Cinta di Atas Angin (Love in the Wind)

Taman kota itu tak pernah benar-benar ramai, tapi juga tak pernah sepenuhnya sepi. Selalu ada suara anak-anak bermain, tawa pasangan muda, dan tiupan angin sore yang lembut menyapu dedaunan.

Dan di salah satu bangku taman, di bawah pohon yang sama setiap hari Sabtu sore, Kevin Anderson duduk dengan buku di tangan. Ia tak pernah bicara pada siapa pun, tak pernah menoleh terlalu sering, hanya larut dalam dunia sunyi yang ia ciptakan sendiri.

Lalu datang Lily Marina, gadis dengan rambut diikat tinggi, sepatu sneakers warna-warni, dan suara yang lebih ceria dari burung-burung di taman itu.

“Hai!” sapanya cerah, langsung duduk di samping Kevin.

Kevin menoleh perlahan, kaku. “Hai.”

“Kamu sering di sini, ya?” lanjutnya.

Kevin mengangguk. “Tiap Sabtu.”

“Sendiri terus?”

Kevin mengangguk lagi.

Lily menyandarkan tubuhnya ke bangku, menarik napas panjang. “Anginnya enak, ya. Kayak bisa bawa pergi semua masalah hidup.”

Kevin menutup bukunya perlahan. Entah kenapa, kalimat itu tidak terasa asal. Ada kedalaman di balik suara ceria gadis itu.

Minggu-minggu berikutnya, Lily selalu datang. Ia bercerita tentang apapun mulai dari tentang drama Korea yang ia tonton semalam, tentang bosnya yang menyebalkan, atau tentang mimpinya jadi penyiar radio meski suaranya sering dibilang “terlalu berisik.”

Kevin mendengarkan. Kadang memberi komentar pendek. Kadang hanya mengangguk. Tapi yang jelas, ia tidak lagi membawa buku saat duduk di taman itu.

Lily tidak keberatan Kevin diam. Dan Kevin tidak keberatan Lily bicara. Mereka menjadi dua kutub yang anehnya tidak saling menolak.

Suatu sore, angin bertiup lebih kencang dari biasanya. Lily datang lebih lambat, dan kali ini, tanpa senyum lebarnya.

“Kev,” katanya lirih. “Hari ini terakhir aku ke sini.”

Kevin menoleh cepat. Jantungnya berdebar dan reaksi yang bahkan tidak ia sadari.

“Aku pindah. Ke luar kota. Dapat tawaran kerja yang lebih baik.”

“Oh,” jawab Kevin. Satu kata yang terdengar datar, tapi di dalamnya, hatinya goyah.

Lily tertawa kecil. “Kamu pasti senang kan, akhirnya bisa duduk sendiri lagi di taman ini.”

Kevin diam. Lalu untuk pertama kalinya, ia yang bicara duluan.

“Aku nggak mau sendiri lagi.”

Lily menatapnya. Mata cerianya berubah tenang, dalam.

“Aku tahu aku cerewet. Aku tahu kamu butuh ruang. Tapi... aku suka ruang kita yang ini.”

Kevin menarik napas dalam. Angin berembus pelan, seperti menunggu jawaban.

“Kalau kamu pergi,” lanjut Kevin, “bisa nggak... kita bawa ruang ini sama-sama? Biarpun jauh?”

Lily tersenyum. Senyum yang tak seceria biasanya tapi lebih hangat. Lebih tulus.

“Cinta di atas angin, ya?”

Kevin mengernyit.

“Cinta yang ringan, tapi nyampe. Kayak pesan yang diterbangkan pelan, tapi pasti.”

Kevin tersenyum kecil. “Kalau kamu bisa dengar, aku akan kirim tiap minggu.”

Mereka tidak berjanji akan bertemu lagi. Tapi mereka tahu, setiap Sabtu sore, di taman yang berbeda dan angin yang sama... mereka akan tetap saling ingat.

Karena cinta mereka bukan cinta yang berat, yang menuntut untuk selalu dekat. Tapi cinta yang lembut seperti angin yang cukup untuk membuat seseorang merasa hidup. 

[Bahasa Inggris]

That city park was never truly crowded, but never completely empty either.

There were always the sounds of children playing, the laughter of young couples, and the gentle breeze of the afternoon sweeping through the leaves.

And on one of the benches, beneath the same tree every Saturday afternoon, Kevin Anderson sat with a book in his hand. He never spoke to anyone, rarely looked around, just lost in the quiet world he had built for himself.

Then came Lily Marina a girl with a high ponytail, colorful sneakers, and a voice brighter than the birds in that park.

“Hi!” she greeted cheerfully, plopping down next to Kevin.

Kevin turned slowly, stiffly. “Hi.”

“You come here a lot, huh?” she continued.

Kevin nodded. “Every Saturday.”

“Always alone?”

Another nod.

Lily leaned back on the bench, inhaling deeply. “The wind feels nice, doesn’t it? Like it could blow all your problems away.”

Kevin slowly closed his book. For some reason, that sentence didn’t feel random. There was something deeper behind her cheerful tone.

In the weeks that followed, Lily kept showing up.

She talked about anything, Korean dramas she watched last night, her annoying boss, or her dream of becoming a radio host even though people often said her voice was “too loud.”

Kevin listened. Sometimes gave short comments. Sometimes just nodded. But one thing was certain, he no longer brought a book when he sat on that bench.

Lily didn’t mind Kevin being quiet. And Kevin didn’t mind Lily talking. They became two opposites that, oddly, never repelled each other.

One afternoon, the wind blew stronger than usual.

Lily came later than usual, and this time, without her usual bright smile.

“Kev,” she said softly. “Today’s my last time here.”

Kevin turned quickly. His heart skipped a reaction he didn’t even realize.

“I’m moving. Out of town. Got a better job offer.”

“Oh,” Kevin replied. One word that sounded flat, but inside, his heart trembled.

Lily let out a small laugh. “You must be happy, huh? Finally, you get to sit here alone again.”

Kevin was silent.

Then for the first time, he spoke first.

“I don’t want to be alone anymore.”

Lily looked at him. Her usually cheerful eyes turned calm. Deeper.

“I know I talk too much. I know you need your space. But... I like our space.”

Kevin took a deep breath. The wind seemed to pause, waiting for his reply.

“If you go,” he continued, “can we take this space with us? Even if we’re far apart?”

Lily smiled.

Not as brightly as usual, but warmer. More sincere.

“Love in the wind, huh?”

Kevin frowned slightly.

“A love that’s light, but reaches. Like a message carried slowly, but surely.”

Kevin gave a small smile. “If you can hear it, I’ll send it every week.”

They didn’t promise to meet again.

But they knew that every Saturday afternoon, in a different park, under the same wind…

they would still remember each other.

Because their love wasn’t the kind that clung or demanded closeness.

But a love as gentle as the wind, just enough to make someone feel alive.