Enamour

Pahli Mulakat - Part 1

A cool breeze of the month of October was hitting her face. She was enjoying the morning. It was a kind of morning when Khushi wanted to spend outside instead of sitting behind a closed door. So after finishing her jogging she hit the shower & got ready. Today she decided to enjoy a cup of coffee in the nearby café house which was her favorite. Along with coffee, the place was beautiful. Cafe was situated in a complex which was neat & airy. There were rows of cafeteria, restaurants & other edible items on the left side. In front, there was a parking place & on the other side a few elegant & high-class dinners. There was a lot of open space in the middle where there were few benches. A beautiful fountain used to run in front, which added to the beauty there. The best thing about that place was that it was not crowded. Actually, it was not in the market so people spared it. There were 2 high-rise buildings in which offices were there. So, limited people visit there. There were two reasons for liking the place. Obviously, there was not much crowd & secondly, you could enjoy your coffee, tea or other eatables by sitting in the sun in the open area. In the early morning or at night you can eat your food or drink your coffee while enjoying the cool air.

Khushi was not a coffee person, adrak wali chai was her favorite but once in a while, she liked to sip a coffee too specifically in the winter season. So it was one of those days when she desired to have a cup of coffee. She wore her baby pink top & blue jeans & started her journey toward the cafeteria. She was not fussy about clothes & other accessories. You can say she was like a tomboy. She was least bothered about her looks, clothes & makeup & shoes. She was a very simple girl & enjoyed her life with simplicity. She ordered a cup of latte without sugar. She was not a fan of sweets specifically tea & coffee. She used to add sugar to coffee according to her taste. She was waiting for her coffee & was humming a song of Rafi Shab which she had listened to only this morning - ''tum jo mil gaye ho to ye lagata hai ki jahan mil gaya.''

''Miss Khushi, your order, one Latte without sugar & one blueberry pastry.'' The girl on the counter informed her with a warm smile.

She was about to pick up her cup of coffee, Suddenly one hand appeared & picked up the mug, the other hand kept a five hundred note on the counter. Before she realized what was happening a deep baritone sound hit her ears- ''Prepare one more latte for madam, I am taking this one.'' he winked to the counter girl & gave a charming smile to Khushi- ''I am in a hurry.''  He turned & about to go out the door of the cafeteria when Khushi spoke- ''One minute, please.'' Arnav closed his eyes, Shit I am already running late & this person is going to waste my time. Arnav turned & started to speak to defend himself but stopped when he saw the girl in front of him. He saw a tall & very simple girl who was wearing a baby pink top & blue jeans. He was a fashion designer & by one look he came to a conclusion that she is not good for his business. He also concluded that His charm was not going to work on her. Arnav was thinking about how to convince the girl without wasting his time. Before he could have any excuse Khushi spoke- ''Actually, I can afford a more cup of coffee, but I think you can not afford time so keep this money & if possible please buy some time for yourself.'' She kept five hundred notes in his expensive suit's pocket which he left 1 minute ago on the counter. He was stunned. She gave him a smile & went to the counter to order another cup of coffee. For a few seconds Arnav couldn't move. First time in his life he was shut up with a smile & a perfect answer to his arrogance. The first time he was feeling bad for his behavior. Should he say sorry? His Di is correct. Sometimes he acts like a jerk. His conscience asked- sometimes? Ok. OK, most of the time but he valued the people who are worth it. The girl seemed like one of them but he was already running late for his meeting so he glanced towards the girl last time & hoped that someday they will meet again & he will definitely show his better side. He went out of the door & focused on his upcoming meeting.

Khushi took her coffee & sat in an open space near the fountain. She has been craving these moments since she came back from her jogging. At last, she was enjoying coffee with her favorite blueberry pastry. She was thinking about the coffee snatcher. If he had asked her politely she would have given her cup of coffee to him. But these types of jerks think that they can do any crime & go free because they are handsome & charming. The icing on the cake was that he was rich too. She was happy that she gave him a fitting reply but without spoiling her mood & off course lovely morning. Remembering his stunned look a smile crept on Khushi's face. After a few minutes, her thoughts wander in another direction. What is the use of earning so much money if a person cannot afford his coffee or have food peacefully? Then she caught a few friends who were laughing & chatting while having their breakfast. She started to miss her cousins & hostel days when she used to spend her time like this only. In the middle of the night, they used to cook Maggie & have hot cups of chai. Whenever someone spoke excitedly in a loud voice, all others would shush her not to make noise. Those days were fun-filled. How many times in the name of late-night studies they drink unlimited cups of tea & ate unlimited packets of Maggie. She has good friends in the office too but hostel days were totally different. She glanced at her watch & stood up. It was time to go to the office. She was so lucky that she got her place near the office. It was a ten min walk only. No hassle of traffic. She was staying at PG with two other girls but in separate rooms. Landlady was nice. There was no unnecessary chik -chik & no snooping around as she listened to her other friends how their landlady probed their noses. The food was not great but she could manage. Sometimes when she likes to cook for herself her landlady allows using her kitchen. She even kept an induction cooker in her room. Once in a while, she likes to cook for herself specifically her breakfast. All her life was good, running smoothly. Every fortnight she goes to meet her parents in Chandigarh. Her father is a govt officer & nowadays he is transferred to the Capital of Haryana & Punjab.

Nowadays her parents dropped hints here & there to get married & she asked them to just wait for one more year. But she knows that they had started their mission to search for a perfect guy. Her grandmother says- it takes time for a ''good boy''.She is OK with it. She is not a lovey-dovey type of girl. She is a practical & realistic person. Boys, affairs never interested her. Her approach to life is practical. She knows that her parents will do their best. She is also preparing herself that she will try her best. But if things do not work out then she will back down. She will not suffer in unhappy married life. She won't act like a few colleagues & friends who are suffering in their married life. They hope one day everything will be OK but when that one day will come no one knows. She has one fanda in her life ''Prepare for the worst & hope for the best.'' She has a good job, supporting & caring parents, and one naughty & too energetic young brother so she is ready to face any difficulty in life. But she is not prepared for one thing: if someone falls in love with her or she falls in love with someone, what will she do? She never considers that possibility.

Two months have passed since the incident of forcefully borrowing a cup of coffee from a stranger. Arnav visited that café 3 more times. Secretly he hoped that he will meet that girl again but no luck. He thought that maybe she was not a regular customer. Unaware of all these things that some stranger or according to Khushi 'Coffee snatcher' wanted to meet her, Khushi was moving in her life. That incident was stored somewhere in her subconscious mind.