SarTik Coffee Shots

- tu haan kar, ya naa kar.

Sara's POV

A welled up heart in the mountains is nothing less than a person crying in the rain. The tranquility of mountains can hide all your pains and put a hold on all the chaotic and loud arguments that take place between your heart and mind.

Kashmir has been nothing less than a second home to me lately, so much that I can seriously consider settling her permanently at this point. I have always wanted to have a cute little cottage home somewhere in the mountains, where it's gonna be just me and the love of my life living a happily married life. Cute na? I know. This used to be my childhood fantasy. But adulting made me realize how next to impossible it is. For living a life, you need to earn a living. And to earn that living, you need to live a socialized life. A life in a proper society.

“Aur ab kahan kho gayi?” breaking the metro express of my thoughts and making me realise I have still not drank my hot, now cold, coffee, Manan gave me a sly look. It's been approx 20 minutes since the sun rose and I was sitting here capturing this beautiful and magical scene in my heart. Mountains indeed got some captivating and hypnotic magic. I shifted a little on the couch, making some space for my fool friend.

“Kuch nahi, was feeling sad for your wife. Like how come someone like her who's a living example of beauty with brains married a literal fool like you. I feel so sorry for her” Where I assumed him to get irritated or rather annoyed at my drama like he used to behave before, he simply chuckled at it. Marriage indeed changed him, ah for good of course.

“Sahi baat hai, even I wonder sometimes how come an angel like her, married an asshole like me.” Though while saying all this he was looking nowhere particular, but that wide smile on his face was enough to tell which face was continuously flashing in the back of his mind.

“Are you by any chance gonna start with a lecture on 101 reasons why your wife is not a woman but a literal angel? ” and he started laughing at it. Hey don't judge me okay, I really love listening to people's love stories but about manan's love story, I have known it all. From seeing him falling in love with her to the desperation to get married to her, lemme tell you, he has really been a smitten fool all the while.

“Nah, I'm not gonna bore you with that, but I'm gonna tell you how it is after being married.” he said as if he was some 80 year old man with a married life experience of 800 years.

“oh hello, its not even a whole year since you got married. Stop behaving as if you just celebrated your silver jubilee. I really don't wanna listen to all your cuchikoo and golden period diaries” Cmon dude, I'm seriously not up for his romantic tales, especially not at this point.

“At least I'm having it, unlike you whose definition of love starts and ends with a five letter word called FIGHT.” he taunted me with a fucking huge smirk on his face. Did I say this guy is changed? Oh sorry please, I take my words back. Once a fool, always a fool.

“What do you think, you are never gonna fight with your wife. Always gonna be all this baby shona coded?" And it was my turn now to throw a taunting smirky smile at this fool. Coz why not.

“At least I won't fight with her the way you do with Kartik. Literally hanging up calls on his face or not replying to his text for hours” Ugh I hate him so much. He intentionally brought Kartik in all this.

“I fight with him because I trust the strength of our bond. I know regardless of how much we fight, we will never give up on each other. Even if we fight, we don't stop thinking about each other. Rather we think more and more and sometimes only about each other. You don't go and fight with every person you meet, you won't even care what shit some stranger says. But with the people you love, you go and fight, sometimes without even need, because you know regardless of the level of disagreement in opinions, you won't let go of the other person because of that. You might try to change their opinion but you won't change or replace the person because of that.”

I don't know if all that I said made sense or not, but it is what it is for me. No matter how much we fight, Kartik never treats me wrong because of our fights or arguments. Ya he gets all grumpy and annoyed sometimes, but even in that mood he never intends to hurt me or make me feel any low or less of myself or my opinions, considering 90 percent of the times it's me who argues about the wrong and pointless things.

While I was talking to my own self about the man who knows me even better that I know my heart, this newly wedded fool sitting in front of me was grinning like a literal fool. Fool and grinning like a fool haha i'm so funny.

“What are you smiling at?” When this fool didn't stop smiling even after 2 minutes, I asked him breaking the silence, just to get a ”Kuch Nahi” followed with a smile as an answer.

“Bu-”
“Manan listen” before I could further question him, his wife came as a life savior to him and called him from inside. Ah lucky guy. Giving me a stupid smile he went inside.

I don't know what got in me that I grabbed my phone and called Kartik. I know I'm gonna regret this, but ugh I can't help it. While I was still figuring out whether to stay on line or disconnect it, the call got connected and came to me was a groan like hello. He was sleeping I guess. Shit Sara, he had a night shoot. He might have slept just a few hours ago, it's just 6 for God's sake.

While I was busy cursing myself for obeying my reckless thought, he called me once again.

“Haan Bol Sara, Kya Hua?” his tone was still sleepy and I guess tired too.

“Kuch nahi, woh galti se lag gaya” I tried to make up something but again whom were you kidding Sara.

“Sara tu subah ke — kitne baje hain? haan 6. Tu sabah ke 6 baje mere alawa kisko call karegi?” he said in a very obvious tone making me realize, I have to give in. But still I'll try.

“Woh, I was just um, woh, wanting to kind of talk to you, but then I remembered about your night shoots” I tried making up something better this time. At least this makes sense.

“Seedha Seedha bol na, you were missing me” and again he used his obvious tone but I can tell you, this time he was smirking on the other side of the call.

“Nahi aisa nahi hai” I tried saying it firmly but the heat my cheeks were radiating was not at all helping me.

“Acha ji toh kaisa hai?” Sara you really got yourself in a mess with this. Kya karun iss ladke ka. Ab jab tak main accept nahi karungi, he wont rest the matter.

“Kartik, I think you should sleep, night shoot tha na tumhara, and I guess Sara is calling me. Bye. Good night. I'll talk to you later bye.” I said it all in one go and hung up the call right away.

I can't afford him teasing the hell out of me. He'll use that against me all our lives. Khud miss bhi kar raha hoga, aur blush bhi kar raha hoga, lekin dikhayega aisa jaise it's just me. I seriously hate his over-smartness sometimes.

While I was busy thanking my gods, a message pinged on my phone. And reading it, a huge huge hugeeee smile crept on my face, and a little, okay maybe more than a little, blush also painted my cheeks red. Kartik knowing me so well is for real my guilty pleasure. I hate it, but I love it too.

“Tu Haan Kar Ya Na Kar, Tu Hai Meri Sara”
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