Shuttles And Stars

Neeraj

I arrived at Sia’s place with a mix of excitement and nerves that I couldn’t shake off. I’d been thinking about this coffee meet since last night—hell, since that moment we almost kissed. But I was determined to keep things casual, not to overthink it. Just two friends meeting up, nothing more.

When she opened the door, though, all of that resolve evaporated. Sia stood there in a simple blue casual dress, her hair loose and flowing over her shoulders. The sight of her left me momentarily speechless, and I just stared like a fool. She looked... beautiful.

She coughed dramatically, snapping me out of it. “Are you going to stand there staring, or are you coming in?” she asked, raising an eyebrow with a slight smirk.

I blinked, realizing I hadn’t said a word. “Uh, sorry! You look… I mean, thanks for having me.” I fumbled, feeling like an idiot.

She chuckled lightly and stepped aside to let me in. “Come on, Neeraj. You can make the coffee since I’m still recovering.”

As I stepped inside, I noticed the house was empty. “Where’s everyone?”

“Meera’s gone for a walk, and Netra and Vikram are at work,” she replied, walking towards the kitchen. “So it’s just us.”

That did nothing to calm my racing heart. I busied myself with making the coffee, trying to focus on the task rather than the thoughts swirling in my head. I made enough for both of us, and as I handed her a cup, I couldn’t help but ask, “How’s your health? Are the stitches healing okay?”

Sia nodded, taking a sip of her coffee. “Yeah, I’m doing better. Just slow progress, but I’ll get there.”

There was an awkward silence that followed, the kind that makes you realize there’s more you both want to say, but neither knows where to start. I hated it. I didn’t want this tension between us. So I decided to rip the band-aid off.

“I’m sorry… about yesterday,” I blurted out, unable to look at her directly. “The way we were pulled closer... It wasn’t intentional, and I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

Sia took a moment before responding. She looked calm, not flustered by the memory like I was. “It’s okay, Neeraj. Really. It was just the environment, the movie, and the situation. Things like that happen sometimes. There’s nothing to apologize for.”

Her tone was so matter-of-fact, so… detached. I felt something inside me twist, an unexpected pang of disappointment. I’d thought—no, I’d felt—something more in that moment, something real. But to her, it seemed like it meant nothing.

“Right,” I muttered, leaning back against the kitchen counter. “I just didn’t want it to be weird between us.”

“It’s not,” she said, offering me a reassuring smile. “We’re good.”

But I wasn’t sure if I was good. I had been thinking about her constantly, replaying that moment in my head, and here she was, brushing it off like it was just another random thing that happened. I couldn’t help but wonder if I had been imagining the connection.

There was another stretch of silence, and I decided to switch gears. “So… are you seeing anyone? Dating anyone?”

She raised an eyebrow, surprised by the question. “No, not at the moment. I haven’t really had the time or the interest, honestly. What about you?”

I shook my head. “Nope. I haven’t been dating anyone. Actually, the last time I had a crush was about nine years ago.”

Her eyes widened slightly, intrigued. “Nine years ago? Really? So… who was the lucky one?”