Chapter 12 - Where Your Heart Is

Henry sat stiffly at the passenger seat of a rented black sedan that was readily on standby the moment they landed in Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta. Next to him, Derek Donovan, his rather obscure yet efficient private investigator, whom had led their search halfway across the world, was driving. At the back, sat his brother Morgan, who was still nursing his jet lag.

Henry looked at the bustling metropolitan city with anxious anticipation in his eyes. "What's the name of her apartment, again?"

"You asked that barely five minutes ago," commented Morgan from behind him, "Relax, bruh."

Derek glanced at him. "We're not there yet, if that's what you're actually asking," he answered as he made a turn, following the traffic.

They were just passing a part of Jakarta's commercial and business area when Henry's abrupt commanding voice startled Derek, making him hit the brake. He looked at him with an annoyed look on his face, "Mr. Kingsley, you could've caused us an accident–what are you doing? Henry!"

As soon as Henry freed himself from the seatbelt, he opened the car door and stepped outside, running towards the traffic, crossing the busy road.

"Man, your cap–" Morgan yelled, waving his baseball cap that his little brother was supposedly wear at all times whenever he's out in public to keep a low profile. Henry ignored him, causing Morgan to curse a series of profanities as he too walked out of the car to follow him.

Henry walked briskly, stupidly, Morgan noted, as he crossed the busy road rather carelessly. Morgan cussed under his breath when he couldn't keep up with him due to the chaotic traffic in Jakarta.

The famous actor jogged across the road with nothing covering his fair face from public. It was about time until someone noticed him and caused a lot of trouble, going into an unknown public territory without an agency at his back or security guards to provide him a route of escape should he got swarmed by fans.

But none of this fact concerned or even passed Henry's mind. His eyes was locked on a figure who was walking down the street with determination in her steps right after she exited a bank. He sprinted at her, dodging other pedestrians. When he finally got to her, he grabbed her by the hand. The force of his pull caused the woman to bump against his chest.

Lika knew she was getting robbed. That was just her luck, especially with the amount of money she had in her–

Her train of thought was violently halted at the sight of those baby blue eyes staring at her. She was left dumbfounded, as if his presence– his face, instantly short-circuited and fried the nerves in her brain.

Henry had a whole script memorized in his head as to what he would say to Lika when he finally meet her. He had planned exactly how he would apologize to her. He had planned to beg her, even, if all else failed.

But seeing her again rendered him completely speechless. His eyes scanned her. Her face was still as pretty and sweet as he remembered her to be. Her chocolate eyes still bore that depth that made him want to pick her mind; to know what goes on behind those captivating almond eyes.

The rest of her made his heart bleed.

Lika had lost weight. Significantly. He felt her wrist in his; so small, more delicate and breakable than it used to be. Her cheekbone was more prominent; gone was the fullness of her cheek that would usually lifted adorably whenever he made her laugh.

It made him wonder: Had she not been taking care of herself?

Never in the ten years they've been together had Lika looked the way she did now; so thin and fragile, as if she was shrinking from the inside. A small, condemning voice inside him told him: You did this. You caused this.

The realization was like a blow to his stomach. That he caused her pain, one that drove her halfway across the world, to the place that turned her into the ghost of the woman that he used to know.

He forgot what he wanted to say to her completely. Instead, his mind screamed for him to take her away from this place. To bring her home. To bring her to safety.

"Do you have your passport with you?" he asked, half growling as his voice strained with barely curbed emotions raging inside his chest.

Lika tilted her head with a mix of confusion and disbelief in her eyes. Thoughts of him had subsided, yet here he was, resurrecting mixed old feelings back to the surface.

He took her silence as a yes. Grabbing both her hands, he held her tight. His heart pounded, chest heaving as adrenaline shot through his whole body. He tugged at both her wrists, pulling her to him.

"Come back home with me, Lika," he said hurriedly with distress in his voice, "Come home with me to England. We can go right now."

Funnily enough, all he was thinking about at the moment was dragging her to the jet with him and feed her as much as he could. He decided two seconds ago that she was malnourished. It didn't sit well with him, and all he wanted was to get her to eat a fucking sandwich.

