8:20 p.m.
At that moment, in one of the quiet houses in London, there were three people in three different places.
Kyla was sleeping deeply on the sofa after eating chicken porridge and watching soap operas for six hours.
Kirana was sitting on the small sofa after coming home from her office in London, taking a shower, and making warm tea.
And Nata was standing outside the gate after coming home from the internet café, carrying fried snacks and wondering whether he should go inside or not.
And Kyla’s favorite chocolate almond Magnum ice cream was still in the freezer, still half melted, waiting for Kyla to wake up.
In the living room, the TV had changed from Gen Z Romance to the evening news.
The news presenter’s voice saying, “Extreme weather...” played in the background.
Kirana, who had been sitting on the small sofa, had been watching the shadow outside the gate through the glass window for a while. That old gray bicycle.
Kirana knew it very well. The kickstand was bent and had to be propped up with a rock.
Kirana slowly stood up. She was still wearing her favorite short sage-green satin pajamas, with a white towel wrapped around her head. Her hair was still wet, with droplets falling from the ends. Her face was completely bare, without makeup.
Kirana slowly opened the door.
Creak...
Nata, who was standing outside the gate, nearly jumped out of his skin. He immediately stood straight and hid the black Indomaret plastic bag behind his back, afraid Kirana would see it.
Kirana unlocked the gate.
Click.
She opened it halfway.
“Nata, right? Come inside, Ta. Don’t stay outside. It’s cold, and the neighbors might see you.” Kirana’s voice wasn’t cold like it had been before when she called his bicycle old or called him a poor kid. Her voice was tired and soft. Like a real older sister.
Nata stared blankly for three seconds, unable to believe Kirana was actually telling him to come inside. He slowly wheeled his gray bicycle in.
Creak-creak-creak.
Very quietly so it wouldn’t make too much noise. He parked it beside Kirana’s car, whose engine was still warm.
“Sorry, Sis. My bicycle is noisy,” Nata whispered.
“It’s okay. Just put it there. Use a rock to keep it from falling,” Kirana replied, looking at Nata’s broken right Swallow sandal.
They sat on the terrace first.
Neither of them dared to enter the living room because Kyla was still asleep.
There were two carved wooden chairs and a small table on the terrace.
The two cups of warm tea Kirana had made at 7:02 p.m. were still on the living room table, although they had already gone slightly cold.
Kirana continued drinking her tea.
Nata sat stiffly, his back straight, the black plastic bag resting on his lap. He didn’t dare put it on the floor because he was afraid it would get dirty.
“You just got off work?” Kirana asked softly. She called him lo instead of kamu, trying to make things feel less formal.
Nata nodded. “Yeah, Sis. Since 8 this morning. Day shift at the internet café near campus. The one with the five computers.”
“Not tired?”
“Tired, Sis. But it helps pay for my boarding house,” Nata answered honestly, his voice quiet.
Kirana fell silent. She looked into the living room.
Kyla was still asleep on the brown sofa, lying on her right side. The brown blanket had fallen halfway onto the floor. She was softly snoring.
Snore... snore...
She was still wearing her white cropped shirt and gray shorts above the knees, with one leg hanging onto the floor.
“Kyla was alone at home all day. She ate the porridge I made this morning, then fell asleep around twelve-thirty and hasn’t woken up since. Seven hours,” Kirana said. It sounded more like she was talking to a friend than interrogating him.
“I worked at the office in London, you worked at the internet café, Ara had class, so she was alone. She watched Gen Z Romance until she fell asleep.”
Nata looked at Kyla from the terrace. His eyes became slightly teary. “Poor thing, Sis... I texted her this morning and told her I couldn’t come because I had a day shift. I was afraid she’d think I was ignoring her.”
Kirana slowly nodded. She understood. “I also could only leave her some porridge and a sticky note saying, ‘Eat first.’ I was afraid she wouldn’t eat.”
Five seconds of silence passed. Only the sound of the news on TV and the crickets outside filled the air.
Then Kirana’s phone suddenly rang loudly.
Beep beep beep beep.
A WhatsApp call. The phone vibrated on the table. The name on the screen was:
Ms. Sinta — Office Friend. Her profile picture showed Ms. Sinta wearing the office batik shirt.
Kirana answered. The speaker was loud enough for Nata to hear.
“Hello, Ma’am? Yeah? Oh my God, I forgot... the report from yesterday? It has to be done tonight? Okay, I’m on my way now. I’ll be at the office in thirty minutes, okay? I’ll bring my laptop.” Kirana ended the call. Her face immediately turned panicked. The towel on her head almost slipped off.
“Oh my God. I have to go back to the office in London. There’s a report revision that has to be submitted tonight. Ms. Sinta is waiting for me at the office.” Kirana stood up.
Some of her warm tea spilled.
Nata also stood up, nervous. “Oh... okay, Sis. Then I’ll just go home. It’s okay...”
Kirana gently held Nata’s arm. “No. You stay here and keep Kyla company for a while, okay? I don’t feel right leaving her alone again at night after she’s already slept for seven hours.”
