Arya is a software engineer who spends every morning at his favorite coffee shop in the heart of Bengaluru. The cafe is his comfort zone, a quiet place away from the office buzz, where he can work on his code with a hot coffee and a familiar view. It's predictable, calm, and he likes it that way.
Then, one rainy Monday morning, Arya's quiet world is interrupted.
The cafe door swings open, and in rushes a whirlwind named Kushi. She's soaked from the rain, her hair dripping, her mismatched flip-flops squelching with each step, and she's holding a broken umbrella that might as well be a decoration at this point. She scans the room for a seat and, seeing only one spot free, approaches Arya's table with an awkward grin.
"Mind if I sit here?" she asks, shivering slightly.
Arya, caught between annoyance and fascination, nods. She seems like the complete opposite of his type - loud, messy, and radiating chaotic energy. But something about her smile is? contagious. He tries to go back to his laptop, but he can't help noticing her struggling to dry off with her wet scarf. With a resigned sigh, he hands her a fresh napkin from his table.
She laughs, eyes bright, and says, "Guess you're my hero today."
Arya chuckles, trying to hide his own amusement. He brushes it off, but they share a look that feels like they're both in on the same joke. He can't quite place it, but something about her feels? familiar.
As they sip their coffees in silence, he catches her eyeing his laptop screen, trying to see what he's working on. Noticing, he turns the screen a little toward her. She raises an eyebrow, grins, and nods approvingly. "Coding, huh? Thought you looked like the serious type."
Before he can respond, she waves it off with a laugh. "Kidding! You don't have to explain yourself to a stranger."
After she leaves, Arya feels an odd emptiness at the table and tries to brush it off. But the next day, he finds himself looking up every time the cafe door opens, wondering if she'll walk in again.
A few days later, she does. And she greets him like an old friend, taking a seat next to him without even asking. Arya raises an eyebrow but doesn't object. They chat a bit more this time, about coffee blends, the city, and traffic hacks (Kushi's got a hundred of them). He realizes she's this ball of energy who brings chaos and charm in equal measure. Each time she shows up, it's a little louder, a little brighter - and Arya realizes he doesn't mind at all.
In fact, he finds himself looking forward to her unplanned arrivals.
One day, Kushi reveals that she's actually on a mission - to find "the best coffee in Bengaluru" for her social media blog. Arya laughs at her exaggerated seriousness about it, and they strike up a friendly competition to find the city's hidden gems. Soon, their coffee shop dates become a regular thing. Arya starts suggesting spots she hasn't tried, while Kushi jokingly critiques each cup, scribbling down notes with dramatic flair. Each week, they pick a new place, laughing over mediocre espresso shots or marveling at unexpectedly good cappuccinos. Somewhere along the line, their coffee adventures turn into something that feels a little more? intentional.
Finally, one evening over a warm cup of chai at a rooftop cafe, Arya works up the courage to ask Kushi if she'd like to grab dinner - no coffee, just food. She agrees, eyes sparkling, and their weekly coffee meetups quietly turn into weekly dinners. They start exploring the city's food scene together, talking for hours about childhood memories, favorite movies, and future dreams. Arya, who once preferred silence, finds himself listening to her stories for hours, hanging onto every word.
But just as things are falling perfectly into place, Kushi drops some unexpected news over coffee one day. She's been offered a huge project in Mumbai, and she's seriously considering taking it. Arya tries to keep his face neutral, says he's happy for her, but his eyes give him away. Kushi sees right through him and nudges him with a laugh. "Think Bengaluru can survive without me?"
Arya looks down, pretending to inspect his coffee, and murmurs, "I'm not sure I can."
The night before her departure, they meet for a walk around the city. It's quiet, unlike their usual lively banter, and when they finally say goodbye, Arya watches her walk away, feeling like he's leaving something unfinished.
The next morning, as Kushi sits at the train station...As Kushi sits at the train station, her phone buzzes with a message from Arya. She opens it to find a picture of their favorite table at the cafe, with a caption that simply reads, "Your favorite coffee's waiting for you."
Kushi stares at the screen, feeling her heart race. A smile tugs at her lips, but her mind is spinning. She wonders, Does he feel the same? Does he got to know how much he means to me? Her eyes dart from the train platform back to her phone. She realizes she's holding her breath.
Meanwhile, Arya sits at the cafe, staring at the door, pretending to sip his coffee while glancing at his phone every few seconds. Why isn't she texting back? he wonders, a sense of longing etched across his face. He tries to focus on his coffee, but he can't shake the hope blooming in his chest. Deep down, he wants her to know just how much she's changed his world.
Back at the station, Kushi takes one last look at her train ticket, then at the message. She can't hold back any longer. Without a second thought, she's running back through the station, her heart pounding, racing through the city's rain-soaked streets.
When she finally reaches the cafe,
She finds Arya sitting there, staring out the window, lost in thought. His fingers tap lightly on his coffee cup as he murmurs to himself, "Will she come back?" His words drift softly into the room, carrying the weight of his longing.
Just then, he hears her voice. "I'm here for you."
He turns, startled, and when he sees her standing there, his face lights up. A broad grin spreads across his face as he raises his coffee cup and says, "To love in the little moments."
Kushi laughs, eyes shining, and clinks her cup with his. "And to the best coffee in Bengaluru."
Closing Scene:
Back at their cafe, they sit in comfortable silence, savoring their coffees and the feeling that they've found something special - realizing that, sometimes, love is about finding home in the most unexpected places.
Author : Suhas M Angadi
............................................................................................................................................................
