Author's POV
The cafe hummed softly as the glow of the day waned, bathed in the warm glow of late afternoon sunlight filtering through lace curtains, Mahogany shelves stretched from floor to ceiling, cradling rows of books that exhaled the comforting scent of well-loved pages. Soft jazz melodies drifted from hidden speakers, mingling with the atmosphere.
Groups of friends huddled in overstuffed armchairs,their faces illuminated by the soft glow of table lamps sharing snippets of prose and laughter over steaming mugs of coffee. A solitary reader nestled in a nook by the window,completely engrossed in a novel, oblivious of the world outside. The air was alive with the rustle of turning pages and the occasional clink of porcelain against saucer as servers delivered freshly brewed teas, coffees and pastries.
Above, the ceiling was adored with twinkling fairy lights that cast magical ambiance over the scene, enhancing the cosy intimate atmosphere. The walls, lined with vintage posters and framed literary quotes, whispered tales of distant places and times, inviting people to lose themselves in the endless realms of imagination.
As the sky outside deepened into hues of apricot and lavender, the cafe seemed to wrap its visitors in a timeless embrace, a sanctuary where the love for books and the art of conversation intertwined harmoniously, creating a haven of warmth and tranquillity in the heart of the bustling city.
“I don't think you should read this book in public.” Shree said, passing a cup of coffee to the solitary reader nestled in a nook by the window.
“And why's that?” asked the reader.
“Well you see… first it doesn't suit your bad boy personality and second if you read these kind of sweet romance books in public some girls might try to approach you thinking you are a green flag guy but then what about Nikita? hmmm, Nikki.” Shree said, trying hard to hide the smile that broke on her face while looking at Nikhil.
“First my personality has nothing to do with books I read, Second I am very loyal to my girlfriend so don't worry about other girls approaching me and Third STOP CALLING ME THAT.” Nikhil said with an extra sweet smile on his face.
“THAT? What ‘that’ Nikki? Shree asked, batting her eyelashes acting innocent.
“You know what I mean by ‘that’ and stop this eyelash batting thing, it's just…disgusting.” Nikhil said annoyingly, turning his face.
“Okay I will stop… Now tell me when I am seeing you and Nikita here on a date.” Now that was enough to make the annoyed Nikhil a blushing Nikhil.
“I am planning to ask her on a date, which might happen next Thursday. Just pray for me and wish me luck.” Nikhil said, dreaming about his Nikita.
“Well that's great. Oh, my shift’s over. Enjoy your coffee Nikki.” Shree said, glancing at her wristwatch.
“I told you to stop.” Nikhil said.
“Fine. Enjoy your coffee and book. Bye 𝑴𝒓. 𝑴𝒂𝒋𝒏𝒖.” Shree said, and ran from there, leaving Nikhil, who just chuckled and shook his head while looking at her back and focused back on his novel.
[Mr. Loverboy]
Shree quickly gathered her belongings and made her way to a small changing room tucked behind the counter.
The changing room was tiny, barely fitting a small mirror, a few hooks for uniforms and a wooden bench. Shree hung up her apron neatly, folded her uniform, and slipped her favourite short kurti and jeans. It was a ritual to change out of her cafe attire before leaving.
Once dressed, she checked herself in the mirror, adjusting a loose strand of hair that had escaped her messy hair bun.
Locking the changing room behind her, Shree stepped out into the quiet of the cafe. The aroma of coffee still lingering in the air, a comforting scent that followed her as she made her way through the tables and to the cafe door.
“See you tomorrow! Aakash Bhaiya.” She said before moving out of the door.
“Let's go Kittu’s kitty.” Shree said, taking out the keys of the motorcycle from her bag.
She swung her leg over the motorcycle parked outside the cafe. She fastened her helmet securely and with a twist of the throttle, she set off onto the open road.
The streets were alive with the buzz of city life as Shree weaved through the traffic, her motorcycle cutting through the urban landscape with flexibility.
As she left the city behind, skyscrapers gave way to suburban streets lined with neatly trimmed lawns and cosy homes. The ride to the Rathore Mansion was a familiar route to her.
Finally, she turned onto the same quiet street, the familiar large came to her vision.
Shree pulled up the motorcycle near the ornate iron gate of the grand Rathore Mansion. The gravel crunched softly under her sneakers as she swung her leg off the bike and reached into her bag’s pocket for her phone. With a few taps, she dialled Laksh’s number, holding the phone near her ear as she waited for the call to connect.
