The name "Ratih" inscribed on the diary's cover felt like a soft yet heart-piercing whisper to Aluna's insatiable curiosity, a name holding mysteries and perhaps the key to understanding the man who now shared her bed, sharing the warmth of bodies but harboring a deep emotional chasm. With trembling hands, she opened the diary's first page. Beautiful and neat handwriting filled the yellowing leaves, telling of sincere love, simple happiness in the electrifying touch of skin and meaningful gazes, and a deep longing when apart, as if their souls were separated by physical distance yet remained connected by an invisible thread of affection, a thread filled with passion and intimacy described so honestly and without pretense.
Aluna read about bright mornings where Ratih and her lover shared soft kisses under the warm sunlight, their lips meeting with a gentleness that awakened hidden desires, about passionate nights where their bodies merged in tight embraces and suppressed sighs filled the air, and about beautiful dreams they wove together under the shining moon, dreams of a future filled with love and boundless sensual happiness. Every word felt so alive and full of emotion, evoking the image of a woman who loved and was loved, a woman who savored every sensation in her relationship, every touch and whisper that ignited a burning desire within her, a desire described so explicitly that Aluna felt a strange stirring within herself.
As Aluna continued reading, she felt a deep sadness creep into her heart, like a cold mist slowly enveloping the warmth emanating from Ratih's writing. There was a melancholic tone tucked between the lines of happiness, like the shadow of a cloud passing in the middle of a bright day, leaving a vague yet piercing sense of loss that reached her very bones.
Ratih wrote about the fear of loss, about nightmares that haunted her restless sleep, where she felt her lover drift away and disappear into the deep darkness, and about a bad premonition that sometimes enveloped her like a cold shroud, a sign of a storm that might come and destroy the happiness they had painstakingly built, a happiness so fragile yet felt so precious. Aluna began to wonder, who was Ratih's lover? Could it be Rey? Had that cold and closed-off man once experienced such warm and sincere love, a love described so sensually and deeply in this book, a love that made him so vulnerable when he remembered it, a love that might be the reason behind the wall of ice that now surrounded his heart, a wall that even Aluna's touch struggled to penetrate.
The image of Rey admiring Ratih's photo with a longing gaze haunted her mind again, a gaze that held the same sadness she felt in Ratih's writing, a sadness that felt so real and heartbreaking, as if the wound was still wide open and bleeding.
The following pages took Aluna deeper into Ratih's life, unveiling a passionate and intimate relationship described so honestly and unashamedly, without any boundaries in expressing the burning desire between two loving souls.
She read about the cheerful laughter that echoed between passionate kisses that made bodies shiver and desire burn to the crown of their heads, and about eternal promises spoken under the stars scattered in the night sky, promises that felt so sacred and would never fade, promises of togetherness forever in joy and sorrow, in gentle touches and tender embraces that ignited a fire between them. Ratih wrote about how her lover's gaze could burn her skin, how his touch could make her lose her mind, and how every union of their bodies was an unforgettable explosion of pleasure.
However, the further Aluna read, the more the darkness began to lurk, like a long shadow slowly covering the light, threatening the happiness as fragile as glass.
There were notes about small arguments that occurred more and more frequently, about misunderstandings that were difficult to overcome even with gentle touches and sweet whispers in the ear, and about an emotional distance that slowly began to separate Ratih and her lover, even though their bodies still sought each other in the darkness of the night, seeking warmth and release in tight embraces and passionate kisses, yet their hearts felt increasingly distant. Aluna felt her heart sink, feeling the pain in Ratih's words, feeling the destruction of a love that was once so fiery, a love that now only remained as painful memories and unhealed longing.
Suddenly, the sound of the bedroom door opening made Aluna jolt, the diary in her hands trembling violently. Her heart pounded like a war drum, pumping blood rapidly throughout her body, making her feel tense and panicked, as if caught red-handed committing a great sin. Rey! He was back sooner than expected, his usually calm footsteps now sounding so menacing in the silence of the room filled with dust and painful memories.
Panicked, Aluna quickly hid Ratih's diary behind her back, trying to conceal the evidence of her betrayal of entering that forbidden room and reading secrets that were not hers, secrets that felt so intimate and personal, secrets about a wounded heart and lost love. She stood frozen in the middle of the room, trying to appear as calm as possible even though her heart was still racing uncontrollably and cold sweat began to dampen her palms, feeling Rey's gaze burning her skin with an intensity that made it difficult to breathe.
Rey stood in the doorway, his gaze cold and probing, sweeping across the entire room that felt different since he had left, a small but significant change, before finally settling on Aluna who looked tense and uneasy. There was something strange in her demeanor, an unusual tension, like a predator sensing the scent of its prey, feeling that something was hidden behind the facade of pretense.
He sensed a strange change in Aluna, a guilty aura emanating from her usually innocent eyes that now looked restless and fearful, her eyes avoiding his gaze. His steps drew closer slowly, his gaze locking onto Aluna's eyes with an intensity that made Aluna gasp for breath and feel the cold touch of fear creeping all over her body, making her feel naked and guilty under his sharp gaze.
"What are you hiding?" Rey's voice was low and threatening, but there was a hint of curiosity tucked within it, as if he could sense a secret that now separated them, a secret hidden behind Aluna's back, a secret that might change everything.
And in Rey's eyes, Aluna saw a dangerous flash of anger mixed with deep sadness, as if he knew that his tightly locked past was now threatened to be revealed, and he would not let it happen without a fight.