Beyond borders: When filter coffee met Chai

Heart's turmoil

"Excuse me, please," Nitara said as she hurried towards the exit, eager to escape the man's gaze.

Rehaan settled the bill and was heading to his car when the man approached him, saying, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but the girl you were with... Is she Nitara Menon?"

"Yes, she is. How do you know her?" Rehaan asked, curiosity piqued.

"I'm an old friend. Could I possibly have a word with her?" the man inquired.

"I'm afraid it's not a good time. She's upset about something. Tell you what, can I have your contact details? I'll get in touch once she's feeling better," Rehaan suggested.

"Of course. Here's my card. Please let me know soon," the man said, handing over his card.

"And you must be her husband, right?" the man assumed.

"I hope to be one day," Rehaan replied with a smile. "For now, I'm just a friend. I really must go now; she's waiting for me. Here's my card," he added, handing over his own.

As Rehaan approached his car, he saw Nitara waiting, her face etched with distress.

"Please take me home, Rihu," Nitara said, struggling to hold back tears.

He gently pulled her into a comforting embrace, patting her head. She clung to him, finally letting her tears flow.

"It's okay, Nitu. I'm here for you. It's perfectly fine to let your emotions out," Rehaan reassured her, his voice soft and steady.

After a moment, Nitara pulled away, wiping her tears. "I'm okay now, Rihu. Thank you."

Rehaan smiled tenderly, kissing her forehead as he cupped her face. He quickly unlocked the car and helped her in before taking his seat at the wheel. "Do you want to talk about it, Nitu?" he asked gently.

"Not now, Rihu," she replied.

"It's fine, baby. If you need to talk, you know I'm just a call away. By the way, that guy you bumped into was a friend of yours. You didn't notice him because you were distracted. I forgot to ask his name, but he gave me his card. Here, his name is..." Rehaan paused as he read the name.

"Saket Jha," Nitara finished the sentence.

Rehaan stared at her in shock. "Wasn't he supposed to be pursuing his PhD?"

"I don't know," Nitara responded, her voice cold.

"I think you should talk to him because..." Rehaan began, but Nitara cut him off.

"I'm not going to contact him. Can you please drop me home, Rehaan? I'm exhausted."

"Okay," Rehaan agreed, driving to her flat. As she was about to leave, Rehaan gently took her hand. "Are you okay, Nitu?"

"I am fine, Rihu. Don't worry about me. Go home and text me once you get there. Take care of yourself," she said, hugging him.

"Please take care of yourself. I'll pick you up for work tomorrow. Let's have breakfast together," Rehaan suggested.

"I will," Nitara replied, their eyes meeting briefly before she turned to leave.

"Nitu, shall I accompany you to your flat?" Rehaan offered. Nitara smiled and replied, "Good night, Rihu," as she walked away.

Rehaan watched her go with a sad smile before driving home. Meanwhile, Nitara took a shower and lay on her bed in her pajamas.

She thought to herself, "One of my biggest fears has come true. The person I wanted to avoid has appeared right in front of me. Why couldn't I talk to him? Why couldn't I control my tears? Do I still love him?"

Suddenly, Rehaan's message popped up on her screen.

"Just reached home. Good night, dear. Take care❤️. Sleep well🫂❤️."

She smiled at his text and replied, "Good night, Rihu. Take care❤️," before slowly drifting off to sleep.

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"I don't know if I'll be able to crack it, Saku," Nitara texted.

"You won't know until you try, Nitii. You're the perfect example of beauty with brains," Saket replied.

"Says the national topper🌝," Nitara teased.

"And who's this national topper to you?" Saket asked.

"Umm... I don't know😜," Nitara responded playfully.

"Is that so, Miss Nitara?😶," Saket replied.

"Yeah... Who are you to me?🤔," Nitara texted back.

"Your own brother😌," Saket teased.

"No way! Am I your sister, Saku? Mr. Saket Jha, don't forget that I'm your girlfriend now," Nitara reminded him.

"Abhi main jaisa bhi hoon, tumhara hi hoon (No matter what I am, I'm all yours)," Saket replied.

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Nitara's phone rang suddenly.

"Oh my God, Saku. I wished to hear your voice, and you just called me. I love you, yaar," Nitara said in her sleepy voice.

"Nitu... It's Rehaan. I just called to wake you up," Rehaan said.

"Huh? You're not my Saku?" Nitara replied groggily.

"Get up, Nitu. It's 7 already," Rehaan insisted.

Nitara didn't respond.

"She's still sleeping, I guess. I have no choice now," Rehaan muttered to himself.

"Nitara... It's already 7, and you are not done with your report yet. What's all this? I didn't expect this from you," Rehaan said loudly.

"I'm so sorry, sir," Nitara said as she jolted awake. "Wait... What?" she continued, confused.

Rehaan laughed. "I'm so sorry, princess. I had no other choice."

"Rihu, you scared the hell out of me," Nitara exclaimed.

"Hmmm... You missed your morning jog today, madam," Rehaan teased.

"Yaar, it's already 7. You could have woken me up, Rihu. You know how good I am at snoozing my alarms," Nitara protested.

"It's okay, cutiepie. Now get ready. I'll pick you up at 7:45," Rehaan said.

"Yeah, okay," Nitara agreed.

"Bye, take care," Rehaan said, hanging up.

"Oh God, another dream of Saket... again," Nitara muttered to herself.

Meanwhile, at Rehaan's home...

Rehaan looked at his mom, who had been watching him as he talked to Nitara.

"I'm going to do this," he told her, fighting back tears.

She hugged him tightly and said, "I'm so proud to be your mom."

Then, Rehaan dialled Saket. "Good morning, Saket. This is Rehaan. Let's meet at Cafe Max at 8 PM tonight."

(To be continued....)