56.

"Are you okay?" Benny's question was the one he asked Asleena after witnessing the uneasy look on her face. Asleena, who had been staring at the pool, turned her gaze to Benny. She was a bit surprised that Benny suddenly came in front of her. "Ah, Benny," greeted Asleena while giving an awkward smile. "It's okay. I was just relaxing." Benny did not look away as he sat down next to Asleena. His eyebrows furrowed in astonishment as he looked at Asleena after hearing that answer. "There's no way you're fine but your face looks like you're thinking about something," Benny retorted while pointing at Asleena's face. "Look at this. There's no smile here at all." Asleena glanced at one of Benny's fingers pressed against her cheek. Asleena was silent for a moment, then sighed heavily as she rolled her eyes in disgust. "Are you trying to irritate me?" she asked, tilting her head to avoid Benny's index finger. Benny just chuckled at Asleena's answer. He felt a certain satisfaction from witnessing Asleena's exasperated facial expression. "I've known you for a while, though not too long. We are together almost every second. I know when you're feeling anxious or thinking about something," Benny replied, her tone calm in between the laughter that still curled her face. Hearing Benny's answer made Asleena somewhat touched. Asleena looked at Benny who gave her a soft and warm smile. Instantly Asleena couldn't bear it because she had been thinking about the package box containing all the items and memories with Robert. For some reason, even though Asleena had heard from Roger that the box had been thrown away, she still felt uneasy. Asleena thought of the worst possibility that Robert would find a crazy way to find the box. Or maybe Robert had accidentally found the box in a scrap yard. After all, the items that Robert sent almost all still looked to be in good condition. Asleena was pretty sure whoever found it would want to take it and not let it go to waste. "Ah, you're quiet again. Look at this face again," Benny said while briefly touching Asleena's cheek. "You look more and more like you're thinking about something. I'm pretty sure your answer was lying to me." Asleena didn't move her face away this time, letting Benny's index finger touch her cheek. Asleena let out a long sigh. "Actually, I was thinking about something not too important," Asleena replied, preparing a lie that she would have to tell Benny. Benny finally changed his sitting position to face Asleena more intensely. The look on his face and the look in his eyes showed great curiosity. Benny also propped up his chin and looked at Asleena as if he was very curious. "What are you thinking about?" Benny asked. "Tell me. You can't bear it alone." Asleena was silent for a few moments as she watched Benny who was very curious. She was at a loss as to how to explain to Benny, even if her answer was a lie. At that time Asleena was trying to figure out what she was thinking but not completely lying. "Are you thinking about Robert?" asked Benny guessing in between Asleena who was still trying to find an excuse. Asleena frowned. Because Benny's guess was right, she spontaneously made a surprised face because she didn't expect his words to be true. But as soon as possible Asleena normalized her face to minimize Benny's suspicion. "You look surprised," Benny said with a chuckle. "Was my guess right? Were you disturbed by Robert's arrival a few moments ago when we were both eating at the restaurant?" Asleena looked at Benny for a few moments. After that, she shook her head. "No, I didn't. You're wrong," Asleena replied. "I'm not thinking about Robert at all. Why would I think about someone who doesn't really matter?" Benny raised his eyebrows, not expecting his answer to be wrong. "Alright. So, what's making you look nervous? Don't say uneasy because I can understand the look on your face, Asleena," Benny said while squinting his eyes at the end of the sentence, jokingly showing he suspected Asleena. Shortly after saying that, Benny chuckled briefly and returned to watching Asleena seriously. The remnants of laughter on his face gradually faded to a curious expression again. "I was thinking about Bella. Your ex-girlfriend," Asleena replied as she folded her arms across her chest. Her sitting position was now leaning against the back of the pool seat. Benny was somewhat surprised to hear Asleena's answer. There was no laughter left on his face. Benny's face was completely serious. "What do you mean, why are you thinking about Bella all of a sudden?" asked Benny with his hands stacked on his knees. Asleena sighed heavily. Before answering, Asleena deliberately looked thoughtful for a moment. "I mean, we both haven't heard from Bella in a long time," Asleena replied. "How is she doing now, has she regretted her actions, and I'm actually still curious why she took the action of spreading photos of the two of us. It seems like she is trying hard to make our relationship crack." Benny who heard that was thinking the same thing. He was silent for a moment as his face became