned to Ludwina's house without saying anything more. 
The following Saturdays, Andrea went back to take Ludwina to the hospital for her second and third physiotherapy sessions. Ludwina had stopped complaining about the Great Gatsby movie that she couldn't watch because she couldn't walk.
She knew her actions were futile because it seemed like Andrea wasn't interested in taking her to the movie. The man only came to carry out his responsibilities to take Ludwina to physiotherapy until she was completely healed. And now, the task was almost done.
***
Today was the last physiotherapy, and Ludwina was already able to walk even though she was still had to (pretend to) do it slowly
Jeez, you have top-notch acting, Little Brat ... Andrea muttered inwardly as he looked at the pouting girl walking while holding his hand.
"Wait here, I'll buy ice cream for us," said Andrea before they got into the car. 
Ludwina nodded slightly. Her eyes followed Andrea into the minimarket. Her face was despondent. A few minutes later, the young man came out with two Magnum ice cream as usual.
Their Saturday ritual was finally coming to an end, and Ludwina had no more excuse to see Andrea. Her chest felt so tight.
"Here's the ice cream." Andrea opened a packet of ice cream and handed it to Ludwina, then enjoyed his own ice cream.
"Thank you," Ludwina answered. They then ate the ice cream in silence.
Andrea opened his cellphone and explored Google while waiting for Ludwina, who was eating her ice cream very slowly, almost like a sloth. Suddenly, the man made an impulsive decision.
"Great Gatsby is still playing in 21 Cinema in Blok M. Do you still want to watch it?" he asked her quickly. Andrea showed the cinema schedule on his cellphone to Ludwina.
The girl was stunned. She did not expect that on the last day of their meeting, Andrea would finally fulfill her request. She nodded vigorously and hurriedly finished her ice cream.
"Yes ... I want it! I want it ... !!!"
"Yikes... don't eat it in a hurry. You might choke on your ice cream, and I'll be the one getting the blame," Andrea exclaimed quickly as he helped pat Ludwina's back when the girl started coughing violently. "See?"
Inwardly, Andrea felt that it was okay for him to take Ludwina to a movie. After all, they would never meet again. He could consider this his parting gift. Her legs had healed, there was no more physiotherapy scheduled, so they would have no more reason to meet.
He hoped to end their encounter with sweet memories. After this, they would continue with their own lives and move on.
Andrea had received a job interview from a UK-based IT company with a branch office in Singapore. Next Monday, he would fly to Singapore. If he aced the interview, he would move to Singapore.
Really, after this, there was no more reason to meet Ludwina.
The girl looked delighted when she entered the cinema and watched The Great Gatsby. She kept telling Andrea how The Great Gatsby novel was one of her favorites, and she was very satisfied with the movie adaptation.
She incessantly praised Leonardo Di Caprio's acting. She said that Gatsby, who was handsome, rich, and mysterious, was every woman's ideal guy.
Even though he was really annoyed when he heard it, Andrea could not be angry. No man liked hearing a girl blabbering about another man, even though he was only a fictional character. But, since this was the last day he could meet this adorable girl, Andrea could only nod from time to time.
After the movie, they returned to Ludwina's home. It was a quiet journey as they both were thinking about how it was their last meeting, and now they had run out of excuses to meet.
"Thank you for accompanying me to therapy. You have no more obligation to me whatsoever ... Also, thank you for taking me to watch The Great Gatsby ... It means a lot to me," said Ludwina softly as she got out of the car.
Andrea nodded.
"You're welcome. Good luck with your novel. I'll look for it in the bookstore," Andrea replied with a smile. "Bye, Ludwina ..."
"Bye, Andrea ..."
Andrea made sure that Ludwina entered the house safe and sound before he went out of the gate and hailed a taxi.
In the cab, Andrea wrung his fingers nervously. He knew there was no way he could meet the cute girl again. This was the end of their journey.
He sighed, and his expression turned murky.

THIS STORY IS COMPLETED AND FREE

When you love someone so badly, you want them to be happy, even if it means not with you.

