"AVERAGE" is the sole descriptor that 26-year-old Anaisha Singh assigns to herself. Having resided within the confines of her own shell for the entirety of her life, Anaisha lacks friends she can consider family and a social life to speak of. The pi...
As Anaisha made her way to the table, Samaksh stood up, offering a warm greeting. Taking her hand for a brief shake, he pulled out her chair. Grateful, Anaisha thanked him as she sat down, attempting to calm her nerves.
"Hi," he smiled at her.
"Hi. I'm sorry I made you wait. There was an emergency at work, and I couldn't afford to ignore it," she apologized.
"No worries, I understand. I didn't wait for too long, so don't bother," he reassured her. Anaisha simply smiled in reply.
An awkward silence ensued until a waiter approached to take their order. Samaksh waited for Anaisha to order first, sensing her hesitance. When she didn't, he went ahead and ordered an espresso and a cheese sandwich for himself. Deciding to make her comfortable, he asked, "Do you want to have an espresso too, Anaisha?"
"Uhm... I don't drink coffee," she replied. Turning to the waiter, she continued, "Can you please get me a cup of hot chocolate along with a veggie wrap? Thank you." The waiter nodded and moved to the next table.
Looking at Anaisha, Samaksh playfully narrowed his eyes. She gave him a quizzical look, prompting her to ask, "What?"
"Nothing. I was just wondering how you survive without coffee. It's a lifesaver," he exclaimed, putting his hand on his heart dramatically.
"I don't drink tea as well," she added with a wider smile.
He fake gasped, saying, "Please don't tell me you like drinking plain milk."
"No, Samaksh, I don't drink plain milk."
"Okay, then we can be friends," he grinned, extending his hand over the table. She shook her head, laughing, and took his hand.
Seeing her now comfortable and interacting with him made Samaksh smile. The rest of their time together was filled with smooth, free-flowing conversations about anything and everything. When the bill arrived, Samaksh pulled out his card, but one look at Anaisha made him put his hands up in surrender. In response, she smiled shyly before putting her share on the table.
Through their conversations, Samaksh discovered that, despite her initial shyness, Anaisha had a strong mind, a deep-rooted moral system, and a soft heart. She valued self-respect highly but wasn't egoistic. Her intelligence and knowledge left him speechless. She was respectful, loved her family, and, most importantly, was an amazing human being. She was beautiful, but something held her back from showing her true self.
On the other hand, Anaisha was surprised and touched that someone had sensed her discomfort and eased her out of it. She realized that Samaksh's dramatic demeanor was his way of making her comfortable. Despite this, she agreed that he had a great sense of humor. He was confident, mature, responsible, yet had a boyish charm. He was knowledgeable, chivalrous, with no indecent jokes or chauvinistic views. Most importantly, he was an optimistic human being.
Samaksh's POV :
Walking Anaisha to her car, she animatedly discussed her upcoming work project while I listened attentively. After our first meeting, I was relieved that our connection had evolved into that of friends rather than mere strangers meeting for an alliance. I hoped she would agree to this relationship because I was already inclined to say yes.
As she settled into the driver's seat of her car, I tapped on her window, and she rolled it down. Grinning, I playfully asked, "Anaisha, what's my number?" She shot me a 'you-are-weird' look before retrieving her phone. "Arrey, not that number, obviously," I clarified. After some thought, she looked at me with wide eyes, realization dawning. Hesitating for a moment, she finally admitted, "You're the sixth guy I'm meeting, Samaksh." Although she wore a small smile, her eyes betrayed a hint of sadness. I realized I might have touched a sensitive nerve at this point in time. Before I could apologize or say anything, she spoke up, "What about me?"
Leaning down to be at eye level with her, I locked eyes and replied, "You're the second person I'm meeting, Anaisha, but trust me, I don't think I need or want to meet any other girl anymore." I had said it, making my affirmative stance clear. We continued looking at each other until she decided to break the silence, stating, "I think I should leave. It's probably going to rain." I nodded and stood upright, saying, "Yeah, you should. Just drop me a message saying you reached once you do, okay?" She nodded, waved goodbye, and I smiled, taking a step back as she drove off.
As I turned around to get into my car, I heard her voice , "Samaksh, I had a wonderful time today. Thank you." Returning her smile, I replied, "Me too, Anaisha. Drive safe. Bye." With that, she drove off, and I got into my car, making my way home.
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Just wanted to thank the readers for taking out time to read my work and for the votes .
