AMARANTHINE

Act I (i) One Fine Day

"We do not meet people by accident, they are meant to cross our paths for a reason."

~ Unknown ~

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Shaurya Pratap Rathore was a man perturbed and intrigued.

He was perturbed by the fact that he had to do what he was doing in secret. Despite being aware of the ridicule he would face if he was caught in the act, it still left him a trifle uneasy at the stealth he had to employ to accomplish what he wanted. He had wondered how he could carry out what he wanted without being caught and had recently discovered this treasure of a place which was best suited for his purposes. There was no way he could be discovered here and he believed that the best hiding places were in those that were in plain sight.

There were quite a few advantages the place offered. The coffee was delectable with the chocolate chip cookies being an added bonus. His office was within easy walking distance and an additional benefit was the large library that was just around the corner from where he could simply pick up more books in the genre that he was researching. When he had decided that this place was ideal, he had changed his usual parking place to the one in the alley adjoining the small coffee shop which gave him yet another reason to walk to the place on a daily basis. It had not taken him long to realise that the shop had only two regulars, himself and the petite woman.

He was intrigued by that petite woman.

He looked at her again, a habit that had formed over the past few days. She always sat by herself at the small coffee table in the corner of the shop; it was the most secluded spot in the whole cafe, affording privacy, a direct view of the store entrance and the glass wall along the street side enabled one to stare at the never-ending stream of people who walked down the roads. It should have been very popular with couples but for the fact that it was also the brightest corner of the whole shop and hence avoided by any couple who would prefer the sequestration that softer, subdued lighting would offer. But then the bright light seemed to be what attracted the young woman, who was seated with a few books and a slim notebook open before her. It appeared that she treated the coffee shop corner as her a substitute study room.

He could not help noticing her, for like him, she too sat alone with books. He also haunted the coffee shop with only a book for company. He wondered what her reasons for preferring this place would be; he needed seclusion and some time to spend alone, which would have been impossible either in his office where there would be too many prying eyes or in his home filled with loving but inquisitive family members. And if they discovered what he was reading, there would be no end to what he would have to hear. But then the book he was reading was not very captivating either and he found his attention wandering to her again.

She was a slim and petite woman, just an inch or two over five feet, with a lovely wheatish complexion and dark hair. He imagined her hair to be long and thick, considering the sizable bun on her neck where she had fiercely twisted her tresses into. He noted that she was always simply dressed, plain kurtas and fitted leggings or jeans, but she was a very fit and trim woman; he had seen her walk, it was brisk and purposeful, as though she did not brook any wastage of movement.

However, nothing much else could be made of her face as she had stuck the largest and ugliest pair of glasses available in the market. Those glasses were like a warning, 'Keep your distance, company not wanted.' It appeared to work with most of the people, but then Shaurya was no ordinary man, the glasses and her attitude were like a beacon to which he found himself irresistibly drawn.

Though he was not willing to intrude on her apparent demand for solitude, he felt quite restless, unable to repress the urge to strike a conversation with her. His conflict might have continued for some more time had the fates not decided to be kind to him, three weeks since he first saw her. It had been raining and he stepped into the coffee shop to note the shop was full and the only table that appeared to offer any chance of a sitting place was the one occupied by that woman. In an instant, he made his decision.