Later that week, Anaya's world was still on fire. Her laptop was in recovery, her deadline had moved from 'next week' to 'yesterday', and the guy who caused it all was somehow... everywhere.
Every time she came to The Bombay Brew Café, Ishaan was there. Typing furiously into his battered MacBook, chewing on pens, humming 90s Bollywood love songs, and asking people the most ridiculous questions like, "If your heartbreak had a smell, what would it be?"
Ananya tried to ignore him.
Until he offered her a fresh cup of black coffee and said, "An apology. Also, a bribe so you don't sue me."
She took it reluctantly. "Fine. Apology accepted. Bribe successful."
They sat in silence for a while. Then, he leaned over.
"What are you working on?" he asked.
"Code. Real-world logic. Not love stories."
He blinked. "You think love stories aren't real?"
"They're... impractical."
"You mean... beautiful?"
She rolled her eyes.
Over the next few weeks, they kept bumping into each other. Conversations happened. Heated debates about love vs logic, planning vs spontaneity, sugar in coffee vs no sugar.
She hated how his hair was always messy. He teased her for highlighting her notes. She found him ridiculous. He found her fascinating.
And he started writing a new character: a woman who only drank black coffee and didn't believe in love. A woman who fascinated him more than she should.
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Espresso & Chaos
Short StoryAnaya Sharma (24) • Profession: Software Engineer at a tech startup in Mumbai • Personality: Highly organized and pragmatic Cynical about love after a past heartbreak Black coffee i...
