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"Months?" Taufan echoed, disbelief lacing his voice. "You really think he's been hiding a relationship for 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘴?"
Gempa shrugged, a flicker of uncertainty crossing his face. "I don't know what to think. It's just... the evidence is mounting. He's been spending more time out of the house; he's been… happier, somehow. And then there's the perfume I smelled on his jacket the other day. It definitely wasn't mine, or any of yours."
Blaze snorted. "Perfume? That could be anything! Maybe he bumped into someone wearing it. Or maybe it's laundry detergent. You're overthinking this, Gem."
"I'm not overthinking it," Gempa retorted, his voice rising slightly. "I'm just observing. And the more I observe, the more I think he's hiding something. And second, I do the laundry around here, Blaze. I would know if it's from the detergent."
Blaze shrunk back sheepishly. "Hehe...right - sorry, Gem."
Ais, who had been silent until now, spoke up. "He's been acting weird, though. More secretive, definitely. And he's been taking calls in his room with the door closed, which he 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 does."
Taufan paced back and forth, running a hand through his hair. "Okay, okay, let's not jump to conclusions. We need more evidence. We need… a plan."
"A plan to do what?" Blaze asked, throwing his hands up in the air. "Spy on him? That's just creepy."
"It's not spying," Taufan protested. "It's… research. We're gathering data. For the sake of family harmony!"
"Family harmony...?" Ais interjected. "Right. So, basically, we're spying."
"That's not what I—"
"Look," Gempa sighed. "I don't want to pry into his personal life any more than you do, but… if he 𝘪𝘴 dating someone, I think we deserve to know. He's our brother. He should be able to trust us."
A thoughtful silence fell over the group. They all knew that Halilintar was the most private of the brothers, the one who kept his feelings closest to his chest. The idea of him having a serious relationship without telling them felt… unsettling.
"Actually," a quiet voice interjected. All eyes turned to Solar, who was leaning against the doorway, a thoughtful expression on his face. "I might have… noticed something."
"Solar!?" Blaze exclaimed. "You knew something and didn't tell us?"
Solar shrugged slightly, pushing his glasses up his nose. "I wasn't sure if it was anything significant. But… I've seen him go to meet someone a few times recently. At a café downtown."
"Did you see who it was?" Taufan asked, his voice laced with curiosity.
"Were they close?" Duri added, his curiosity he couldn't contain anymore. "Did they hold hands? Laugh? Feed each other food?"
"Duri, please stop. I don't want mental pictures of Abang Hali like that," Ais shuddered. "It's better if he stays as the grumpy Abang who hisses at the sight of affection."
"You're one to talk," Taufan teased. "At least he gets out and socializes every now and then. You, on the other hand, are always cooped up in your room."
"Well...," Solar said, a hint of awkwardness in his voice. "I didn't want to jump to conclusions, but… it did seem a little more than friendly."
"𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴!?" Blaze gasped, his eyes widening. "That's it! He's 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 dating someone!"
Duri, who had been listening, spoke up, his voice filled with concern. "Are you sure he's happy about it? He hasn't seemed… himself lately. Maybe he's keeping this a secret because he's worried about what we'd think."
Gempa placed a reassuring hand on Duri's shoulder. "We won't judge him, Duri. We just want him to be happy. But we also want him to know that he can trust us."
"Okay," Gempa said finally, a determined glint in his eyes. "Here's the plan…" He then went on to assign tasks as before, but with the added information from Solar, their "research" took on a new urgency. They now had a lead, a starting point. And Duri's concern for Halilintar's well-being added another layer of motivation to their mission.
Operation Love Strike officially begins...