Chapter 16 : Light from the Past

Finally the day for Nemma's wedding came. Since morning Dara's house has been full of people. Leo, Billy, and Tiara had arrived since morning to help run the event. Leo took care of the venue arrangements, Billy arranged the catering, and Tiara helped accompany the bride.

"Sofi should be here," Tiara started nagging again. "She'll be happy with all the hassle instead."

"I want the event to be over soon," said Dara. She seemed to be getting tired of seeing a lot of people in her house for the past few days.

"Where's your aunt?"

"In my grandparents room. Do I need to help you?"

"No need, you have to get ready too."

Dara nodded then went into her room. There she felt a little calm. Dara is not very comfortable in the crowd. They just held a simple party and invited less than 100 people. But for Dara it was already very tiring just imagining it.

Finally Nemma's wedding begins. Nemma is very beautiful in the traditional Sundanese clothes she wears. Mr. Yogi also wears Sundanese traditional clothes as well. Ijab Kabul went smoothly. The reception was held centered in their backyard. Dara's house is not big, some guests eat in the front yard, the living room and dining room of Dara's family. Dara couldn't imagine how they would clean up her house again.

Dara was starting to get quite uncomfortable with the party, though she was clearly very happy for Nemma. Everyone seems happy, including Dara's friends. Zaskia and Selly also took the time to attend. Of course, Dara did not invite Tony, the illustrator and animator whose services were used by Dara's company. Because she obviously didn't know him personally. Dara slightly hopes that Dean can suddenly appear, considering Mr. Yogi is his trusted staff. But she also didn't know if Dean came what she would do.

Dara saw her friends dressed differently that day. Leo was neatly dressed in his suit. Although at first he refused to wear the clothes Sofi chose, but in the end he followed her wishes too. Tiara looks beautiful with clothes that match with Dara. Sofi herself could not attend the party. She didn't want to make a mess. Mr. Reynold and his wife were of course invited to the event.

Several other neighbors were also invited including Mrs. Ussy and also Mr. Dion. Not many people knew Nemma in their cluster area, nor did she have many friends. Several of Nemma's friends were present including Bella. Some of Mr. Yogi's family from Malaysia also attended.

Nemma then changed into a simple dress that Sofi had chosen. Dara's grandmother's ring is pinned on her ring finger. Even though Mr. Yogi could buy her an expensive diamond ring, Nemma chose to use her mother's old ring. Dara is happy to see that. She was also sure her grandmother would be happy now that the ring could be worn by Nemma on her wedding day.

Everyone seems to be happily mingling. Meanwhile, Dara prefers to be a little away from the crowd. She really wanted to go into her room. But of course that is not possible. Finally she tried to suppress the discomfort she felt until the party was over.

After the party was completely over and all the guests had gone home, Nemma went home with Mr. Yogi. Dara was sad to let Nemma finally leave their house. Dara slightly hopes that Nemma will stay with her for the next few days, but Dara realizes that Nemma already has a new life now. Back when she often disagreed with Nemma, she wanted to live in a different place from hers. But when that day came, it turned out that it was not easy for Dara to do.

"We will visit you often," said Mr. Yogi to Dara. He was still speaking formally to her.

Nemma just nodded slowly at her, no hugs. Dara can understand it. They're still not used to doing that. Nemma and Mr. Yogi then left, leaving Dara with her friends who were still accompanying her there. Tiara patted Dara's back to encourage her to let Nemma go.

Dara's house is now deserted, leaving Tiara, Leo, and Billy there. Finally Dara could feel the comfortable atmosphere in her heart. The sound of music and the many people going back and forth in her house made Dara quite restless from the start.

Now Dara and her friends relax for a while in Dara's backyard. They intended to rest for a while before they headed home. The night sky was very clear. Twinkling stars adorn it. The sky was so vast, but this time Dara looked at it not alone.

"How do we clean this all up," said Dara, realizing that her house didn't look like her house.

"We? How do you clean this all up?" Leo corrected her. "I can't do it anymore."

