Chapter 3 YEARS LONG PLAYDATE

"Wife!"

It's been two years since Jamillah started to act the role of wife for Agni. The couple enjoyed their days inside the isolated cabin located in the depths of Rosmerta Forest and just recently, Jamillah gave birth to a son that is now six months old.

They were living happily together with Jheon, their son, whom both of them loved very much.

Jamillah welcomed Agni with Jheon in her arms. She gave him a towel to wipe out the sweat he had after hunting down their food for the day and chopping some firewoods.

"I'll be going down to the town tomorrow," Agni informed him. "I want to make Jheon a little playhouse so I need to buy some nails and hinges." After that, he took off his shirt and changed into a dried one to carry his son. "Don't worry too much. I'll be back before you know it." He took Jheon from Jamillah and kissed the child that's giggling in his arms and pecked at his wife's lips.

One thing Agni learned about his wife is that Jamillah is a huge worrywart. She's always anxious every time Jheon or him is not in front of her for too long. She even went after him when one time, a downpour happened during one of his town trips and he decided to stay for the night inside an inn. That's before she got pregnant with Jheon because when both of them confirmed Jheon's existence, they became extra careful on everything they do and to avoid his wife going after him again, Agni always does his best to come back home on time.

"Is there something that you want? I'll buy it for you tomorrow."

Jamillah pushed Agni aside and started putting the woods that he chopped on top of the fireplace to store it for the upcoming winter.

"Just buy something for Jheon."

"Is it?" Agni started again. "Don't you have any wishes aside from my body and spending the night together?"

Jamillah closed her eyes. Until now, she can't get used to Agni's way of talking.

"You're blushing," he commented when he saw Jamillah's ears turn rose in color. He bit it lightly and laughed as Jamillah held her annoyance. "Mama only wants Papa, right?," he even asked the innocent kid in a childish way.

Jheon laughed and tried to reach his papa's face, kicking on his stomach at the same time.

After organizing their firewood, Jamillah followed her husband to the fireplace and burned two more woods to intensify the fire. "The chilly air is getting colder every day, we need to prepare thicker clothes for Jheon," she said as she watched the wood burn and crackle on the fire.

"Let's do that." He catches his wife's hand and pulls her to his other side. He kissed her in the forehead and let his hand slide on the silkiness of her hair. It's a complete bliss for him. He has a wife on his right and a wonderful son on his left, a burning fireplace, warm food waiting for him everyday and a garden full of medicinal herbs. There's no war, no people wailing for help, no sharp swords that are clanging on each other, ending the life of someone. He pulled Jamillah closer to him as the view of a bloody warzone came to his mind once again. Although he's been staying with her for two years now, the image of war is etched on him like a scar that can't be removed.

"Ah...pa?" Agni looked at his son that's playing with his fingers. He smiled and kissed him too on top of his head.

"Why are you always kissing us?"

"I'm just happy," he reasoned out to his wife. A half-truth and half-lie. Despite being safe inside Romerta Forest for a long time, he can't help but think of the worst things that might come. Thinking that, one day, someone will snatch these two persons from him is driving him crazy already, what more if it really happened and just like his comrade's family, they became collateral damages from war. Even though Jamillah is an archmage, he's not sure if she'll use her ability in front of other people because until now, she's hiding this fact from him, always acting like she's nothing but a herbalist. And there's also Jheon to worry about. Their defenseless child that hasn't seen the vastness of the world yet.

"Are you hungry? I can prepare dinner now so we can sleep early."

Agni nodded and so, Jamillah stood up from her seat. He, too, moved the child to his legs so he can play with him more.

"Do you want some juice or tea?"

"Can you prepare some warm lime juice for me?" He said and smiled at her. That reminds him of the first time she asked him between the juice and tea.

After Jamillah finished preparing the dinner table, she took Jheon from Agni and sat on the chair that her husband pulled out for her. She gently blew on the soup she prepared separately for the little man and fed him with his own teaspoon.

On the other hand, Agni just sat in his place and watched them with tenderness in his eyes, resting his chin on his knuckles. What a perfect scene, he thought. Maybe they can add one or two more and the dinner table will be even lovelier.

"Don't stare at me, else your food will become cold," Jamillah scolded him.

"So is yours." Thinking of something mischievous, he tore a little meat from his portion and placed it on top of his rice just like how Jamillah does it when she's eating. He also blew at the spoon a little to decrease the hotness of the food and called for his wife. "Wife... Say ah," he said, imitating how she made Jheon eat his meals.

Surprisingly, Jamillah cooperated on his whim and ate from his spoon without any other words of protest. Before, even though she'll end up doing what he wishes, she'll still express a little protest against him. Pleased that his wife was so indulgent that night, he continued feeding her and eating on his own at the same time, sharing a single spoon until they finished the food on the table.

After that sumptuous dinner, Jamillah prepared to put Jheon into sleep and tucked him in his own crib after cleaning his body for a refreshed feeling. The sleepy child immediately fell into deep sleep after a round of lullaby and gentle taps on his legs. She's preparing the milk for the night in case the child wakes up in the middle of the night when Agni encircles his arms on her waist.

"Wife, you really don't want anything for tomorrow?," he asked her again. "Ask away anything you want and I'll give it to you."

"I answered this already, right? If you want to give something to me, then use it to buy more gifts for Jheon."

Agni clicked his tongue. "I know what I want to give to Jheon and I am providing all of it. What I want is to know if you want something."

Jamillah took Agni's arms off her body and placed the warm milk beside Jheon's bed. She slid on their own bed and covered herself with another layer of blanket. She hated it when Agni's acting was all sweet to her. She gets it that he's attentive as a husband but him being clingy means something wrong is going on inside his imagination. To set things straight, she is not even his real wife. Agni's wife is out there, somewhere, maybe freezing from cold, maybe enjoying a warm cocoa beside a fireplace, waiting for Agni to return. Her conscience is weighing her down that she can't bring herself to wish for more from him.

"Wife..." Agni called to her as he lay down beside her. "Is there something wrong?"

There is! You have a different wife to come back to!

Instead of answering, Jamillah buried her face deeper in the corner where the wall and the bed meets but Agni just cuddled her and whispered behind her ears. "Wife?"

"Don't call me wife, Agni. I have a name. It's Jamillah."

Agni was taken aback by Jamillah's sudden refusal to him. It's not the first time Jamillah told him not to call her his wife but it's been a long time since the last time it happened and he's now taking it as her silent agreement that she's his wife. "Wife-"

"Jamillah. It's Jamillah."

Frustrated, Agni broke the hug and quietly faced the roof. "Let's talk about this tomorrow. Just sleep for now. Yeah... Let's sleep," he said as he sighed.

Jamillah's tears rolled down on her cheeks. She knows so well that when his memories come back, he'll return to his original wife and there will be nothing left for her. Even Jheon. She's afraid that when he leave, he will take Jheon away with him, completely kicking out an outsider like her.

Agni felt Jamillah's trembling shoulders and heard his small sobs that she's biting down on her pillow. He wants to comfort her but it seems like a thin wall is present between him and her. Not a physical barrier but an emotional gap that can't be filled by the words of comfort and it's deeper than what he imagined.