The strong hold of his arms caused Lika to be pulled a step towards him. She looked at him with bewildered eyes, her mind overloaded as she processed everything that had happened so quickly. Feeling resistance from her lack of response, Henry cupped her face, his breathing uneven. He was desperate, to the point that he came off as being pushy.

"I need you. Please," he pleaded with such helplessness in his eyes. His sorrowful words broke Lika. "Forgive me for everything."

Lika's lids rimmed with red as reservoir began to gather in her eyes. She had been dreaming of this moment. Of him asking her back. Him telling her that he needed her. Him bringing her back home where everything returns as it used to be.

"Henry! Henry Kingsley!"

The sound of random people in the streets yelling his name with hysterics brought Lika's senses back to her. She suddenly remembered why she was here and what she was set out to do. She remembered the people who truly needed her at the moment–Asih and Jonathan.

She closed her eyes momentarily, swallowing her pain. She breathed, "I... I can't."

As soon as she said that, someone ran up to them, tugging at Henry's arm. More people came after that. Lika was shoved away from him by a group of people who suddenly swarmed them. Henry lost his hold on one of her hand, but his other hand that was holding to her wrist tightened, steadfast, locking like a vice, unwilling to let go.

There was a torturous look on Henry's face as he disregarded the fans that had surrounded him by the street, his eyes pierced and focused solely on her. Stubborn on not letting her go.

Pain squeezed Lika's heart at the determination in his eyes as he looked at her. The relentless part of him that doesn't know how to take no for an answer.

If only he was holding onto her that tight that day she went away.

Knowing that time was not something that she had in abundance, and that Henry couldn't possibly hold on to her forever with the crowd gathering around them, Lika began moving her wrist that was still in his strong grasp, wanting to be free of him.

"No..." Henry mouthed, shaking his head pleadingly at her. His eyes were glassy, as if he was about to cry the more she was slipping out of his hand.

The moment he lost his hold on her, Lika was pushed back by the crowd, further and further away from his reach.

"Lika!" he gritted his teeth, his voice almost drowned with the voices of people who fought to get his attention, phone cameras pointed at him. He paid it no mind and pushed through the crowd, calling her name, "Eliska!"

Lika was pushed all the way back from the swarming crowd. She looked at him, drinking his appearance, knowing that after this, she might not get the chance to see him again. Not after telling him 'I can't' without explanation or context.

Looking at him from a distance, a sea of people between them, made Lika felt like he was an ocean away.

Unattainable, unreachable.

Henry clenched his jaw as he tried to dodge people in his way; his eyes fixed solely on her. The melancholy in her expression as she looked at him sent dread down his spine–it looked awfully like goodbye to him.

No, not now, Lika. Not when I just found you.

With a frustrated growl, he pushed through the crowd harder. Her heart constricted inside her when he saw him fought his way to her to no avail. She took a step backward, looking at him one last time, before drawing whatever strength she had to turn away from him and walk away.

"No," he panted, panic rose in his throat, "I love you," he breathed as he watched her back to him. As if just realizing his own words and the truth in it, Henry trembled with shock.

Drawing a deep breath, he yelled out at her, solidifying his feelings for her. "I love you, Eliska!" he shouted.

The tears that Lika had been holding suddenly fall from the reservoir in her eyes when he heard his voice.

He yelled at her harder, his expression fierce, angry even, startling the people who were closest to him, "I fucking love you, Eliska Denali! Do you hear me?!"

Lika ran.

The tear that had fallen from his eyes to his shirt went unnoticed as he helplessly watched her fled from him. Everything else after that was a blur. He didn't even feel Derek pulling him away from the crowd, or Morgan forcefully shoving him into the back seat of the car. He didn't notice their car driving away. All Henry did was buried his head in his hands, his fingers pulling at his own hair frustratedly as he nursed his brokenheart.

No one in the car spoke to him.

The people in the bus probably think Lika was this crazy bule for crying in a Damri bus like a baby. It was a miracle she knew when to stop and still remember her way back to the clinic.

Upon arrival, she stood at the door of the clinic, away from everyone's sight, feeling nausea filled her stomach. She felt like throwing up, yet remembered her breathing lesson from Jonathan.