"We will help," said Tiara quickly before Dara could say anything. "All of us, which means me and Billy and Leo too."

Leo didn't argue. Even so Dara understands. She was also very lazy to clean up all the remnants of this party. She regrets not using the services of a wedding organizer. At first she thought the party would be simple, but it was still tiring to do all of things.

"Should I stay here tonight?" Tiara asked her.

"If you don't mind," Dara said pitifully.

"Of course not. Any time."

"Thanks a lot." Dara hugged Tiara with the remaining strength she had.

"Maybe you should also get married soon," Leo said to Dara.

Billy looked awkward. Meanwhile, Dara did not respond to Leo's chatter about this. She was too tired to argue with him.

"By the way, we've been together building our company for a long time." Tiara started the conversation again. "But you still haven't told us what the meaning behind 4,246 is."

Dara smiled. She had no intention of hiding it from her friends. She didn't know why it hadn't been explained with them yet. "That 4.246 Light Years is the distance from Proxima Centauri to Earth."

"Then?" Tiara asked still confused.

Finally Dara told the story a few years ago in this backyard when they were celebrating the wedding anniversary of Dara's grandmother and grandfather. They all listened silently. They were dissolved by what Dara explained. Dara remembers her family, the beautiful moments with them, and an irreplaceable warmth in her heart. Her family always has a place of its own, even though many people come and go in her life.

"Wow," Tiara looked a little teary after Dara finished telling the story. "So we're all looking at the past now?"

"Yeah, a light that probably came from thousands of years ago." Dara agreed.

"So this is the story behind 4.246, because you wanted to send a light from the past?" Leo asked.

"I originally thought about going back in time to meet my family again, but it seems that it is beyond my control."

"You intend to build a time machine?" Leo asked again.

"Not intending just think. That's why I finally decided to make a time capsule."

"In the form of a website." Tiara added. "Brilliant idea."

"Yeah, at least if my son asks how far Proxima Centauri is from Earth, I can answer that." Leo wanted to praise Dara too, but he couldn't move his mouth to do that.

They ended up laughing together while gazing at the stars for a while before Leo and Billy finally said goodbye. In their respective homes, they looked up at the sky. They seemed to be able to feel what Dara felt. They have been trying to empathize with what happened to Dara's family.

They never really understood Dara's deepest heart. They have a hard time imagining the longing that Dara feels. How Dara learns to accept apologies from the person responsible for her family's accident and also how Dara can continue to live life without her family.

"Lights from the past," Billy muttered. He felt a different feeling when he looked at the night sky after he listened to Dara's explanation.

Leo also still stared at the sky for quite a while. He also imagined his parents who had passed away. He doesn't really remember what his parents were like. He was too young when his parents died. Losing his grandfather was the toughest time he had ever experienced in his life. He couldn't imagine that he would lose his grandmother in the end. The only family he has now.

***

It took time for Dara to clean her house again. Her friends couldn't help him much because a job at the company was waiting for them. They have been quite busy with the preparations for Nemma's wedding. Finally Dara decided to take care of the rest by herself. Dara's body felt crushed. She thought, when she got married she didn't want any party at all.

After the house finally returned to normal, Dara returned to her office. Her body still feels tired and work has piled up waiting for her. Zaskia immediately came to her, her face slightly bent. During Dara's leave, she kept in touch with Dara. "Finally you're coming back to the office."

Dara just smiled at her without saying any defense. "How are the office?"

"Quite a hassle. Our four leaders have been busy these past few days, righ?" Zaskia couldn't hide her annoyance. Dara could understand and she just smiled again.

Zaskia wanted to protest Dara, but she was wise enough to control her anger. When Zaskia left after finishing her business with Dara, Dara saw her leaving with a different look. She recalls her past. Now everything has changed. She was now sitting in the chair that was once occupied by the person she didn't want to see. Who would have thought this could happen.

The office she has now is a legacy from the Dean family. Dean is not a melancholic person. He doesn't have enough emotional attachment to an object. He is sometimes ambitious and wants power. He wants something not because he is emotionally attached to it.

