Aleeta gently rubbed Rendra's back who was hugging him. Of course she did that unconsciously because she was too carried away by the comfort of the man's embrace.
Rendra closed his eyes, the hugg warmed his body. Too comfortable to make him reluctant to let go of the woman.
"Auw ...." Aleeta's scream woke Rendra immediately and let go of his embrace.
Aleeta immediately held her leg which was in pain. The woman immediately sat down on the floor and checked the condition of her feet.
"Aleeta... what are you doing?" Rendra squatted in front of Aleeta and also examined Aleeta's legs with a very worried face.
"Sorry, Miss. I'm sorry our child." A young woman was seen approaching them with a gasp. Meanwhile, a boy who was around six years old seemed to be hiding behind the young woman's body out of fear after making a mistake.
Rendra looked at the woman angrily. Apparently the trolley being pushed by the little boy hit Aleeta's feet. It seems the child is playing with the object and escapes the supervision of his parents.
"Forgive us, Sir, Miss." The woman grabbed the hand of the child who was hiding behind her. "Sam, let's apologize to Uncle and Aunty!" the woman ordered.
"S-sorry, Uncle, Auntie." The little boy's face was filled with fear. He immediately looked down when he saw Rendra's sharp gaze that looked very scary in his eyes.
"It's okay, Honey. Next time, be careful, okay? Besides harming other people, you can also harm yourself if you play without your parents' supervision, especially with things like this. Never play alone in a public place like this. It's dangerous, honey." Aleeta gently stroked the child's head.
There is nothing wrong with playing, most importantly with appropriate objects and places and with parental supervision. Because the real world of children is the world of play.
"Thank you, Auntie. Sam promises not to do it again." The child smiled back at Aleeta, showing a row of tiny white teeth. It looks really cute.
"Thank you, Miss. Then just let me take you to the hospital." The woman offered because she felt she had to take responsibility for the injuries her son had caused.
"No, it's necessary. I'm fine." Aleeta tried to stand up to justify her words. "See, right?"
The young woman and child looked relieved after witnessing that Aleeta was completely fine.
"Okay then you say goodbye first. Sorry and thank you again." The woman stepped back and took her son's hand. They smiled and waved at Rendra and Aleeta for a moment before they disappeared from sight.
"Auw ...." Aleeta groaned again when her legs felt pain again. The wound wasn't much, it's just that she was wearing high heels and the wound was right above him, so that it made him feel sore from being touched by it.
"Aleeta...." Ryan immediately caught Aleeta's staggered body. The man immediately carried Aleeta bridal style and left the place.
"Ryan I—"
"This time I don't want you to refuse, Aleeta. We have to go to the hospital immediately. I don't want anything to happen to you." The sentence sounded very firm and filled with anxiety. Makes Aleeta reluctant to refuse.
"But, what about my groceries, Ryan. Even though we've spent a lot of time choosing them," Aleeta said, staring at the trolley that was getting away from her sight.
"You don't have to think about shopping. You should be worried about yourself now," scolded Rendra, a little annoyed because Aleeta was more worried about shopping.
Rendra's treatment attracted the attention of visitors there. However, the man didn't care. The most important thing for him is to immediately take Aleeta to the hospital and treat her wound.
Meanwhile, Aleeta, who felt embarrassed because she was being watched by people, hid her face in Rendra's chest. The woman felt a sense of deja vu, as if she had experienced something similar before.
For some reason Aleeta felt so warm and comfortable in Rendra's arms. This feeling is the same as the incident from his childhood, when his best friend also did the same thing when his leg hurt. Aleeta seemed to feel the presence of a figure she really missed.
"Could it be... no. No way!" Aleeta thought immediately dismissing all the possibilities that flashed in her mind. It is very unlikely that his friend and Rendra are the same person. There's no way Aleeta didn't recognize her little friend.
Aleeta wrapped her arms around Rendra's neck and leaned comfortably on the man's chest. As if they no longer care about the views of the visitors who make them a spectacle.
"Sorry for not taking good care of you, Aleeta. I promise I won't let you hurt again when I'm with you," regretted Rendra when they were in the car.
"It's okay, Ryan. All of that, right, not your fault," said Aleeta, providing a little comfort so that the man felt better.
Aleeta stared at the man's face for a moment. Memories of what happened earlier danced in his mind. From the outside it was invisible because the man always wore loose-fitting clothes, but his chest and arms felt firm and muscular. He must have been exercising regularly.
"Ah, no. What was I thinking," Aleeta thought, waving her palms in front of her face in embarrassment.
Rendra who saw this immediately asked, "Do you feel hot? Is the AC not cold enough?"
Rendra had just reached out to adjust the coolant temperature in the car, when Aleeta held her finger.
"No need, Ryan. I'm not hot, really, just a little sleepy. So I waved my hand to get rid of the drowsiness," said Aleeta with an unreasonable reason. However, I hope that Rendra believes that ridiculous reason.
Rendra did not answer because he did not focus on Aleeta's explanation. His attention was instead focused on the woman's hand that gripped the tips of his fingers.
"Is that true?" asked Rendra casually. His eyes shifted to Aleeta's face for a moment, then looked back at his hands.
"Yes, of course. Why would I lie . . . ."
Aleeta immediately stopped her words when Rendra intertwined his fingers and held her hand. She was just about to withdraw her hand, but the man tightened his grip.
Rendra returned to focus on driving the vehicle with his right hand. Staring straight ahead after flashing a smile at Aleeta as if nothing had happened.
"Hm, Ryan... my hand." Aleeta said very quietly. At that moment, her heart seemed to be beating ten times faster than usual. To make the woman worried that her heart will be damaged if it continues like that.
"Yes, Aleeta. What about your hands?" Rendra raised his hand that was holding Aleeta's hand. "My hands and your hands are fine and seem to get along. See... aren't your hands in the right place now," said Rendra, showing a seductive smile and blinking mischievous eyes.
Aleeta was sure that now her face was as red as a tomato.