Ickapoo desires wealth. However wealth and glamour corrupt, make a person morally bankrupt.
In Woody Allen’s To Rome with Love, Leopoldo lives a regular and mundane unspectacular  and boring life with his wife and two children. He is described as s typical smhuck. The best part of his day is watching his boss's beautiful secretary Serafina walk around the office. Inexplicably, he wakes up one morning to discover that he has become a national celebrity. Paparazzi document his every move. Reporters ask him what he had for breakfast, if he wears boxers or briefs, whether he thinks it will rain or which hand he scratches. Leopoldo even becomes a manager at his company, and Serafina sleeps with him. He begins dating and having adulterous affairs with models and attending glamourous film premieres. The constant attention wears on him, though.He finds his celebrity an invasion of his privacy and longs to be ordinary again.  One day, in the middle of interviewing Leopoldo, the paparazzi spot a man "who looks more interesting," and they abandon Leopoldo. At first, Leopoldo welcomes the return to his old life. But one afternoon he breaks down when no one asks for his autograph. Leopoldo has learned that life can be monotonous and disenchanting whether one is a celebrity or a normal man. Still, it is much better to be a tired celebrity than it is to be a tired regular man. Once he loses his celebrity, Leopoldo loses all the benefits that come with being a celebrity, being revered and asked for autographs on the street, the easy affairs with women, and the invitations to high profile film galas. The illusion of fame has brought him power, but now the fame has evaporated he is left returning to the life of being a regular anonymous loser.
John (Alec Baldwin), a well-known architect, is visiting Rome with his wife and their friends. He had lived there some thirty years ago, and he would rather revisit his old haunts than go sightseeing with the others. While looking for his old apartment building, John meets Jack, an American architecture student who recognizes him. Jack happens to live in John's old building, and invites him up to the apartment he shares with his girlfriend Sally (Greta Gerwig). Throughout the rest of the story, John appears as a quasi-real and quasi-imaginary figure around Jack and makes unusually frank observations of events. Sally tells Jack that she invited her best friend Monica, an actress, to stay with them and tells him that Monica (Ellen Page) gives off a sexual vibe that intoxicates men and make them fall for her. John predicts Monica will bring trouble, and John keeps telling Jack that Monica will lead him to trouble. Even though John cautions Jack against cheating with Monica, he begins to fall for her.  Sally sets Monica up with Leonardo, one of their friends, and Jack is jealous of their relationship. One night he and Monica decide to cook dinner for Sally and Leonardo. They flirt more and more until Jack kisses Monica; they go down to his car to have steamy sex.
Jack, now madly in love with her, plans to leave Sally for Monica, but they decide Jack should wait until Sally finishes her midterms for Jack to break up with her. The trio go out for lunch after Sally's exams, and when they are alone, Jack tells Monica he plans to dump Sally that night. They make plans to travel to Greece and Sicily together. Then Monica gets a phone call from her agent who says she has been offered a role in a Hollywood blockbuster. She will film in Los Angeles and Tokyo for the next five months and she immediately becomes completely focused on preparing for the role. She forgets about traveling with Jack, who realizes how shallow she is. So while Monica had bedazzled Jack as a pseudo intellectual and name dropping great lines of literature from classics, she proves herself completely shallow in lusting after fame and money and deserting Jack at a drop of a pin though she had set about seducing him earlier with her phoney intellectualism which was clearly just an act to seduce him. Her great overtures of love to Jack prove to be just an occasion for her to act and seduce him then desert him in a second when she is promised a Hollywood contract.
American tourist Hayley falls in love with and becomes engaged to Italian pro bono lawyer Michelangelo while spending a summer in Rome. Her parents, Jerry (Woody Allen) and Phyllis, fly to Italy to meet her fiancé and his parents. During the visit, Michelangelo's mortician father Giancarlo sings in the shower and Jerry, a retired—and critically reviled—opera director, feels inspired to bring Giancarlo's gift to the public. Jerry convinces a reluctant Giancarlo to audition in front of a room of opera bigwigs, but Giancarlo performs poorly in this setting. Michelangelo accuses Jerry of embarrassing his father and trying to use him to revive his own failed career, which in turn breeds discontent between Michelangelo and Hayley.
Jerry then realizes that Giancarlo's talent is tied to the comfort and freedom he feels in the shower; Jerry stages a concert in which Giancarlo performs at theTeatro dell’ Opera while actually washing himself onstage in a purpose-built shower. This is a great success, so Jerry and Giancarlo decide to stage the opera Pagliacci with an incongruous shower present in all scenes. Giancarlo receives rave reviews, while Jerry is unaware that he has again been slammed as he has been called "imbecille" ("stupid" in Italian). Giancarlo decides to retire from opera singing, because he prefers working as a mortician and spending time with his family. But he appreciates being given the chance to live his dream of performing Pagliacci, and his success has mended the relationship between Michelangelo and Hayley.Hence the illusion of fame is short lived and a disaster for Woody Allen’s character who thought he could capitalize on Giancarlo’s talent but wins revilement and criticism for himself instead.
Newlyweds Antonio and Milly plan to move to Rome because Antonio's uncles have offered him a job in their family's business. After checking into their hotel, Milly decides to visit a salon before meeting Antonio's relatives. She becomes lost and loses her cell phone, but ends up at a film shoot where she meets Luca Salta, an actor she idolizes. He invites her to lunch. Back at the hotel, Antonio is worried Milly will be late for their lunch date with his aunts and uncles. Anna, a prostitute, then arrives, having mistakenly been sent to his room.
Despite his protests, she wrestles him into a difficult position as his relatives arrive; the only way he can think to save face is to introduce Anna as Milly, and he convinces her to pose as Milly. The group goes to lunch at the same restaurant Luca takes Milly. Antonio becomes jealous as Luca flirts with Milly, but they don't see Antonio. Antonio's uncles and aunts then take him to a party. Antonio has nothing in common with the people he's introduced to, but most of the male guests are Anna's clients. Anna and Antonio walk in the garden, and Antonio talks about how pure Milly is. When Anna finds out he was a virgin before meeting Milly, she seduces him in the bushes.
Meanwhile, Luca tries to seduce Milly at his hotel room. Milly decides to have sex with him, but then an armed thief emerges and demands their valuables. Suddenly, Luca's wife and a private investigator arrive. Milly and the thief climb into bed and fool Mrs. Salta into believing the hotel room is theirs while Luca hides in the bathroom. Once his wife has left, Luca runs off. The burglar flirts with Milly and she has sex with him instead. When she returns to the hotel room, she and Antonio decide to return to their rustic hometown—but first they begin to make love.So the illusion of celebrity had lulled Milly into wanting to have sex with Luca but he turns out to be just another seedy adulterer who was making use of his celebrity to seduce her and have a one time fling with her.
Much has been written about the corruptibility of Gatsby’s dreams in pursuit of a vulgar and meretricious beauty. I would like to suggest however, that the failure of Gatsby’s dream, aside from being a shattering of the myth of the American dream is also about the incommensurability of the ideal with the real.Indeed, Gatsby’s dreams arise from a Platonic conception of himself,  it is essentially a transcendental ideal of wealth as material fulfilment of himself that he pursues,Gatsby views himself as the Platonic opposite of Daisy and in order to fulfil this dream of being Daisy’s ideal lover essentially Gatsby reinvents himself as a fabulously wealthy person to match Daisy’s social status. That Gatsby seeks to realize a Platonic conception of himself in service of something as vulgar and meretricious as wealth and material success is where his dreams fall short as the ideal is incommensurable with the real and no amount of vast wealth will ever buy him the happiness he seeks as it is a meretricious beauty he serves and thus a hollow and empty success that he realizes as Daisy while wealthy is also immensely shallow and hollow as a person herself, her loyalties remain to a life of old money and comfortable privilege rather than any magnificent romance with Gatsby as the depth of Gatsby’s transcendental love for her far exceed the limits of her hollow, shallow and superficial self interest and her carelessness.
	The fundamentally material nature of Gatsby’s pursuit of Daisy is seen in his comment when he says “Her voice if full of money”(Fitzgerald 1926:120) Indeed it is the allure of wealth as a resplendent beauty Gatsby seeks as if wealth itself were able to confer the Platonic ideal upon himself. Fitzgerald’s comment, however, is that wealth is meretricious beauty, it is a hollow ideal and superficial without any moral depth to it. It is indeed the amoral nature of wealth that Fitzgerald seems to condemn. When Nick Carraway tells Gatsby that he is worth the whole bunch of the wealthy Buchanans and Jordan Baker put together it is an expression of the admiration of the idealism of Gatsby and his transcendental Platonic pursuits that separate him from the hollow cynicism and amorality of the Buchanans. Indeed Nick first gestures to this view when he expressed distaste towards Daisy’s insincerity when she had boasted about knowing and seeing everything and hence becoming sophisticated and worldly. While the Buchanans are wealthy, they are also shallow and careless, using their wealth to exploit and then abandon people for their own selfish ends, as we see with Tom’s affair with Myrtle Wilson. Daisy is temporarily drawn to Gatsby for his fabulous wealth but as soon as she discovers its origins in the underworld she is quick to withdraw into herself and abandon Gatsby for her shallow relationship with Tom in which she puts up with his affairs and philandering in order to preserve her superficial life of privilege and comfort.
	The tragedy of Gatsby is that he invests his Platonic ideals and pursuits in something as superficial as wealth and material gain which is exposed to be ultimately an illusion. All the wealth in the world is not sufficient to draw the shallow Daisy away from her comfortable world of old money, inherited wealth and privilege. Gatsby’s new money and the origins of his new money in the underworld have Daisy quick to abandon Gatsby and whatever novelty their newfound romance had been.Indeed the amoral nature of the wealthy is seen in Fitzgerald’s referencing of the eyes of T J Eckleberg overlooking the valley of ashes as an indictment of American society as a spiritual wasteland. Money has no moral ground, this is seen in the corrupt means by which Gatsby amasses his wealth through “gonnegsions” with Meyer Wolfsheim and bootlegging and bucket shops and the utter lack of morals Nick Carraway has in utilizing his status of being wealthy to have an endless string of affairs and adultery outside his marriage. Indeed it is the carelessness of the wealthy that Nick Carraway is critical of. Jordan Baker, Tom and Daisy Buchanan are described as careless drivers. Their wealth is the source of their contemptuous and condescending attitude toward the people around them, indeed being wealthy is the access to a ‘secret club’ to which Daisy and Tom belonged, leading them to trample on those not as privileged and themselves and dispense and dispose of them when they had outlived their usefulness to their hollow self interests. This is seen in their destruction of Gatsby and Myrtle Wilson. The car is a metaphor for the use of wealth to oppress those poorer than them in the description of Tom, Daisy and Jordan as careless drivers. The car is essentially an instrument and status symbol, and is used as an instrument to subordinate and destroy others as they smash people up carelessly with their careless driving. It is a metaphor for the way in which Tom, Daisy and Jordan, from the domain of old money, utilize their wealth as a weapon towards those around them whom they destroy with their careless driving.
	Gatsby is described as son of God, and  it is the misguidedness in which he makes wealth his religion that Fitzgerald condemns, wealth has no moral depth or allegiance or soul to it, as we see in Daisy’s eventual abandonment of Gatsby and Tom’s shabby treatment of Myrtle Wilson and Gatsby.A film which made in recent years which has some parallels with The Great Gatsby is Woody Allen’s film Blue Jasmine. Jasmine, the protagonist of the film, experiences a series of nervous breakdowns after she loses her wealth when it is exposed that her fabulously wealthy husband had amassed his wealth through corrupt means and illicit businesses and transactions. She discovers that all her wealthy friends are quick to abandon her and snub her when she works as a shoe shop assistant at Park Avenue. She almost ensnares another wealthy man, a diplomat, who is quick to abandon her as soon as he discovers the truth about her past. Her son is one of those who abandon her as well as he discloses that he holds a grudge against her for bringing her husband down when he threatened her with divorce for a new and younger woman, just one in a string of mistresses he has had outside their marriage which Jasmine had to turn a blind eye to. The corrupting effect that wealth has on its owners is thus seen in Gatsby and Blue Jasmine.
	The essential hollowness of the American dream of amassing wealth and being materially successful is thus exposed in Gatsby and Blue Jasmine. Indeed what Fitzgerald and Allen have to comment on the nature of this dream is that pursuing wealth as a religion is essentially morally groundless and superficial, as Jasmine discovers through the superficial nature of her friends who abandon her, including her son, when her money evaporates and Daisy’s quick abandonment of Gatsby when she discovers the illicit nature of his wealth shows.  social status that wealth bestows is ultimately exposed to be transient as riches may not last with a turn of events as we see with Jasmine’s husbands downfall with the FBI and Gatsby’s trouble with one of his bucket shops towards the end of his life shows. Superficial friends abound when one is wealthy and successful but as we see with Gatsby’s desolate funeral only attended by Nick and his father wealth can buy you friends only as long as you are successful and all the splendid parties that Gatsby threw were just hedonistic shows to which superficial pleasure seekers thronged without owing him any sense of loyalty and allegiance when he runs into trouble or at the point of his death.
	I have earlier brought up the incommensurability of the ideal with the real. Indeed the colossal vitality with which Gatsby had invested his dream, described as something which went far beyond Daisy and anything materially attainable is his tragedy as something as fallen and meretricious as Daisy will inevitably be inadequate to the vast expectations of his ideal and dream.Daisy’s shallow mind can only appreciate wealth and Gatsby’s new money and splendid mansion and shirts as long as Gatsby sustains the illusion that he is truly self made and legitimate but as soon as Daisy discovers that his wealth is derived from shady underworld “gonnegsions” she is quick to retreat to the safe world of Tom Buchanan and the realm of old money and inherited wealth. Indeed the very idea of attaining Daisy is something that would have eluded Gatsby and remained eternally out of his reach had he pursued a legitimate career rather than one that involved crime because there would be no possibility he could have amassed such sheer wealth so rapidly.Daisy, the golden girl, the princess in the castle thus remains out of his reach by virtue of their social disparity and origin from different classes in society. Fitzgerald’s novel is an indictment of the inequality that capitalism creates and the way it allows morally bankrupt people like the Buchanans to go around smashing and destroying people’s lives simply because they belong to the domain of old money and inherited wealth. Indeed Fitzgerald’s novel is an indictment of the moral vacuum that lies at the heart of the very wealthy and the careless way in which they dispose people around them and possessions.
	In conclusion, both Fitzgerald and Allen have critiqued what is essentially the hollow and morally barren nature that is at the heart of the pursuit of the American dream which is to grow in wealth and accumulate property and possessions in a consumer society. At heart their critique is the morally bankrupt nature of material pursuits and the morally empty characters who inhabit the sphere of great wealth. It is apt then that T S Eliot had written to Fitzgerald that his novel was the first advance in the American novel since Henry James, because the idea of a spiritual wasteland very much informs Fitzgerald’s critique of capitalist society and the empty nature of the American dream of attaining and amassing wealth. To this end the critique holds of modern capitalist society and the hollow, meretricious ideals that underpin much of it.



It was the year 2046. In the distant and faraway planet or Yr lived a lonely alien named Ickapoo. It had no friends as all its species had been vanquished from a meteor storm. In its solitude and misery it pined for a companion.
Yr was a bare and inhospitable planet. With winds blowing at 150 km an hour, it was virtually impossible to see past the blizzard and storm. Ickapoo yearned for friends and company. Many a time he fiddled with his transistor radio, sending out messages and hoping for a response. He sent fire launchers and rockets into space, hoping that some space traveler would find out about his existence. Ickapoo was an alienated alien. In the same way humans wondered whether we were the only species to inhabit the universe, Ickapoo felt estranged and isolated from the rest of the cosmos.  Join Ickapoo on his escapades across galaxies and worlds in search of company.
Ickapoo the lonely Alien, 2046 is created by Chung Chin-Yi , an eGlobal Creative Publishing Signed Author

Andrea mengantar Ludwina fisioterapi setiap hari Sabtu ke RSCM. Setiap kali mereka datang pandangan para terapis yang aneh sama sekali tidak mengganggu Ludwina yang cuek. Andrea yang sangat yakin Ludwina tidak benar-benar terkilir menikmati sandiwara gadis itu dengan hati geli.

