Cinta di Batas Waktu (Love at The Edge of Time)

Jam dinding berdetak pelan di ruang tamu rumah tua itu. Di atas sofa, duduk dua orang muda dan terlihat seperti pasangan, tapi sebenarnya dua orang asing yang dipaksa menjadi dekat oleh kata "perjodohan".

Fiona Abigail, atau Fio, 25 tahun, seorang desainer interior perfeksionis yang tak suka perubahan mendadak. James Michael, 27 tahun, konsultan bisnis yang lebih suka logika daripada perasaan. Mereka dijodohkan oleh kedua orang tua mereka yang bersahabat lama.

“Bulan madu ke mana?” tanya sepupu Fio saat pesta pernikahan usai.

Fio menjawab sambil tertawa hambar, “Ke ruang tamu, saling diam selama tiga jam.”

Malam-malam pertama mereka dipenuhi keheningan canggung. Tak ada obrolan mesra, tak ada pelukan hangat. Hanya suara sendok menyentuh piring, dan TV yang menyala tanpa ada yang benar-benar menonton.

“Aku nggak akan ganggu hidupmu,” ujar James suatu malam. “Kamu tetap bisa kerja, jalan sama teman, apa pun. Aku cuma... ya, akan jadi partner legal kamu.”

Fio mengangguk. “Sama. Aku juga nggak butuh cinta dari kamu.”

Mereka membuat batas. Batas antara kamar dan ruang kerja. Batas antara basa-basi dan urusan pribadi. Batas agar tidak saling jatuh.

Namun, waktu punya caranya sendiri.

Pagi itu, Fio jatuh sakit. Demam tinggi membuatnya tak sanggup bangun dari tempat tidur. Ia tak berniat memberi tahu siapa pun termasuk James. Tapi saat membuka mata, ia menemukan semangkuk bubur hangat di meja, dan James sedang duduk di samping tempat tidurnya.

“Minum ini dulu,” katanya pelan, menyodorkan obat.

Fio menatapnya heran. “Kamu peduli?”

James tak menjawab. Ia hanya menyentuh kening Fio dengan punggung tangannya. “Kamu panas banget. Aku izin nggak ke kantor hari ini.”

Hari itu, batas pertama runtuh.

Hari-hari berikutnya, James mulai memasak sarapan. Bukan karena cinta, katanya, hanya supaya dapur tidak berdebu. Fio mulai membenahi ruang kerja James karena menurutnya “meja kamu terlalu berantakan buat orang waras.”

Mereka masih tidak bicara banyak, tapi keheningan mulai terasa berbeda. Tidak lagi canggung, melainkan hangat. Bahkan nyaman.

Suatu malam, listrik rumah padam. Lilin dinyalakan di meja makan. Dan entah mengapa, malam itu mereka bicara lebih lama daripada biasanya.

“Kamu tahu? Aku nggak pernah suka ide dijodohkan,” kata Fio sambil memainkan api lilin.

“Sama. Tapi sekarang aku pikir... mungkin ini bukan bencana,” jawab James.

Fio tersenyum. Untuk pertama kalinya, ia menyadari mata James berwarna cokelat tua yang tenang.

Namun, justru saat semuanya mulai membaik, kenyataan lain datang: James mendapat tawaran kerja di luar negeri, kontrak dua tahun. Kesempatan yang tak mungkin ditolak.

“Kamu harus pergi,” kata Fio suatu malam di balkon.

“Kamu nggak keberatan?”

“Aku... nggak mau jadi alasan kamu menyesal,” ujarnya, meski suaranya nyaris bergetar.

James menatapnya lama. “Kalau aku pergi... kamu akan tunggu aku?”

Fio diam. Ia tak menjawab. Tapi malam itu, untuk pertama kalinya, mereka saling berpelukan tanpa alasan yang dibuat-buat.

Dua tahun berlalu.

Fio kembali duduk sendirian di meja makan, lilin menyala seperti dulu. Rumah itu sepi, tapi kenangannya tidak.

Sampai pintu diketuk. Fio membuka dan James berdiri di sana, membawa koper dan bunga matahari.

“Aku pulang,” katanya pelan.

Fio menatapnya, masih terdiam.

James tersenyum kecil. “Kalau kamu masih belum butuh cinta dari aku, aku rela jadi teman serumah selamanya. Tapi... kalau kamu berubah pikiran...”

Fio menarik napas dalam, lalu memeluknya erat.

“Selamat datang di rumah, James,” bisiknya. “Aku sudah menunggumu... di batas waktu.”

[Bahasa Inggris]

The wall clock ticked softly in the living room of the old house. On the couch sat two young people who looked like a couple but in truth, they were strangers, forced into closeness by a single word: arranged marriage.

Fiona Abigail or Fio, 25 years old, an interior designer and a perfectionist who hated sudden changes.

James Michael, 27, a business consultant who preferred logic over emotion.

They were paired together by their long-time family friends now in-laws.

“Honeymoon plans?” asked Fio’s cousin after the wedding ceremony.

Fio chuckled dryly. “The living room. Three hours of silence.”

Their first nights were filled with awkward quiet. No sweet talk, no warm embraces. Only the sound of spoons clinking against plates and a TV playing shows that neither of them watched.

“I won’t interfere with your life,” James said one night. “You can keep working, hang out with your friends, do whatever. I’ll just... be your legal partner.”

Fio nodded. “Same. I don’t need love from you.”

They built walls.

Walls between their rooms and their workspaces.

Walls between small talk and real conversations.

Walls so they wouldn’t fall for each other.

But time had its own plans.

That morning, Fio fell ill. A high fever kept her in bed. She didn’t tell anyone not even James. But when she opened her eyes, she found a warm bowl of porridge on the table, and James sitting beside her.

“Take this first,” he said softly, handing her some medicine.

Fio stared at him in disbelief. “You care?”

James didn’t answer. He touched her forehead with the back of his hand. “You’re burning up. I’m skipping work today.”

That day, the first wall crumbled.

In the days that followed, James started making breakfast, not out of love, he claimed, but “to keep the kitchen from collecting dust.”

Fio began tidying James’ workspace, saying, “Your desk is too messy for a sane person.”

They still didn’t talk much, but the silence changed.

It wasn’t awkward anymore it became warm. Even comforting.

One night, the power went out.

They lit a candle on the dining table.

And somehow, that night, they talked more than they ever had.

“You know,” Fio said, toying with the candle flame, “I never liked the idea of being set up like this.”

“Same,” James replied. “But now I think... maybe it’s not a disaster.”

Fio smiled. For the first time, she noticed his calm, dark brown eyes.

But just when things were getting better, reality came knocking, James received a job offer abroad. A two-year contract. An opportunity too good to turn down.

“You should go,” Fio said one evening on the balcony.

“You don’t mind?”

“I... I don’t want to be the reason you regret anything,” she said, though her voice almost trembled.

James looked at her for a long time. “If I go… will you wait for me?”

Fio said nothing. But that night, for the first time, they held each other with no excuse.

Two years passed.

Fio once again sat alone at the dining table, a candle glowing just like before. The house was quiet, but the memories were not.

Until the door knocked.

Fio opened it. James stood there with a suitcase and a bouquet of sunflowers.

“I’m home,” he said softly.

Fio looked at him, still silent.

James gave a small smile. “If you still don’t need love from me, I’ll settle for being your lifelong housemate. But... if you’ve changed your mind…”

Fio took a deep breath and wrapped him in a tight hug.

“Welcome home, James,” she whispered. “I’ve been waiting for you... at the edge of time.”