I stayed silent every time, and for the love of God, I wanted peace—a little time to reclaim my sanity.
But of course, Andi wouldn’t allow that.
So in the end, this weekend, he dragged me out. I said yes on one condition: We’d go ice skating at a mall, and he agreed.
I loved this sport. It was one of my favorites after biking. It had always felt beautiful to me because of someone who had made it that way, and now that someone seemed intent on doing the opposite.
So today, I wanted to enjoy it one last time.
Before I’d have to let it go, same as everything else.
“Biba!” Andi’s voice rang behind me as I glided further across the ice. “I’m done! I think I’m going to die, it’s been two hours, bitch!” he groaned, breathless.
I’d booked unlimited tickets for a reason; now, I couldn’t stop. Not when I knew I’d soon have to give this up, too. I glanced back at him. “Go ahead! I’m not done yet.” I swallowed. “I need to make the most of it.” My voice was firm, heavy with meaning. “This is the last time.”
Andi frowned. “Hah?”
I raised my voice as I skated further away. “The plan to forget Zioh! This one needs to be trashed, too.”
Andi halted, staring at me from across the rink, at a loss for words.
Half an hour later, I finally joined him outside the arena. I was still in my skates, shuffling slowly to where he sat, massaging his legs. His eyes tracked me as I approached, and he shook his head in disbelief before handing me a cup of hot chocolate.
Staring at it for a second, I took the cup and sipped as I sat beside him. We were lost in thought until Andi broke it, his eyes fixed on his phone. “Holy shit, your brother is so fucking cool,” he muttered, shoving the screen in front of me.
A headline blazed across it.
INDTV wins again: actress’s mother’s lawsuit against Bakti dismissed. The legal team is praised for yet another victory.
“Their legal team’s brilliant,” he added, shaking his head.
I said nothing, just turned away, watching the laughter of strangers skating before me. But of course, Andi couldn’t keep quiet for long.
“That old man Bakti, honestly, that man’s weird, isn’t he?” he continued, half-singing his gossip. “Alright, maybe he’s needy orlusty, but why on earth would it have to be with an actress that fucking young?”
I sighed.
His voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. “And his shit pattern, Bib. Think about it. Young women. Pretty. Long hair, kind of Javanese-looking. Always the same type.”He leaned his body closer, and his tone became serious. “He’s been doing this for years. Odd, right? Especially since his ex-wife’s a British goddess. Fetish shift, maybe?”
“Andi.” My voice cut hard, without me even looking at him.
He stopped and rubbed his jaw. “Fine, fine.” He glanced at me sidelong. “I’m worried you’re starting to look more and more like Bibu,” he clicked his tongue. “I know you two are twins, but please don’t be like your male clone—”
I turned to him, giving him my weary face, and he shut his mouth. He even dragged a finger across his lips in mock silence. Ugh... this man, really.
We sat in silence again until he fidgeted beside me, pressing a hand to his stomach. “This shit. Not fucking now,” he groaned, pale. His eyes darted to me, and I knew exactly what that meant.
“I’m going to the bathroom!” he yelped, stumbling up and vanishing before I could react. He rushed off—and then, my gaze collided with someone else’s.
He stared right back at me.
I froze. My breath caught in my throat. My fingers dug into the seat as he walked closer, his gaze never leaving mine. Step by step, until he stood right before me.
“Can I sit?” Zeraiah asked.
26
Tshabina
