Not A Simple Engineer Boy!

Sixty Eight: Filter Coffee (Part 4)

Krithika finally bought a coffee decoction preparation set. For her, there wasn't anything in the world compared to preparing a perfect cup of filter coffee. The right amount of time and love to filter the roasted and powdered coffee beans, the sweetness of sugar, and the perfect richness of milk.

Ecstatic.

Her phone bleated from the far corner of her bed and she reached for it.

'Sweetheart, did you have your dinner?'

That was from Xavier.

The same guy who once upon a time had made her blood boil with pure rage with his mere existence. A few months ago, if anyone had told her that Xavier L. Joseph would be checking on her, she would have laughed at them. But as the reality of the present struck, Xavier L. Joseph actually cared about her more than she could believe.

The butterflies in her stomach still fluttered every time she read his messages. He religiously messaged her, asking about how well she slept, did she have a good breakfast, did she struggle to come to the office, should he drop her to P. G., how was her day in the office and so much more.

People would simply judge him as being insecure or possessive and conclude that he was just keeping tabs on her, but she didn't give two hoots about anyone's opinion. She relished every effort he put into their relationship.

No one in her life had ever cared enough to ask her about her monotonous and tiring day. And for her, it mattered that finally there was someone who cared for her.

No one knew that she loved the song 'O Vasantha Raja' as it expressed a woman's sexual desire as much as that of a man. No one knew that she loved golden dark brown hues of Burnt Umber. No one knew that she had stolen a few thousand rupees from his father's treasure chest to buy 'The Anatomy of Buzz, by Emanuel Rosen' and a few other books and novels. No one in the face of the world knew how loudly she had wailed while Miguel had played 'Remember Me' to his great grandma in the movie 'Coco'.

No one knew anything about her likes and dislikes, except Xavier.

He knew all those tidbits and more as he had asked her, he had called her almost every night to talk to her. And in the process, he had shared a lot of bits and pieces of him.

She knew that the haughty lady who used to come to meet him was his childhood best friend named Alisha. She knew that the little crook of his nose was from the college fight. She knew that he used to feed many stray dogs living near his school during his childhood. She knew that his tastebuds had an orgasm when he tasted pistachio gelato from the Cremeria Santo Stefano for the very first time. She knew that he loved reading Gulzar Sahab's poems. She knew that his mother used to call him 'Luci'.

She knew so much about him, so many things that Xavier didn't feel like a stranger anymore. She felt like she had known him for a lifetime, her whole lifetime.

Every day when she had seen him in the office when he had smiled widely at her, she had melted into a puddle. It was tormenting to just smile back and move on. She had wished to run to him and hug him. Sounded corny, but he had bewitched her mind.

But there were a few times when all the information merged in her brain, all her thoughts blurred to a crippling anxiety. Was she seeking external validation for herself? Did he validate them and was that the only reason she liked him? Was it right to start trusting someone so fast? Was she being a hopeless romantic and fool, both at once?

She didn't know.

She sighed returning to the real world and replied, 'Yeah. Right now, drinking a delicious cup of coffee.'

'Isn't it too late for the coffee?'

She smiled.

'Made myself some filter coffee, night or day doesn't matter.'

'Well, I have to agree with that. You like filter coffee?'

'I love filter coffee.'

'Ironic. How someone who hates me, could love my favorite kind of warm beverage!?'

She blushed, 'Who said anything about hating you?'

There was no message from him, she stared at the bright screen of WhatsApp chat for what felt like an eternity.

Rather than a message popping up, the screen blinked as speakers blared call ringtone. She accepted the call.

"Hello.", she breathed.

"My sweetheart doesn't hate me, huh?", Xavier's husky chuckle made her toes curl.

--

A/N

The lines- "Iru Iru Uyir Thaththalikkaiyil, Vazhi Sollumaa Kalangaraiyae...", why so beautiful... WAIII!

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