The journey back to Indonesia took around 17 hours, with them having to stay over for a while in Dubai for at least five hours before another plane brought them back home. Well, Dubai Airport was one of the best in the world, so at least they could enjoy their time there, not having to grumble about the transit here.
They were also so fortunate here, as their plane landed quite late at night. It should be said that it was earlier in the morning, as their clock showed 1 past 15 already. At this time, at least, no reporter was willing enough to wait for their arrival at the airport, opting to sleep and wait until the next morning first to do that.
Once they landed back in the country, Bagas started to act quickly, making so many calls within the next three minutes. He tried to make sure that everyone could go home directly, even calling Laysa's father here to ask whether he could pick up his daughter or not. The boy also ordered a few taxis for Sheva's students who had to stay at the hotel since they were not citizens of Jakarta, and for Dita Karenza, who didn't have anyone to pick her up.
Of course, Sheva was not included on this list. He was Bagas's best friend, so he would always have a room back in the boy's car. It wasn't like he was being pretentious right now, but Bagas would always be offended if he tried to go back alone.
"Why are you acting like we are distant friends or shit like that?! I have made a promise to Aunty to take care of you, and it also includes bringing you back home safe! So, shut your fucking mouth and get inside the car, you idiot!"
Even though Sheva didn't approve of the crass language here, he still accepted the kindness, especially when Bagas forced it upon him right now.
He arrived straight at 3 in the morning, and his home was still dark; the sound of his mother's light snoring could be heard from her room. Sheva didn't dare to wake her up, just walking on his tiptoes until he arrived back at his room.
The moment he smelt his pillow, though, it was as if a hypnotizer was put there, bringing up all the exhaustion in his body to the peak. Sheva himself didn't fight it, just allowing whatever affected his mind right now to kill his state.
The last thing he remembered, though, was him shutting his eyes with a big smile, muttering, "Ah… Home sweet home…" Before he lost consciousness, he was dragged into the dreamland.
-0-
"Urgh… Who the fuck is making a call this early?"
It was the next morning, and much to Sheva's surprise, it wasn't his mother who woke him up. No, if anything, it was the call from an unknown number that forced his consciousness to go back to his body right now, as he was grumbling grumpily while accepting the call.
"Yeah… Hello…" He greeted, his voice still raspy from sleep.
"Ah, are you Adrian Sheva?! I am xxx from the online media yyy, and I am here to ask…"
Sheva didn't even blink, pressing the end button to finish the call abruptly. However, in the next few seconds, another call came, and it was from a different series of numbers. The third one also arrived next, and so on.
This made him blink, forcing him to be fully awake. However, since he himself still didn't know what was going on, the boy decided to shut the phone down, going to the living room to greet his mother first.
"Good morning…" He spoke while also taking a big glass of water.
"Oh, so our superstar is back?" His mother just took a quick glance at him before getting busy in the kitchen. However, Sheva could see a glimpse of a smile on her face. "So, how is it going? You win whatever you were doing there?" She asked, trying to look like she didn't catch up with the news.
Sheva paused for a second, his expression so stiff. However, this changed immediately as he realized that it was his mother whom he was talking to, as the boy didn't hide anything from her.
"I won one, and I also withdrew from the other." He spoke truthfully. "I don't know, but when I was in Sweden, I got completely overwhelmed by everything. Bagas made a quick decision for me, and in the end, I put my name out of that tournament."
His mother stopped for a moment, looking at him carefully. When she saw that there was no hint of stress on her expression, she let out a small, relieved sigh.
"That boy… I have to bring him something nice when he is here again…" She muttered.
Well, Sheva knew that she meant Bagas when his mother said that, and he completely agreed with this. After all, his best friend had been doing so much in his three weeks of trip in Sweden and Switzerland, and honestly, Sheva knew that without Bagas there, no matter how good his system was, he would never be able to survive this long.
For now, though, he didn't want to think of anything else, especially since his mother had so many foods on the table, and the boy recognized most of them as his favorites. From Soto to Satay, the vast variation of foods there was enough to make him droll, and everything here was made by his own mother.
If there was one thing Sheva knew about her, it would be that she took pride in her cooking, so this was guaranteed to be a hit.
"Hmmm! This is the taste!" The boy squirmed in delight as he took the first spoon. "Damn, I almost forgot this taste! I have been surviving the last three weeks either from the fast food or the Chinese food, but I swear, nothing beats your cooking, Mom!"
"Oh, you and your sweet mouth!" His mother slapped his shoulder playfully. However, it was clear that she was pleased by the praise. "Well, add more! I swear, you lost your weight after just that short trip!"
Well, Sheva didn't need to be told twice, as he put more rice on his plate. However, he couldn't enjoy it for too long, especially since Bagas suddenly arrived with his usual motorcycle.
"Sorry for barging in, Aunty, but Sheva is needed for a little interview right now."
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