She looked over at her watch. 'He's late. Ughhh. Okay. You gotta chill. This is no big deal. It's just coffee. Chill.'
Ten minutes later, her phone rang. It was him. "Where are you? I can't see you."
"Right in front of you." She smiled and it soon turned into a grin. He had that effect on her.
"You know what they say about the thing you're searching for being right in front of you.." He smiled back at her as he took a seat next to her in the crowded coffee shop that had the most amazing smell of coffee beans surrounding them, enclosing them in their own little bubble, away from the crowd. This was one of his favorite cafés in the city. He used to come here a lot, mostly with a book for company. Only this time he had decided to read this beautiful girl instead.
'How can he say things like that and expect me not to fall for him.' Her heart questioned. She ignored this silly remark and went on to fall even harder for that smile that lit up her world. It was always the smile, she reflected to herself. The first thing she noticed in anybody, the one thing that determined how she felt about the other person. His smile was..different. When he smiled at her, it seemed like it was only meant for her. 'Key word. Seemed.' Her brain prodded.
He settled in comfortably on the couch, gauging the entire spectrum of expressions on her face. He saw flickers of hopelessness, pure joy and then hopelessness again. She was a mystery to him. Someone he couldn't figure out. He watched as the sunlight streaming in from the window behind her irritated her. She scrunched up her nose and furrowed her brows involuntarily. He shifted a little in his seat to make sure this irritation was short lived, involuntarily.
She saw him move so the light won't annoy her like it was no big deal. 'But it is!' Her heart found its voice again. 'Don't read too much into it. Do not read too much into any of it. It's an act. You're just another one of his trophies.' Her brain chided. As usual, she ignored the voices inside and concentrated on his smile which now gave her the message that he was amused. The waiter came and he ordered two cappuccinos. "How do you know I wouldn't want something else?" She tried to frame her curiosity in words. He was just as much of a mystery to her as she was to him. The fact that he didn't even ask what she wanted stung a little so she blurted out the question.
"Do you?" He asked. She slowly shook her head no. "I thought so.." He mumbled. "So how is the weekend treating you?" He asked her, a corner of his heart wanting her to mention this was the best part of it. "It's going the usual way. I'm being my lazy self and enjoying this little amount of solace before Monday strikes again and I have to go back to that sad little office that offers me no happiness." His lips immediately curved up. They seemed to have a mind of their own when she was around. As rarely as he smiled, most of it happened around her and his control-freak-self didn't like that much. But he kind of did. He loved that she had no filter when she spoke, she was abrupt and outspoken. She didn't think twice about how the person in front of her would react.
She regretted speaking an unnaturally long sentence as soon as she spoke it. She had a hard time keeping words inside of her. But in front of him, her words flowed without barriers. This was why she felt lighter around him but also scared that she might some day say too much and scare him off. She wanted to do everything in her power to make him stay around, for as long as possible. "Sorry about that outburst." She looked down at her coffee as she mumbled. They had drawn a silly smiley on the foam with its tongue sticking out. She smiled instantly.
He saw her smile, it was contagious. He knew all her smiles by now, by heart. The shy smile, the 'have I said too much?' smile, the crinkling up her nose smile when he cracked a stupid joke. There were so many, each a little different from the rest. Every time she smiled, he wanted to make that smile stay. He wanted to protect her from anything that would wipe her smile away. He didn't understand this instinct but felt very strongly about it. He saw her sip the coffee and get a foam moustache. She made a face at him to bring him out of his reverie, his observations. He took a tissue and wiped the foam off with it. As soon as he did that, he regretted it. He felt her bring up her walls again, saw her recoil into her shell.
Her heart had gone into a free fall and her head had shut her up lest she say something stupid. She felt scared. Her head reminded her of all the times she had let her heart have it's way and get it broken. She looked on as she saw him regret it too. Her heart broke. She was already a mistake to him. She smiled a sad smile, "I need to leave." With that she got up and left.
He sat there for a few minutes, trying to understand what had happened. He understood the walls, her defence mechanism. He even understood that she was scared and that was okay. He just needed a little more time to make her understand that her fears were irrational. But then he saw her sad. He couldn't understand that. She drove her crazy, every time they met, every time they talked, she felt like a time bomb that was biding it's time till it explodes. And every time he thought he was close to detonating it, he would cut the wrong wire. He sighed.
They were not in love. Not yet. They were drawn to each other in ways neither of them understood. Neither of them believed in love. They were in love with each other's company though. It was a holiday from all the crap this world threw at them. They found reasons to be happy in each other's smiles. They found themselves getting upset over the slightest frowns on each other's faces. But they were not in love. No. Not yet.
Ten minutes later, her phone rang. It was him. "Where are you? I can't see you."