Dara does not want to move her office to the city center. This villa is a historical place for Dara and her friends. The place where they started their new journey as a team of 4.246. After she heard the history of the villa she was in now, Dara felt that this place meant a lot to her. Although she realized Dean didn't want it at all and had intended to sell it. Dara did not know this Villa had inflicted many wounds on Dean. This Villa is where he finds his disappointment when he sees his mother betray his father and himself.

Dara thinks about her current life. She felt grace keep coming her way. Starting from the success of the project, to Nemma's happy moment. She was grateful she didn't choose to give up the first time she fell so deep. As she had thought, if she stopped she closed all possibilities. Dara doesn't want to choose her defeat, she wants to fight for victory for herself. Dara thought, in her life there are sometimes failures and pain, but that doesn't mean at that time she really lost. She lost when she chose to stop fighting.

Dara looked around the room that used to be occupied by Dean. Mr. Yogi said that this room was deliberately built by Dean's grandfather to spend his old age doing all his hobbies. Very beautiful room with large windows overlooking a magnificent view. Dara could see the blue sky so clearly with the right height from there. Dara momentarily remembers Dean. Dara didn't know what she wanted to talk to him about. She didn't know if she could express her gratitude for his concern for Dara.

Dara saw herself now. Success for her is not just about what she achieves but also about with who she enjoys it. She is happy with the people who love her. Dara is grateful for what she has now. If she could send a message to her past, she would like to thank herself for not giving up, for fighting against her pain.

***

Month after month has been passed. The years have also changed. Now the company's 4.245 Light Years have expanded even further. Their first website is still accessible today, the traffic is not as high as it used to be, but Dara intends to never close it. She wanted to remember her courage to start something new with the project. After all, many people use it as a time capsule. How could Dara just close the website?

Dara doesn't know what will happen to her project when she hasn't started it yet. There is fear, there is doubt. But now she understood that she wouldn't know what the outcome would be if she didn't go through with it. The project is not the best in the world, but for Dara, it is still very meaningful. This project made her even more daring to take a step.

Dara came out of her room, saw Leo who was now getting busier. He was on the phone almost every time. Leo nodded at her briefly when he saw Dara pass through his open door while continuing to talk to someone on his phone.

"Mr. CEO is getting busy?" asked Tiara who seemed to understand what Dara was thinking.

"Quite, so!"

"If he can increase the number of hours each day it looks like he will."

"He said I can't be stopped, look at him now! He just doesn't have time to eat sometimes." Dara laughed a little as she spoke. Tiara chimed in with a smile as she returned to her room.

Dara's own busyness has not changed. She was used to living at a pace she could enjoy. She doesn't want to spend her time like she used to when she worked in her old office. Dara still applies a balanced pattern in her life. She reminded Leo several times, but Leo was still stubborn. Dara only hopes that one day he will wake up. Dara just wants her friend to be okay.

Billy is now more proficient at work. He can lead several projects without Dara having to guide him. His employees are growing, some working online, some working at the head office with him. They plan to start opening branches in big cities, but it has not been decided who will lead there. Neither Leo, Tiara, Billy, nor Dara, no one wanted to leave the cluster.

Dara began to think about continuing her study. Her company has grown now, now she wants to satisfy her passion for learning. She still had many ideas in her head. She needs additional knowledge to help her make it happen. But she had not thought about it further, she had not planned for it in her life.

When it was time to go home, as usual Dara went home using her bicycle. Dhe had replaced her old worn out bicycle. Dara saw that the other members were also getting ready to go home.

"I haven't finished my work yet. I'm going to work overtime tonight," Leo told her.

"Overtime again?"

"Yeah fine, I can postpone it until tomorrow and rest tonight."

"Yes, you need to learn to rest." Dara really suppressed the word "rest" in her sentence showing she really hoped Leo could hear her this time.

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

But Leo's phone rang again. Dara smiled realizing that it was very difficult for Leo to rest now. Leo gave Dara a brief signal, then returned to his room to take the call.

"That's the life he wants," said Laura who suddenly appeared behind Dara. Now Laura is working full time with their company.

