Parangtritis beach.
Two young people sat on the sand, looking at the small waves crashing on the beach. The full moon was clearly visible above the sky. Gus Azzam and his girlfriend Salsa weren't the only visitors on the beach; many others seemed to be enjoying the beauty of the full moon.
"Salsa... I'm so happy because finally, I can be alone with you, darling..." Gus Azzam whispered softly, fixing the hair on both sides of Salsa's face.
"Don't just make false promises, Azzam... especially if you can't keep them." Instead of being happy to hear what her lover said, Salsa dismissed her lover's words.
"Believe me, dear... I will not betray you. "Isn't tonight proof that I left the woman I married alone and chose to spend tonight with you?" Gus Azzam tries to seduce his girlfriend.
Salsa was silent. She picked up a pebble beside her and threw it towards the water in front of her. Without the girl's knowledge, Gus Azzam suddenly kissed Salsa on the forehead. The girl was shocked, pulling her head away from Gus Azzam's face. Instead of apologizing, Gus Azzam smiled and looked into Salsa's eyes.
"What did you do to me, Azzam? Why did you kiss my forehead?" Salsa asked the man in a low voice.
"It's okay, isn't it? This is a sign of my seriousness, Salsa. Even with my wife, I don't do it because I feel disgusted when I get close to her. Only to you, Salsa, do I feel valuable and get reciprocity from you." While smiling, Gus Azzam tried to explain.
The girl was silent, and her heart was beating fast when she remembered what Azzam had just done to her. Slowly, the girl raised her palm towards her forehead and gently rubbed the spot where Azzam had given her a kiss.
"You feel it, Salsa... if everything feels beautiful and intoxicating," Gus Azzam gently asked the girl.
Seeing that his girlfriend was silent, Gus Azzam's hand suddenly grabbed the girl's chin. The two pairs of eyes looked at each other, and their hearts felt thunderous. Without realizing it, both of them seemed to be breathing hard, and suddenly, Gus Azzam's face came closer to the girl's. While holding her breath, Salsa looked at her lover, and suddenly, the man's lips drew closer to hers.
"Cup..." without realizing it, because Salsa closed her eyes, the girl felt supple lips kiss her lips.
For a moment, Salsa opened her eyes, and the man smiled at her, but he did not move his lips away from the girl's.
"Azz.." The man's lips were already on hers before the girl finished saying Azzam's name.
The two lips finally came together and kissed each other briefly. Salsa felt pleasure, with her heart beating hard, receiving a kiss on the lips that she had never done before. Under the moonlight, on the beach, the two of them did something they had never done before. The young couple seemed to be breathing hard...
"Salsa... don't know why suddenly I want something more dear." Suddenly, Gus Azzam whispered in Salsa's ear.
The girl was shocked and shifted to the side.
"Azzam... don't be impudent. If you dare abuse or do anything bad to me, I will scream for help." Knowing the direction of her lover's conversation, Salsa warned Azzam.
Seeing the girl's reaction, Azzam was shocked and realized that what he was doing was wrong.
"Understand me, Salsa, I didn't mean to do this to you. I'm sorry, Salsa, I made a mistake..." Azzam looked very sorry and tried to apologize to the girl.
Because of Azzam's loud voice, several people sitting near them were looking at them without them realizing it. However, Azzam didn't care because his current focus was on apologizing to the girl.
"This time, I forgive Azzam. But I still feel shame. We have to leave this place immediately because everyone is looking at us." Feeling uncomfortable being the center of attention, Salsa stood up and grabbed Azzam's hand to leave. Finally, the two young people hurriedly left the place under the crowd's gazes.
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When morning was almost approaching, it turned out that Gus Azzam had not returned to Ning Azzahra's apartment. The girl smiled wryly, confused about whether to be sad or happy. Ning Azzahra felt delighted because she did not interact with the man. Still remembering her family, the girl's heart became sad.
"Umi.., Abi.., I'm sorry, Zahra. Just carrying out the orders of you two, I can't make it happen yet." The girl talked to herself.
I can imagine Umi Camelia and Abi Ameer's faces in the shade when they are dealing with the students at the Islamic boarding school. They certainly hope that they will continue the generation of the Al Munawwir Islamic boarding school through their sons and daughters. However, Azzahra regrets not being able to realize that hope.
"Then... where was Gus Azzam last night? Umi and Abi at the Karohmah Islamic boarding school asked Gus Azzam to accompany me for a few days in this city. So, I'm sure that Gus will not return to boarding school. Then... did Gus Azzam spend the night with the woman I saw last night...?" Ning Azzahra's thoughts flashed everywhere.
Tears dripped from the corners of her eyes without the girl realizing it. For a few moments, Ning Azzahra suddenly burst into tears, feeling confused about what had happened to her. The girl felt why her life had to end like this: undergoing a marriage but lying to each other's family members.
"Is this marriage my destiny, O God? And I have to undergo a fake marriage like this according to the destiny that God has outlined for me..." Ning Azzahra lamented. Tears continued to flood his eyelids.
The girl held back her feelings for several days at the Karohmah Islamic boarding school. She tried to wait for a miracle, but everything seemed to be a dead end. Finally, in this room, Ning Azzahra could express all her heart without anyone knowing.
"Ring... ring..." Suddenly, the alarm he always set every night rang.
The girl stuttered and felt her heart sink, then looked at the wall clock attached to the wall of her room.
"Astaghfirullah... forgive me, O Allah. I have doubted your greatness and forgot to remember that there is wisdom that God will give me." Realizing her obligation to perform Tahajjud prayers every night, Ning Azzahra seemed to be awakened.
Suddenly, Ning Azzahra quickly got up and wiped her tears with a tissue on the table. Slowly, the girl got out of bed and hurriedly walked towards the bathroom. Not long after, using the faucet in front of the toilet, Ning Azzahra started taking ablution water. The girl's mind felt cold and calm as soon as the water wet her face. For a few moments, after finishing taking the ablution water, Ning Azzahra raised both hands up and was seen reading a prayer after performing the ablution.
"Thank you, O Allah, for the gifts and favors that God has given me... I will sincerely carry out the destiny God has outlined for me." The girl's lips whispered softly, then stepped forward to take the mukena and spread it on the floor.
After a while, the girl began to perform the Tahajjud prayer to interact with God, the Almighty Creator. Calm began to enter Ning Azzahra's heart and heart, thus strengthening her so that she would not despair.
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