Her Uniquely Cliché Love Story

PROLOGUE

"Got what you're looking for, honey?" Anaisha asked the little boy from over the cash counter. He looked up with a shy smile and handed her the cellophane wrapped comic book.

Anaisha turned it to check the price tag and said, "That'll be Rs 50."

The boy's smile turned into a frown as he fished out a clutter of notes and coins from his jeans pocket, stood on his tiptoes to reach up to the counter and placed the money on the wooden surface.

"I'm not sure it's enough." He mumbled disappointedly.

"Here, let me count that," Anaisha said cheerily as she gathered the money in her hands. Counting, she found he was short of 5 rupees and then flashed him a dazzling grin, "That is just the right amount, kiddo. This baby is all yours." The little boy's eyes lit up as she handed him his comic book.

Then she leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially, "I read this just the other day. Wanna know how The Flash defeats Reverse-Flash? He -"

"No, no, no," the boy backed away from the counter laughing, "I will read it today!" he said happily, then ran out of the store, the comic book clutched in his little hands.

Anaisha Vardhan sighed contentedly. She loved her life. She loved what she did.

Book were and had always been her best friend.

She had had an almost unhealthy attachment to books right from the time she was a chubby little five-year-old (not that she had changed much in the next 22 years). Her parents were too busy making billions and entertaining their high-society friends to spend time with her and due to her shy and reserved nature, she had trouble making friends in school. But books were always there for her, with her. Books never teased her for being a little pudgy like her school-mates, were never mean to her or yelled at her for needing attention like her parent. They were just...there. Books had been her reprieve from the judgemental and affectionless world she lived in.

And then her life had taken a 360 degree turn when she was fifteen years old. Her father was charged for embezzlement and his entire business was shut down overnight. Not being able to handle the reality of his own deeds, Rakesh Vardhan had killed himself through drug overdose. And hardly six months after this incident, Natasha Vardhan had taken her daughter to Shimla for visiting her Mother, Anaisha's widowed Grandmother, Asha, for a few days. Only, one day she ran off in the middle of the night, leaving only a letter for her mother and her daughter. The said letter described how Natasha had fallen in love with one of her best friend's husband, Ashok, and that they were running away as they wanted to be together. Ashok, however, wasn't keen on taking on the burden of a teenage daughter, so Natsha was leaving Anaisha with her grandmother and she ardently hoped she would be happy there.

For every neglect she had received from her parents, the decision of leaving Anaisha with her grandmother Asha, was one she would always be thankful for. Asha showered her granddaughter with all the love and affection she had been deprived of in the past. She had taught Anaisha to be confident in her own skin and to never let others put her down.

Asha was the awesomest grandma in the history of awesome grandmas!!!

She was also the one who had encouraged Anaisha to do what she loved to do and helped her set up her bookstore by selling some of her heirloom jewellery. The fact that Anaisha now had a flourishing business was all because of her Grandma

Over the years, Anaisha had expanded her business by buying the apartment right above her store and turning it into a café, so combining the upper level and lower level, she officially owned a two-leveled Bookstore Café, Tales and Toffees.