Meanwhile, Galaksi was still compressing Mentari's forehead with ice water, just as Arumi had suggested earlier.
But nearly half an hour had passed, and Mentari's fever still hadn't gone down. Gala was starting to panic like crazy.
“Come on, sweetheart, wake up! Are you trying to scare me to death?” Gala murmured as he wrung out the small towel he'd just dipped into a basin of ice water before placing it on Mentari's forehead again.
“Gala,” Mentari whispered, her voice hoarse as her eyes began to open.
“Yeah, sweetheart, I'm right here. Thank God! Mentari's finally awake.” Tears welled up in Gala's eyes again because he was so happy to see his wife's eyes open and looking weakly at him.
“Why are you crying?” With what little strength she had left, Mentari tried to raise her hand and wipe away Gala's tears.
“I was worried about you, sweetheart. Your fever's really high. I've been trying to wake you up since dawn, but you wouldn't wake up. How could I not be scared?”
Galaksi hugged Mentari's limp body tightly as she lay there. The hard pounding of Gala's heart convinced Mentari that her husband wasn't lying.
“You don't have to worry anymore, Gala. Tari's okay now.”
Hearing that, Gala immediately loosened his embrace. “You're not okay, Tari. You still have a high fever. Wait until Arumi gets here, okay? I asked her to bring your medicine.”
“Arumi? Did you tell her we're married?” Mentari asked, and Gala simply shook his head.
“We'll tell her when she and Alzi get here. We have no reason to hide our marriage from anyone, sweetheart. We won't keep it secret from anyone on campus, either. Besides, the campus doesn't prohibit students from getting married.”
“I'll follow whatever you decide, Gala. You're my imam now, the head of our family whom I have to obey,” Mentari replied with such a beautiful smile that it made Gala's heart tremble.
“That's not exactly how it works, beautiful. Even though I'm your husband and the head of the family, that doesn't mean you can't make your own decisions. You can have whatever opinion you want. You don't always have to agree with me.”
Gala gently stroked the crown of Mentari's head. At least he could breathe a sigh of relief now that Mentari was awake, even though her fever hadn't gone down yet.
“GALAA!! WHERE'S MY BEST FRIEND? WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER TO MAKE HER GET A FEVER, HUH?”
Gala instinctively covered Mentari's ears with both hands when he heard the shrill scream coming from the door of his rented place. He already knew who had arrived without even looking.
“She shows up and instead of saying hello, she starts screaming like an orangutan. Your best friend is really something.” Gala grumbled irritably, certain that the person yelling outside his door was Arumi, his wife's best friend.
Mentari giggled softly at her husband's annoyed expression. “You shouldn't be surprised anymore. You know Arumi's always been like that.”
“I feel bad for Alzi. He has to deal with a girlfriend who sounds like a busted loudspeaker.”
“If they weren't like that, how could they have stayed together since high school, Gala?” Mentari chuckled.
“You've got a point, sweetheart. Sometimes I wonder how a lunatic and a crazy person ever ended up together.”
Gala continued grumbling incoherently and had no intention of opening the door for his guests.
Why was Gala acting like that? Simple: Alzi could get into this rented place even when the door was locked.
Alzi had a spare key to Gala's place because Gala's best friend often spent the night there whenever he got sick of his uncle's behavior at home.
“Wow... that's cold, Gal. A guest shows up and instead of opening the door, you're busy fooling around alone together in the bedroom. Remember, you two aren't married. Keep it up and watch out! If some demon happens to pass by, Mentari could end up pregnant for nine months.”
Gala gave his friend, who had just started lecturing him, an exasperated look. “Watch what you say. If you knew what was really going on, you'd be the one dropping dead—then you'd go into shock and have a heart attack. Ugh... just thinking about it gives me chills.”
Alzi glared when he heard Gala's words. He had just opened his mouth to fire back, but he had to swallow the retort he'd prepared when Arumi stuffed a piece of bread into his mouth.
“Both of you, shut up!” Arumi glared at them in turn. “Look, my best friend is sick, and you're arguing right in front of her. If she gets dizzy, develops a headache, or whatever, are you two going to take responsibility, huh?”
“Responsibility for what, babe? I didn't do anything to her.”
Gala stared at Alzi, stunned by the unexpected answer. He honestly couldn't imagine what Alzi's life would be like if his friend ever stopped talking nonsense and making lewd comments for even one day.
Alzi's mischievousness was off the charts, so it was understandable that the man was always making dirty jokes and blurting out whatever came to mind.
But despite all his lewd talk, believe it or not, Alzi wasn't as dirty-minded as his words made him sound. He was only brave behind his mouth and would never dare do anything in person, because Alzi had tremendous respect for women.
“Say that again and I'll circumcise you a second time, young master Abraham,” Gala threatened, but Alzi only burst out laughing, completely unafraid.
“Go ahead if you can. My sausage is so hairy now that I don't care if someone wants to circumcise it again.”
“ALZII!!!”
Arumi shrieked Alzi's name again, furious at her boyfriend's never-ending vulgarity.
“What, babe? You want to get a room? Come on, then.”
“You asshole!” After cursing Alzi viciously, Arumi chose to sit down beside her best friend, who was lying there weakly.
Rather than entertain Alzi and Gala, who would never stop, Arumi decided to check on her friend herself.
As it happened, Arumi was a medical student, so she knew a little about checking someone's condition.
Mentari was also a medical student. But since she was the one who was sick, there was no way she could examine herself.
“What are you feeling right now?” Arumi, a wild and unruly girl, asked Mentari in a softened voice.
“I'm dizzy, and a little nauseous too,” Mentari answered weakly.
“Al! Take this prescription to the pharmacy!” Without a care in the world, Arumi held out a sheet of paper with Mentari's prescription written on it.
Alzi gaped at her in disbelief. “Me?” he asked, pointing at himself.
Arumi gave Alzi a bored look. “Yes, you. Who else here is named Alzi?”
“Why not send Gala? Mentari's Gala's girlfriend,” Alzi protested, earning an icy glare from Arumi.
“Tari needs Gala here. As her best friend, you should be considerate. Besides, there's a pharmacy right out front. Just go buy it there!”
Alzi could only grumble, especially when he saw Gala sticking out his tongue at him mockingly.
“Fine, I'm going. But before I do, I want to ask something. Why is Mentari here? In your bedroom, no less?” This time, Alzi asked with a serious expression.
“Tari and I are married.”
“WHAT?”