Sometimes, life hits us with a reality we never expected. Today, I’m finally decided to face that reality as I say goodbye to a connection that’s faded into silence. This is probably the last post I made about you. Yes, I still am dreaming about you. But, I know it’s just my subconscious talking. I don’t want to be someone who is delusional of believing something that was never real. I don’t want to be sound so pathetic of thinking about you constantly. Especially when I know I don’t have any reason to see you anymore.
I’m taking things as it is now. I won’t overthink as to why you never text or call me. You don’t want to have any kind of communications with me anymore. That’s the thought I have. It’s as simple as that. Because, if you wanted, you would. If you cared enough to know how I’ve been holding up, you would ask. But, if you cared, you’d be here, though. And you’re not.
Something has been keeping me awake every night. I wonder if I ever really mattered to you or if our time together was just a blip in your life. You talked about me giving you the safe space you needed, but it seems you preferred silence over talking and letting your ego won over the security of our connection. Was it a choice, or did someone else take my place? I can’t help but think about her – the one who said to me that she really tried to break free from you but kept coming back. She kept coming back and you couldn’t say no. I wonder if you’d do the same for me if one day I came back to you or if she holds a stronger grip on you.
Despite the overwhelming urge to reach out to you, I’m holding back. Damn, it’s really hard. Unlike her, I won’t try to contact you, even though the void you’ve left behind is a constant ache. Don’t you know how many times I wanted to call you just to ask you about technical things which is clearly your expertise but then I decided to find the answers myself. I switched my thoughts into the What Would You Do mode. Even though I know I’m far from what you can do because I know just a little. That’s how badly I wanted you to help me in every issue I encountered.
People around me ask about you, showing that beyond our now-faded connection, there are others who care about your well-being. It’s a reminder that life goes on, even when relationships come to an unexpected end.
Each day is a fresh challenge without you, and every passing moment brings forth memories of our time together. Deep down, I understand that even if I were to plead, you wouldn’t stay. And so, I’m embracing the painful process of letting go, finding closure in the profound silence that now defines the story of us.
Yet, in the middle of this farewell, a lingering hope persists – the hope that you might surprise me with that infectious smile at my doorstep. The smile I used to love. Your laughter, once a source of joy, could momentarily lift the burdens I carry. “But, darling, you are the only exception.” just like Paramore’s song. I find myself hoping for a second chance, willing to put in the hard work needed to mend whatever is broken, to keep us together.
I’d love to hear from you, about the things you’re into, just like before. You know, I’m very close to take a big step and say yes to an offer that could bring us closer again, hoping that my overall well-being will improve in the process. I even convinced myself to be ready to hit the gym with you, because I need someone to teach me how to use those equipments and also counting the reps I take. We’ll go to the gym and we’ll be that couple who gets healthier, happier and hotter together. That’s the goal. But, here I am finally decided to hit the gym next month… alone. Hehe.
In my heart, the hope remains for regular date nights – simple dinners from street vendors, no need for extravagance. I dream of making our plans a reality, of building a home together. However, in the middle of these aspirations, my reality intervenes – my menstrual cycle becomes irregular again, a reminder that certain battles I must face alone. It’s going to be ok.
A moment of realization washes over me; the idea that my physical well-being improved solely because of your presence was an illusion. As I come to terms with this, it becomes a guiding thought, a reminder that it’s time to let go of hope. I no longer wish to be ensnared by the dangers of hope, recognizing the importance of moving forward, even for someone who believes nobody wants her.
You know what is the toughest part? It’s breaking the news to my Mom and Dad. They went silent, as if they’re disappointed in me because I never introduced anyone to them. Once I did, I feel like I failed, especially since I know my parents liked you. It adds another layer of pain to this already challenging journey.
Lo pernah tanya ke gue pas awal bulan Februari kemarin, “Sejak kapan?” Gue tau maksud pertanyaan lo. Tapi waktu itu gue cuma jawab “Hah? Sejak kapan apa?” trus lo bales “Sejak dicolek ya?”. Mau ketawa, soalnya lo pakai kata-kata ‘dicolek’ padahal maksudnya pas lo nyolek gue pakai jari telunjuk ngajak kenalan di depan ruang meeting di mana kita bingung mau masuk apa gak soalnya tau di dalem udah rame. Gue jawab disini, ya. Gue gak tau sejak kapan, yang jelas bukan dari pas lo nyolek gue. Disitu mah gue masih biasa aja. Seketika berasa nyaman, aman dan tenang, iya. Gue gak tau perasaan saat itu gimana cuma lo tau gak itu rasanya kaya ada angin sejuk aja lewat. Yaa kaya adegan di FTV gitu lah. Tapi gak seketika itu juga gue suka sama lo.
Paling berasa pas gue ke Malaysia, padahal cuma berapa hari doang kan business trip nya. Tapi gue berasa jauuuhhh banget dari lo dan gue gak suka. Rasanya pengen cepet-cepet balik. Padahal Malaysia-Indonesia sejauh apa sih?? Entah lah. Hal yang sama gue rasain pas lo ke Australia. Kerjaan gue mantengain flightradar liat pesawat lo udah dimana, delay apa gak, take off sama landing jam berapa. Mungkin karena ngerasa udah gak ada di negara yang sama jadinya berasa jauh. Buktinya pas gue sekarang di Bandung dan lo di Jakarta ya biasa aja. Soalnya sama-sama di Indonesia HAHAHA.
