Jarak dan Waktu Yang Ditempuh (The Distance and Time We Crossed)

Musim gugur di Buckingham Palace selalu punya cara sendiri untuk membuat orang jatuh cinta.

Daun-daun berwarna oranye dan merah berguguran, udara terasa dingin namun menenangkan, dan langit London tampak lebih sendu dari biasanya.

Di antara keramaian wisatawan, berdiri seorang gadis asal Indonesia—Ariana Miranda.

Ia memeluk mantelnya lebih erat, matanya sibuk mengabadikan pemandangan dengan ponselnya. Ini adalah pertama kalinya ia menginjakkan kaki di Inggris, sesuatu yang sudah lama ia impikan.

“Akhirnya…” gumamnya pelan sambil tersenyum.

Namun saat ia melangkah mundur untuk mengambil foto, tanpa sengaja ia menabrak seseorang.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” katanya spontan.

“It’s alright,” jawab suara pria yang tenang.

Ariana menoleh.

Seorang pria berdiri di hadapannya—tinggi, rapi, dengan mata yang hangat meski wajahnya terlihat sedikit terkejut.

“I wasn’t looking,” Ariana menambahkan, sedikit malu.

The man smiled. “Neither was I.”

Mereka tertawa kecil.

“I’m George Harrison,” katanya sambil mengulurkan tangan.

“Ariana Miranda.”

Itu pertemuan pertama mereka.

Singkat, sederhana, dan tanpa rencana.

Namun entah kenapa, George menawarkan sesuatu yang tak biasa.

“Since it’s your first time here… do you want me to show you around?”

Ariana ragu sejenak. Tapi ada ketulusan dalam cara George berbicara.

“Okay,” jawabnya akhirnya.

Hari itu berubah menjadi awal dari banyak hari lainnya.

George membawa Ariana berkeliling London menyusuri taman, menikmati kopi hangat di kafe kecil, hingga berjalan di jalanan yang dipenuhi daun musim gugur.

Ariana yang ceria membuat George tertawa lebih sering dari biasanya.

Sementara George yang tenang membuat Ariana merasa aman di tempat yang asing.

Namun waktu tidak pernah benar-benar berhenti.

Hari kepulangan Ariana semakin dekat.

Di depan Buckingham Palace, di tempat mereka pertama kali bertemu, mereka kembali berdiri berdampingan.

“Aku harus pulang besok,” kata Ariana pelan.

George menatapnya. “I know.”

Hening sejenak.

“Indonesia dan Inggris… jauh ya,” Ariana mencoba tersenyum.

George mengangguk, tapi tidak menjawab.

Lalu ia berkata,

“Distance is real. But so is what I feel.”

Ariana menatapnya, jantungnya berdebar.

“Kita coba?” tanya George.

Ariana tersenyum, kali ini tanpa ragu.

“Kita coba.”

Dan sejak hari itu, mereka menjalani hubungan yang tidak mudah.

Perbedaan waktu, jarak ribuan kilometer, rindu yang tidak bisa langsung terobati.

Namun setiap pesan, setiap panggilan video, setiap rencana kecil untuk bertemu lagi—semuanya menjadi alasan untuk bertahan.

Karena bagi Ariana dan George, cinta bukan tentang seberapa dekat jaraknya.

Melainkan seberapa jauh mereka mau melangkah untuk satu sama lain.

Dan di antara Indonesia dan Inggris, di antara jarak dan waktu yang ditempuh dan cinta mereka tetap menemukan jalan.

[Bahasa Inggris]

Autumn in Buckingham Palace has its own way of making people fall in love.

The orange and red leaves drift slowly to the ground, the air is crisp and cool, and the London sky feels softer, almost melancholic.

Among the crowd of tourists stood a girl from Indonesia—Ariana Miranda.

She wrapped her coat tighter, her eyes busy capturing the view on her phone. It was her first time in England, something she had dreamed about for years.

“Finally…” she whispered with a small smile.

But as she stepped back to take a photo, she accidentally bumped into someone.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” she said quickly.

“It’s alright,” a calm voice replied.

Ariana turned.

A man stood in front of her—tall, well-dressed, with warm eyes and a composed presence.

“I wasn’t looking,” Ariana added, slightly embarrassed.

The man smiled. “Neither was I.”

They both laughed softly.

“I’m George Harrison,” he said, offering his hand.

“Ariana Miranda.”

That was how they met.

Simple. Unexpected.

But somehow, it didn’t feel ordinary.

“Since it’s your first time here… would you like me to show you around?” George asked.

Ariana hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

“Okay.”

That day became the beginning of many others.

George showed her around London—quiet parks, small cafés with warm drinks, and streets covered in autumn leaves.

Ariana’s cheerful energy made George laugh more than he usually did.

And George’s calm presence made Ariana feel safe in a place that once felt unfamiliar.

But time never stops.

The day Ariana had to return home came too soon.

Once again, they stood in front of Buckingham Palace—the place where everything began.

“I’m leaving tomorrow,” Ariana said softly.

George looked at her. “I know.”

There was a quiet pause between them.

“Indonesia and England… that’s really far,” Ariana said, trying to smile.

George nodded, then spoke gently,

“Distance is real. But so is what I feel.”

Ariana’s heart skipped a beat.

“Should we try?” George asked.

This time, Ariana didn’t hesitate.

“We’ll try.”

And from that moment, they began a relationship that wasn’t easy.

Different time zones.

Thousands of miles apart.

A longing that couldn’t always be answered right away.

But every message, every video call, every small plan to meet again became a reason to hold on.

Because for Ariana and George, love was never about how close they were.

It was about how far they were willing to go for each other.

And between Indonesia and England, between distance and time—their love still found its way.