Wajahnya setengah mati berusaha dibuat serius saat menggendong Ludwina turun dari mobil ke ruangan terapi. Saat gadis itu dibantu terapis untuk "melatih" kakinya, Andrea akan duduk di sudut ruangan sambil membaca buku. 

Sesekali ia akan melirik dari balik bukunya dan melihat Ludwina yang kepayahan mengikuti arahan terapis. Senyum Andrea yang dikulum sambil membaca bukunya membuatnya tampak semakin tampan dan Ludwina tidak pernah bisa konsentrasi pada terapinya. 

Selesai fisioterapi Andrea akan kembali menggendongnya ke mobil dan menanyakan kemajuannya. 

"Kakiku masih sakit.." keluh Ludwina, "Ugh, menyebalkan. Aku jadi nggak bisa ngapa-ngapain. Padahal aku kan mau nonton film The Great Gatsby.. Sudah dari lama aku tunggu-tunggu filmnya tayang. Bulan depan pasti sudah nggak diputar di bioskop." 

Andrea tidak tahu harus berbuat apa. Ia menduga-duga Ludwina sedang mencari alasan agar ia mengantarnya ke bioskop. 

Sebenarnya dengan senang hati ia ingin menemani Ludwina ke bioskop, bahkan tanpa harus pura-pura terkilir segala. Tetapi ia masih ingat pengalamannya dulu saat pacaran dengan Adelina yang berakhir dengan patah hati. 

Ia tidak ingin mengambil risiko terluka sekali lagi bila jatuh cinta dengan anak orang kaya. 

"Kita makan es krim saja ya.." kata Andrea kemudian seolah tidak mendengar keluhan Ludwina. Ia berlari ke minimarket terdekat dan membeli dua es krim magnum. Satu untuk Ludwina, dan satu untuknya. 

Ludwina memakan es kirimnya dengan tampang cemberut. "Ugh.. Padahal filmnya bagus banget...hiks..."

Mereka pulang ke rumah Ludwina tanpa bicara apa-apa. Demikianlah sabtu berikutnya Andrea kembali mengantar Ludwina fisioterapi untuk kedua, dan ketiga kalinya. Ludwina sudah berhenti mengeluhkan tentang film Great Gatsby yang tidak bisa ditontonnya karena kakinya yang "sakit". 

Ia tahu perbuatannya sia-sia saja karena sepertinya Andrea tidak berminat membawanya nonton. Ia hanya datang melaksanakan tanggung jawabnya menemani Ludwina fisioterapi hingga sembuh dan tugas itu hampir selesai.

Hari ini fisioterapi terakhir dan Ludwina sudah bisa berjalan walau masih tertatih-tatih. 

Duh, aktingmu bagus sekali, bocah tengil... pikir Andrea dalam hati saat melihat Ludwina yang cemberut berjalan sambil memegangi tangannya.

"Tunggu di sini ya, aku beli es krim dulu." kata Andrea sebelum mereka naik ke mobil. Ludwina mengangguk lesu. Matanya mengikuti Andrea masuk ke minimarket dengan pandangan sedih, hingga pemuda itu keluar dengan dua es krim magnum seperti biasa. 

Ritual hari sabtu mereka akan segera berakhir, dan Ludwina tidak punya alasan lagi untuk bertemu Andrea. Dadanya terasa sesak.

"Ini es krimnya." Andrea membuka satu bungkus es krim dan dan menyerahkannya kepada Ludwina, lalu menikmati es krimnya sendiri.

"Terima kasih," jawab Ludwina. Mereka lalu makan es krim dalam diam.

Andrea membuka ponselnya dan menjelajahi Google sambil menunggu Ludwina yang makan es krim lambat sekali. Tiba-tiba ia mengambil keputusan nekat.

"Great Gatsby masih diputar di 21 Blok M. Kamu masih mau nonton?" tanyanya cepat. Ia menunjukkan jadwal bioskop di ponselnya.

Ludwina terhenyak. Ia sama sekali tidak menyangka di hari terakhir pertemuan mereka, Andrea akan menyanggupi permintaannya. Ia mengangguk kuat-kuat dan buru-buru menghabiskan es krimnya.

"Iya... aku mau! Aku mauuu...!!!"

"Eh, makannya jangan buru-buru, nanti kalau keselek, aku juga yang kena," seru Andrea cepat sambil membantu menepuk-nepuk punggung Ludwina yang batuk-batuk karena es krim. "Tuh, kan..."

Dalam hati Andrea merasa tidak apa-apa kalau ia menemani Ludwina menonton film ke bioskop. Toh setelah ini mereka tidak akan bertemu lagi. Kakinya sudah sembuh, tidak ada lagi jadwal fisioterapi, dan mereka tidak punya alasan lagi untuk bertemu. 

Biar ia menutup pertemuan mereka dengan kenangan yang manis. Setelah ini ia akan melanjutkan hidup.

Andrea sudah mendapat panggilan wawancara pekerjaan dari perusahaan IT dari Inggris yang berkantor cabang di Singapura. Hari Senin depan ia akan terbang ke Singapura, dan kalau diterima bekerja di sana, ia akan pindah dari Indonesia. 

Sungguh, setelah ini tidak ada alasan lagi untuk bertemu Ludwina.

Gadis itu tampak senaaaang sekali saat memasuki bioskop dan menonton film The Great Gatsby. Ia bercerita bahwa novel The Great Gatsby adalah salah satu novel favoritnya dan ia sangat puas dengan hasil adaptasinya ke dalam film. 

Tak henti-hentinya ia memuji akting Leonardo Di Caprio dan mengatakan Gatsby yang tampan, kaya, dan misterius adalah sosok pria ideal setiap perempuan.

Walaupun ia sebal mendengarnya, tetapi Andrea tidak bisa marah. Bagaimanapun ini adalah hari terakhir ia bisa bertemu gadis imut yang menurutnya sangat menggemaskan ini. Ia hanya bisa mengangguk-angguk.

Setelah selesai menonton, mereka pulang ke rumah Ludwina. Keduanya hanya bisa diam di sepanjang perjalanan.

"Terima kasih, ya. Sudah menemaniku terapi sampai pulih. Kamu nggak ada kewajiban apa-apa lagi... Terima kasih juga sudah menemani nonton film Gatsby... It means a lot to me," kata Ludwina lirih saat turun dari mobil. 

Andrea ikut turun. 

"Sama-sama. Semoga berhasil dengan novelmu ya. Nanti aku cari di toko buku," balas Andrea sambil tersenyum. "Bye, Ludwina..."

"Bye, Andrea..." 

Andrea memastikan Ludwina masuk ke dalam rumah dengan tidak kurang suatu apa, lalu ia pergi keluar gerbang dan menyetop taksi.

Di dalam taksi Andrea meremas-remas jarinya dengan resah. Ia tahu tak mungkin bisa berjumpa lagi dengan gadis imut yang menipunya dengan kaki terkilir itu. Tak ada alasan lagi untuk bisa bertemu. 

Ia menghela nafas panjang dan pandangannya menjadi sedih.

Buku sudah tersedia di Google Books/Google Play. Bisa juga membaca versi lengkap  buku ini di Webnovel dengan judul:

"Kisah Cinta Ludwina & Andrea"

******
SINOPSIS

Andrea adalah seorang lelaki baik hati yang bertekad tak ingin seperti ayahnya, seorang pria brengsek. 

Nasib mempermainkan dirinya. Pernah ditinggalkan kekasih yang kaya raya, sang pria bersumpah tak akan jatuh hati pada wanita kaya lagi.

Tetapi takdir berkata lain.

Kehadiran Ludwina, seorang gadis periang dan sedikit manja ini membuka pintu hati Andrea yang telah tertutup rapat. Keluarganya yang baik meskipun kaya, membuat Andrea melupakan sumpahnya. Kedua muda mudi ini jatuh cinta seiring berjalannya waktu dan akhirnya menikah dan hidup dipenuhi kebahagiaan. Sampai suatu hari...

Kekasih lama Andrea, Adelina kembali dari kepergiannya membawa fakta mengejutkan.

Dia...mengandung anak Andrea delapan tahun yang lalu dan kini kembali dengan anak lelaki mereka yang sangat membutuhkan kehadiran ayahnya!

Apa yang akan dilakukan Andrea yang tak ingin menjadi pria brengsek tak bertanggung jawab? Bagaimanakah nasib pernikahannya dengan Ludwina?

Dapatkah Ludwina menerima kenyataan pahit ini?

>>>>>>
Silakan membaca versi lengkap buku ini dengan membelinya di Google Play. Klik Cari, dan ketik "Ludwina", nanti akan kelihatan bukunya. Hanya seharga Rp 41.500 untuk 400 halaman.

***

Follow FB Page "Missrealitybites" untuk ngobrol dengan saya tentang novel-novel saya:
1. The Alchemists
2. Ludwina & Andrea
3. Katerina
4. Glass Heart: Kojiro - Nana
5. 1912-1932
6. Kisah dari Kerajaan Air
7. Altair & Vega

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Gatsby, the man who had obtained a unique monicker called the Great. This name is definitely not overrated as his feats could prove its worth.

While sitting upon a wooden chair on his library, he looked calm and serene. But despite his appearance, he was actually worried. This was mostly because with the Empire's intelligence network it wouldn't be long before he gets himself in danger.

This wouldn't have worried him as much as it does now if he were just a few years younger, but as it is now, he needs to not only take care of his wife and child, he also has to take care of his land and people.

Due to the rapid rise of his influence, he needed more time to properly weed out those people who aren't worthy.

With his heavy eyes, he dropped a sigh as he then took out an orb from the desk in front of him. When the orb began showing a different scene, his aura had obviously changed, from a tired looking old man to a sharp elegant one.

He then greeted the man on the other side of the orb, "Judging by the way you look, it would appear that the plan worked?"