"Seems like that," said Dara assent. They both smiled knowing Leo's behavior was indeed difficult for them to control.

Dara said goodbye to Billy and Tiara as usual before she went home. They are also quite busy though not as extreme as Leo. Only Dara chose not to be too busy. She almost always came home earlier than her friends. Even though she is alone at home, Dara can rest in peace there. Dara still thinks about her projects sometimes. But she did it without pressure and coercion.

The sky was starting to turn yellow. Dara enjoys traveling moments like this. The breeze that blew against her face and the distinctive sound of the wind shaking the trees there made her heart feel at ease. Arriving at the house, Dara did not immediately enter. She enjoyed a moment of sunset from her front yard.

After finishing dinner alone, Dara gets a video call from Nemma. But it was not Nemma who spoke, but her first niece who was only 1 year old. She has started to learn to talk and can say a few words. "Ty ara, Ty ara."

"Hello Dara, how are you?" Dara greets her niece who is also named Dara.

Dara was very moved when Nemma named her child after her name. But over time she felt quite awkward when calling people by the same name as her. While her niece called her with a nickname that sounded like Tiara. Nemma calls her Dara I now, and her child is Dara II. Dara still has to get used to the presence of 2 Dara in her family now.

After asking how each other was with Nemma, Dara hung up the phone and got ready for bed. But the sound of knocking on her door stopped Dara's intention. Someone knocked on his front door. Dara is not used to receiving guests.

When Dara opened the door. She was so surprised when Sofi stood there, smiling at her very cheerfully, then hugging her.

"Sofi!" Dara almost cried seeing her best friend again. It was the first time he'd seen her again after Sofi left. They do often make video calls, but it is different.

"Can I stay here?" she asked very cheerfully as she let go of her arms.

"Of course, you can stay as long as you want."

They exchanged stories all night. Time passed so quickly when they were busy talking about many things. Dara really looks happy with Sofi's presence.

"Zaskia helps us a lot. Leo is happy. If he has a human cloning device, it looks like he wants to make a lot of Zaskia clones," said Dara explaining the current state of her office. "How were you in Surabaya?"

"I love Surabaya. The weather is hotter than here, I wasn't used to it at first. But after a long time it was very nice to be there, a new culture, a different language too."

"I've never been to Surabaya, maybe sometime we need to visit there together."

Sofi nodded in agreement. "How's Billy?"

For a moment Dara did not understand the meaning of Sofi's question. "He's fine, his family is fine too."

Sofi was silent for a moment. They never talked about it at all. Dara didn't know whether she wanted to know what was really going on between Mr. Reynold and Sofi or not. But Dara catches, Sofi wants to tell her many things.

"If you want to talk, I'm ready to listen."

Sofi was hesitant at first, but she also couldn't bear it all by herself anymore. She wanted to share her story with someone. The story that had made her feel guilty for so long. "Maybe you'll hate me if you hear all this."

"Why do you still think like that? Even if you make a mistake, I still love you. And I'm really proud that you can stop doing that mistake."

Dara held Sofi's hand which was shaking slightly when she started her story. "You know, I've always expected a handsome prince to come to me. Princes like Leo for example." Sofi chuckled remembering her childhood memories. Even though Dara doesn't agree to think of Leo as a prince, she continues to listen to Sofi's story. "I feel lonely. I know I'm not the loneliest person in the world, but I'm lonely."

"It's okay to feel that way," Dara tried to calm her down. "You have the right to feel any feeling. You don't have to be the loneliest person in the world to get my attention. I care about the loneliness you feel. Even though I feel lonely much bigger than you feel, I still care about your loneliness too. It is okay."

Sofi's eyes glazed over. She also held Dara's hand tightly. "My father is not a warm person. He is also often unstable. I always miss father figure. I didn't think I would feel any different about Mr. Reynold. I just felt that feeling.

I didn't think I liked him at all. Maybe Mr.Reynolds felt the same way. Our house is close, starting with Mr. Reynold often seeing me walking alone, then he took me to campus. I feel he is good person."

