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Chapter 1: Mocha Latte
Geet could feel and hear her heart pounding as she run across the hall and out of the Khurana mansion. Everything and everyone was a blur. She was just responding automatically to her survival instincts. She had to protect herself from the cause of her pain.
She had been broken to pieces once and had lost fragments of herself, never to be fixed again. A repeat would leave nothing behind. However even as she thought of this, she couldn't help but remember all of the moments they had spent together. To this day she is unable to pin point the exact moment when she had fallen in love with him but the main point was that she still loved him to the very core of her soul. He was embedded in her like a splinter that was too deep to remove but an ever present throb. But she also hated him with just as much passion.
Maan'Maan'Maan'.
The name kept on going around her head. Finally she had a name to her fantasy and her nightmare.
Maan'..
PAST (4 years ago):
It's a beautiful feeling to walk in the streets in the middle of the night. Silence reigning over what was and will be overcome with bustle of people in just few hours. The idea that you might be one of the few people in the world and that something magical could happen any minute with you as the only witness. The streetlights cast a glow and if you are lucky, there could be a full moon to add splendor to the night. Even the dirtiest streets can appear to be pure in that cleansing glow if you kept walking.
The downside to such moments is the issue of safety. At this time of the night there are certain sorts of people who come out. A world that stays hidden in the day time. Drug dealers, prostitutes and other such characters thrive in the darkness.
However Geet felt that the main problem of being an insomniac was getting bored. At first she used to stay at home, then one day she went for a walk and one thing led to another. Now she knew most of the streets, which places were open late in the night and where she was safe. So Geet walked slowly but confidently across the streets, avoiding eye contact. She was in a plain T-shirt with trackies; not the most glamorous of clothes. She had learnt her lesson when a man had tried to solicit her "services" when she had worn her work skirt and shirt. It was quite awkward having to explain to the man that she wasn't a hooker but a medical student. The poor man was dumbfounded but luckily for her he didn't try to force her. But then again Geet wasn't scared of anyone and there wasn't any situation she couldn't handle.
As Geet turned around the corner of the street, she finally faced her destination; "Moe's Mocha".
Moe's Mocha was one of the rare places open late in the night. Moe, the owner, was an insomniac himself and as such wanted to keep himself busy. It was surprising that there were always a decent number of people at the cage even at such an hour. It was a late night haven for all those awake. Moe brewed brilliant coffees, sumptuous pastries but Moe's specialty was his cakes.
As a medical student Geet didn't have much cash on her but it was difficult for her to resist buying Moe's cakes. So they came to an arrangement where Geet would help Moe with customers in the night for free food as well as small amount of money.
"Chiquita it's about time that you came. I don't pay you big bucks for nothing" Moe said with a grin.
"Big bucks! As if, more like slavery!" Geet exclaimed while laughing. "I am the only one willing to put up with you"
Geet absolutely adored Moe. He reminded her of Santa Claus with his snowy hair and beard. He had a massive belly courtesy of all his cooking and a constant jovial mood. For some reason when she was with him, he reminded her of Papa, even though they were polar opposites in looks. Mohinder Handa was lean with a head full of dark black hair and with an infectious smile on his face. Maybe she saw her father in Moe because of the trust they both had in her and the paternal way Moe would look after her.
Moe had given Geet the job without even asking her name. He said that it was because someone as short as her could never do anything truly bad (said just to get her annoyed) but in reality it was because he had sensed her homesickness when she had come into his caf. He had trusted her on the spot because she reminded him of his daughter. They had the same other worldly vibe around themselves.
To this day he didn't know her real name but gave her new names all the time. Geet was glad about this because for some reason she wanted to keep her night life separate from her "real life", something that would belong to her only.
None of her friends or family had any idea that this is what she did every night. They would all tell her that it was ridiculous and that she could do something else with her capabilities.
"Enough chatter, go and wear your apron"
"Yes boss" Geet said and stuck her tongue out at him.
While walking across the room, Geet suddenly felt very self-conscious.
"Don't look at him. Geet don't you dare look at him! You are not a stalker'not a stalker. Just walk away without looking at him" Geet thought to herself but her eyes were pulled almost involuntarily towards the very thing she was trying to not glance at.
There he was in what had become his usual spot for the last 2 weeks. Tall with golden colored skin and eyes like chocolate. He had high cheek bones, aristocratic nose and stubble to add a bit of dark allure. And on top of that there was something in the way he seemed to carry himself; regal, elegant and in control. Her DD, Dhak Dhak, as she had dubbed him.
Yum'mmm'Stop Geet otherwise you'll start drooling'but then again he is drool worthy'mmm'STOP GEET!
With her cheeks on fire and palms damp, she quickly walked into the kitchen.
Deep breaths Geet! You aren't an 18 year old hormonally charged girl!
She quickly grabbed her apron and notepad. Squaring her shoulders, she walked out like a woman on a mission.
She calmly took everyone's order, leaving him for the last. She tried to prolong the inevitable by chatting with everyone. Finally when she couldn't avoid him, she came to his table.
"Hi!"
"Hmmm" was the only response she got.
"We have chocolate mud cake, white marble cake, chestnut cake and finally today's special banana cake. There are also the usual pies; apple, blackberry and lemon meringue. What would you like?"
He stared at her for a moment too long before he said "A slice of banana cake and also black coffee with one sugar"
Geet tried to not melt when she heard his voice; it was deep and tinged with a British accent. The first time Geet heard his voice she knew she had a hopeless crush on him; she was an absolute sucker for accents, especially British one.
"Anything else" She asked with a small grin, thinking how silly she was.
"No" And with that he went back to the papers that always seemed to have his attention.
Geet shock her head as she walked back to the kitchen with the order. That was the problem with DD, he was a non-verbal person. Never said anything apart from his order, never smiled or made any polite conversation. For someone who found it difficult to stop talking or joking it was difficult for her to understand people like him.
She just shrugged her shoulders. After all no one was perfect.
What she didn't realize was that even as she walked away, that he looked up to see her. A small grin flickered on his face. A grin quickly smoothed away in a blink. But he surreptitiously kept his eyes on her, like he did every time he came to the cafe.
Next chapter: Maan's POV.
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PS: A very special thanks to Ratna (PerfectYaRav) for the AWESOME heading!NEXT:
Chapter 2: Watching you watch me - Pg 7 Edited by maan-ki-sanjana - 13 years ago
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