“There’s Magnum ice cream in the freezer. I bought two earlier at Alfamart. It’s been her favorite since middle school—the chocolate almond one. It had melted halfway earlier, but I put it back in the freezer. You two can eat it together later when she wakes up.”
Nata? Of course, he just stared at her. He couldn’t believe it. After being disliked by her, he was now being trusted to look after her little sister. “Can I, Sis? Really?” Nata’s eyes widened.
Kirana nodded as she walked toward her bedroom to change clothes because she was still wearing her sage-green pajamas.
“You can. But listen to the rules first.” Kirana stopped in front of her bedroom door and turned toward Nata. Her voice was firm, like an older sister setting rules, but not harsh like when she used to complain about his old bicycle.
“You can stay, but only until 10, okay, Ta? You have to be home by 10. I’ll be back from the office at 10 too. Don’t stay past 10. The neighbors like to talk if there’s a guy at the house late at night. Understand?”
Nata nodded so quickly he looked like a bobblehead. “Understood, Sis. I’ll go home at 10. I promise. Not one second late.”
Kirana went into her bedroom. She changed from her sage-green pajamas into a neat cream shirt and the above-the-knee skirt she had worn that morning. She grabbed her black laptop bag and black heels. Then she sprayed her Dior perfume twice.
Pssht. Pssht.
8:35 p.m.
Kirana came out of her bedroom. She was completely dressed again, looking like she was about to attend a meeting. She looked 180 degrees different from the girl who had been sitting in pajamas earlier.
“Nata, I’m leaving, okay? Take care of the house. Take care of Kyla. The ice cream is in the freezer, the warm tea is on the table, and heat up your fried snacks in the kitchen if you want them.” Kirana said this while taking her car keys from the table.
Nata nodded. “Got it, Sis. Be careful on the road. The highway is usually jammed.”
8:40 p.m.
Kirana’s car left the gate again.
Vroom vroom.
For the second time that day. The tires once again left marks on the muddy ground. The headlights illuminated the dark streets of London.
Kirana was heading back to her office in London late at night.
Now, inside the house, there were only Kyla and Nata.
✿✿✿
Only two minutes after Kirana’s car left the house, at 8:42 p.m., Kyla moved on the brown sofa.
The brown blanket fell onto the floor.
Thump.
Kyla sleep-talked softly. Her voice was hoarse after sleeping for seven hours. “Sis... the tea... it’s cold...”
Then her eyes opened halfway. They were still swollen. Her messy hair covered half of her face. The pillow mark on her left cheek was still clearly visible.
Kyla slowly sat up on the sofa. She stared blankly for ten seconds, looking around the living room. The news was still playing on the TV. The two cups of tea on the table had gone cold.
Kirana’s black work bag was gone. Her car outside was gone too.
“Sis Kirana?” Her voice was hoarse as she called softly. There was no answer.
Kyla turned toward the terrace. The door was half open. There was a guy sitting on one of the chairs outside. He was wearing a black shirt stained with blue screen-print ink. His face looked pale. Dark circles surrounded his eyes. He was holding a black plastic bag.
Kyla was startled. Her swollen eyes immediately opened wide. She quickly fixed her hair with her hands.
“Nata? What are you doing here?”
Nata, who was sitting on the terrace chair, heard Kyla wake up. He immediately walked inside slowly and crouched near the sofa so he wouldn’t startle her.
“Kay, you’re awake? Sorry if I scared you. I just got back from the internet café at eight. Sis Kirana was here earlier. She told me to come inside and wait for you to wake up.”
Kyla looked around again. Kirana really wasn’t there. Her car was gone too. “Where did Sis go?”
“She went back to the office in London. There was a report revision. Ms. Sinta called her earlier and told her it was urgent,” Nata explained. He sat on the floor in front of the sofa, about a meter away. He didn’t dare sit on the sofa.
Kyla nodded. She was still sleepy. Still dazed. She was wearing the white cropped shirt and gray shorts above the knees. Her legs were still stretched out, tingling from sleeping on her side for seven hours.
“There’s ice cream in the freezer, Ta. Sis said,” Kyla remembered. She stood up, limping slightly and holding onto the sofa because her legs were still numb.
Kyla walked into the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator freezer.
Hummmm.
Cold air came rushing out. Inside were two chocolate almond Magnum ice creams. The white plastic wrappers were covered in condensation. They had frozen again after melting halfway earlier that afternoon. The chocolate coating was hard again, and the almonds were sticking out here and there.
Kyla took both of them and carried them back to the living room. Then she sat down on the brown sofa again.
“Ta, there are two because Sis bought two. One for me, one for you.” Kyla handed one Magnum to Nata.
Nata looked surprised. “For me? Seriously?”
“Yeah. It’s okay, just eat it. Sis said we could eat them together.” Kyla smiled. Her eyes were still swollen, but her smile was genuine this time. Not the fake smile from her 2 a.m. Instagram story.
They opened the wrappers together.
Crinkle, crinkle.
8:45 p.m.
On the brown sofa, they ate their Magnum ice creams together.
One each.
Not one ice cream shared between them with alternating bites.
So there was no fighting over it.