Gimana kalau gue beneran lanjut S2 di UK ya? Ya gak gimana-gimana lah. Orang udah gak sama-sama lagi wk. Tapi gue agak lega sih soalnya gue inget lo pernah bilang “Ya gua ikut lah. Cari duit yang banyak dulu dah. Biaya S2 lu mahal ya.” First of all, gue terharu sih disitu. For the very first time, ada yang mendukung gue. Gue gak minta dibiayain ya kan gue bilang mau cari beasiswa. Yuk bisa yuk Chevening. Tapi lo bilang mau nemenin aja gue udah seneng banget. Katanya bisa lah pindah kerja ke cabang yang di UK wkwk ini lucu banget. Gue beneran bersyukur banget denger lo bilang gitu sampai gue berdoa dalam hati gue mau S2 dan lo harus ikut nemenin gue. Tapi udah gak mungkin sekarang wkwk. Naahh jadi lo gak usah cari duit banyak lagi buat biayain kuliah gue ya. Gue gak mau jadi beban. Makanya gue bilang gue lega. Eh tetep deh cari duit yang banyak buat lo biar bisa punya banyak koleksi mobil tua yang lucu-lucu itu. Atau biar bisa build your own server.
Intercultural Communication for Business and the Professions, University of Warwick. Gue catet disini ya. Masih belum berubah sih pilihannya dari pertama lulus S1 juga. Udah pernah gue share ke lo kan ya?
Jadi, kalau lo tanya lagi “Sejak kapan?”, yang jelas bukan kaya orang-orang bilang love at first sight whatsoever. Justru pas pertama kali denger suara lo, it was soooo familiar. Pertama ketemu lo gue berasa nervous system gue kaya jadi tenang banget. Jujur, degdegan nya cuma pas first date aja. Tangan gue dingin. Gue grogi banget jadi gue ngajak muter-muter sniffing parfum ke Sephora dan Maison Margiela. Karena gue tau parfum bikin gue tenang. Thank you yaa.. Gue sampai sekarang masih penasaran di kehidupan sebelumnya, kita ini apa ya? I don’t think we’re soulmates. More like twin flames, I believe. Because it’s an instant recognition and familiarity with high intensity.
Oh iya. Pas lo ke Bandung deh. Mulai dari situ. I really appreciate your effort karena gue pikir lo cuma bercanda aja. I told myself “Gak mungkin lah ke Bandung.” soalnya I made a promise to myself gak akan meruntuhkan tembok pertahanan kecuali kalau lo ke Bandung. Yaudah. Gue bisa apa?
Otak halu gue tuh makin menjadi pas lo nanya “Emang cincin Tiffany harganya berapaan?” soalnya gue pernah bilang Tiffany Setting is every girl’s dream for the engagement ring. Pas gue sebutin harga paling murah nya berapa, lo kaget HAHAHA yaiya gue juga kaget cincin semahal itu buat yang paling murahnya aja. Gue hampir pengen bilang “Gue gak butuh Tiffany tapi yang modelnya mirip aja bisa custom sendiri jauh lebih murah soalnya sebenernya gue suka sama modelnya simple trus karena kotaknya warna biru. Nanti deh kalau kita udah kaya raya di titik yang mau belanja udah gak liat harga, lo baru beliin gue Tiffany.” HAMPIR LHO NGOMONG GITU GUE SAMBIL MOTONG PICANHA. Tapi ya kan halu banget trus kepedean ya. Jadinya gue cuma jawab “Iya anjir cincin aja mahal banget.”. It was on our first date lupa banget pas lagi bahas apaan tiba-tiba bahas cincin. Dah lah emang halu banget anaknya. Kurang-kurangin dah halu nya. Yakali first date udah kepikiran dikasih cincin. Later on we found out kalau weton kita jodoh ketemu Tinari ya wkwkwkw kalau jadi bisa kaya raya kita bergelimangan harta~
Trus yang selalu bikin gue mikir Universe is on our side adalah, do you remember the first wine we had together? We had Shiraz. Back then kayanya gue gak sering nyebutin gue pengen nama anak gue Shiraz deh. Cuma sekali doang di kantor pas kita lagi ngobrol ngaco sama anak-anak trus bahas anak. Gue bilang gue pengen punya anak cowo namanya Shiraz. Itu udah lama banget ya kayanya Januari tahun lalu deh trus lo kan orangnya pelupa jadi gak mungkin inget setelah berbulan-bulan kemudian. Pas gue liat botolnya and it’s Shiraz I was like… Hi, Universe, what are you trying to do? Trus gue tanya ke lo kenapa pilih Shiraz and you said “Random aja.”. I don’t think it’s random. It’s the Universe hand’s picking for you. Ya bayangin aja of all the red wine types from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Lambrusco… you chose Shiraz??? Lucu sih. Lebih lucu lagi pas nanti Shiraz udah gede trus nanya kenapa namanya Shiraz and then we said ke anak kita kalau Shiraz is the first wine we had together. ANAK KITA GAK TUH WKWKWK MAKIN HALU DAH LAH CUKUP TIAAAAA HADEUHH!