more serious. His eyes moved to another direction. "Ah, you're thinking about Bella. You shouldn't have to think about her," Benny retorted after a few moments of silence. He let out a rough breath. "If you're questioning why she acted like that, it's because she's evil. I didn't even expect her to be so disrespectful to others." "Was Bella like that when you were dating?" asked Asleena looking at Benny curiously. Benny shook his head. "Of course not. She didn't act like that. That's why I was surprised to find out that her real attitude was like that." Asleena nodded as if she understood Benny's words and feelings. Actually, Asleena didn't really care about that either. "I'm sorry that you were fooled by his attitude while you were dating," Asleena replied, laughing at Benny. "How long have you been dating?" Benny chuckled in annoyance though not too much. He sighed as he poked Asleena's cheek. "Before laughing at me, you should also be aware of your own story," Benny shot back. "How could you not know that Robert also has traits that are quite dangerous for you? I've only been dating for three years, how long has your relationship with Robert been? Asleena replied, "Five years. Ah, damn, it's true what you just said. My five-year relationship with Robert is longer than your relationship with Bella. But I was fooled by Robert's attitude." Benny looked at Asleena with pitying eyes and expression. But in the end Benny curved a mocking smile. "If you had known earlier, what would you have done?" Benny asked. "Nothing. Because now that I think about it, people have told me that Robert's attitude is immature in dealing with problems. Robert is also selfish. But I think that's normal because every human being has their own flaws. So as long as Robert treats me well, at that time, I will still accept him," Asleena explained at length. She said very carefully while replaying past memories in her brain. Benny curled the corners of his lips downwards as he nodded his head. Hearing Asleena's words just now made him somewhat touched. He was increasingly convinced that Asleena did have a good heart. But unfortunately Asleena did show a stubborn character in front of people. "What about you? If you knew Bella's true character like now, what would you do?" asked Asleena looking at Benny seriously and curiously. "Me?" Benny was silent for a moment. "Of course break up early. I can't be with someone like Bella. She won't think about other people's feelings and prioritizes her own happiness." Asleena sighed heavily. "You seem to love her so much, but apparently you can still think logically." "Asleena," Benny spoke seriously, "we should still use logic when we are in love or in a relationship. Even though people say to use your heart to the fullest..." At that moment Asleena just silently looked at Benny seriously. Asleena was a bit taken aback because this was the first time Benny had said something that sounded so philosophical. But Asleena did not say any rebuttal, just watched Benny. Soon Benny continued, "... but we can't do that. If you don't use your logic too, if you face a very harsh reality, you won't be able to act to save your own feelings." Suddenly, the curve of a smile on Asleena's face appeared. Asleena somehow felt proud to be able to hear such philosophical words from Benny's lips. When they first met, Benny was not like this. The more the two of them got to know each other and were always together, the more Benny changed his attitude. Is Benny's true character like this? "If you have a desire to be together, you also shouldn't be selfish," Benny continued his sentence as he took a deep breath while straightening his sitting position. "Right," Asleena replied as she nodded in agreement, "you can't be selfish and interfere with other people's feelings. How can we both have ex-lovers who are both overreacting?" Benny also laughed at Asleena's words. But on the other hand Benny and Asleena also felt sorry for themselves. "True, but we're still lucky that our relationship is independent of them," Benny replied. "So you don't have to think about Bella or Robert. We'll face them both together." Asleena curved her smile after hearing Benny's words. Although her feelings towards Benny had been very irritated before, but now Asleena saw the warmth in Benny's eyes. That's what made her heart instantly warm. "Ah, it turns out you're like this," Asleena said with a chuckle and nodded her head. "I just found out that you can be warm too." Benny laughed sarcastically. "Do you think I'm so mean?" he quipped. Asleena shook her head as she tapped Benny twice on the shoulder. "Not at all. I have to admit that you really do care about other people," Asleena replied. Actually, Asleena was telling the truth. But Benny took the smile on Asleena's face as a form of mockery. An annoyed Benny finally put his arm around Asleena and brought her body into his arms. Benny deliberately pinned Asleena under her armpits while gently pinching the woman's forehead. "You're teasing me, huh?" asked Benny. "Benny! Shit! I almost fell down!"