Langit was putting his shirt back on-the same one that had ended up on the floor. A part of him didn't want to go home, yet he couldn't bear the thought of leaving his mother alone in the apartment, possibly worrying about him even now.

The woman who had just made love with him sat on the bed, the blanket wrapped around her bare body. She watched the broad back of the man who had sent her soaring into bliss.

"El, why did you tattoo a star on your back?" she asked when she noticed the ink on his shoulder blade.

Langit glanced over his shoulder. He couldn't see it, but he knew exactly where it was.

"Because I like stars," he replied.

"Why?" she asked, curious.

Langit gave a faint, wry smile but chose not to answer her question.

"I have to go," he said once he had finished getting dressed.

"That's a shame. I still want to be with you. Maybe sleep together again, have a second round, or even a third," she teased lightly.

Langit turned and gave a small smile before saying, "I enjoy sex, but that doesn't mean I'll do it over and over again in one night."

His words struck his coworker sharply. He wasn't a sex addict who needed multiple rounds. He only did it to ease the exhaustion that weighed down his mind-to quiet the longing for a woman he could never have.

Langit drove toward his apartment. He had numerous missed calls from Joya, but he didn't call her back. He chose to go straight home so his mother wouldn't worry.

He had placed the star tattoo on his shoulder blade as a reminder that he couldn't see it himself. Just like his love-he held it in his heart, yet he couldn't truly see it anymore, hidden beneath irritation and bitterness from the past.

He tried to forget, yet he always carried it with him. His heart and mind were constantly at odds, and even now he didn't know what he truly wanted.

I keep trying to forget you, even hiding you deep within my heart. But why won't you leave? Do you intend to keep tormenting me with the hollow love you once spoke of?

**

Joya was frantic. It was already eleven at night, and Langit still hadn't come home. She was so worried she no longer knew where else to look for her son.

"El, where are you? Why are you stressing Mommy out?" Joya stared at the long list of outgoing calls to her son, none of which had been answered.

Then she heard the sound of the door opening. Joya hurried toward it, hoping it was indeed her son. And it was-Langit walked in and closed the door behind him, smiling when he saw his mother's anxious expression.

"Where were you? Why are you coming home at this hour?" Joya asked, her voice full of worry.

"Out with a friend, Mom," Langit replied casually.

He approached his mother and kissed her cheek with his usual sweet smile.

"El, are you drunk?" Joya asked when she smelled alcohol on his breath.

"I only had a little, Mom. If I were drunk, I wouldn't have made it home," he said lightly.

He took off his jacket and tie, then headed to the bathroom to wash away the remnants of his heated encounter.

Joya was at a loss for words. Langit's behavior and dismissive attitude toward her left her exhausted.

"You don't want Mommy here, do you, El?" she said as she watched him about to enter the bathroom.

Langit stopped walking, then turned toward her. Seeing her sad expression, he walked back to her. He couldn't stand seeing his mother look like that.

"Why would you say that, Mom?" he asked, standing before her, looking at her tear-filled eyes.

"Of course Mommy would say that. You come home late, you drink, you sleep around. You don't want to come home with me. Mommy feels like you're ignoring me, El. Mommy worries about you because I love you. But you don't care about Mommy. If one day you're here, and Mommy is gone-don't blame yourself."

Joya was truly frustrated. Her husband had also been a former playboy, but not like her son, who indulged in women carelessly. She no longer understood how heartbreak could turn her son into someone like this.

"Sometimes Mommy doesn't understand. You love so deeply, yet you don't fight for it-you ruin yourself instead. Doesn't that make you the same as her? You say you love her, but you give up just like that. You're being a coward, not like your daddy. He waited five years for Mommy, and even then he didn't become like this. He improved himself and proved to Mommy that he deserved her."

Joya was furious with her son, to the point where she began recounting the struggle her husband-Kenzo-had gone through to win her over. He had been a playboy who enjoyed changing girlfriends, but he never indulged in casual sex. And when he broke up with Joya, Kenzo changed himself for the better to prove he was worthy of her.