Kyla took a bite.
Crack.
The chocolate melted in her mouth. “Good. It’s still good even though it melted earlier.”
Nata took a bite too. “Yeah, Kay. The chocolate is really thick.”
The news was still playing in the background. The house was quiet. The only sounds were the crack-crack of the ice cream coating and the AC in Kyla’s room, which was still set to 16 degrees from earlier that afternoon.
8:50 p.m.
The ice cream was gone.
Only two wooden sticks remained on the table, with a little melted chocolate dripping onto the surface.
Kyla and Nata were now sitting on the terrace. They brought the two cups of warm tea Kirana had made earlier. They were already cold, but they were still sweet. The night breeze in London was gentle. The smell of wet earth lingered after the rain.
Crickets chirped somewhere nearby.
That night, Kyla and Nata exchanged stories. They talked about everything.
Including what had happened the previous night.
Kyla slowly told him about her Close Friends story from 2:17 a.m., the one with the caption:
“Tired of being Kyla today. :)”
“I made that at 2 in the morning, Ta. After crying. My phone was at 0%. I thought you were asleep.” Kyla looked up at the dark sky.
Nata also told her about having his pay deducted by $3 because he skipped his morning shift the previous day to come to Kyla’s house when she was fighting with Kirana. “It’s okay, Kay. They deducted $3. The important thing is that you’re not crying anymore. The internet café boss was angry, but whatever.”
Kyla heard that. Her eyes became teary again. “I’m sorry, Ta. You got your pay deducted because of me...”
“It’s okay. It’s already over,” Nata said.
9:30 p.m.
They were still sitting on the terrace. The cold fried tempeh Nata had brought earlier had already been eaten.
One piece by Kyla. One piece by Nata.
Gone.
9:45 p.m.
Kirana texted Kyla.
Kirana: Kyla, I’m on my way home from the office. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. The highway isn’t jammed anymore. Is Nata still there? Remember, Nata has to be home by 10, okay? Don’t let him stay past that.
Kyla: Yeah, Sis. Nata’s still here. We finished the ice cream together. Both of them are gone.
Nata looked at the time on his old phone.
9:58 p.m.
Almost 10.
Nata stood up and took his gray bicycle. He removed the rock that had been propping it up.
“Kay, I’m heading home, okay? It’s two minutes before 10. I promised Sis Kirana I’d go home at 10. I don’t want to stay past the time.”
Kyla nodded and walked him to the gate. She was still wearing her white cropped shirt and gray shorts. Her hair was already somewhat neat again. “Be careful, Ta. The roads are slippery, and your sandal is broken. Don’t ride too fast.”
Nata laughed as he got onto his gray bicycle.
Creak-creak-creak.
“Yeah. Tomorrow I’m buying new sandals at the market. Ones that don’t break.”
10:00 p.m. exactly.
Nata left the gate. His gray bicycle disappeared into the darkness of the London streets.
The sound of the bicycle—
Creak-creak... creak-creak...
—grew quieter and quieter until it disappeared completely.
Kyla remained standing in front of the gate, watching until Nata disappeared around the corner.
10:07 p.m.
Kirana’s car entered the gate.
Vroom vroom.
Kirana had returned from work for the second time that day. She looked exhausted. Her cream shirt was wrinkled again. Her skirt was slightly crooked. She had taken off her heels and changed back into flip-flops in the car.
Kirana saw Kyla standing alone on the terrace.
Nata was gone. The gray bicycle was gone too.
“Is Nata already home?” Kirana asked while turning off the car engine.
“Yeah, Sis. He went home exactly at 10. Just like he promised. Not one second late.” Kyla smiled.
Kirana gave a small smile too, relieved. She entered the house and saw two Magnum ice cream sticks on the table. They had been eaten together.
One belonged to Kyla. One belonged to Nata.
There was still chocolate stuck to the sticks. There was also an empty wrapper from the fried tempeh and two empty cups of tea on the table. And on the refrigerator, the yellow sticky note that said “Eat first.” was still stuck there with clear tape.
The ink had faded. The paper had become soft. It had witnessed the entire day. From the chicken porridge at eight in the morning that left Kyla alone at home...
To her sleeping for seven hours on the sofa while watching the soap opera Older Sister, Younger Sister before it changed to Gen Z Romance...
To Kirana coming home with two half-melted ice creams...
To Nata arriving at 8:20 p.m. with cold fried snacks...
To the two of them eating the ice cream together...
To them talking on the terrace until 10...
And Nata going home exactly at 10. That night, at 10:10 p.m., in one of the houses in London, only Kirana and Kyla were left together again.
Just like that morning. But they weren’t fighting anymore. This time, the atmosphere felt warmer. Safer. And much more comfortable than it had been over the past few days.
✿✿✿✿✿✿
HELLO, GUYS!!
If you’re curious about what happens next, don’t forget to leave your trace here, okayyy!
Save it to your bookshelf, like, comment, share, follow, leave a five-star review, and don’t forget to leave a TIP, guys!
One TIP from you can give me the motivation to keep uploading the next chapters.
Thank you so much, guys!!!
Love u!!