A Coffee can change your Life

His mobile phone beeped. He immediately picked up the mobile to reply. He knew who the message is from. Its Kaveri. "Why is she not taking any step further? Does she really like me? How does she feel about me? Should I go ahead now? Oh, man! It's like hide & seek game", his mind raced with thoughts. "Will you go with me to Coonoor this weekend?" read the message. "Perfect" he blurted out.

Nihanth is an IT guy working in Bengaluru. Kaveri is also an IT girl in the same city. He met Kaveri at a coffee house. Their bills got mixed up, and they ended up paying for each other unknowingly. While going down the staircase, he heard someone call him "Excuse me ! Mister ?". "Nihanth" he clarified looking at her hair curls hanging on one side of her face. Her hazel eyes were hiding behind those curls. He was magnetized by her looks.

"Yeah Mr. Nihanth. I think our bills got mixed up, and we ended up paying for each other." said Kaveri."Oh, alright! I'm in a bit of a hurry right now. Can you please ping me on my number?" "Yeah that's fine."

He grabbed the very first opportunity to know her number. He forgot about the coffee house incident for the rest of the day. His memory was refreshed when he got a message from her. He was ecstatic. He tried hard not to sound like a flirt. Eventually, her messages were a welcome sign to go ahead.

They got to know better as time passed by. She appreciated his disciplined yet joyous lifestyle. He drew towards her comforting and warm persona. They hung out every weekend. They kept canceling their other plans just to meet for a couple of hours. Things started to change. They went grocery shopping together, furniture hunting together, motorcycle rides together, etc. The feelings grew. They started to care for each other. They longed for each other's company. The weekend outings increased weekday hangouts. They were mystified about the things happening between them. He had definitely fallen in love. She too was in love. Every moment they spend with each other brings delight to their heart. Yet, they're still perplexed what the other person felt.

Nihanth decided he should speak his heart. He's just waiting for an unerring occasion. But there are some questions haunting his mind. It was Thursday night. He has decided to propose that weekend. Kaveri has messaged asking to go to Coonoor. 'Trust the timing of your life' he thought.

"Yeah. Sure. I'm more than happy to go."

"Great then. I'll pick you up on Saturday early morning on my car."

He packed the best clothes he had. Although a bit skeptical, he bought a ring. Kaveri is no less enthusiastic. She had invited him hoping he would take things forward. However, she made up her mind to put an end to this dilemma.

The early morning drive started with a warm hug. A long drive awaited them. He switched the car stereo on and a familiar music greeted them. 'Tum hi ho' started playing. They looked at each other. A deep stillness engulfed them. An empty road, early morning mist, a lovely song, and nothing but two hearts longing to get together. It had set the tone for the rest of the journey. They reached Coonoor late afternoon, taking a few breaks, talking reticently.

After checking into the hotel, they went on local sightseeing. Nihanth was nodding off through every conversation. He was deeply engrossed in finding the perfect place and time to propose. Meanwhile, Kaveri is growing impatient with him. 'He's not taking things ahead. I'm sure he loves me. Should I be more subtle?' her thoughts wandered. They were back to the hotel to get some dinner.

"What do you want to eat?" asked Nihanth.

"Two parotta and chicken curry." replied Kaveri.

"Same for me and one Gulab jamun please."

"You never stop ordering that for me ! Ha-ha-ha"

"Well, you like it. There's nothing wrong in getting what you like, right?"

"Yeah. Absolutely."

"And by the way, what should we see tomorrow?"

"Its your call. There're plantations here, train rides, and the Dolphin's nose. Superb view it seems."

"Umm. How about Catherine Falls? Its 20km from here. We'll start early and visit the remaining places."

Nihanth was eyeing an undisturbed morning at the waterfalls. He smiled concealing the rush of emotions to his face.

"Alright. Sounds fun" replied a blushing Kaveri.

They bid farewell after a quiet long walk on the moonlit road, with chilly winds disturbing her hair, holding hand in hand, fancying the next morning. Sleep was an enemy to both of them that night. They were excited, waiting desperately. Every passing minute felt like an year. They kept glancing at the clock every 5 minutes hoping it would skip a couple of hours.

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It was early in the morning. They started out early and reached the waterfalls. It was secluded area with not a human in sight. Nihanth immediately sat on a rock paddling his feet in the water. The fog was thick making is difficult to clearly see the top of the waterfalls. Kaveri immediately settled beside him on the same rock. She looked at him yearning to kiss his cheeks. Nihanth took out his camera to shoot the beauty of the waterfalls. An Indian redneck parrot couple sitting on a branch, hanging over the waterfalls, caught his eye. They were beautiful bright green birds pecking at each other's neck. It felt as though they were the last remaining couple on the earth. The moment has to be seized. He immediately handed over the camera to Kaveri.

She looked through the viewfinder and exclaimed "That's a beautiful couple". Nihanth came closer to her left ear and whispered "Can we be a couple like that?".

Although she was expecting this, it hit her hard. She smiled. She blushed. She said "Yes". They hugged each other. Nihanth took out the ring he brought her. Kaveri was much more surprised. She happily let him put the ring on her finger. An uncertain future has come to an end. Nihanth was beaming and grinning. He's going to share the rest of his life with someone who loves and cares for him dearly.They started their journey the next day. It's an end of a trip and a start of a beautiful life.

This is a work of fiction. Names, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events or places is purely coincidental.