A Serendipitous beginning

Chapter 1

The meeting

"One hazelnut latte." Dev handed over his card as he checked his phone for messages. Nothing from his family.

It was a freezing December morning in Chicago. He was traveling for work the past couple weeks and will be back in India by the weekend. He considered calling his mother to check up on her, but a weariness settled into his being by the mere thought. No, it's fine. He will text his uncle and make sure everything is good. He just needed to focus on the meetings with this new client. It will be a great step forward for his company.

Right now, he really needed caffeine. When will that coffee be ready? His stomach rumbled. And maybe a croissant will go well with that coffee.

He was contemplating which kind he wanted when he heard the barista call out, "One hazelnut latte!" He moved forward when he heard her continue. "For Sona."

Dev froze in his tracks, feeling his heart immediately racing up. He knew his watch had started to record a very high pulse rate right now. He looked around in the early morning crowd full of corporate employees in their formal suits and college students in their casual sweats.

Maybe he was mistaken in hearing the name. He berated himself furiously. It's been five fucking years. 'Move on Dev' he told himself, shaking his head, when he saw her.

A sky-blue turtleneck sweater, dark blue jeans, a long brown overcoat with a matching scarf. Her hair was much longer than before, loosely escaping from the brown skull cap and she was balancing a bag on her shoulder and a laptop in her hand.

She walked over with a polite smile and gently took a sip. She smiled wider now. "It's delicious, thank you."

He watched her lips touch the edge of the cup again. She sipped again and looked up. He knew she had seen him because her happy, relaxed expression was replaced with a shocked, panicked one, that lovely, satisfied smile disappearing in the cold air.

It had been five years. Five long, lonely, sad years since he had seen her last. He had imagined her in so many different places, different times. As his eyes beheld her, he tried to tell himself he was in some weird winter fever dream, and he should pinch himself hard back to reality. Maybe in a minute though. He wanted to live in this particular moment for now. If he could stay without moving, he may be able to prolong this for as long as he could.

"Hazelnut latte for Dev!" The barista yelled, breaking the trance. Sonakshi turned back to look at the new cup of coffee placed on the counter and turned back to look at him.

He didn't realize he was walking in her direction. He didn't stop near her and kept walking until he reached the counter and picked up his coffee. Taking a deep breath, he turned decisively back towards her to speak to her, only to see the edge of her coat as the door to the cafe closed.

He made a mad dash for the door and there she was, practically running on the street. He was grateful for that pedestrian light that came on and didn't let her get any farther. She had to wait out the heavy traffic.

He reached her, pausing next to her among the other waiting public. "You didn't have to rush like that." He said quietly.

She didn't utter a word and looked away from him.

"Sonakshi. Please." He pleaded.

She sighed and turned to look at him. The bitter cold along with the wind-chill had made the tip of her nose so pink, she looked like a real bunny. The thought made him chuckle.

Sonakshi frowned with annoyance at his laughter. The Dev Dixit who, according to his sisters never laughed through childhood, was finding this funny? He was in such a great place in his life that randomly bumping into her in a foreign city after so many years was funny? 

"What's so funny?" She snapped at him.

He swallowed his laughter and cleared his throat. "Sorry, I wasn't.. It's just that you look...never mind."

"I look like what? What's wrong with the way I look?" She was getting angry now. How dare he...he had no right to comment on her appearance, of all things.

"Nothing at all. You look more beautiful than ever." He watched the pink slowly tinge her cheeks as well now as she fell quiet.

"You look good too." She finally managed in a low voice.

He did look good. Full formal clothing with a tie and a dark jacket. He had grown a beard, it suited him. He looked every bit the successful businessman that he was.

"How are you?" The question sounded hollow to his own ears, but oh well, he had said it now.

"Fine. You?" He definitely looked better than the last time she had seen him. Probably eased up on the alcohol.

"I am...um..." He trailed off, watching the traffic for a moment. He turned back to her. "You are probably busy, but do you want to sit down somewhere to have that coffee?" Dev asked, nodding to the cup in her hand. He had an important meeting himself in 30 minutes, but right now he couldn't care less about that.

"Uhhh....well okay." She conceded. "There is a park around the corner but it's too cold to be outside. We could go back to the coffee shop."

They settled down on a small table. Several moments passed as they appraised each other.

"You still like the same flavor of coffee." Dev eventually broke the silence.

"I live close by, and this place has the best hazelnut coffee, and I love this flavor." She spoke quietly now, he noticed. But still, hearing the sound of her voice was music to his ears.

"You live around here? How long have you lived here?" He was curious.

Days after her engagement, when he finally couldn't keep away any more, he had checked up on her and came up empty-handed. He didn't know where she had gone. He had tried to track down Saurabh too but turned out her entire family had moved away. She hadn't updated her social media either. Sonakshi Bose had simply vanished from his world.

Never from his heart though.

"Since I got married. Ritwik got a really good opportunity in Northwestern." She said.

Ritwik, of course. Her husband. What was he even thinking. Dev ignored the bile rising in his throat and forced his brain to form a response.

"Oh. How is he doing? Do you guys like living here?"

"He is fine but we don't live together. It didn't work out. We got a divorce." She stated quietly.

Dev simply stared. He wanted to extend his sympathies but couldn't find the words. Moreover, was he really sorry? Not quite. The taste of bile from a moment ago was replaced by the taste of sweet hazelnut coffee.

"I..ahem..I ..." He started.

"I am fine, thanks." She saved him the trouble. "Work keeps me busy and I like it that way. How about you? Married? Girlfriend?" She asked, in a polite detached way.

"No. Work keeps me also busy and I too like it that way." Dev told her.

Silence descended upon the table, as their eyes met over their coffee cups. The cold, foreign air had suddenly wrapped him in a warm, familiar hug.

"I have to go, I can't be late for work." She stood up and gave him a small smile. "It was good seeing you. Bye."

"Sonakshi! Please.. I mean.. uh.. I am here for a couple more days. Maybe we can meet again...dinner? If you have time?"

She stared at the rim of her cup and didn't speak for a long time. And when she did, it wasn't what he expected.

"How would your mother feel about you wanting to have dinner with me and spend time with me?"

Trust Sonakshi to pour ice cold water on his head. He wanted to say, my mother isn't here. He wanted to say, I want to feel alive again. I want to cherish this feeling of being around you for just a little bit longer. He wanted to say so much more. He said none of it.

"She won't like it."

Sonakshi nodded. "Goodbye Dev." She walked away.