"Mommy is truly disappointed in you, El." Joya covered her lips with one hand, as though trying to hold back the sadness caused by her son's change.

Langit could clearly see the disappointment in his mother's eyes. He reached for her, trying to hug her, but she pushed him away, unwilling to accept his embrace. Langit didn't give up-he wrapped his arms around her from behind and rested his chin on the top of her head, which only reached the level of his arm.

"Mom, forgive me," Langit said, guilt weighing heavily on him as he saw the disappointment in Joya's eyes.

"Why are you apologizing to Mommy? Apologize to yourself-your behavior is damaging your own soul. Mommy misses the old you, El. The you who always thought positively and never crossed the line. Even when you got into trouble, Mommy could still accept it. But now? Mommy can't accept this. If you want to stay like this, then forget that you have a Mommy and Daddy." Joya was truly enraged this time, even to the point of threatening him. She tried to pry off the arms wrapped tightly around her, but she couldn't-Langit held her too firmly.

"Mom, don't say that. You know I love both of you," Langit pleaded, trying to soothe her disappointment.

"Love? What love? If you loved us, you wouldn't leave us like this. You stopped caring about us just because of one girl. If you want to keep being heartbroken, then go ahead-just forget you have us." Joya spoke sharply and pressingly. If soft words could not reach him, then she would use words as harsh as her own heart could bear.

"Mom ...." Langit didn't expect Joya to say something like that.

"What? It's fine if we no longer have you. Mommy and Daddy can still live together. We used to live just the two of us, and we can do it again. And anyway, Mommy doesn't only have you-I still have Cheryl. Mommy doesn't want a stubborn child who destroys himself and can't think about others. Mommy is disappointed and doesn't want to look at you anymore. Mommy wants to go back to Indonesia." Joya kept speaking painful words, though this was her last resort to reach him.

Langit tightened his embrace around her even more, bending down slightly and resting his head affectionately on her shoulder.

"Mommy wants me to come home?" Langit asked softly.

"No, what for? Trying to persuade you is like talking to a rock. Even if Mommy dies, it still won't get through to you," Joya replied sharply, still upset.

"Hush ... Mom, why do you keep talking about dying? That's bad luck," Langit said, almost laughing at how she was sulking.

"I don't care. Mommy doesn't care what you want anymore. Mommy is stressed from dealing with you!" Joya grumbled, trying to pull his arms off her and shaking her shoulder so he would stop leaning on her.

"Fine. I'll come home. But give me some time to take care of everything here before moving," Langit finally conceded. He just hated hearing his mother mention death to scare him. Or perhaps he was afraid it could happen while he wasn't by her side.

Joya stopped resisting. Then she glanced at Langit, who was still clinging adorably to her shoulder.

"You're really going home? You're not lying just to stop Mommy from being angry?" she asked again.

Langit nodded like a kindergarten kid who had just been scolded.

"I love Mommy. If you want me to come home, I'll come home. I'm sorry for making you angry. Don't be upset anymore-you won't look pretty," he teased lightly.

Joya couldn't help feeling exasperated at his joking tone. She pinched his sharp nose.

"You really know how to get to me, don't you?" she said, pinching harder.

"Mommy, that hurts!" Langit yelped, his nose turning red.

Joya let go of his nose and looked at her son, who had now released her and was rubbing the sore spot.

"Promise you'll come home with Mommy," she said once more, needing to hear it.

"I promise, Mom."

I'll come home-but I'm not sure I can face my past. What does she look like now? Is she still the same, or even more beautiful than I remembered? Bintang, why won't you truly disappear from me, so I can stop hoping to meet you ... and stop loving you again.

Eight Years Ago

"I want to break up."

Langit froze at Bintang's words. Why was she asking to end their relationship when everything between them had been fine?