"Yeah, he's really good." Dara agreed. She certainly agreed with Sofia. She also felt the kindness of Mr. Reynolds family.

"We chatted a lot on the way to my campus. Over time Mr. Reynolds offered to pick me up at campus, take me to lunch, and buy me all kinds of things that I like, from food to clothes. My father just doesn't know what my favorite food is, but Mr. Reynold was so concerned about me.

Mr. Reynold calls me almost every day. Over time the feeling emerged. I know it's wrong, but I have a hard time fighting it. When I wanted to stop many times, I couldn't. I wanted to have Mr. Reynolds in my life."

Sofi began to shed tears. Dara never felt what Sofi felt. She never experienced it. But she could understand that losing someone was not easy.

"I think of Billy, think of you, think of his wife. I feel I am so selfish. But it's really hard for me to get away from Mr. Reynold who loves me so much."

"He doesn't love you," Dara finally gave her opinion. "If he loves you he won't put you in a difficult position. He may be interested in you. He likes you. Who is not attracted to a beautiful girl like you?

Maybe he really wants to give you happiness. He also wants to love you, but the way he does it is wrong. That's not affection. If he loves you, he will think what is best for you. He won't come to you, because he knows what the consequences will be for you. The suffering you are bearing now is proof of that.

He just wants to love you, but he doesn't think about your happiness. The love he gives hurts you and also hurts others. How long will that feeling last? He betrayed his wife. What's the guarantee he won't do the same to you? Relationships that start with a mistake will pay off."

Dara finally released her thoughts after all this time. She wanted so badly to berate Mr. Reynolds, but she realized that it was completely useless. She would only regret it. Sofi seemed to understand what Dara said. Even though she didn't say anything.

"But now it's all over. Now you just need to forget everything and focus on your future."

"After all these years, I still can't forget Mr.Reynold completely." Sofi spoke again.

"But you've never contacted each other, have you?"

"Mr. Reynold had contacted me. But I listen to what you had to say. I need to stop hurting myself."

"That's right, you still have a future to fight for. You don't want their family to fall apart, do you?"

"Of course not."

"You still have a chance to replace the memories with Mr. Reynold with the new ones, more pleasant ones."

"Yeah, memory with you guys. Maybe Leo wants to take Mr. Reynold's place in my heart." Sofi began to try to restore her cheerfulness again.

"Why Leo?" Dara did not know the story of their childhood. No one ever told her.

Sofi finally told her story with Leo. Dara is quite surprised and at the same time interested in the story of her friends as a child.

"So you liked Leo when you were a kid?"

"Until middle school I still like him. He's so cool. So far it's still cool."

Dara did not confirm Sofi's statement this time. "Why did you stop liking him?"

"Because many are cooler than him," replied Sofi with a grin.

A simple reason that Dara never thought of. "Does Leo like Laura?"

"Why are you suddenly asking that?" Sofi asked suspiciously.

"I'm just curious. Leo can be controlled by Laura a little bit."

"Who knows. Leo is not open about his feelings. Same with Tiara. Maybe you don't know who Tiara likes."

"I can guess, but I'm not sure. Tiara never talked to me."

"Tiara also never told me. But since we were in high school, Tiara's attitude began to change. She didn't deny it when I asked her how she felt, but she didn't talk much either. She's not like me who gives up easily with Leo, even though there are a lot of cooler guys, Tiara is still loyal to like Billy."

"I don't think Tiara likes Billy that much. But maybe true that her feelings for Billy are different."

"Maybe you're right. And you, is there anyone you like?"

"I don't know, I never really thought about my feelings."

"Yeah, you're too busy with those codes as well as your projects."

Dara just smiled in response. "The four of you have been very close, haven't you?"

"We grew up together, so we just became friends."

"How were you when you were little?"

"Hmm, Tiara used to be really quiet. Very hard to talk to. But when she was in middle school, she became very talkative. As for Billy, he's always been like that. Kind and understanding. He sacrificed a lot for his friends."

"Sacrifices like what?"