Ye Chen nodded his head and expressed his gratefulness. He knew that although the battle may be something he could win with his forces alone, it would still cost him deeply. It was really thanks to this sudden element of surprise that he had managed to gain the upper hand.

"By now I'm sure the Empire would be on to you as well, how are your preparations doing?"

Gatsby then replied, "I'm nearly finished. All that's left is to take care of the portal."

"Great! Well then, if you'll excuse me, I will now begin attending to some matters."

After saying so, the connection between the two of them was cut leaving Gatsby alone in the desolate room. He then stood up and looked at the currently gloomy sky with a certain longing in his face.

"I guess it's my turn now, huh?"

After briefly glancing at the ring that was emitting an emerald glow fitted perfectly on his finger, he stretched his neck and reached for a bell which he rang.

Shortly after doing so, a servant immediately entered the room. "Milord?"

"How is the migration faring?" His eyebrows creased as he asked the question towards the man in front of him.

"Milord, our territories are almost empty, the only remaining ones would probably those who are not associated with us and those who are keeping guard on the borders."

"Great! Now I want you to call all the troops back."

The man who was wearing butler clothes was a bit puzzled as he asked, "But that would mean that we would be susceptible to attacks, what would we do if milord was to be attacked before entering the portal?"

"It's alright, I'd rather die than to leave other possible seeds of problems in the future. Well, I also don't want them to protect those worthless loyalist nobles of the capital anyways."

"If milord says so" After gracefully bowing, the butler then left and closed the door behind him without a sound.

After the butler left, Gatsby was once again left alone in his room. He then walked towards one of his cabinets in which he pulled out a secret lever from one of the drawers.

After doing so, the bookshelf on his back opened a new aisle and showed a weapon. The moment he laid his eyes on the weapon, he sighed and muttered under his breath, "It's been a long time, partner."

He swiftly walked across the room as he grabbed the handle and caressed the tip of the blade of the two-handed axe in front of him.

Meanwhile, after talking with Gatsby, Ye Chen had returned to the command room and immediately ordered to quickly clean up the battlefield. He also called in Anastassia, Stan and Cray for a meeting.

After the day has passed, Cray was currently in a room sitting alongside Stan. They were waiting for Ye Chen and others. Their silence was all that could be heard, however, it has been disturbed seconds after Anastasia and her sister came in which was then followed by Ye Chen after a minute.

"Sorry, I got held back by work. Anyways, there's a reason why I called everyone here today." Ye Chen immediately brought the topic upon the table. He then pointed at the map that he had brought with him.

"As you can see here, this isn't a map of this world. Instead, this is a map of the dwarven realm. Svartalfheim, also known as Nidavellir. The place where one of the portals that we control leads to, and the place where humans now roam."

Cray looked at Ye Chen feeling puzzled. On his head, questions such as why or how was spiralling but he managed to control his curiosity and calmly waited for Ye Chen to explain.

Anastasia saw the look on Cray's face and chuckled as she continued listening to Ye Chen. Of course, she already knows what Ye Chen was going to suggest. After all, they were the ones who have decided this earlier on.

"The point is, ever since the Empire has started to expand to other realms, they have started a colony and now, with the help of the Arcos Family, we will also expand our reach and try to reduce the foothold that the Empire has."

He then locked eyes with Stan and continued speaking. "Stan, I want you to go alongside Cray and coordinate with Gatsby on your stay there."

Stan nodded his head. Seeing Stan's agreement, Ye Chen then looked at Cray. "As for you, unfortunately, I have been unable to guide you nor see what else you are capable of. But I know that you have a lot of potential within you since you are of Einder Descent. So, I want you to become stronger with the guidance of Gatsby Arcos."

He then snickered as he added, "After all, what kind of leader would you be if you don't even have the power to back it up."

Ragnarok, this was the event that brought mass extinction to most races. Among them, the human race had always been the weakest. That is why most of the strong races have neglected them, so when all the other forces were exhausted, they bared their fangs. This is not a story about the rise of those humans, no, this story tells the tale of the beginning of the end.

The Earth had just survived the aftermath of Ragnarok. With most of the landmass turning into wastelands, the people had fought over the remaining fertile earth and amongst all odds, an empire strong enough shook the world and unified it. Years passed and eventually, that empire had begun to rot due to graft and corruption. This resulted in the rise of a man who had revolted against the vile treatment that the citizens received.

He who had once fought for his family, his friends, his people. He continued to ruthlessly slay anyone who stood in his way until one day, he was betrayed by the comrades he trusted, the very country he served, and the very people that he saved. They were the ones to betray him after all that he’s done for their sake. Now, he has come back from the dead for his revenge. He is an Einder. His fifth incarnation, Cray Anderson, shall be the one to succeed his powers. Will he succumb to his ancestor's wrath or will he obtain the power to break away from his fate?


I will also be posting this story on RoyalRoad and Scribble Hub



Tiga hari kemudian Andrea mendapat SMS dari Ludwina. Saat itu ia sedang mengerjakan coding sebuah program software keamanan digital baru. Ia berhenti sejenak untuk membaca isi pesannya. 

 
 

[Fisioterapi pertama besok sore di RSCM. Kamu jemput aku ya.] 

 
 

Ia tersenyum simpul dan mengangguk. Andrea tak bisa melanjutkan pekerjaannya. Pikirannya melayang pada gadis imut yang sempat membikin heboh bandara tiga hari lalu. 

 
 

Ia tahu pasti, saat memegang tumit Ludwina bahwa terkilirnya tidak parah. Sekarang seharusnya sudah sembuh sama sekali. Tetapi dia tetap berkeras minta ditemani fisioterapi, pasti hanya alasan untuk bertemu Andrea. Mengingat ini Andrea tersenyum semakin lebar. 

 
 

Baik, mari kita lihat sampai berapa lama kamu bisa berpura-pura terkilir... pikirnya gemas. 

 
 

*** 

 
 

Andrea mengantar Ludwina fisioterapi setiap hari Sabtu ke RSCM. Setiap kali mereka datang pandangan para terapis yang aneh sama sekali tidak mengganggu Ludwina yang cuek. Andrea yang sangat yakin Ludwina tidak benar-benar terkilir menikmati sandiwara gadis itu dengan hati geli. 

 
 

Wajahnya setengah mati berusaha dibuat serius saat menggendong Ludwina turun dari mobil ke ruangan terapi. Saat gadis itu dibantu terapis untuk "melatih" kakinya, Andrea akan duduk di sudut ruangan sambil membaca buku. 

 
 

Sesekali ia akan melirik dari balik bukunya dan melihat Ludwina yang kepayahan mengikuti arahan terapis. Senyum Andrea yang dikulum sambil membaca bukunya membuatnya tampak semakin tampan dan Ludwina tidak pernah bisa konsentrasi pada terapinya. 

 
 

Selesai fisioterapi Andrea akan kembali menggendongnya ke mobil dan menanyakan kemajuannya. 

 
 

"Kakiku masih sakit.." keluh Ludwina, "Ugh, menyebalkan. Aku jadi nggak bisa ngapa-ngapain. Padahal aku kan mau nonton film The Great Gatsby.. Sudah dari lama aku tunggu-tunggu filmnya tayang. Bulan depan pasti sudah nggak diputar di bioskop." 

 
 

Andrea tidak tahu harus berbuat apa. Ia menduga-duga Ludwina sedang mencari alasan agar ia mengantarnya ke bioskop. 

 
 

Sebenarnya dengan senang hati ia ingin menemani Ludwina ke bioskop, bahkan tanpa harus pura-pura terkilir segala. Tetapi ia masih ingat pengalamannya dulu saat pacaran dengan Adelina yang berakhir dengan patah hati. 

 
 

Ia tidak ingin mengambil risiko terluka sekali lagi bila jatuh cinta dengan anak orang kaya. 

 
 

"Kita makan es krim saja ya.." kata Andrea kemudian seolah tidak mendengar keluhan Ludwina. Ia berlari ke minimarket terdekat dan membeli dua es krim magnum. Satu untuk Ludwina, dan satu untuknya. 

 
 

Ludwina memakan es kirimnya dengan tampang cemberut. "Ugh.. Padahal filmnya bagus banget...hiks..." 

 
 

Mereka pulang ke rumah Ludwina tanpa bicara apa-apa. Demikianlah sabtu berikutnya Andrea kembali mengantar Ludwina fisioterapi untuk kedua, dan ketiga kalinya. Ludwina sudah berhenti mengeluhkan tentang film Great Gatsby yang tidak bisa ditontonnya karena kakinya yang "sakit". 

 
 

Ia tahu perbuatannya sia-sia saja karena sepertinya Andrea tidak berminat membawanya nonton. Ia hanya datang melaksanakan tanggung jawabnya menemani Ludwina fisioterapi hingga sembuh dan tugas itu hampir selesai. 

 
 

Hari ini fisioterapi terakhir dan Ludwina sudah bisa berjalan walau masih tertatih-tatih. 

 
 

Duh, aktingmu bagus sekali, bocah tengil... pikir Andrea dalam hati saat melihat Ludwina yang cemberut berjalan sambil memegangi tangannya. 

 
 

"Tunggu di sini ya, aku beli es krim dulu." kata Andrea sebelum mereka naik ke mobil. Ludwina mengangguk lesu. Matanya mengikuti Andrea masuk ke minimarket dengan pandangan sedih, hingga pemuda itu keluar dengan dua es krim magnum seperti biasa. 

 
 

Ritual hari sabtu mereka akan segera berakhir, dan Ludwina tidak punya alasan lagi untuk bertemu Andrea. Dadanya terasa sesak. 

 
 

"Ini es krimnya." Andrea membuka satu bungkus es krim dan dan menyerahkannya kepada Ludwina, lalu menikmati es krimnya sendiri. 

 
 

"Terima kasih," jawab Ludwina. Mereka lalu makan es krim dalam diam. 

 
 

Andrea membuka ponselnya dan menjelajahi Google sambil menunggu Ludwina yang makan es krim lambat sekali. Tiba-tiba ia mengambil keputusan nekat. 

