estella's | ✓

1 | Ristretto

Sometimes, black and white are the only two shades you need in your life to make it a colourful one.

Estella's was a small coffee shop at the corner of the street. The entrance of the shop was decorated with potted plants and fresh flowers. Beside the entrance stood a board filled with colourful chalk writings, informing the customers of the latest discounts. The number of customers who visited the shop every day was not much, but it wasn't too less either. One sunny Sunday afternoon, a tall brown man with three paper bags entered the shop.

Aarav was looking for a place to read his newly purchased books peacefully. He had decided to return home after grocery shopping, but the new bookstore and the matte covers tempted him; before he could realise, he was the proud owner of six new books. Not in a hurry anymore to go back home, he decided to sip some coffee while reading the murder mystery he had purchased.

Even though he had been staying in the city for almost four years, he hardly knew this market area. While walking down the street, he had noticed a coffee shop offering a 10% discount on ristrettos. Smiling, he entered the shop and saw an old lady sitting behind the counter. He ordered one cup for himself.

Aarav was a man of three-and-twenty, with brown twinkling eyes and black slicked-back hair. A book and museums connoisseur, he was also an avid visitor of local coffee shops. According to him, nothing is better than having a nice brew while reading lovely writings. His love for what the human brain could create made him take up Arts History as his major.

To his dismay, he was not being able to concentrate on what he was reading. He was sure he had read the first paragraph two times and was successful in registering absolutely nothing. He ran his hand through his hair out of frustration. Suddenly, in the corner of his eye, he noticed a stack of old newspapers. Curious, he asked the person behind the counter if he could pick one up. The lady smiled and nodded.

If wordplay was a sport, then Aarav would be a World Champion. Words had always intrigued him in all ways humans couldn't. Out of habit, he turned to the page with the crossword puzzle. His face lit up with delight when he saw that it was unsolved. There is an inexplicable amount of pain one feels when one sees that a puzzle has already been solved, especially with a pen.

Excited, he quickly pulled out his pencil and started looking at the clues.

Ad infinitum? Wasn't it a Latin phrase? He racked his brain trying to remember the meaning of it. The answer was on the tip of his tongue. He took a deep breath. Puzzles cannot be solved without being calm. He went for another sip of the ristretto. One gulp and suddenly the answer popped up in his brain. Forever! Ad infinitum meant always or forever! Till the end of time, forever and ever. Ever...Ever...Evermore? Was the answer evermore? He counted the number of boxes and yes! The answer was Evermore! He scribbled the answer with a satisfied smile.

A clap of thunder distracted him from his sweet victory. He saw that the outside had turned cloudy. Hastily, he drank the rest of the ristretto, took his bags and left.

Lying on his table was the barely finished crossword.