"Hmm.. a lot. When Leo's grandfather died he accompanied Leo wherever he went. Leo cries all the time and is hard to talk to. Billy patiently accompanied him."

"Are you all in the same school?"

"They do, but I'm the youngest. So when they entered middle school, I was still in elementary school. When I was in middle school, they entered high school. I only went to the same school with Billy. It's only been 1 year and we're not that close."

"That means Leo and Tiara always together, because they are the same age, right?"

"It's not just one school. Miraculously they are in the same class from elementary to high school."

"Really? How come?"

"Who knows. I thought Tiara could be my rival. But it seems that Tiara is not at all interested in Leo."

They kept talking until they both fell asleep just like that. They had mutually agreed not to talk about anything related to Mr. Reynolds again. The next morning Tiara, Leo, Billy, welcomed Sofi back to their cluster.

"So you want to stay here now?" Leo asked.

"Yeah, I'm definitely staying here."

"Good, I'm really tired of coordinating with you over the phone."

Sofi paid no heed to Leo's complaints. She seemed excited to see her friends again. Her awkwardness with Billy has also clearly faded with time. They weren't as close as they used to be, but now they can both accept the conditions that happened to them.

"How about we start mentioning our group's yells," said Sofi.

Dara immediately understood. Even though she loved her friends, she wouldn't let them do that stupid thing again. "We've said the number 4.246 more than 4,000 times, so we already know it by heart."

Tiara seemed to agree. Sofi was a bit disappointed, but finally she gave in. "Yeah, I've memorized it too."

"Your first task here is to prepare all of our CVs, okay?" Leo gave her an order.

"Okay, I will prepare immediately."

Sofi really immediately prepared what Leo ordered. She gave the results of her work to Leo. Leo took a deep breath. He didn't know what to say. He looked closely at the file that Sofi had handed him. Tiara, Billy, and Dara were also curious and came to see it. There was only a sheet of paper reported in the folder provided by Sofi.

Name : Leo Yanuar

Education: Business and Management

Age : 30 years old

Position: Chief Executive Officer

Name : Andara Gunawan

Education : Informatics Engineering

Age : 28 years

Position : Chief Technology Officer

Name : Tiara Chang

Education: Public Policy

Age : 30 years old

Position : Head of Public Policy Department

Name : Billy Prasetya

Education: Informatics Engineering

Age : 29 years old

Position : Head of Programming and Computing Department

Name : Sofia Haifa Yasir

Education: Finance

Age : 27 years old

Position : Head of Marketing and Promotion Department

Name : Laura Sintia

Education: Finance

Age : 31 years old

Position : Head of Finance

"What is this Sofia? It's like you're filling in your bio when you're still in elementary school. Just write down your hobbies and favorite foods." Leo was clearly annoyed.

Sofi was silent, she originally intended to fill that as well. Tiara usually defended Sofi, but this time Sofi's attitude was a little difficult to defend. Sofi was still confused, but in the end they all laughed together with Sofi's innocence.

They decided to have lunch together at Mrs. Ussy's restaurant, which was now getting bigger. Leo's workshop has already been acquired with the restaurant. Leo had let it go. Some of his employees work with him in the 4.246 company, some also work at Mrs. Ussy's restaurant. They are all very happy to enjoy the success they are getting now.

After finish, Leo, Laura, and Tiara immediately went to a meeting with several investors in Bandung. Sofi was allowed to enter for half a day because she still had to pack her things from Surabaya. She plans to stay at Dara's house. That's a really good idea considering her house and Billy's are on the same Block. Meanwhile, Billy also needs to lead a meeting with several programmers via online as usual.

Only Dara is not too busy. She let her friends go first from the restaurant, while she planned to go around the cluster just to stretch her body. She passed the hall that once belonged to the Tiara family. Now Dara has bought it and re-functioned it as a badminton court. She wants residents to be able to enjoy free exercise there. Anyone can use it.

When Dara was about to return to her office, she saw her cell phone ringing. There is an e-mail notification from the application for 4.246 light years with the typical subject of the application: there is a message from the past. Dara wants to open it immediately and find out who sent it.