 
 

"Great Gatsby masih diputar di 21 Blok M. Kamu masih mau nonton?" tanyanya cepat. Ia menunjukkan jadwal bioskop di ponselnya. 

 
 

Ludwina terhenyak. Ia sama sekali tidak menyangka di hari terakhir pertemuan mereka, Andrea akan menyanggupi permintaannya. Ia mengangguk kuat-kuat dan buru-buru menghabiskan es krimnya. 

 
 

"Iya... aku mau! Aku mauuu...!!!" 

 
 

"Eh, makannya jangan buru-buru, nanti kalau keselek, aku juga yang kena," seru Andrea cepat sambil membantu menepuk-nepuk punggung Ludwina yang batuk-batuk karena es krim. "Tuh, kan..." 

 
 

Dalam hati Andrea merasa tidak apa-apa kalau ia menemani Ludwina menonton film ke bioskop. Toh setelah ini mereka tidak akan bertemu lagi. Kakinya sudah sembuh, tidak ada lagi jadwal fisioterapi, dan mereka tidak punya alasan lagi untuk bertemu. 

 
 

Biar ia menutup pertemuan mereka dengan kenangan yang manis. Setelah ini ia akan melanjutkan hidup. 

 
 

Andrea sudah mendapat panggilan wawancara pekerjaan dari perusahaan IT dari Inggris yang berkantor cabang di Singapura. Hari Senin depan ia akan terbang ke Singapura, dan kalau diterima bekerja di sana, ia akan pindah dari Indonesia. 

 
 

Sungguh, setelah ini tidak ada alasan lagi untuk bertemu Ludwina. 

 
 

Gadis itu tampak senaaaang sekali saat memasuki bioskop dan menonton film The Great Gatsby. Ia bercerita bahwa novel The Great Gatsby adalah salah satu novel favoritnya dan ia sangat puas dengan hasil adaptasinya ke dalam film. 

 
 

Tak henti-hentinya ia memuji akting Leonardo Di Caprio dan mengatakan Gatsby yang tampan, kaya, dan misterius adalah sosok pria ideal setiap perempuan. 

 
 

Walaupun ia sebal mendengarnya, tetapi Andrea tidak bisa marah. Bagaimanapun ini adalah hari terakhir ia bisa bertemu gadis imut yang menurutnya sangat menggemaskan ini. Ia hanya bisa mengangguk-angguk. 

 
 

Setelah selesai menonton, mereka pulang ke rumah Ludwina. Keduanya hanya bisa diam di sepanjang perjalanan. 

 
 

"Terima kasih, ya. Sudah menemaniku terapi sampai pulih. Kamu nggak ada kewajiban apa-apa lagi... Terima kasih juga sudah menemani nonton film Gatsby... It means a lot to me," kata Ludwina lirih saat turun dari mobil. 

 
 

Andrea ikut turun. 

 
 

"Sama-sama. Semoga berhasil dengan novelmu ya. Nanti aku cari di toko buku," balas Andrea sambil tersenyum. "Bye, Ludwina..." 

 
 

"Bye, Andrea..." 

 
 

Andrea memastikan Ludwina masuk ke dalam rumah dengan tidak kurang suatu apa, lalu ia pergi keluar gerbang dan menyetop taksi. 

 
 

Di dalam taksi Andrea meremas-remas jarinya dengan resah. Ia tahu tak mungkin bisa berjumpa lagi dengan gadis imut yang menipunya dengan kaki terkilir itu. Tak ada alasan lagi untuk bisa bertemu. 

 
 

Ia menghela nafas panjang dan pandangannya menjadi sedih. 

 
 

*** 

 
 

 


Andrea adalah seorang lelaki baik hati yang bertekad tak ingin seperti ayahnya, seorang pria brengsek. 

Nasib mempermainkan dirinya. Pernah ditinggalkan kekasih yang kaya raya, sang pria bersumpah tak akan jatuh hati pada wanita kaya lagi.

Tetapi takdir berkata lain.

Kehadiran Ludwina, seorang gadis periang dan sedikit manja ini membuka pintu hati Andrea yang telah tertutup rapat. Keluarganya yang baik meskipun kaya, membuat Andrea melupakan sumpahnya. Kedua muda mudi ini jatuh cinta seiring berjalannya waktu dan akhirnya menikah dan hidup dipenuhi kebahagiaan. Sampai suatu hari...

Kekasih lama Andrea, Adelina kembali dari kepergiannya membawa fakta mengejutkan.

Dia...mengandung anak Andrea delapan tahun yang lalu dan kini kembali dengan anak lelaki mereka yang sangat membutuhkan kehadiran ayahnya!

Apa yang akan dilakukan Andrea yang tak ingin menjadi pria brengsek tak bertanggung jawab? Bagaimanakah nasib pernikahannya dengan Ludwina?

Dapatkah Ludwina menerima kenyataan pahit ini?



Tiga hari kemudian Andrea mendapat SMS dari Ludwina. Saat itu ia sedang mengerjakan coding sebuah program software keamanan digital baru. Ia berhenti sejenak untuk membaca isi pesannya. 

[Fisioterapi pertama besok sore di RSCM. Kamu jemput aku ya.] 

Ia tersenyum simpul dan mengangguk. Andrea tak bisa melanjutkan pekerjaannya. Pikirannya melayang pada gadis imut yang sempat membikin heboh bandara tiga hari lalu. 

Ia tahu pasti, saat memegang tumit Ludwina bahwa terkilirnya tidak parah. Sekarang seharusnya sudah sembuh sama sekali. Tetapi dia tetap berkeras minta ditemani fisioterapi, pasti hanya alasan untuk bertemu Andrea. Mengingat ini Andrea tersenyum semakin lebar. 

Baik, mari kita lihat sampai berapa lama kamu bisa berpura-pura terkilir... pikirnya gemas. 

*** 

Andrea mengantar Ludwina fisioterapi setiap hari Sabtu ke RSCM. Setiap kali mereka datang pandangan para terapis yang aneh sama sekali tidak mengganggu Ludwina yang cuek. Andrea yang sangat yakin Ludwina tidak benar-benar terkilir menikmati sandiwara gadis itu dengan hati geli. 

Wajahnya setengah mati berusaha dibuat serius saat menggendong Ludwina turun dari mobil ke ruangan terapi. Saat gadis itu dibantu terapis untuk "melatih" kakinya, Andrea akan duduk di sudut ruangan sambil membaca buku. 

Sesekali ia akan melirik dari balik bukunya dan melihat Ludwina yang kepayahan mengikuti arahan terapis. Senyum Andrea yang dikulum sambil membaca bukunya membuatnya tampak semakin tampan dan Ludwina tidak pernah bisa konsentrasi pada terapinya. 

Selesai fisioterapi Andrea akan kembali menggendongnya ke mobil dan menanyakan kemajuannya. 

"Kakiku masih sakit.." keluh Ludwina, "Ugh, menyebalkan. Aku jadi nggak bisa ngapa-ngapain. Padahal aku kan mau nonton film The Great Gatsby.. Sudah dari lama aku tunggu-tunggu filmnya tayang. Bulan depan pasti sudah nggak diputar di bioskop." 

Andrea tidak tahu harus berbuat apa. Ia menduga-duga Ludwina sedang mencari alasan agar ia mengantarnya ke bioskop. 

Sebenarnya dengan senang hati ia ingin menemani Ludwina ke bioskop, bahkan tanpa harus pura-pura terkilir segala. Tetapi ia masih ingat pengalamannya dulu saat pacaran dengan Adelina yang berakhir dengan patah hati. 

Ia tidak ingin mengambil risiko terluka sekali lagi bila jatuh cinta dengan anak orang kaya. 

"Kita makan es krim saja ya.." kata Andrea kemudian seolah tidak mendengar keluhan Ludwina. Ia berlari ke minimarket terdekat dan membeli dua es krim magnum. Satu untuk Ludwina, dan satu untuknya. 

Ludwina memakan es kirimnya dengan tampang cemberut. "Ugh.. Padahal filmnya bagus banget...hiks..." 

Mereka pulang ke rumah Ludwina tanpa bicara apa-apa. Demikianlah sabtu berikutnya Andrea kembali mengantar Ludwina fisioterapi untuk kedua, dan ketiga kalinya. Ludwina sudah berhenti mengeluhkan tentang film Great Gatsby yang tidak bisa ditontonnya karena kakinya yang "sakit". 

Ia tahu perbuatannya sia-sia saja karena sepertinya Andrea tidak berminat membawanya nonton. Ia hanya datang melaksanakan tanggung jawabnya menemani Ludwina fisioterapi hingga sembuh dan tugas itu hampir selesai. 

Hari ini fisioterapi terakhir dan Ludwina sudah bisa berjalan walau masih tertatih-tatih. 

Duh, aktingmu bagus sekali, bocah tengil... pikir Andrea dalam hati saat melihat Ludwina yang cemberut berjalan sambil memegangi tangannya. 

"Tunggu di sini ya, aku beli es krim dulu." kata Andrea sebelum mereka naik ke mobil. Ludwina mengangguk lesu. Matanya mengikuti Andrea masuk ke minimarket dengan pandangan sedih, hingga pemuda itu keluar dengan dua es krim magnum seperti biasa. 

Ritual hari sabtu mereka akan segera berakhir, dan Ludwina tidak punya alasan lagi untuk bertemu Andrea. Dadanya terasa sesak. 

"Ini es krimnya." Andrea membuka satu bungkus es krim dan dan menyerahkannya kepada Ludwina, lalu menikmati es krimnya sendiri. 

"Terima kasih," jawab Ludwina. Mereka lalu makan es krim dalam diam. 

Andrea membuka ponselnya dan menjelajahi Google sambil menunggu Ludwina yang makan es krim lambat sekali. Tiba-tiba ia mengambil keputusan nekat. 

"Great Gatsby masih diputar di 21 Blok M. Kamu masih mau nonton?" tanyanya cepat. Ia menunjukkan jadwal bioskop di ponselnya. 

