Monday had never been as energetic as before for Sapna. Neither could she fall asleep on the way to the office. Vansh, sitting next to her, was astounded knowing how heartbroken she once was.
“You and sleep are incestuous. What’s the occasion, gal? And you are looking beautiful today!”
Sapna beamed, blushing at intervals. She had never had compliments from guys, so occasional ones made her heartbeat stop for a while. Looking at her baby pink top and dark black trousers, she could not help admiring her dress sense for a moment.
“No, nothing of that sort,” she laughed,
“Wore this at the office party last Friday. Where were you?” was his befitting reply.
“Oh, I was out of the station. Seeing you, I think I missed a lot.”
Sapna could not decipher the meaning of his words. But she just smiled and thanked God, for office was here.
“Well, I admire this a lot. I have often seen you in the office, working with complete dedication; it seems you are oblivious of everything else when you are at your errands. So just felt like talking to you. Wanted to know where all this perseverance comes from.”
Sapna knew this was not the reason for his talking to her, but she was elated to read this heart-warming message on a dull Monday morning in the core of her heart.
Oh, I wonder when you saw this dedication. Thanks for appreciating.
The messenger showed ‘Seen by Naman.’
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By MDV Edwards/ Shutterstock
A chill ran down her spine. She kept glaring at the screen. Ten minutes on, there was no reply.
Minutes became hours; Sapna could only punch in a few lines of debugged code sent by her coder colleagues for error checking. She would constantly keep a check on her messenger, in vain.
Maybe I should have initiated some conversation; he was a decent guy. Maybe he is the one I was waiting for.
No, you don’t chat with stranger ‘boys’ like that. But he appreciated it like a friend. How can you make friends in a day?
Or will she be heartbroken once again, she thought.
Sapna’s heart and mind were in a constant tiff. While her heart yearned to know more about this newly discovered infatuation, her mind warned her to stay cautious.
Two days with no reply had just raised her pulse. Maybe he just wanted to appreciate, nothing more, she thought. Before she could control the restlessness jolting her senses, there buzzed the notification of a new message.
It was from Naman. A few friendly exchanges and then another message flashed.
“Olympia coffee house? If you don’t mind. I would love to meet you”.
“Yes,”
That’s how all the trapped emotions resonating inside her came out. Though she was heartbroken in the past; emotions struck her again an hour before leaving for the coffee house.
How will I recognize him? Why did I say yes to an unseen, unknown man? What if he was a kidnapper? I should not take the bus today. People would suspect. The auto would be a better option.
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By ViDI Studio/ Shutterstock
With all the preconceived notions, she landed up at the coffee house. She was not dressed in her best outfit, so she tried to compensate with a different hairdo.
“Anything would suit you, Miss Sapna,” came a somewhat hoarse yet a manly voice from behind. He had seen her playing with her hair.
“Naman,” said a tall, dusky guy, inviting a handshake.
Sapna felt enamored of his sharp features and muscular stature. Shaking, she raised her hand at the gesture.
“Please sit; it’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said, extraordinarily soft and sugar-coated in his tone.
Sapna followed him to a table arranged for two people. After ordering two cappuccinos, they were quiet, staring yet not speaking. Naman broke the curse.
“Would you not like to know anything about me?”
“Yeah, I am sorry. I was thinking about something”, Sapna said, waking up from a dream. She had always imagined her prince charming like Naman. She could think of nothing else.
“I am Naman Singh, originally from Haryana, pursuing my job here. I am more of a maverick, you see. So, I rented my flat. Can’t share!” he said, shrieking with laughter at his own words.
“So, your family is in Haryana?”
“Is it an interview?”
“Oh, I am sorry.”
“Hey, it’s ok,” said Naman, as he saw Sapna embarrassed at his remark.
“I am from Mumbai. Lonavala”, said a meek Sapna, feeling relieved at the arrival of her coffee.
“You are not comfortable. This won’t work” “Oh, I am ok.”
“No, you are not,” blurted out Naman, an angry streak in his voice.
“I am not here to make you feel awkward or anything. I like you. Since I saw you, I have had a strange attraction towards you. I am endeared by your charm, simplicity, and hard work. Please don’t spoil it all. Feel free, dear. Really.”
Sapna was dumbstruck.
No, he is just making up things; he has some other intentions in mind; I am a big idiot; I shouldn’t have come, she thought.
“I am sorry” she said, so taken aback by her own words that she left the coffee midway and took the next auto back home.
Her dreams could not be flooded more. She was heartbroken. She could see Naman everywhere. He made her smile, but his gait and manly gestures were not the only reasons. He had a natural charm. She had to give him a chance. It had been enough.
Last Updated on by Himani Rawat