She couldn't guess who had sent her the message. She thought Leo wasn't as sweet as it would give her a message in the past. Billy, may have done it, but Dara doubted his courage considering he is still working with Dara to this day. Because messages from the past sent can be canceled at any time by the sender. Tiara is also not this type of person. Maybe Sofi just did it.

Dara sped up her bicycle quickly and headed straight for her room when she got to her office. She immediately opened her laptop. Read the contents of emails sent through the application.

You have received messages from Nemma Trycia Gunawan's account via the app 4.246 Light Years from 4.246 years ago.

"Default Message," Dara murmured. She then continued reading the message. She had not used 4.246 website for a long time. She was quite moved to read the messages, she often read it when she was testing her project.

There is a video sent by Nemma Trycia Gunawan. Please click the link below.

Dara hesitated to click the link. Her heart was beating fast. She didn't know what Nemma might say. The two of them never expressed their feelings for each other. With mixed feelings, Dara finally got up the courage to click the link.

She saw the video intro she designed a few years ago. Melancholic video template with a slow melodic accompaniment as the background. Not long after, Nemma's video appeared on her laptop screen. For a moment Nemma was silent and looked very awkward, making Dara's heart beat faster.

"I'm glad you can develop this project. I still remember the first time you told us all about the light from the past at Mom and Dad's wedding anniversary party. I'm sure, Mom and Dad, as well as Toni and Lisa will be proud and happy.

We never talk about them much. We both miss them. The loss we feel is so imprinted in our hearts. I'm sorry that I kept something from you all this time. I am not dare to say what actually happened on the day of the accident. I'm too scared.

That day Toni was a bit sleepy and tired. The whole family is quite excited to prepare for your graduation ceremony. Toni is the most enthusiastic so he is quite exhausted every day. That's why he asked me to drive that afternoon, because he didn't feel very well.

I agreed without much thought. That afternoon, I drove as usual. Mom and Dad chatted about our cousin's wedding. And that's when my heart started to feel uncomfortable. I'm still trying to concentrate on driving, but it happened so fast, suddenly there was a car that slightly swayed and grazed us. I can't think too clearly and I can't remember what happened anymore. Everything just happened.

I've had a deep sense of guilt all this time. I blame myself, depressed in a feeling I don't understand. I became more sensitive, my moods got out of control at times, and I became prone to hurting you, the only person around me. I'm sorry for everything. I've been unfair to you all this time.

My condition has worsened ever since I reconnected with my ex in the past. When he's good, my mood goes up. But most of the time he hurts me too. I'm not looking for an excuse for my bad mood because of it. But I realized I depended on him for my happiness, and that was a big mistake. We only kept in touch by phone, broke up many times, and finally I had the courage to escape from the prison that I made.

After I lost touch with him, the guilt came back to haunt me. I feel partly responsible for the accident too. I also feel sorry for you. I'm afraid you won't forgive me either. I'm sorry, I'm really sorry."

The video ends. Dara smiled then she opened the 4.246 Light Years website through her laptop. She log to her account and typed in Nemma's email address. She didn't think much of it as she turned on her webcam video and started recording a message for her aunt. She tried to strengthen herself. She wanted to do it right away, because she was afraid that she wouldn't have the courage to do it later.

"Thanks for the message Tity. I'm glad to hear it. I don't know what to say, but I've forgiven whatever happened.

About the accident, I've known for a long time. I found out when I read the report at the police station. I don't blame you at all, but I'm sorry all this time I didn't know you had to bear the guilt for it. If I had known, I would have loved to do something to make Tity feel better. I can only say thank you, I love you, Tity."

Dara turns off the video. Her tears were dripping. She took several deep breaths to calm herself. She then sent the message by setting the time to 10 minutes later. She certainly didn't make Nemma wait more than 4 years to read her message.

Dara created the website to store memories, not to convey messages. What if the intended person does not have time to see the message. However, Dara does not blame the people who use the platform she created for anything as long as it is useful for them.

