Alice's Feelings

Rachel had returned to her office, while Noah finally came home because his face was bruised and it was impossible to return to work. Alice is now compressing the wound on Noah's face with warm water. "Next time you won't have to do that anymore."

"Isn't that how it is, Alice? Then I just keep quiet like that, my wife is treated like that? I can't, Alice. I don't accept it."

"I'm the one being treated like that, why do you bother?"

"Because I am your husband, Alice! It's up to you whether you want to say we are married, a contract or an agreement that has been signed, and so on. As long as I and you are still bound by legal marriage, I am your husband. I have to protect you."

Alice placed the washcloth on the sofa and looked at Noah intensely. "Stop doing things like this, Noah. Ever since you were around, I've become weak. I've never cried in front of people, but why do I always cry in front of you? I've never asked anyone for help, but since you've been around, I've become spoiled. I'm addicted! This is foreign to me, Noah. Over the years I've gotten used to doing everything myself, so please don't confuse me." Alice didn't understand, she didn't seem to know herself, or maybe she finally dared to show someone the feelings she had been hiding in silence for so long.

"You make me feel that this world is not okay anymore, but as long as you are around, I can face all of this."

Noah seemed as if the ocean and Alice were fragile boats, but no matter how bad the boat was, the ocean would embrace her, helping her to keep sailing.

"I don't want to depend on you, Noah, because I know you can't be here with me forever. So stop doing things like this and make me fall in love with you."

"Then don't, watch your heart so you don't fall in love with me, because I definitely won't be able to reciprocate your feelings."

"Can not. It's too late, Noah."

"Alice?"

"I can't stop myself from falling in love with you."

Noah's reaction was silence, a reaction Alice never imagined she would get. During this time, men are competing to get her heart and she is the one who always stays away. It turned out that love was teaching her a lesson. The girl laughed bitterly. "No Alice, don't waste your feelings falling in love with a man like me."

"You are so nice, you treat me so well that I finally couldn't stop myself from falling in love with you. Then, suddenly now you're telling me not to fall in love with you? What do you mean, Noah?"

"Alice, women are treated well by men that's the way it should be, what do you want me to do? Am I that angry?"

"Yes! During this time I grew up with men who are always arbitrary with women, when you appear and treat me like this, I feel something is different. I fell in love with your treatment."

Noah gulped, especially seeing Alice's teary eyes.

"If you have to do this, then stop! Stop being nice to me, like what was in our contract before. Don't meddle in my business. On the other hand, I will not interfere with your business. Before my feelings develop any further, I have to douse the fire, right? So there's no big fire?"

"Don't fall in love with me, Alice." Noah lowered his face. "From the outside I look fine, but you don't know the real me. I'm a mess. You might just fall in love with the Noah in your imagination, when you know the truth about me, you'll regret falling in love with me."

Alice looked at Noah in confusion. The man then got up, went into his room, while Alice seemed to be slowly sinking with a big question mark in her head.

****

All night Alice could not sleep, her insomnia recurred, with the various problems that streaked her life making her wonder what sins she had committed in her previous life. Why was she able to reincarnate into the figure of Alice that was constantly getting into trouble. Oh don't get wrong, Alice is certainly proud of herself, she's just confused as to why things don't seem to stop like a leaky faucet. Does God not want to see her smile?

As a result, the thing she did when Noah left for work was she wanted to find out about Noah. Alice plans to go to Aunt Nur's house, don't forget to stop by to buy some fruit before visiting. Wearing a long floral dress that showed her slender body, the girl was standing in front of Aunt Nur's house. "Assalamualaikum!"

"Walaikum Salam." A woman wearing a long pink headscarf greeted her. "Alice? Come on in, wow I'm so glad you played here. Who with? Own? Noah's work?" Sis Silva, the wife of Noah's cousin, greeted her with a series of questions.

"Yes, Sis, alone. Noah is still working. This is Sis, I have a present." She deployed a complete fruit parcel bouquet.

"Well, don't bother. Yes, it's in, Abiiiiid greetings Aunt Alice first." Sis Silva called a little boy with bowl hair running over.

"Hello Abid, how are you?" Alice tried to be as friendly as possible considering their first meeting was not good because Abid called her with the Fierce Face. "Wow, more handsome."

"Wait a minute, I'll call Mom first." It turned out that there was no need to be called, Aunt Nur had already shown the bridge of her nose while still wearing her mukena. The woman took off her mukena, laid down on the sofa, while Alice immediately shook her hand.

"Aunt is healthy?"

"Alhamdulillah, how are you? Healthy?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Auntie."

"What about Noah?"

"Noah is fine too."

"Is he busy? Haven't played in a long time."

"Yes, he said, the work is busy."

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To be continued . . .