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Eira tapped her foot anxiously against the polished marble surface of the cafe and looked out of the glass windows to see cars whizzing by on the streets of London.
It's been fifteen minutes since she is waiting here but there is no sign of him, Zach, her date for tonight.
She checked her phone once again only to see that there was no reply or call from him.
She doesn't have a clue so as to why she even agreed to this. Date or whatever it is. She doesn't even know the person.
Side effects of agreeing to go on a blind date under peer pressure.
She sighed audibly through her lips and the waiter threw a glance at her, staring a moment too long before continuing his work.
She ignored him and rubbed her temple. She decided to wait for another fifteen minutes. Her gaze moved around and settled on a group of teenagers as they laughed loudly on something. Her stomach made a grumbling noise.
She should order a coffee, it isn't rude right to order a beverage before your date arrives?
She looked around for a while before finally spotting the waiter walking towards a table. As if sensing her stare on him, he looked up and she signalled him over.
He walked towards her, his steps graceful and she admired his lean body. Her eyes finally snapped to his face as he came closer and stopped at her table.
For a moment she looked at him right in eye. They were the most beautiful shade of green. His cheekbones were set high and his lips were set into a thin line.
He coughed and colour flooded her cheeks as he caught her staring.
She cleared her throat before looking down at the menu and then back up at him.
"Café au lait," she whispered in her Indian accent.
He nodded. "It'll be ready in fifteen minutes. Thank you." With that he scurried off to his work place. She followed him with her gaze before shifting her attention outside the window.
He was cute, attractive even. But she can't judge someone solely by their looks.
Looks can be deceiving after all.
Her phone pinged with a message and her fingers moved swiftly just in case there was a message from Zach.
Disappointment flooded her as she noticed that the message was from her bestfriend Astrea.
Astrea: How's the date goinggg!!?
He hasn't even appeared yet.
Astrea: What!?
Yes, been waiting for almost thirty minutes now.
Astrea: Fuck. If he shows up, then kick his ass until he has a good reason behind being late. Otherwise he is a jerk.
Lol. Okay!
Astrea: Take care, see you!
See you!
Astrea: Oh and message me if something goes wrong.
She smiled reading her conversation with Astrea. She was the one who convinced Eira to go on a date with Zach. Knowing he didn't show up Astrea might feel guilty. Eira decided to think about it later.
Who knows, Zach must be stuck somewhere important and was on his way.
She placed her phone back on the table and took out her earphones from the tote bag that she brought along with her. She plugged them in and 'aaoge jab tum' started playing.
She lowered the volume just enough to make out the chitter chatter of people around.
Almost fifteen minutes later, she was looking outside the window tapping her finger to rhythm of the song when she felt a presence on her table.
She looked up to see the waiter holding her order in his hands.
"Here." He placed the cup on her table while she observed his actions.
"Do you need something else?" he asked, his voice laced with British accent.
She shook her head. "Thankyou..." she trailed off expectantly.
"Kai," he muttered.
"Thank you, Kai," she said with a slight smile.
Her smile faltered as she realised she wasn't supposed to be alone here. Her eyes snapped towards the empty seat from across her and she sighed.
Her gaze moved towards Kai, he was still standing there. If he noticed the shift in her mood he didn't comment about it. With a nod in her direction he walked towards his workplace.
She sipped on her mocha and looked around, noticing the cafe was nearly empty.
She knew this was a bad idea. She shouldn't have agreed to this. It has been almost an hour now and she was pretty sure that Zach wasn't showing up.
She sipped onto the hot drink as it soothed her nerves.
She'll probably have a takeout on her way back home.
And here she thought she might have a great time today. Even if she thought this was a bad idea, there was a tiny part in her which hoped that this could have gone better.
The cafe was nearly empty now, apart from an old couple who were sitting with pleasant smiles on their faces.
She closed her eyes for a second after taking another sip of her coffee.
"You were waiting for someone, weren't you?" A voice said from above her. She opened her eyes just in time to see Kai sliding into the seat opposite her.
"Eira," she replied, "call me Eira and yes I was waiting for someone."
"And he didn't show up?" he asked a hint of amusement in his tone.
