The Lost Confidence

The talk ran smoothly for the first time on the phone call for Ariel and Marcella. Ariel could not resist the urge to call her after a day. As for Marcella, she did not reject him at all.

"I'm calling because I owe you an apology for what happened this afternoon. I didn't predict it at all. I mean your father …" Ariel paused for a moment. It was so hard for him to talk with Marcella. He was nervous like hell. 

'Gosh, stay on your focus, damnit!' Ariel shriek on his mind. He kept narrating himself to stop thinking about the one-night stand incident then talking about his matters only. 

"I mean, Mr. Katto thought I was Artemis, and I should have told about that. I'm sorry for being a coward." Ariel added on his confession.

"It was not your whole fault anyway. Miraya and I also took the chance to lie to our Dad." Marcella replied to him with her gently soothing voice. 

"I won't blame you for that …."

"You should. We also made an equal mistake. Artemis probably did it because he's panicked about the matchmaking. While my sister, ah, she was frantically deciding it because she scared that Dylan would leave her." Ariel shut his talk to listen to Marcella's point of view.

"I believe that we can solve all the mistakes unless we tried to. There's must be a way to every chaos that followed." For some reason, Marcella's optimism encouraged Ariel's mind. He could help but silently smiled to hear her. She has those joyous attractions that could make people comfortable whenever someone saw or listen to her. Ariel felt something peace anytime he was talking to her.

"Are you sure we gonna make this?" Ariel asked her eventually.

"Yes, we have to have the confidence. Otherwise, we won't come out of this rabbit hole." Ariel beamed once more. Marcella was right. If they gave up now, there's nothing that would come up as the solution.

"Do you have any idea how to tell your father about this?" Marcella sounded quiet for few minutes. Ariel did not rush her to talk; instead, he waited.

"Miraya will do it. She'll confess tomorrow as we have decided about it!" Marcella told Ariel about the plan that the twin made a few hours ago. There's nothing but a smooth breath from Ariel through the phone.

Somehow, Marcella could hear his mild exhaled for air. For some moment, she grasped her phone as she memorized the night. Marcella was solemn enough to listen to the mellowness of Ariel's breath. It such a melody to her ear, so serene but sweet. 

"Why are you suddenly quiet?" the low breath and deep baritone voice gently asked Marcella. She beamed and shivered at the same time.

'I should not think of him that way. I made a sin!' warned Marcella to herself. She resisted thinking about Ariel in forbidden thought. 

"No, I'm fine. Let's talk tomorrow, and now it's time to go to bed." Marcella eluded for more matters to talk about, or she frantically would tell him something in her heart. 

"Yes, of course. I'm sorry for taking your time. Good night, Marcella. Thanks for taking my call."

"You're welcome. Good night, Ariel. Have a nice dream!" Marcella unexpectedly half sighed on her last words.

The shivers ran through Ariel's vine quickly after his sensitive hearing to catch it. But before Ariel could respond to her, she cut the line. 

Ariel, still dumbfounded, saw his own phone cell's display which turned to stand by after few seconds. The smiles finally took his facial expression when he leaned on his back to the backrest. 

"God, she such an Angel!" Ariel muttered to himself.

Meanwhile, Miraya laid her back to her bed and stared emptily at the ceiling. Her left fingers touched and rolled her ring on her middle finger. Miraya habitually moved her mutual ring on her finger whenever she felt nervous or thoughtful of something. 

But this time was different. Miraya could not conceive of anything at all. She blankly to find the way out. Until she and Marcella have consented to confess to their Dad about everything, Miraya nodded to her twin to stick with their decision, but from hour to hour, she was getting afraid.

"How can I do this? What shall I say?" Miraya mumbled to herself. After that, she turned her body to the right and bawled her eyes out. Miraya grasped her fist and held the stress building within her. 

"I can't do this. I can't!" Miraya was scared that her father would be very disappointed in her. Mandala was not a frightful man in his daughter's eyes, but he could make them felt upset about themselves with his words.  In the meantime, Miraya wanted to make her father proud of her at least once. All this time, the praises always came to Marcella. 

On the next day, Artemis has stood on his father's bedroom door, ready to talk to him. It was his last chance to admit everything that happened. But when he wanted to knock it, there was a crack sound of another door that deterred him. His eyes widened then he tilted his head to see who was came out early in the morning from the room beside the master. 

He ran from his place to hide on the wall on the same corridor of the rooms. From his position, he could peep clearly. His mouth slightly opened after seeing his Mom, Lavender, came out from the room with her sleeping robe. 

She was peeking for some moments before getting to the master bedroom where Ajax should be inside. A frown appeared on Artemis's face instantly. He was leaning to the wall and thinking.

'What is she doing in that spare room? Shouldn't they sleep together?' Artemis asked his mind about it. Somehow, he forgot his purpose to see his father. There's another thing that interrupted his mind. Artemis never actually cared about his parent's relationship at all, but now that one was distracting him.

After a few minutes, he thought to leave, then Ajax's door opened. Ajax already on his suit while his wife Lavender still in the same robe. 

"Are you not coming home tonight?" asked Lavender gently as she always did. Ajax turned to her coldly, expressionless.

"You know the answer. I don't have time for you!" Ajax said with his low deep voice. Lavender did not utter anything else while her husband took his walk downstairs. 

For the first time in his life, Artemis saw an actual interaction between his parent. When he peeked at Lavender's cast, he felt so pity her. Lavender only stared blankly at her husband's back when he was off, and then she bowed her head before getting to the bedroom.