"Right in front of you." She smiled and it soon turned into a grin. He had that effect on her.
"You know what they say about the thing you're searching for being right in front of you.." He smiled back at her as he took a seat next to her in the crowded coffee shop that had the most amazing smell of coffee beans surrounding them, enclosing them in their own little bubble, away from the crowd. This was one of his favorite cafés in the city. He used to come here a lot, mostly with a book for company. Only this time he had decided to read this beautiful girl instead.
'How can he say things like that and expect me not to fall for him.' Her heart questioned. She ignored this silly remark and went on to fall even harder for that smile that lit up her world. It was always the smile, she reflected to herself. The first thing she noticed in anybody, the one thing that determined how she felt about the other person. His smile was..different. When he smiled at her, it seemed like it was only meant for her. 'Key word. Seemed.' Her brain prodded.
He settled in comfortably on the couch, gauging the entire spectrum of expressions on her face. He saw flickers of hopelessness, pure joy and then hopelessness again. She was a mystery to him. Someone he couldn't figure out. He watched as the sunlight streaming in from the window behind her irritated her. She scrunched up her nose and furrowed her brows involuntarily. He shifted a little in his seat to make sure this irritation was short lived, involuntarily.
She saw him move so the light won't annoy her like it was no big deal. 'But it is!' Her heart found its voice again. 'Don't read too much into it. Do not read too much into any of it. It's an act. You're just another one of his trophies.' Her brain chided. As usual, she ignored the voices inside and concentrated on his smile which now gave her the message that he was amused. The waiter came and he ordered two cappuccinos. "How do you know I wouldn't want something else?" She tried to frame her curiosity in words. He was just as much of a mystery to her as she was to him. The fact that he didn't even ask what she wanted stung a little so she blurted out the question.
"Do you?" He asked. She slowly shook her head no. "I thought so.." He mumbled. "So how is the weekend treating you?" He asked her, a corner of his heart wanting her to mention this was the best part of it. "It's going the usual way. I'm being my lazy self and enjoying this little amount of solace before Monday strikes again and I have to go back to that sad little office that offers me no happiness." His lips immediately curved up. They seemed to have a mind of their own when she was around. As rarely as he smiled, most of it happened around her and his control-freak-self didn't like that much. But he kind of did. He loved that she had no filter when she spoke, she was abrupt and outspoken. She didn't think twice about how the person in front of her would react.
She regretted speaking an unnaturally long sentence as soon as she spoke it. She had a hard time keeping words inside of her. But in front of him, her words flowed without barriers. This was why she felt lighter around him but also scared that she might some day say too much and scare him off. She wanted to do everything in her power to make him stay around, for as long as possible. "Sorry about that outburst." She looked down at her coffee as she mumbled. They had drawn a silly smiley on the foam with its tongue sticking out. She smiled instantly.
He saw her smile, it was contagious. He knew all her smiles by now, by heart. The shy smile, the 'have I said too much?' smile, the crinkling up her nose smile when he cracked a stupid joke. There were so many, each a little different from the rest. Every time she smiled, he wanted to make that smile stay. He wanted to protect her from anything that would wipe her smile away. He didn't understand this instinct but felt very strongly about it. He saw her sip the coffee and get a foam moustache. She made a face at him to bring him out of his reverie, his observations. He took a tissue and wiped the foam off with it. As soon as he did that, he regretted it. He felt her bring up her walls again, saw her recoil into her shell.
Her heart had gone into a free fall and her head had shut her up lest she say something stupid. She felt scared. Her head reminded her of all the times she had let her heart have it's way and get it broken. She looked on as she saw him regret it too. Her heart broke. She was already a mistake to him. She smiled a sad smile, "I need to leave." With that she got up and left.
He sat there for a few minutes, trying to understand what had happened. He understood the walls, her defence mechanism. He even understood that she was scared and that was okay. He just needed a little more time to make her understand that her fears were irrational. But then he saw her sad. He couldn't understand that. She drove her crazy, every time they met, every time they talked, she felt like a time bomb that was biding it's time till it explodes. And every time he thought he was close to detonating it, he would cut the wrong wire. He sighed.
They were not in love. Not yet. They were drawn to each other in ways neither of them understood. Neither of them believed in love. They were in love with each other's company though. It was a holiday from all the crap this world threw at them. They found reasons to be happy in each other's smiles. They found themselves getting upset over the slightest frowns on each other's faces. But they were not in love. No. Not yet.
Wow!
ReplyDeleteThe post-Tamasha effect, or does it have anything to do with reality?
A writer's reality always seeps into her fiction. She can't tell them apart.
ReplyDeleteWow!
ReplyDeleteThe post-Tamasha effect, or does it have anything to do with reality?