A man walked in through the café’s door. Neeti kept observing him as he headed straight to the counter. ‘Office goer, impatient, and important in his own world,’ she noted about him. The people lined up at the counter brought the existence of the queue to the man’s notice. He apologized and promptly walked to the rear end of the queue.
Neeti waited for the next person to walk in through the door.
She had already observed the people sitting around her and had lost interest in
them. While the rest of them were predictably spending their time on their phones
and tablets, she was busy observing the incoming people’s faces. It had to be their
faces. Anything beyond would have spoiled the thrill of the game.
The next person who walked in left Neeti surprised. And
alarmed. She got busy gathering her belongings but, from the corner of her eye,
she knew that he was coming right towards her.
“Hi Neeti! What a pleasant surprise,” said Lokesh through a
smile.
“Oh hi Lokesh. Please make yourself comfortable. I was about
to leave,” she said as she stood.
“Leave? No way. Let’s have a coffee together. We must catch
up!” his enthusiasm refused to die. She observed as his eyes wandered all over
her.
Neeti smiled apologetically and moved her gaze lower down
his face. A crimson red glow affirmed her decision. Lokesh was still Lecherous
Lokesh, as they used to call him in college. She pulled her jacket closely around
her.
“Later some day? I really must rush now. Bye Lech- … Lokesh,”
and she took off.
Over the years, Neeti had mastered the art of reading the glow
around people’s heart. Crimson red for lust, pink for friendly, green for envy,
and so on. The game of guessing by reading their faces left her a lot to know
about them. Their hearts gave away all their spoilers. But the game at the café
had only been a distraction from her meeting with Kartik that evening.
The maps app told her that she’d be reaching the venue half
an hour before their decided time. She didn’t mind that. Her thoughts were too
occupied to do anything else in the spare time.
“I’m already here,” she messaged Kartik as soon as she
reached.
“Too soon! Be there in 20,” he replied.
‘I hope you don’t spoil it for us, Kartik,’ she thought
to herself fidgeting with the buttons of her jacket.
When Kartik walked in, she saw his warm smile. Even before
she looked lower, she knew the answer. It was a hitch but something told her…
“Look at you being so early! I will remember this day… Hey,
what’s with the gloomy look?” he asked as looking into her eyes.
“I sort of know what you’re going to bring up,” she said,
not wasting time in pleasantries.
“You do? That’s great! I was wondering how to say it but now
I’d not have to struggle. But again, why the sad face?” he looked at her
intently.
“I can’t. Whatever you have in your mind, I do not want to
go there,” she said.
“But… but I thought we were doing great,” Kartik said.
“We were. I mean we are doing great, but again, let’s not go
there,” she said, “I am not ready for…” and she broke off, closing her eyes
shut.
Kartik took a deep breath. Neeti opened her eyes and saw how
his heart’s glow mellowed down from a sparkling diamond to a dull grey. He’s
beginning to hate me.
Without saying a word, Kartik gulped down a glass of water. The
grey gave way to a hint of pink. He was calming down.
“Well, at least you could have given me a chance to say it,”
was all he could manage. “But we can be as we are, right?” he said with a smile
returning to his face.
“Definitely!” said Neeti with a sigh of relief.
---
The meeting had gone without too much drama. She had no room
for the diamond glow. Love is the first stroke in the portrait of sadness, she
thought.
Once inside the elevator of her apartment, she glanced at
herself in the mirror. She smiled as she saw a pure white glow radiating
against her heart in the mirror. This one, right here, is the only treasure I
need, she beamed at herself.