They said, find someone to grow old with. But, it’s actually find someone to stay child with. Kalau diingat-ingat lagi, cuma sama lo gue bisa beneran jadi diri gue sendiri. Karokean di mobil meskipun tau suara jelek tapi lo ikutan nyanyi juga jadinya gue happy. Sama yang dulu-dulu, mau ada lagu kesukaan tiba-tiba keputer juga gue bakalan diem aja jaim. Masak sambil joget… itu biasanya gue lakuin pas lagi sendiri aja. I got to admit, I like me better when I’m with you.
By the wayyyyy tau gak sih? Masih ada 2 draft reels yang 1 the duty of passenger princess di mana gue nyuapin lo makan ketika lo nyetir dan yang 1 adalah you’re someone whom I manifested di mana video nya adalah ketika our sushi date gue ngerekam conversation seru kenapa lo selalu makan sesuatu plain dulu sebelum ditambah spices or sauce. Trus lo bilang “Makannya sambil liat gua makanya jadi manis.” Gue kasih nilai 100 deh ya buat kepercayaan diri lo. I was actually waiting for the day gue bisa post reels itu tapi akhirnya dari draft langsung pergi ke trash.
Selama sama lo, gue tutup akses semua orang yang dikit-dikit chat atau ngirim DM because I just didn’t have any interest in them at all ya buat apa? Entertaining the mediocre juga ngabisin energi kan. Tapi sekarang harusnya ketika gue udah sendiri lagi, gue buka akses buat orang lain ya biar gak kesepian aja. Kenyataannya gak gitu. Aksesnya malah ditutup makin rapat kaya pakai 2FA pokoknya mau masuk aja sulit. Gue beneran gak bisa bayangin gue sama orang lain selain lo. Kalau kata orang-orang, nanti juga bisa. Nanti juga ada yang datang lagi. Lah dari dulu yang datang juga banyak tapi pintunya kan gak dibuka wkwk ini dibuka cuma buat si Golden Retriever satu itu aja.
Hal yang paling menyedihkan dari semua ini adalah… I lost my best friend. Gue pernah bilang kan ke lo kalau gue gak punya temen sekarang soalnya temen-temen gue udah pada nikah dan punya anak jadi sibuk sama keluarga mereka sendiri. Temen gue yang single juga pada sibuk sama dunianya. Gue lebih sering sendiri sekarang dan temen gue lo doang. Makanya gue apa-apanya cerita ke lo. Sekarang gue sendiri lagi. Hehe. Gapapa. Gue cuma lagi balik lagi ke gue yang sebelum kenal lo aja. Gue udah jarang banget pegang hp kecuali buka Instagram atau kerjaan. Selebihnya, gue ngisi waktu dengan baca buku atau yaaa bingewatch FRIENDS meskipun nonton FRIENDS sama lo jauh lebih menyenangkan. Ya gitu-gitu aja rutinitasnya sih. Kerja. Oh sama olahraga juga. Working out helps me to keep sane.
Inget gak lo pernah bilang ke gue “Gua gak mau lu nyesel milih gua.”. Gak sih gue gak pernah nyesel. I chose you. Mungkin dengan orang-orang sebelumnya, gue lebih ke… “Yaudalah kalo emang sama dia gapapa deh.” terpaksa kan jadinya? Seakan yaudah aja gitu. Makanya gue gak pernah invested that much of my feelings. When I met you, I chose you dan yang ada di otak gue adalah “This is the person I want to spend the rest of my life with.” dengan yakin, tanpa ada sedikit pun keraguan dan sekarang pun gak ada penyesalan sama sekali.
Sempat kepikiran buat eksekusi rencana win you back. Because I can live without you, I just don’t want. Tapi gue tau hidup lo udah tenang sekarang tanpa gue. Kayanya selama ini emang lo doang yang berusaha bikin gue seneng tapi gue belum cukup untuk buat lo seneng. Mungkin kalau ada orang yang nanya tentang gue, lo bisa jawab pertanyaan-pertanyaan mereka sedangkan gue belum tentu. Kalau ditanya, apakah gue seneng selama sama lo? Gue seneng. Seneng banget malah. Makasi yaaa… Princess is happy. Padahal gue juga kepikiran kalau misalnya emang ada kesempatan kedua, gue mau naik pangkat lah dari Princess ke Queen HAHAHA apa sih. Trus anthem kita jadi Kali Kedua nya Raisa selain Lucky nya Jason Mraz ft. Colbie Caillat.
Udah, Tia. Udahan yuk halu nya.
To conclude this long post, I just want to say that I was in fact attracted by your potential, but I fell for who you really are. I saw you at your worst and still thought you were the best. I fell in love with my best friend and that was the best thing I ever had.
I love you even though I know you don’t believe in love and if you read this, you’ll laugh.