Ludwina terhenyak. Ia sama sekali tidak menyangka di hari terakhir pertemuan mereka, Andrea akan menyanggupi permintaannya. Ia mengangguk kuat-kuat dan buru-buru menghabiskan es krimnya. 

"Iya... aku mau! Aku mauuu...!!!" 

"Eh, makannya jangan buru-buru, nanti kalau keselek, aku juga yang kena," seru Andrea cepat sambil membantu menepuk-nepuk punggung Ludwina yang batuk-batuk karena es krim. "Tuh, kan..." 

Dalam hati Andrea merasa tidak apa-apa kalau ia menemani Ludwina menonton film ke bioskop. Toh setelah ini mereka tidak akan bertemu lagi. Kakinya sudah sembuh, tidak ada lagi jadwal fisioterapi, dan mereka tidak punya alasan lagi untuk bertemu. 

Biar ia menutup pertemuan mereka dengan kenangan yang manis. Setelah ini ia akan melanjutkan hidup. 

Andrea sudah mendapat panggilan wawancara pekerjaan dari perusahaan IT dari Inggris yang berkantor cabang di Singapura. Hari Senin depan ia akan terbang ke Singapura, dan kalau diterima bekerja di sana, ia akan pindah dari Indonesia. 

Sungguh, setelah ini tidak ada alasan lagi untuk bertemu Ludwina. 

Gadis itu tampak senaaaang sekali saat memasuki bioskop dan menonton film The Great Gatsby. Ia bercerita bahwa novel The Great Gatsby adalah salah satu novel favoritnya dan ia sangat puas dengan hasil adaptasinya ke dalam film. 

Tak henti-hentinya ia memuji akting Leonardo Di Caprio dan mengatakan Gatsby yang tampan, kaya, dan misterius adalah sosok pria ideal setiap perempuan. 

Walaupun ia sebal mendengarnya, tetapi Andrea tidak bisa marah. Bagaimanapun ini adalah hari terakhir ia bisa bertemu gadis imut yang menurutnya sangat menggemaskan ini. Ia hanya bisa mengangguk-angguk. 

Setelah selesai menonton, mereka pulang ke rumah Ludwina. Keduanya hanya bisa diam di sepanjang perjalanan. 

"Terima kasih, ya. Sudah menemaniku terapi sampai pulih. Kamu nggak ada kewajiban apa-apa lagi... Terima kasih juga sudah menemani nonton film Gatsby... It means a lot to me," kata Ludwina lirih saat turun dari mobil. 

Andrea ikut turun. 

"Sama-sama. Semoga berhasil dengan novelmu ya. Nanti aku cari di toko buku," balas Andrea sambil tersenyum. "Bye, Ludwina..." 

"Bye, Andrea..." 

Andrea memastikan Ludwina masuk ke dalam rumah dengan tidak kurang suatu apa, lalu ia pergi keluar gerbang dan menyetop taksi. 

Di dalam taksi Andrea meremas-remas jarinya dengan resah. Ia tahu tak mungkin bisa berjumpa lagi dengan gadis imut yang menipunya dengan kaki terkilir itu. Tak ada alasan lagi untuk bisa bertemu. 

Ia menghela nafas panjang dan pandangannya menjadi sedih. 

 
 

***

"MISS WEATHERS, LESS WRITING—"

A hand slammed down onto my desk, scaring the crap out of me that I let out a tiny yelp. Oh crab cakes, I thought as I looked up to see the mild look of disapproval on my English teacher's face, Mrs Kent. She pushed her thin-framed glasses up her nose, her other hand grabbing my own, lifting it up and swiftly snatched my notebook off of my desk,  into her own hands.

"More paying attention, please." She said before she turned and walked over to her own desk, opening up a drawer and placing my beloved notebook inside. "I am keeping this until the end of the lesson, that's when you can come and collect it."

End of the lesson? God damn it, that lady.

A scowl made its way onto my face, and I sank down in my seat.

"If you'd rather spend your time in detention after school, Nova, then I'd suggest you wipe that scowl off your face and sit up in your seat. I am not your mother, I shouldn't have to be telling you these things." Mrs Kent spoke again, and a few snickers and 'oohs' filled the classroom.

I nodded, looking down and avoiding the stares of my fellow classmates. I could feel myself getting hot as I nervously began to pick at the ends of my yellow sweater. "Y-yes Mrs Kent."

This was the second time I had gotten caught writing inside my notebook. It was a separate book from my normal notebooks I use for my classes, and usually I was very slick at hiding it away from teachers, but never from Mrs Kent. She was very good at catching people.

"Can anyone tell me a theme from The Great Gatsby?"

I've only seen the film, I have not read the book.

I hope she would not pick me to answer this difficult question. I peeked up at her, seeing her hawk-like green eyes sweep over the students in the class. I grimaced when they landed on mine, and immediately my eyes looked down at my English notebook, written with today's date and a title at the top of the page: The Great Gatsby, with nothing else under it. I knew what themes were, but I didn't have time to write them down because another idea for my novel popped inside my head and I knew I had to write it down before I forgot about it, and I knew I would regret it later if I didn't write it down.

I certainly wouldn't be able to think of themes on the spot like this, if she asked me. I need time to think about it since it's been a few days when I last watched the film.

"Nova?" said my teacher, making me freeze. I could feel my other classmates stare at me, although I don't know why. I shyly looked up from my desk and into Mrs Kent's eyes. "Yes?"

"Name a theme from The Great Gatsby."

Crap. Okay, Nova. Theme? Did she want a theme from the book or the movie? Who cares, they're all the same, aren't they?

"D-does it have to be from the film or the book?" I felt mortified hearing myself stammer. I sounded like a broken record.

I watched my teacher shrug. "Either one, it doesn't matter."

"Um..." I began. "Love?" It came out more like a question rather than a statement. But at least I said something, I just hoped it was the right thing.

She smiled. "Good."

I mentally cheered, happy with myself that I got something right in class. But then Mrs Kent went to say the words I dreaded to hear, and that happiness of mine was short-lived. 

"What about Love? How is it shown in the film or the novel? Is there a difference in the love between Daisy and Gatsby versus Daisy and Tom?"

Oh crap. How did she expect me to answer this? I hadn't watched the film in days, and my memory is so terrible. 

I probably looked like a fish out of water to her, my mouth open as I struggled to find words. She looked at me intently, sighing. "Nova, you watched the film. Correct?"

Not wanting to disappoint her anymore than I already have, I nodded. "Yes I have, Mrs Kent."

"Then you should be able to answer this simple question. Why is Love an important theme? What does it show us?"

I could tell her patience with me was wearing thin. I nodded frantically, feeling myself grow hotter as I gazed down at my notebook, pretending to read my nonexistent notes as if I'd written something that would help me find my answer. I knew there were students who were waiting for my answer just as Mrs Kent was, and I already knew what they were thinking of me. I shoved those thoughts down, not wanting to look like a fool.

"Nova? I'm waiting." I heard Mrs Kent say, and the tapping of feet against the floor had begun. Great. I've made her impatient and disappointed. I'm never going to get my notebook back now. 

I could feel tears threatening to make their way out of my eyes, but I blinked to make them go away. My throat felt tight. Don't cry. Don't let them see you like this.

"The theme of Love is evident in both film and novel of The Great Gatsby. My memory is a bit hazy from the novel as I haven't read it in years, so bear with me. But the love Daisy feels towards Gatsby is entirely inaccurate." said a voice from behind me.

As shocked as I was, I didn't want to turn around. I knew who that voice belonged to. Harley Reid. He was the school's resident bad boy, and so were his two friends, Alastair and Bodhi. They've been friends since childhood, and rumour had it that they were apart of a gang, something which I found ridiculous. Gangs? There weren't any gangs in our town. Unless there were and I was unaware of it? He was a bad boy, but he was also very intelligent, one of the top students in our grade. He was the type of person to get top grades in everything, something I was envious of. He speaks like he spouts poetry.

"She claims to love him, when in fact it is his wealth she is in love with. As for Gatsby himself, whether he loves her or not is an open question. Does he genuinely love Daisy? Or is he in love with the idea of her? As for Tom and Daisy, they do not love each other. They married for what may seem like the wrong reasons, and both seem to be quite miserable in their marriage. Tom seeks out new women on the daily to please him, much like Daisy does in Gatsby when he returns, creating a whole mess of problems. I do think that there is a difference between the two couples. One couple got together at the wrong time, and the other got married at the right time, just for the wrong reasons."

The whole class was stunned, even Mrs Kent who looked at Harley like she was his own son, beginning to praise him and she started to clap. "Oh my, that was wonderful Mr Reid. Wonderful explanation of the definition of love in our studied film."

I could have come up with an explanation just like that! If only I wasn't so nervous. As much as I hate to admit it, I was thankful that he had answered the question, saving me from further humiliation. I shook my head. No, he did not save me. He just happened to have the words I did and said it much better. 

I couldn't imagine the look on Harley's face, perhaps he was smirking like the arrogant bastard he is. What if I turned around to look at him? I mean, everyone is doing it so I should too, right? 

I slowly turned my head around and found him at a desk near the corner of the room. The students beside him were patting him on the back, giving him fist bumps and high fives. I watched as he grinned, raising his fist to bump other fists. His gaze swept across the room, seeming to look for something. I didn't have time to look away before his eyes locked with mine. His eyes were a gorgeous colour, and something about them made me shudder. I watched as his eyes bored into mine before he winked at me.

All the colour drained from my face and I turned around in my seat, feeling my cheeks flush. I felt my hand fly up to fiddle with my locker around my neck, something I always did when I was nervous. Oh yes, I get nervous whenever anyone makes eye contact with me, not just boys. My father always reminds me it's important to make eye contact with someone when you're talking to someone so that you are perceived as rude or dismissive.

After the praise of Harley Reid was over, I was hoping Mrs Kent would forget about me and put all of her attention on Harley, but no. Instead, she looked at me and pointed her thick finger right at me. "You could learn a thing or two from Mr Reid, Nova." 

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Instead, I nodded. "Yes Mrs Kent."