“Hey Laksh, it's Shree.” Shree said as soon as the call connected. “I am outside your home. Are you coming out to get me?” She said looking at the guards at the door.
“You're here, great! Just wait a minute, I am coming there.” Laksh’s voice crackle with enthusiasm.
“Okay.” Shree replied and hung up, waiting for him to show up.
Laksh, on the other hand, as soon as he heard that ran out of his towards the gates to invite her.
He reached the gate and saw her on a motorcycle.
Shree turned towards him and waved with a smile. Laksh made his way towards her.
“Woah! Seonbae. I didn't know you can ride a motorcycle too.” Laksh said with amusement.
“𝒀𝒆𝒉 𝒕𝒐𝒉 𝒃𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂, 𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒃𝒉𝒊 𝒃𝒂𝒂𝒌𝒊 𝒉𝒂𝒊 𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒔𝒕.” Shree replied with a huge grin making Laksh laugh.
[This was just the trailer, the picture is yet to come my friend.]
“𝑨𝒃 𝒚𝒆𝒉 𝒔𝒂𝒃 𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒅𝒉𝒐 𝒂𝒖𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒐 𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒂 𝑴𝒓. 𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒂 𝒃𝒐𝒉𝒐𝒕 𝒋𝒂𝒍𝒅 𝒉𝒖𝒎 𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒐 𝒑𝒆 𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒏𝒂 𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒊𝒕𝒍𝒆- 𝑫𝒐 𝑬𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒄𝒔 𝒌𝒆 𝒌𝒉𝒂𝒂𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒏𝒂 𝒌𝒂𝒓 𝒑𝒂𝒂𝒚𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒔.” Shree said.
[Now leave all this and let's move inside or else Mr. Sharma will make a film on both of us with the title -Two specials of Economics could not pass the project.]
“𝑨𝒖𝒓 𝒘𝒐𝒉 𝒃𝒉𝒊 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒔.” Laksh complete her sentence, making her laugh.
[And that too a free show to the whole class.]
“𝑺𝒂𝒉𝒊 𝒃𝒂𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒊.” Shree said.
[That's correct!]
The guards opened the gates and they moved inside. Shree parked her bike securely and made her way inside the mansion with Laksh beside her.
On their way to Laksh’s room, with Laksh guiding her. Aditi, who came early today, saw them and ran towards them. She took Shree in a hug, surprising her suddenly.
“Hi! How are you doing? We didn't even exchange numbers last time so I couldn't even contact you and this brother of mine won't give me your number. Thank God you are here we are going to have lots of fun and—” Before Aditi can say anything her sentence got cut by Laksh.
“Adu Di, she is here for a project with ME. We will first do our project work and then if Seonbae WANTS you can have some talk with her otherwise no. Now move aside please, we have some work to do.” Laksh said passing Aditi a winning smirk and dragged Shree from there.
“I will see you in some time Aditi.” Shree said, coming out of her surprised state while Laksh was still dragging her.
Aditi smiled widely hearing her words and moved towards her room.
Laksh gestured to Shree to take a seat on the sofa in his room.
His room was totally what Shree assumed to look like maybe a bit more than what she assumed.
The room was a snug haven of youthful passions. Posters of his favourite video game characters battled for space with vibrant concert flyers plastered on the walls. A sleek gaming setup occupied one corner, its console humming softly under the glow of LED lights. Across the room, a desk served as a dual-purpose workstation and gaming hub, adorned with stickers of gaming logos and band insignias on a well-loved laptop. A guitar leaned casually against the wall, complementing a modest collection of vinyl records stacked beside a vintage turntable. There were some posters of anime characters too on the walls.
“What is it a room or a gaming studio?” Shree thought but stopped after remembering her own room.
Laksh stood near her and asked, “So what would you like to have?—Umm how about a cheesecake or pastry or ice cream or chocolate or milkshake or—”
“How about a glass of water?” Shree said, stopping his large menu.
“What? Of course, you are here for the first time so choose something more to go with.” Laksh said.
“Technically Second Time.” Shree corrected.
“Last time you came as a stranger but this time as a guest, so it's the first time.” Laksh said, making her pass him a weird look hearing his sentence.
“So I am a guest.” Shree said, this time seriously, to which he hummed with a positive nod. But her next words left him speechless.
“So you expect me to give you some money before going when I leave as that’s what guests do, right? That’s the reason you are pestering me so much, hmm?”
♡✿♡✿♡✿♡✿♡✿♡✿♡✿♡
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