She thought back to what had happened to Nemma. Nemma had been holding it all alone all this time. Not only Dara felt the pain, but Nemma too. Nemma does have many shortcomings, Dara does not justify what she does. She was just trying to love her aunt. Dara hopes, hopefully the relationship with her better after this.

When Dara was about to get up from her seat, another message came into her email. Not many people know this old email. The email she had used since she was in college. Only people who have known her for a long time know this email address.

Dara saw another incoming message from 4.246 Light Years. Again she couldn't guess who had sent her the message. Dara immediately opened the message and read the contents of the email quickly.

You have received messages from Krisnata Dean Wijaya's account via the app 4.246 Light Years from 4.246 years ago.

Dara's heart beat faster. She never knew Dean had ever created an account through her platform. She never paid attention to the millions of users of her platform all this time. This time she really hesitated to open the message. She never considered that someone like Dean would use her platform.

"This can't be a statement from his heart, can it?" Dara asked herself while shuddering a little. Dara then smiled feeling that she was too much. She didn't expect such a thing to happen to her. Especially with Dean. Finally she clicked on the link embedded in the email. It looks like a standard video without being edited with background sound or standard templates available on her platform. Just a video.

At first there was no one in the video. The video only shows pictures of the room that Dara is currently occupying, but with a slightly different layout because the video was taken about 4 years ago. Then Dean appears in the video in his usual black suit. Then he began to speak in his usual manner.

"4 years, 89 days, 18 hours, 57 minutes, 36 seconds. You convert 1 year to 365 days, I checked. You don't take leap years into account. I recorded this at 7 p.m., which means you will receive this message around 2 p.m."

Dean paused for a moment. Dara was quite impressed. Dara also saw Dean speak confidently as usual. Unlike the last time they met.

"I guess Proxima Centauri is really special for you." Dara's heart beat faster. "If you imagine a star that is farther away, this message will take longer to reach you.

When this message arrives, if you and I are still alive, my study in America is only 1 year away. I don't know what I've built in the next 4 years, but if I don't cancel this message, my wish remains the same. I will come to get you to work with me."

Dean ends the video. Dara is still petrified. Dara didn't know how Dean got to know so much about her. She knew Dean could hire a detective to get detailed information on what she had been, her contact number, and many things else. But about this 4.246, only her family and friends know about this.

Nemma only knew Mr. Yogi after Dean's video was made. He couldn't have gotten this information from Mr. Yogi even if Nemma had told her husband about it. She checked her program. Maybe Dean did a hack. But after checking, she was pretty sure the video was made 4.246 years ago.

Dara could not get an answer how Dean could find out about it. Maybe he was just guessing, but how could his guess be so right. How could he know about Proxima Centauri. Dara stopped her thoughts, she remembered the message in the video that Dean will come. But there was no sign of his presence.

Dara wondered if Dean might have forgotten his message. Dara suddenly wanted to look out the window. Her mind didn't go wrong. The black luxury car she knew was parked there with Dean standing leaning against his car. He finally saw Dara. Dean took out his cell phone, and soon Dara's phone rang. Dara answered the call.

"What took you so long?" Dean protested. "You only need 5 minutes to watch the video. I'm waiting right at the hour set by you. 4 years, 89 days, 18 hours, 57 minutes, 36 seconds after the video was posted."

Dara was slightly stunned by Dean's tirade that she didn't expect. She had a lot of answers in her head, but was so surprised she had a hard time coming up with an argument. "What do you really think? You can wait until evening if I don't open my email right away."

"Wait there, I'll come to you."

Dean immediately hung up. Dara still couldn't believe what had just happened to her. She was still staring out the window. She looked at Dean's car which was still parked there. Not long after, there was a knock on her door. Dara walked limply towards the door of her room.

Zaskia was standing with Dean there. Before Zaskia spoke, Dara nodded slowly at her and signaled her to leave. Zaskia then left with a slightly surprised face seeing Dara looking shocked. After a long time she looked for him. Now she couldn't say a word when Dean was right in front of her. Dean looked stiff at first, but he quickly regained his control then said, "I told you, I'll come."

***

The End

See you in the next light years.