"What's wrong? Why are you asking for a breakup? What did I do? Isn't our relationship perfectly fine? Don't joke around, Bin. This isn't funny." Langit assumed Bintang was teasing him the way she had before, when she pretended to break up only to ask him out again moments later.

"I really want to break up. I'm not joking, El." Bintang spoke with a serious expression. There was not a trace of hesitation when she said she wanted to end things with him.

Langit stared at her in silence, trying to judge whether she truly meant it or if she was simply trying to mess with him.

"Say it. Give me your reason for wanting to break up with me!" Langit demanded clarity. He refused to believe she genuinely wanted to end a relationship that had only lasted a few months-despite the fact that he had loved her for years.

"I'm bored. I'm bored of you, of this relationship. I can't continue it," Bintang replied. She didn't look sad or guilty at all when she decided to end what they had.

"That's it? That's the reason you're breaking up with me? Just because you're bored of me? What kind of joke is that, huh!" Langit truly could not accept such a reason.

"Yes, I'm bored. Besides, from the beginning, haven't you known that you were just a distraction for me? Come on, don't be so naive. We're young. Whatever we're feeling is nothing more than puppy love. We don't even know if we're meant to last. What we have is just a momentary thrill. There's no genuine love between us." Bintang tried to make him believe that her words were not a joke. She said them with full awareness and a decision made after long consideration.

They were talking beside the school building right after classes ended.

Langit still couldn't accept Bintang's decision. He clenched his fist and slammed it against the wall right beside her head.

Bintang flinched at his sudden action but tried to stay composed as she looked at Langit holding back his emotions. His stare was sharp, his eyes red as he fought to contain his anger.

"Say it! Tell me it's not true! Tell me you're just joking about breaking up, Bin!" Langit shouted, refusing to accept it.

He had worked so hard to win Bintang's heart. He had pursued her for years, and now, just when he finally had her, she wanted to leave. Langit simply couldn't accept it.

Bintang remained firm-no tears, no regret, no guilt. She held his gaze even with his face so close to hers. He looked like he was on the verge of exploding.

"It's true, El. I will still break up with you. Whether you want it or not. Agree or disagree. I will still end this relationship. We can stay friends, El. But not as lovers. I know we started dating because of fleeting feelings. Sooner or later, we'll get tired of each other. When that time comes, we'll still end up separated," Bintang said calmly.

Langit was furious, especially because it felt like she was belittling his love-love that had always been sincere, reserved only for her. He couldn't take it anymore and grabbed her nape, forcing their lips together in a deep, hard kiss.

Bintang gasped at his sudden action. At first she allowed it, stunned by his anger, but as Langit grew rougher, she pushed him away, struggling to break the kiss.

When she finally managed to free herself, she reflexively slapped him. The force surprised even her. Her heart pounded with fear-fear of his anger, fear of the hatred he might now harbor toward her.

Langit turned his face at the blow, then smirked bitterly, as if amused that she had the heart to hit him. He knew he was wrong for forcing that kiss, but he did it to see her reaction. Now he felt certain-Bintang no longer wanted him.

"You really want to throw me away?" Langit asked, his face full of disappointment.

"I just want to end our relationship," Bintang replied.

"You're throwing me away, Bin!" Langit screamed, his voice echoing.

Bintang shrank back slightly. It was the first time Langit had ever yelled at her.

"This is for your own good," she said calmly.

"For my good?" Langit scoffed. "You call this 'good'? Fine! If this is for your good, then so be it! Good for destroying my feelings!" he snapped, hitting his own chest.

Bintang stayed silent, watching him release his anger.

Langit still couldn't accept it. He slammed the wall again, making Bintang shut her eyes in shock.

"Remember this, Bin. Remember my words. You're the one destroying me. And you'll be responsible for whatever happens to me after this. You want to end our relationship? Then that means you want me gone. I'll grant your wish, Bintang. I'll grant it. But pray you never cross paths with me again. If that day ever comes, I swear I'll make sure you're the one who ends up shattered."