"If that wasn't obvious." She rolled her eyes and watched as his lips tug upwards. Why was he even bothering to make a conversation? His shift might be over, doesn't he have anything else to do?
"Well, I was wondering if you would like to go to a nearby restaurant, they serve amazing Indian food over there." He smiled and looked at her expectantly.
Eira bit the inside of her cheek, contemplating on his offer. Kai didn't behave like someone who would kidnap a woman. Maybe he was looking for a company or he saw her miserable self and decided to offer his company.
She was craving chole bhature anyways, some company won't hurt. Moreover, she was never going to see him again. Maybe just for one night she can dine out with a stranger. The night may not end on a bad note.
She looked at him and his eyes were upon her, waiting for her answer.
"Okay," Eira said. She knew the decision was reckless. She agreed to go with someone she just met. She might regret it later but at the moment it didn't seem like a bad choice.
He rubbed his hands together. "Okay then."
He got up from his seat and Eira did the same, following him out of the cafe.
They walked side by side on the narrow street. Thankfully, Kai maintained his distance. The street was lit up by various shops and the moon shimmered down on them. The distant sounds of people talking ringed in her ears.
"So, uhm, what are you doing currently?" Eira drawled out to get rid of the awkward silence around them. Though she cursed herself a moment later when he didn't reply and she realised how poorly framed that question was.
He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his coat."I just completed my business management course at University of London. I work at the café to make the ends meet. What about you?"
Eira smiled before answering, "I am a econometrician."
He passed her an appreciative glance before continuing their walk down the street. "That is great," he mused.
Her face lit up. "Yes, it is. I joined recently at a company. Though, I didn't make any friends due to lack of my social skills, the job is amazing."
He chuckled. "Don't worry, you'll do great."
"Which company are you planning to join?" Eira asked out of curiosity, ignoring what he just said.
"I have applied to a few. I even have an interview tomorrow. Let's see." He shrugged.
"Well, best of luck."
And so the conversation flowed between them. They talked about everything and nothing. Eira realised that their music taste was same. Soft, classical music.
After a minute or two, Eira was laughing at something Kai said when they reached the little van selling Indian food and Eira took in a breath, inhaling the aroma of her favourite dish, chole bhature.
Kai moved forward gesturing her to follow him through the little crowd gathered around.
They placed their order and waited patiently. As soon as their food arrived they walked to a silent corner before digging in.
Eira was busy stuffing her face when she heard Kai chuckle.
She looked up at him in confusion and he gestured towards her mouth. She frowned before swiping her thumb at the corner of mouth only to realise she has the gravy smeared all over her lips.
Blood flowed to Eira's cheeks as she blushed in embarrassment.
Her lack of mannerism.
"Hey, hey, now don't be embarrassed," Kai said. He took a bite from his own plate of chole bhature and Eira shrugged.
"So, when did you find this van? I must say the food is amazing," Eira said while chewing onto the morsel.
He gulped down his bite. "One day when I was returning from the café I saw this van. I love Indian food so I stopped by, since then it has been one of my favourite places."
Eira nodded. "This is my new favourite place as well."
They fell into comfortable silence after that. Both of them enjoying the company the other offered.
After they were done eating, Eira paid, Kai tried protesting but she shut him off telling him that the treat was on her.
They moved away from the van and stopped a few steps ahead. They stood awkwardly not knowing what to do next.
She liked his company, Eira realised. He was a quiet person and humble too.
"Uhm, what next?" he asked and shifted on his feet.
Eira contemplated before answering. "I should go, I am getting late." She didn't want to leave his company though.
He nodded in understanding. "You want me to drop you somewhere?" he offered and his face glowed under the neon lights.
"No, I live just around the corner. I'll be fine. Thank you for asking," Eira said and he nodded.
"I really enjoyed your company. It would be great if we could meet some other time." Eira found herself saying.
His face lit up that and he smiled at her. His smile was charming Eira admitted to herself.
"Do you mind exchanging numbers?" he asked hesistantly.
"No, I would like that." And despite the ruined date Eira found herself smiling widely.
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A/N,
I really hope you enjoyed this story as well. I am not sure how this turned out.
Do leave some constructive criticism.
Also, check out the cover for this story in the media box.
Would you like to read more this story or should I end it here? Let me know!