...

I remember vividly, it was Tuesday, 15th January 2025. We were at Baca di Tebet. It was quiet. So quiet that the clackity-click-clack sound on 🍵's keyboard laptop doing her work is the only sound that I could hear. Beside her, there was me, reading "Tender Is the Flesh" by Agustina Bazterrica on my new secondhanded Kindle which I still adore until now.

And suddenly, I tap her shoulder. "Eh, jujur gue dari kemaren pengen join semacam book club gitu, deh. tapi gue males kalo ada Book of the Month-nya gitu. soalnya gue kalo baca buku suka sesuai mood. seenak jidat gue aje. Terus, beberapa book club di Jakarta kan isinya ngumpul rame rame, dan harus yapping soal buku di depan banyak strangers. Ah, gue males kalo kayak gitu. Jadi gue pengen klub buku yang isi anggotanya cuman bisa dihitung pake jari.”

🍵: "Hmmm... iya, sih. Tapi gue juga pengen deh, join klub buku kayak gitu."

🍄: "Nah, gimana kalo gue bikin Klub Buku, trus isinya cuman kita berdua doang, lu mau join gak? Untuk nama Book Club-nya, nanti gue pikirin lagi deh."

"Boleh, boleh." 🍵 nodding in agreement, not missing a beat.