A Coffee at Dawn

Chapter 21 : Brother!

I reached the place around eight and waited out for Payal. She left a message asking me to enter and the table number with it. As I opened the door, the scene seized and let the past roll in front of me. This was the same place where Tanmay had once given a treat. It was renovated and the name had changed to a more fancy one. The hustle was mixed with our laughs, I could still remember his face, the fury when Nishanth and I had made his pocket empty.

A waiter came up to me to do his services, he pulled my attention back to the place I stood. I asked him for table four and he directed me to take the stairs. People, places, situations all go through changes but the moments captured get engraved with in.

I walked the stairs and felt weak with evey flight. A sense of insecurity filled with in. Somethings can never be revoked to it basic form once changed. I feared a change in him, I did not know how would he react. With thousand thoughts running with in, I moved ahead. At a distant I could see Payal sitting facing me and in front of her, Nishanth sat, with his back facing me.

From far, I could see that Nishanth was getting bugged with all the yapping Payal was doing. I could see her eyes grow big and face glow as she saw me near. In a fraction of a second she controlled her expressions to avoid Nishanth notice it.

I went close to the table and stood behind them reading Payal's eyes. She wanted Nishanth to be surprised and I was really not sure about it.

I stood there looking at them, but caught with zillions of thoughts. All I wanted was to pour out the well with in me to him. The distance was so much that I was unaware of his reactions.

Payal got up, indicating the washroom and I believed she wanted me to take my entry at that moment according to her plan. She got up leaving Nishi sip his drink and stare outside the window. She moved out of the chair and winking at me, she tucked me on my side. I lost my balance and landed on the pillar beside making the flower stand slip. I tried to balance that as well as myself and that led to a slight mess. This caught Nishanth's attention.

He turned back placing the glass back on the table. I retreated myself from the position I was in and stood looking at him, not knowing what to do. A smile could have been shared atleast. He dead stared at me and I tried doing nothing . Payal stood next to me smirking.

"Were you not supposed to be in the wash room?" Nishanth enquired. She laughed and left. His voice was stern. I saw her go and stood there.

"You, come and sit," he instructed and got back to his drink. I followed his command and sat in front of him. He signalled the waiter and ordered a black coffee. He had not forgotten what I drank. There was only silence that prevailed. Payal returned and so did the waiter with the order. She sat next to him and stared at us like the audience at the tennis match.

"Guys, alive?" She questioned as the silence got onto her nerves. I looked at her and pursed my lips. Nishanth gave a glare in my direction and I knew he was not happy. I raised my brows in question and sat with my coffee.

"Fine, if this pleases you both, then so be it. I am hungry, I ll go ahead for the order," she called the waiter and ordered for food. She tried asking both of us, neither of us bothered to even react. The scene seemed quite funny. Her every single expression looking at us was worth recording. From one end, i was getting comfortable whilst his stares were making me have second thoughts.

The food arrived. I had not heard him speak at all, Payal and I kept talking, more of she asking and me nodding my head in replies. Every now and then, I could see her nudge at him to open up while the answer was cold. Somehow the dinner got over with great difficulties and Nishanth paid the bill and we came out of the restaurant. It was almost half past nine and Payal had to head back home.