"You puke when you're stressed?" the doctor asked.

Lika nodded in embarrassment. "I can't help it. I've been this way since I was a child."

"It is called anxiety," Jonathan said as he handed her a tissue, "If you really want to help me do my job in the slum you gotta have strong stomach. Doctors see gory stuff everyday. Lucky for you, I know just a cure for that," he held Lika by her shoulder, looking at her straight in the eyes. "Now follow after me. Breathe in for four seconds. One... Two... Three... Four, hold your breath."

Lika held her breath and listened as he counted to four.

"...Four. Now breath out slowly. One... Two..."

"..."

"...Four–stop. Relax. Don't breath in for four seconds, then breathe in... Repeat."

Jonathan raised a brow. "How's that feel? Still want to puke?"

Lika stopped for a moment, shaking her head in surprise. Jonathan beamed. "Great! Remember that everytime you feel like puking. It's called box breathing technique. 4 seconds rule."

Lika didn't puke. Taking another four deep breaths, Lika straightened herself, pushed all thoughts of Henry away and wiped her tear. She walked inside the clinic with her head held high.

"Ini uangnya (Here. I got your money)," Lika announced, opening her bag and showing him the wads of cash in her bag.

The old man made a move to take the bag, but Lika pulled it away from his reach, glancing at Jonathan and Asih, before looking back at the man. "Saya akan serahkan uangnya di notaris setelah Bapak dan Dokter Asih tandatangan surat tanah (I'll give you the money at the notary, right after you and Dr. Asih sign the land deed papers)."

The land lord smiled and nodded his head. "Oke, ga papa, madam (That is fair, madam)."

The man gestured for Lika to walk first. She nodded at both Asih and Jonathan as she zippered the bag and slung it over her shoulder.

Asih cut Lika. "This is not fair," she muttered, "That money is your saving. For when you return to UK, or go somewhere else to start over. Didn't you say that?"

Before Lika could reply, Asih interrupted her, "I've had time thinking about this while you were gone. If losing this clinic is the way it's supposed to be, then that's okay. Maybe this is where my mother's clinic ends, but I can always help people in other ways. You don't have to do this. You'll need this money. I'll give up the clinic," she said in determination.

"No way," Lika replied.

"Asih and I talked about this," Jonathan butted in, "The landlord needs money urgently, that's why he did this. The moment he got the payment money for the clinic sale, Asih will receive back the money she paid all this time from the landlord."

Lika smiled, "If only I heard that before I read my aunt's fifth letter."

Asih and Jonathan looked confused. "The fifth challenge?"

Lika opened the front pocket of her backpack and pulled out the letter, giving it to Jonathan. The two doctors unfolded it and read the content.

~

Challenge No. 5
WHERE YOUR HEART IS

My dearest, Lika,

The scripture says that where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Find someone who needs your help and lend a hand in a grand gesture. Sacrifice something that you hold close for a greater good. Learn to let go.

By the time you submerge yourself in the the joy of giving, this fifth task is completed, and you may open the next letter.

Sincerely waiting for that grand gesture,

Your Aunt Mercy

*

Asih looked up from the letter with tears forming in her eyes.

"I don't do it for you. It's for the greater good. The people in this slum needs you, Asih. They need this clinic. Desperately," Lika explained, "Besides, if being in this slum area teach me anything, it is that as long as I have clothes on me, food to eat and a roof over my head, that is all that I ever need. Also, I am very resourceful so I'm not going to lack anything," the British woman reassured, before adding, "Though, it'll be nice if you start actually paying me for my volunteer work at the clinic."

Asih let out a choked laugh, tears running down her cheek as she embraced Lika. Jonathan smiled widely at the two woman.

"I can't thank you enough, Eliska," wept Asih. Lika hugged her tighter.

"Thank my aunt. Now let's go to the notary and get this over with, shall we?"

***

[Author's Note: Short chapter, considering the length of my other chapters. What do you think of Henry and Lika's reunion? Leave comments below! From this moment on we'll see a lot more Henry and Lika being in the same place. Stay tuned and thanks for reading]