"Will you marry me, Sherly?"
Amy's words echoed in her ear again.
...'You think you are happy with David?'...
...'Because you only see him as an tool to reach your goal. Not as a person who completes you. Do you understand sweety?"'...
Staring at Keith and feel very guilty, Sherly really wanted to considered again about their relationship.
Feeling that something wrong with Sherly, Keith pulled back the ring box that he was holding and closed it.
In the corner of the room someone continued to record the moment.
"Sherly? Are you all right?"
Sherly was still silent, her hand tightly holding their engagement ring. Gathering her courage to speak, she started staring at Keith.
"Keith... I.... I have a doubt about all of this..."
Keith couldn't hide his shocked face when he heard her answer.
Keith who wanted to hold her hand, couldn't reach it because Sherly immediately pulled away her hand.
"Sherly... Can you explain what happened?"
Trying to be as calm as possible he waited for Sherly's explanation.
"Keith... I am not sure about my feeling about us. For the past five years, I have always been convinced by my mother that my choice to be with you is the right choice. It's just that..."
Keith who was still trying to catch what Sherly said could only stare and couldn't say anything.
So for the past five years, Sherly has only obeyed her mother? Her affection is not true love?
"Sherly, so for five years you were forced to be with me?"
This time Sherli was surprised to hear Keith question.
"No.... My affection for you is not a lie. It's just that....."
The tear that flowed in her cheek made Sherly pause for a moment. Seeing Sherly crying, Keith feel very guilty.
"You can blame me but I... I'm not lying about my love. I just doubt whether it's love for a lover or just a sisterly love or even love for my friend. Keith you are an important person to me, I don't want to half-heartedly accept you."
Sherly's word again make Keith ask about the decision that he has taken.
Keith couldn't blame her because he knew that he is just the same with her. He still had a doubt too about his feeling.
"Keith? Please say something...."
Keith who hear Sherly pleading word who get more and more impatient finally speak a word.
"Sherly.... I'd be lying if I said I'm okay. You are someone who has always understood me. And for me you are someone who is important and I want to take care of you..."
Sherly's tear were still flowing. Keith immediatly wiped it away.
"You are a friend, sister and..."
Keith stopped when he was about to say 'the person he love'. Trying to remember when he ever said that to Sherly.
"The most important person to me. I will respect every decision that you take. I will support you."
Sherly relieved by his word.
"Keith sorry, I can't accept your proposal. I want to make sure about my feeling first. I want to cancel our engagement. I'm so sorry....."
Sherly take off her engagement ring, ready to hand it back to Keith.
"Sherly, at least keep this ring with you, maybe I still have a chance when you finished sort out your thought."
Sherly remained in her stance.
"I want us starting a new beginning without my mom's pressure, Keith. I want us to be friend again like we used to. For me this engagement thing and this lover relationship feel heavy."
Keith is still trying to restrain Sherly. For Keith the ring is a link between him and Sherly. If the ring returned to him then their relationship will really end.
It's true that Keith still has doubt in his heart. But that doesn't mean he should just let Sherly go. He want Sherly to be his choice. He wanted to try again to clear his doubt too.
"Sorry Keith, I want us to start our relationship again with being a friend."
Sherly left Keith without looking back. Keith was speechless this time. He reopened the ring box in front of him and just stared at it for a long time.
He just can't move his leg to catch her. Not because he didn't have the courage but his doubt still bugging him. Whether he let her go or hold her and fight her back.
He stared at Sherly's engagement ring. He take it and look closely to that simple ring. He remembered buy that ring with Sherly when Sherly said that she want to take next step to their relationship and want to open it to public.
"So basically you are the one who propose me and now you are the one who break the engagement...."
Then he took her ring put it at the box ring and place it again in his suit. Still remain silently watching the door that Sherly was left before.
The restaurant staff did not dare to ask him but there was one person who smiled satisfied with the incident.
"Good news for tomorrow."
Then he walked out from the restaurant and called someone.
"Thank you for the news, you never disappoint us. The news you share is always big news. Unfortunately you never gave your identity."
He was going to tell the detail of the incident he witnessed, but the receiver didn't want to hear it because she already knew what happened.
"Okay fine, thank for being our source of information all this time. Are you sure you really don't want a penny?"
Laughing at her answer, he wanted to end the call but from the other end of the phone still asked something.
"Oh well I think it will boost Sherly's popularity tomorrow. It will be good news for the media tomorrow."
Satisfied with the answer they finally ended their call.
In the other place Sherly's mom, Cintya look very satisfied with the news that she got a moment ago. The triumphant smile plastered at her pretty face.
"Sherly really accepted his proposal. Just like what I thought, she would never argue with her mother.
Cintya took her other phone and put the phone she used to call the reporter back into the drawer. This time she texted Sherly to confirm when she come home.
Surprised to see her reply, her mother let her do as her please tonight because she thought Sherly had obeyed her today.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Sherly go out ordering a taxi she didn't know where to go. She didn't want to go home and meet her mother. Before her mother could asking about here whereabout she said that she wanted to visit her old house.
She don't know what made it so easy for her mother to agree with her plan for staying one night there, because usually her mother would be very angry if she wanted to see her old house.
For her mother, that house is just a memory and must be left behind, but for Sherly there is a place where she wait for her father's arrival. So all this time she had hired someone to clean her old house regularly.
The driver who drove her didn't recognized Sherly, because she covered her face with a mask which she always carried with her just in case to hiding her face from her fans so they wouldn't recognized her.
While looking at the night street she tried to remember the last time she went out at night without her mom or Keith.
For all this time she never went out to party or just to walk at night. Her mother strictly limited her night out activity and always supervised her activities.
She thought of trying to go to a place that her mother had forbidden her to go. She asked the taxi driver to take her to a night club.
When she was working films with Barry, Sherly often received invitation to just celebrate the success of their films at the his club. Of course her mother refused.
"You have arrived."
Her thought were interrupted when the taxi driver inform her that they have arrived at their destination. She got out of the taxi and immediately entered the club.
Less than 15 minutes she was inside, she couldn't stand it and got out from there. Back to thinking that his mother was always right. Sherly is getting frustrated.
She was ready to call a taxi to go to her old house but stopped when she saw a cafe near the club which was in stark contrast to the club she had just entered.
Her hunger stomach made her curious about the cafe menu. At dinner that night she did not have time to eat in peace.
Without a second thought she immediately entered the cafe. There are not many visitor came because it seem that it was close to closing time.
After choosing a seat at the end of the cafe which is a bit far from the crowded place. Sherly looked at the menu on the table without realizing that someone had approached her.
"What would you like to order.... Miss Sherly?"
Surprised that someone called her name spontaneously she looked up. In front of her stood a young man who seem to be at her age or maybe younger smiling at her warmly.