The bell rang, dismissing students from class. I quickly packed up my things, moving toward the door when I was called back. When I did go back to stand in front of Mrs Kent's desk, from my peripheral vision I noticed that Harley and his friends hadn't left the class yet. From the looks of it, they were on their phones. I wonder why they hadn't left yet? Everyone else had.

Hopefully, she wanted to give my notebook back. "Nova.." She began. Wrinkles on the sides of her eyes were visible, and strands of grey hair popped out from her bun in her black hair. She looked worried.

"You are a smart girl. For the past two years since I've had you in my class, you have continued to amaze me with the top marks that you receive on almost every assignment given, high enough marks to possibly match Harley over there." She said, gesturing to the boy behind me.

I could sense a 'but' was coming. "But I can't help but feel as if... something isn't right with you."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "I don't understand."

"Is everything alright at home?" She questioned, searching my eyes for something, anything that might say No. There is something wrong at home and I need your help. 

"Yes, everything's fine at home. Why do you ask?" I questioned, my hands clenching by my sides. My nails dug into the skin of my palms, and it hurt. But I didn't care. I never did. 

"I'm just concerned. I mean," She pauses, moving to grab something from her drawer. I assumed it was my notebook. "The things you've written in here.." She held up my notebook in front of my face, and I was tempted to reach out, grab it and run. "are of worry and concern to me."

She read my notebook? Why would she do that? Isn't that an invasion of privacy? I was hurt. Frustrated. Angry.

As much as it hurt, I shoved my anger down, something which I knew was a bad, bad idea. Instead, I chuckled, which made me wince. It sounded foreign to my own ears. "Mrs Kent, those are just stories I write in there. Made up from my own imagination. Purely fictional. They're not based on anything."

I wasn't a good liar. But sometimes if I tried hard enough, I was able to convince people that I was fine, and more often than not, they believed me.

Under the scrutinising gaze of Mrs Kent, which lasted a few good seconds, she seemed to believe me. Her mouth said some things, but her eyes said something else.

"Alright." She said and smiled. When I looked into her eyes, I could tell she was struggling with whether to believe me or not. But I didn't care. "I guess I should give this back and let you go to lunch."

I thanked her and took my notebook from her hands, avoiding her gaze. Once I was out of the classroom, I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

I'm glad I got my notebook back, but the pain in my palms was killing me. Gritting my teeth, I opened my palm and saw what looked like red crescent moons in a small row in the middle of my palm. There was no doubt in my mind that it was the same on my other palm.

I sighed and begun making my way to the cafeteria with a smile on my face.

•••

❝True love is when you've shown them your soul, and they still want to kiss your lips. ❞

⤷

Seventeen year old Nova Weathers is your average teenager. While others went out and partied, Nova would stay at home and binge her favourite TV shows or write stories. She disliked the idea of socialising, partying and having to make 'small talk'. but if there was one thing to know about her, it was that she loved to write.

As the majority of her time is spent writing stories and creating worlds inside of her mind, she barely pays any attention in her classes, resulting in a drop in grades.

So when her English teacher is tired of Nova not getting her grades higher than he would have liked, he assigns the most popular and school's resident bad boy Harley Reid (who also happens to be very intelligent and the top student of the school) to tutor Nova, and they're both in for one hell of a ride.

After all, it's just a few days of tutoring right? And when Nova's grades fly sky high above Harley's, they're done with each other, or at least what they think.

[An Original Story]

"Great Gatsby"
20:30

He is a bit skeptical to this idea but he needs to try. Alderige is the only lifeline left for him. More than half of his private armies perished in a snap and his last site pressured to produce twice its capacity is now taking the entire weight. Head held high, Don Juan entered without a single hint of anxiety. If he can't put a good facade, everything will crumble on him.

The place was packed with locals which made Don Juan suspicious. He was not stupid enough to go to the same place as Vincent. He knew how vicious the doctor was, but he had no choice. Great Gatsby is known for its visitors both local and foreign tourists. Tonight was different. A band started singing from a dim lit stage. Lady in red started singing his last draw.

Baby, this is what you came for
Lightning strikes everytime she moves
And everybody's watching her
But she's looking at you
You oh, You oh, You oh, 
You oh, You oh, You oh

Don Juan was taken aback by the magnificent beauty seductively singing to everyone inside the bar, but she's looking at him in particular. He almost forgot why he was there. A waiter approached him and guided him to his desired table. Frontrow table almost reaching the stage. The lady smiled sweetly the moment he took his seat. 

Baby, this is what you came for
Lightning strikes everytime she moves
And everybody's watching her
But she's looking at you
You oh, You oh, You oh, 
You oh, You oh, You oh

Alejandro came in following his boss. Bright colorful lights started illuminating the place. Gorgeous women roaming around. Flirting, seducing, and draining every gentleman in the room. He found Don Juan sitting comfortably in front of the stage. Gawking to a pretty lady singing. Even Alejandro was enchanted for a moment but found himself back after a series of reminders that he's married.

He took a seat in front of Don Juan who is still oblivious to his surroundings. It was in that moment where he watched his long time boss, he felt a genuine concern and pity for him. Consumed by all his desires that led to his own demise. He emptied his beer and enjoy the free entertainment before the judgement will be dropped to Don Juan.

                            ****

Few meters from Great Gatsby
20:45

Music blared from the establishment. For some reason, the party has begun early. They were here just last night and the party started almost midnight. The three men with binoculars glanced at each other in confusion. Ian positioned himself. He watched the place using his sniper scope. 

"Target on site." He muttered.

Don Juan is currently enjoying himself with pretty ladies. Grinding on his crotch like some thirsty hyenas. Ian smiled in mixture of amusement and a bit of jealousy wishing himself as the one sitting on Don Juan's place. Gavin kicked his side to get his attention.

"What?" Completely annoyed to the interruption of his entertainment.

"Don't you think it's odd?" Gavin glanced to him for a bit and watched the place again.

"What's odd about it?" 

"Stop watching those girls grinding on Don Juan and you'll see." Damon intervened while motioning his hand to his crotch to demonstrate some sexual innuendo to Ian.

Ian gave Damon a finger and focus his eyes back to the scope. Damon received a nudge from Gavin to shut him up. 

"Oh right. Not a single foreign tourist is here tonight." Ian finally connected the dots.

"So you've told us." Damon responded in sarcasm.

Gavin called for instructions. They were instantly instructed not to engage yet. To their surprise, a person they were trying to track for days arrived to the front. He got out from a shiny black rolls royce. Another familiar person greeted the man to the entrance. They both exchanged strange whispers. Their curiosity spiked when Vincent Alderige, the one who got out of the car, smiled devilishly as he walked inside.

"God! The music's too loud! I didn't hear what they were talking about." Damon uttered in disappointment.

                           ****

The night is still young and yet Don Juan has completely finished half his pocket for his own harem. Alejandro politely declined every woman dared seducing him and offered to him by Don Juan. For all he knew, this entire party is part of the plan. 

Baby, this is what you came for
Lightning strikes everytime she moves
And everybody's watching her
But she's looking at you
You oh, You oh, You oh, 
You oh, You oh, You oh

The gorgeous woman who for a reason no one can afford to dine in with performed her number again with the same song. When the woman glanced seductively at Alejandro, not a single nerve on him detected lust on that. That smile was intended for something. Something that was meant to happen tonight. Something he conspired to happen.

Everyone started dancing in the middle including the intoxicated Don Juan together with his expensive prostitutes. Alejandro was asked to join the mayhem but he declined. Blood escape his face when he saw the one person he wished he would not see tonight. Vincent Alderige is also dancing with his harem few feet from Don Juan. Alejandro swallowed hard, Vincent's conniving smile freezes his entire system. Flushing all the alcohol he had taken tonight.

Don Juan's thirst could not be undone. All he wanted from the very moment he took a step inside Great Gatsby was the lady in red singing seductively on the stage. He waved his finger to the woman. The woman smirked and winked at Don Juan making him giggle  drowning on his libido.

We go fast with the game we play
Who knows why it's gotta be this way
We say nothing more than we need
I say "your place" when we leave

Excitement filled Don Juan when the woman descended from high to mingle with them. With full of lust he pushed towards the woman nudging every person in his path. The woman gladly meet him halfway. Hugged him tightly as they dance to the rhythm. Grinding their private parts to their satisfactions. 

But tonight was not meant for entertainment. Don Juan was completely oblivious to what's going to happen. The woman he enjoyed his groins reached deep in her thighs. Don Juan swallowed in anticipation. She pulled a sharp material. Hid it behind her dress. She continued dancing wildly to Don Juan dragging him to the stage. She took the mic and sing his death sentence.

Baby, this is what you came for
Lightning strikes everytime she moves
And everybody's watching her
But she's looking at you
You oh, You oh, You oh, 
You oh, You oh, You oh

Alejandro stood agape watching Don Juan being stabbed to death. He looked around but everyone was not bothered by the scenery on the stage. Blood flowed out of Don Juan's mouth. 

Gasping for air, he held the woman's arm tight, looked deep into her eyes as he received another stab. Weakened by the alcohol and his deep wounds. He kneeled down in pain. Holding his wounded stomach trying to stop the bleeding. With one last stab to his back, the woman held the microphone again.

Baby, this is what you came for
Lightning strikes everytime she moves
And everybody's watching her
But she's looking at you
You oh, You oh, You oh, 
You oh, You oh, You oh

He wanted to help. He wanted to run to the stage and drag Don Juan out. Bring him to the hospital to survive. But tonight was not meant for Don Juan to survive. Although all of his senses were telling him to rush towards the dying man beside the pretty lady singing seductively again, he did what everybody was doing from the start, nothing.

As he accepted his fate, the one person he intended to see appeared in front of him. Stood proudly as he breath his last breaths. He tried to reach him but he can barely move a muscle in his status. Vincent Alderige bent down to his level one last time.

"Adios, compadre."

                          ****

Ian dropped his gun in horror. The party was still in a full blast ignoring Don Juan who is bleeding to death. Gavin and Damon swallowed hard. Dying while everyone's having the time of their lives is a different kind of wickedness. They saw everything that happened. They may not heard what Vincent said to Don Juan but they knew he taunted him to his last breath.

