"I didn't expect that... I could feel this way with you."
Dinda looked up at the night sky, her heart filled with mixed emotions. She still vividly remembered the day she and Indra made an agreement—what was supposed to be a simple arrangement now felt overwhelmingly complicated. Their marriage wasn’t built on love, but on mutual need. Indra needed someone to help him cope with the emptiness following a painful breakup, while Dinda needed a father figure for her unborn child. They had agreed that feelings would not be part of the deal.
"We just have to live like good friends, nothing more," Dinda had said back then, her voice calm but firm. Indra had nodded, confident he could fulfill the role without getting emotionally involved.
But as time passed, Dinda began to notice the warmth in every small gesture from Indra. His gentle smile, the way he made sure she was always comfortable, their shared moments that slowly began to feel more than contractual. Dinda felt something shift inside her, yet she tried to ignore it. She didn’t want to break their agreement.
The more she resisted, the stronger her feelings grew—especially when Sonia suddenly reappeared in their lives and disrupted the fragile peace. Dinda found herself anxious whenever Indra wasn’t home. She began to wait for their shared moments with a hope she kept hidden even from herself.
Then came the day she saw Indra with another woman at a tavern near his office. The woman was beautiful, radiant, and disturbingly familiar. Dinda's heart sank as she recognized Sonia—Indra’s ex.
Every time she saw them together, Dinda couldn’t shake her growing anxiety. Her heart ached watching Indra laugh and talk with other women—especially with Sonia. She felt jealous, a feeling that had no place in a marriage built on mutual convenience.
That night, unable to contain her emotions any longer, Dinda took a deep breath after a painfully awkward dinner and finally spoke up.
"I'm ashamed... because I broke our agreement. I know we promised not to get emotionally involved, but I can't lie to myself anymore. I—" she paused, the heavy silence between them making her words feel even louder.
Indra's steady gaze made her even more flustered.
"Haa... I think I've lost my mind. I feel like a pathetic woman begging for love—just like I did with the man who got me pregnant."
She looked at Indra, who hadn’t taken his eyes off her.
"Sorry. I—"
"No, it's okay. I understand," Indra cut her off gently. "I’ve felt it too, Din. You’re not alone in this."
He fell silent, absorbing the weight of her confession. His heart swelled with relief. All this time, he too had been fighting the feelings growing inside him. He never thought Dinda might feel the same.
Without realizing it, he smiled as he looked into her warm, brown eyes. "I’m relieved to hear that from you," he said in a trembling voice. "I know it sounds crazy, but I can’t ignore how I feel about you anymore."
Tears welled up in Dinda’s eyes. She could hardly believe her feelings were returned. "Y-you mean that?" she whispered, hope trembling in her voice.
Indra nodded, holding her hand tighter. "I love you too. I tried so hard to stick to our deal, but the more time we spent together, the more I realized you’re not just my partner in this arrangement. You’ve become a precious part of my life."
That night marked a turning point for both of them. They talked openly, releasing all the emotions they had bottled up for so long. The walls between them finally crumbled. They began planning a future built not on an agreement—but on love.
"I want to live this marriage like any other couple—no longer just a deal," Dinda finally confessed.
Indra smiled and nodded. "Really? But what about our original agreement? Are you—"
"Can we forget it?" Dinda interrupted gently. "Does it even matter now?"
Indra sat there in stunned silence, trying to believe what he was hearing.
Though the two were quiet for a moment, each was deep in their own thoughts—Indra questioning if this was real, Dinda recovering from the vulnerability she had just shown.
How did I even say that? Dinda thought. It just slipped out...
"Ck! I must be crazy! I bet he was shocked by my confession," she muttered to herself. "Stupid woman..."
The atmosphere turned heavy with awkward silence, broken only by the distant voices of nearby patrons and the occasional sound of passing cars. Embarrassed, she tried to retreat.
"Never mind. Forget it. I—"
"I don’t mind," Indra cut in.
She turned to look at him.
"W-what did you say?"
"I said I don’t mind," Indra repeated, nodding. "Not at all."
"Really??" Dinda furrowed her brow, unsure if she had heard correctly. "You really don’t mind? Forgetting our agreement?"
With a soft, sincere smile, Indra replied, "Yes. Maybe at first I agreed because it was convenient for both of us. But as time passed... I started wanting more than just a deal."
Dinda stared at him closely, silent. She had once thought Indra would never truly see her—too caught up in the past with Sonia. She had never imagined he might feel the same way.
"So... my feelings weren’t one-sided? Like I always thought?" she wondered to herself.
Indra stood and leveled himself with her. He looked at her with a heart full of uncertainty and courage.
Then, with a deep breath, he said, "I know this might be too late, and maybe I don’t deserve it... but let me propose to you—for real—one more time."