The Cousin She Thought Liked Someone Else

Rumi has a crush on Talon from her math class. They sit together most days. She likes his easy laugh and his silly jokes.

Rumi naksir Talon dari kelas matematikanya. Mereka duduk bersama hampir setiap hari. Ia suka tawa Talon yang santai dan lelucon-leluconnya yang konyol.

One afternoon, Rumi overhears Talon on the phone. "She is very funny," he says. "I really like spending time with her."

Suatu sore, Rumi tak sengaja mendengar Talon berbicara di telepon. "Dia lucu sekali," kata Talon. "Aku benar-benar senang menghabiskan waktu bersamanya."

Rumi feels sad right away. She thinks Talon likes another girl. She stops sitting next to him the next day.

Rumi langsung merasa sedih. Ia mengira Talon menyukai gadis lain. Keesokan harinya ia tidak lagi duduk di sebelah Talon.

Talon notices the empty seat right away. He sends her a short text. "Where did you go today?"

Talon langsung menyadari kursi yang kosong itu. Ia mengirim pesan singkat. "Kamu ke mana hari ini?"

Rumi does not answer at first. Then she writes back. "I heard you talk about a girl. I did not want to bother you."

Mula-mula Rumi tidak menjawab. Lalu ia membalas. "Aku mendengar kamu membicarakan seorang gadis. Aku tidak mau mengganggumu."

Talon reads the message twice. He calls her that evening. "That was my cousin Nova," he says. "She just moved to town."

Talon membaca pesan itu dua kali. Malam itu ia meneleponnya. "Itu sepupuku, Nova," katanya. "Dia baru pindah ke kota ini."

Rumi feels silly now. She was wrong about it. She laughs at her own mistake.

Sekarang Rumi merasa konyol. Ia salah paham. Ia menertawakan kesalahannya sendiri.

"I thought you liked someone else," she admits. Talon smiles through the phone. "I like someone else, actually. It's you."

"Kukira kamu suka orang lain," akunya. Talon tersenyum lewat telepon. "Sebenarnya memang aku suka orang lain. Kamu."

The next day, Rumi sits next to Talon again. He slides a note across the desk. "Movie this weekend?" it says.

Keesokan harinya, Rumi duduk di sebelah Talon lagi. Talon menyelipkan secarik catatan di atas meja. "Nonton film akhir pekan ini?" tulisnya.

Rumi writes back one word: "Yes." She circles it twice.

Rumi membalas dengan satu kata: "Mau." Ia melingkarinya dua kali.