Gavin held his radio. He needs to report their mission.

"Target neutralized. I repeat, target neutralized."

"Did you engage, commander?" Nottingham asked furiously.

"No. Someone else did."

They all stopped fixing their things, Vincent got out of the bar unscathed. They all paled when Doctor Vincent Alderige glanced to their position. With a conniving smile he saluted to them like he knew where they were hiding. Rolls royce went out of the gravelled ground then.

Tonight was both an assassination and a warning. The three gentlemen left the area anxiously. Meanwhile, the Great Gatsby is still blasting its speakers hiding tonight's most elaborated assassination.


Lincoln was sure they were dead. But then the skies cleared, and there was an open road free of cars and fires. They shot across a bridge, and a wide, fast-moving river flowed far below them. He lifted his gaze to the rearview mirror and saw the fire and smoke growing more distant by the second.
What the?
He jolted out of shock and checked on Caroline in the passenger seat. Her eyes were closed, and she was whispering a prayer, one hand still gripping his arm. Checking the plastic mirror attached to the headrest of the backseat which reflected against the car seat, he saw Ellie was sitting wide-eyed in her car seat, her little pink cheeks covered with tears. Kirby was panting, his head darting all around the cabin. The two chickens stirred but made no other sounds.
"Jesuswe made it." He stretched his hands along the steering wheel and felt each of his knuckles crack from the tension.
"Honey, it's okay. Open your eyes."
Caroline slowly looked around in shock and then turned halfway in her seat to look through the back of the car window at the inferno far behind them. "How?"
"A riverwe crossed a fucking river." Lincoln let out a pent-up breath, his lungs itchy from the smoke.
"A river," Caroline echoed and then buried her face in her hands. Lincoln wanted to pull the car over and hold her in his arms, but there wasn't time. They had to keep driving. If the embers crossed the river and started a new blaze, they could still be in trouble. They had to keep going. He'd drive all damn night to keep his unit safe. He closed his eyes half a second, hearing Adam's voice in his head.
"You always need a unit, Lincoln. A family to protect. Never let go of that instinct."
He hadn't. Having had a dick of a father and few friends in the town he grew up in, he'd come into the army unsure what it meant to be a part of something bigger than oneself. Once he'd discovered that higher purpose, he'd known he would be in a unit for the rest of his life. When Adam had fallen ill in the bunker, Lincoln had felt his world ending. The last life he had been trusted to protect had been ended by his own hand.
Now he and Caroline, Ellie, Kirby, and hell, even the chickens fell under his protection. They were his unit now.
"Caroline." He placed a hand on her thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze. She dropped her hands and wiped her eyes. She checked on Ellie again before she looked his way.
"I'm okay," she said, her face getting some of its color back.
Lincoln focused on the road again and then said the words back to her that she deserved to hear.
"I love you too." He cleared his throat and kept his eyes on the road.
He'd never said that to anyone except his mother. He'd been around, but always kept things casual. That had been how he'd lived. But there was nothing casual with Caroline. She was making him break every rule he'd created to survive.
Neither of them spoke for a long while as they drove through the fields and forests of Missouri and entered Tennessee. They passed through small towns, stopping for food, supplies, and gas. By nightfall there were no motels in sight, but Lincoln saw a sign, and he knew Caroline was going to love his choice of improvisation. She was asleep as they stopped in front of the building. When he woke her and she opened her eyes, she grinned in delight.
"A library!"
He nodded. "It's as good a place as any to settle down without a hotel nearby."
"You could literally choose any house to stay in, Lincoln." She seemed surprised by his choice.
"Is any house going to be as cool as a library?"
"Touché. I didn't know you were a reader."
He chuckled. "I read. A lot."
"Seriously? What's your favorite book?"
"The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I thought you would have seen it when you snooped through my go-bag."
She blushed. "I didn't get all the way through your bag, just half of it." Caroline brightened again. "So Gatsby? Really? Why that one?"
"I suppose" He paused. He'd never before really voiced what drew him so deeply into that particular book. "I feel a bit like Gatsby reaching for the green light at the end of Daisy's dock across the water. The belief in something pure, wishing forever that I could have my deepest dreams come true, yet knowing that in those final moments I'll face reality, that what I long for is forever out of my reach, forever in the past."
Caroline's eyes widened, and her lips parted as she drew in a breath of surprise. "A lot of people think it's a love story, how Gatsby spent his entire life trying to be good enough for a silly woman like Daisy, but it isn't."
"No, it isn't," he agreed. "It's a story about hope, about never giving up on one's dream." He smiled ruefully, realizing only now that perhaps he was more like Caroline than he'd wanted to believe at first. Perhaps he was a dreamer after all, and no matter what, he'd be like Gatsby, waiting by his pool for the phone to ring just as autumn leaves began to fall, signaling his death was imminent. But would he die still full of hope? Or would he live and have that hope whither?
Caroline quoted his favorite passage by heart as though she'd written it herself. "And as I sat there brooding on the old, unknown world, I thought of Gatsby's wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy's dock. He had come a long way to this blue lawn, and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him, somewhere back in that vast obscurity beyond the city, where the dark fields of the republic rolled on under the night. Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no mattertomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther . . . And one fine morning So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."? 
The fine hairs on the back of his neck rose, and his skin broke out in goosebumps.
"What's your green light, Lincoln?" she asked softly, her gaze so ancient in understanding that he couldn't doubt that his entire life had led him to this moment with her where civilization lay in ruins and he stood on the steps of the library speaking of dreams drifting endlessly back into the past.
"My green light?" He swallowed thickly. "It's you." He wasn't sure what he expected her to say or do after he'd just laid bare part of his soul. Perhaps he expected her to kiss him, or to confess that she felt the same, or that she might laugh it off and speak of his foolishness. Instead, she merely spoke a single line from The Great Gatsby to him, the line that had never seemed to make sense to him until she said it right then.
"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall." Reflected in her gaze wasn't hope this time, but knowledge. Knowledge that whatever the winter had stolen away, spring, summer, and fall would bring back to them. Life, however small and fragile, would still be life, and they would cling to it and defend it with everything they had.
They broke into the locked library by using a pair of bolt cutters to take the chain off the door. Caroline carried Ellie and her crib inside while Lincoln and Kirby explored the rotunda of the library's interior, making sure it was completely empty. Despite the lock on the door, there were plenty of ways someone could have broken in. But all was quiet, all was empty. The sun set, leaving them in darkness except for the lanterns they'd brought in. He used the gas stove top to make a pot of beans and to warm up the formula for the baby.
He let the chickens run about the restroom and scattered the corner of one stall with chicken feed he'd gotten along with the extra dog food. They used the rolled-up sleeping bags from the sporting goods store back in Omaha and made up one large sleeping bag for them to share.
Caroline curled into him, her warm breath on his throat as he wrapped one arm around her. "Lincoln"
"Yeah?" He waited, feeling her settle against him after a long moment.
"We almost died today."
"But we didn't. Just like we haven't a dozen other times."
"I know But today was so close. I didn't want to make you say you love me too. I know you thought you had to say it back, and I'm sorry."
He couldn't resist chuckling. "For a brave, intelligent woman, you sure are dense sometimes."
"What?" She pulled away from him, but he dragged her back into his arms.
"I didn't say anything I didn't mean. There's nothing you could do to make me say something like that unless I wanted to."
"You mean that?" she asked.
"I do. You've made me feel love is possible. You are my hope, Caroline. Always." He wished he could make her understand what was in his head and in his heart.
"Can we take some books with us tomorrow?"
"Sure, it's not like some librarian is going to get angry if we don't return them," he replied, mentally rearranging the space in their vehicle to accommodate a box of books.
Caroline laughed, and the sound made his blood hum. He'd never considered himself a funny guy, but whenever he managed to win a laugh from her, he felt like a hero.
"Thank you." She kissed him and tucked her head under his chin, quickly falling asleep. He lay there holding her for a long while before he followed her, drifting into dreams. Dreams filled with chaos, blood, and regret.




Emma Castle has always loved reading but didn’t know she loved romance until she was enduring the trials of law school. She discovered the dark and sexy world of romance novels and since then has never looked back! She loves writing about sexy, alpha male heroes who know just how to seduce women even if they are a bit naughty about it. When Emma’s not writing, she may be obsessing over her favorite show Supernatural where she’s a total Team Dean Winchester kind of girl! Join Emma’s Private Reader Group “Emma Castle’s Crew” here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/429283600812685/

The world he knows and loves is gone…

Lincoln Atwood survived the contagion that wiped out the nine tenths of humanity. As the last survivor in a secret government bunker and a Delta Force soldier, he knows that the other survivors are scared, angry and dangerous, just like him. After weeks alone with the mummified bodies of his colleagues, he escapes the bunker. But the world outside has changed. Among the empty cities and crumbling ruins of civilization, he loses himself to the wilderness in his soul.  When he sees Caroline, a fellow survivor,  she is vision of light in a world gone dark. He wants to help her, but she won't trust him, when there's danger around every corner. How can he convince her that fate has brought them together?

She will not go quietly into the night…

Caroline Kelly survived hell when she escaped quarantined Chicago in search of her family after the outbreak. But it's not as easy to travel from Illinois to Missouri with the world gone dark in the space of three months. The last she thing she needs is to get captured by a muscled, bearded mountain man who looks and acts like a damn super soldier. When it’s clear she can’t escape him, she finds herself becoming fascinated with the brooding, intense man who knows how to survive. He makes her heart race and blood pound. When tragedy strikes, Caroline realizes she might have a plan to save the world, but she’ll need Lincoln’s help. Can she trust Lincoln not only with humanity’s future, but also her heart?


the great gatsby cast novel

The Great Gatsby

Till' Death Do Us Part

Ickapoo the lonely Alien, 2046

Ludwina & Andrea

Einder Bloodline

Kisah Cinta Ludwina & Andrea

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Finding Nova

Ceremonial Rites

A Wilderness Within

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