It was a fateful February evening. Probably his smile caught her attention. It had been many years since she last appreciated anyone’s smile. Or rather even observed any. His name was yet another thing that stuck a chord. “Saurabh”, she repeated the name over and over again in her mind. The way it sounded made her feel ecstatic. She wanted to know more about this new Saurabh she had come across. Seemed more or less like a mission!

Anamika wondered if he had similar tastes. A vegetarian, to start with? A lover of tea? Tea with loads of ginger in it? Witty? Loving? Cool tempered? One by one her mind kept filling up with loads of questions. She felt uneasy just by the smile and the name. She wanted to know more. With the gathered courage, she dropped him a very formal note, saying he had a lovely smile. She hit the send button, and kicked herself in the mind. She was silly to be trying out for yet another guy who had smitten her.

“How can I again fall in love with a stranger? Wasn’t the previous experience enough?”, she thought to herself.

Within no time she received his reply! A thank you with a a few praises thrown back at her. On her smile. She read the message in disbelief and smiled to herself. She instantaneously fell in love with the thought of it. It felt like ages since anyone noticed she could smile, and pretty much a good one! Her heart seemed to sink in the quicksand of the emotions that followed. Will this affinity lead to something good? Her newly discovered optimistic nature worried her. Probably she believed in looking only for the good in everything. But then, what good did it do while she was on the opposite side? She had to take this leap of faith.

In less than a minute she replied back with a *blushing*

The conversation grew stronger by each passing message, and a deeper connection was certainly achieved. She took a step back and wondered if she had ever felt this way before, but she couldn’t really trace back.

Meanwhile, at the back of her mind she had begun to compare the two Saurabh’s in her life. Such a striking contrast! One who made her feel like an angel while the other treated her like crap. Was love often found at the places least expected?

The 108 days of exile had taught her, and showed her the true face of many people. The comfort she had gained with oneself was far beyond anyone who could ever extend towards her! She felt grateful to be loving herself, and hence was being able to extend the love further to someone else. Her reading had often said the same thing. Loving oneself and then others. But it took her a million tiny heartbreaks to realise that one needs to have a stronger heart to offer it to someone else. A brittle one would be often tampered with the silly immature fools. It takes a real man to value and take care of a heart given to him. All the Mills & Boon stories seemed real for once, and she was transported to the very lovely land of ‘cloud 9’!

Her happiness knew no bounds when he asked her out for a cup of tea!

“Aap.. mein.. aur do cup chai!”

She was certain that this was some funny dream that she would be woken up from, but chose to sleep through the morning to get the sip of tea with him!

The Full Moon Dance Meditation on the Valentine’s Day was the hot topic that weekend. She was eager to tell him every detail about it. But was sure to take him along the next time. She wondered how long her banter would go on. Would he like talking to her or not. Or would he feel it was nice to be on a faceless messaging machine!

A voice in her mind kept telling her to apply some brakes to the running train of love. The thought of going off-track was yet another nightmare that bothered her every time she felt deeply for someone. Will she receive the feelings back from him? She had to find out! And so she was determined to meet him. The very first time she was willing to ask out a guy on a date! Very, very unusual for her. 

Saurabh instantaneously agreed and the date was fixed. The venue being that lovely library cum coffee shop. One of the most beloved places Anamika preferred to go. For she believed books get people closer, even if just being around them! She believed in the magic of the pre-written words in a book which meant different to different people.

Just like idea of reading the same book of  Love, sitting on the opposite sides of the table with “aap.. mein.. aur do cup chai!”