The Trivia Night Setup

Zara's best friend has set her up on a blind date at the pub's weekly trivia night. She almost cancels twice before finally walking through the door. Her date, Bram, is already sitting at a small table near the back. He looks just as nervous as she feels. Zara orders a lemonade and sits down across from him, unsure how to start.

Sahabat Zara menjodohkannya dalam kencan buta di malam kuis pengetahuan mingguan di pub. Ia hampir membatalkannya dua kali sebelum akhirnya melangkah masuk. Teman kencannya, Bram, sudah duduk di meja kecil di dekat bagian belakang. Ia tampak sama gugupnya dengan yang Zara rasakan. Zara memesan limun dan duduk di seberangnya, tak yakin bagaimana harus memulai.

The first round asks about geography, and neither of them says much. Zara answers two questions correctly but stays quiet about the rest, unsure how to start a conversation. Bram taps his pen against the table, clearly searching for something to say too. The second round covers movies, and they both guess wrong on every single question. Somehow, that makes them both laugh.

Babak pertama menanyakan soal geografi, dan keduanya tidak banyak bicara. Zara menjawab dua pertanyaan dengan benar tetapi diam saja soal sisanya, tak yakin bagaimana memulai percakapan. Bram mengetuk-ngetukkan penanya ke meja, jelas sedang mencari sesuatu untuk dikatakan juga. Babak kedua membahas film, dan mereka berdua salah menebak setiap pertanyaan. Entah bagaimana, itu membuat mereka berdua tertawa.

Everything changes during the music round. A question about an obscure 1980s band appears. Both of them shout the answer at the same moment. They stare at each other, surprised, then laugh so hard that the team beside them turns to look.

Semuanya berubah pada babak musik. Muncul pertanyaan tentang sebuah band tak terkenal dari tahun 1980-an. Mereka berdua meneriakkan jawabannya pada saat yang sama. Mereka saling menatap, terkejut, lalu tertawa begitu keras sampai tim di sebelah mereka menoleh.

"How do you even know that song?" Bram asks, grinning for the first time all night. Zara admits her older sister used to play that album constantly when she was growing up. Bram says his father did the exact same thing. For the next few questions, they answer as a real team.

"Bagaimana kamu bisa tahu lagu itu?" tanya Bram sambil nyengir untuk pertama kalinya malam itu. Zara mengaku kakak perempuannya dulu memutar album itu terus-menerus saat ia kecil. Bram bilang ayahnya melakukan hal yang persis sama. Beberapa pertanyaan berikutnya, mereka menjawab sebagai tim yang sesungguhnya.

By the final round, they are leaning across the table, arguing happily about answers instead of staying quiet. Their team doesn't win, but Zara doesn't mind at all. If trivia night happens again next week, she already knows she'll be back, and so will Bram. Neither of them mentions the blind date part again; they simply agree on a time.

Pada babak terakhir, mereka sudah condong ke seberang meja, berdebat dengan riang tentang jawaban, bukan lagi diam saja. Tim mereka tidak menang, tetapi Zara sama sekali tidak keberatan. Kalau malam kuis diadakan lagi minggu depan, ia sudah tahu akan kembali, dan Bram juga. Tak satu pun dari mereka menyinggung soal kencan buta itu lagi; mereka hanya menyepakati waktunya.