A/n: A few dedications at the end of the chapter.
Chapter 2:
A tap on her left shoulder makes her head turn that way. That doesn't stop her from her jog, though. She keeps on running, her brows creasing in a frown as she doesn't notice anyone to her left. A huffing sound to her right and she knows before turning it's him.
It's the little trick he always used to play on her and the one she always used to fall for. For a second, a nostalgic pang makes its presence felt in her ribs, that she sends away after decidedly not looking his way.
He easily falls in step with her, their footfall echoing in unison on the cement pavement. He doesn't say anything; he knows her full well to understand that one word to irk her this early in the morning, and she wouldn't hesitate to send a powerful smack his way. If concentrated hard enough to fuzzy out the details of their schedule for the day ahead, Kavin can almost pretend it is just like the times before; both of them running together. But memory isn't so lenient. Soon both will be back to their routine, trying to pretend reeking ignorance for the other.
Ugh, the sugarless coffee again.
Her mouth twitches at the thought of having to drink that insipid caffeinated beverage (it can't be called a coffee) they serve in the cafeteria. She knows she mustn't complain; the food is relatively better than all the other cafeteria's she's tried, but a good cup of coffee in the mornings is something Purvi misses a lot.
The beige liquid in the mug sloshes a little as Kavin slides it toward her. She instantly savors the strong, sweet smell her nostrils are filled with. It's the coffee she likes.
The only small thing holding her back from tasting it, is the person who gave her the coffee. Kavin senses this as he says, 'I'll admit, the sentence that I'm going to say next is inspired a little by Remus Lupin. Drink the coffee. It'll make you feel better"
"I'm smiling because I want to smile. It has nothing to do whatsoever with whatever you said" through the warmth of the coffee that penetrates the ceramic cup, "thank you" she tells him. He nods his head in a silent welcome.
"Friends do that, don't they? Getting coffee for friends? I miss being being friends with you"
The words leave his mouth before his mind can register the aftermath of uttering them. Purvi just looks into the coffee deadpan as she cradles the cup in her hand. Half expecting to receive the hot coffee being splashed on his face, Kavin is instead treated to a callous silence.
"We were friends, weren't we? Before we were...more?" The long suffering look she gives him is more than enough to rip his heart into a million tiny pieces.
They were friends alright.
Until I messed up like the idiot I am he thinks miserably.
She's already left.
Always, always that idiot has to open his mouth to say something idiotic. Purvi can't help being frustrated by the little-not-so-little- ounce of hope-want-she still has for him. It's crazy really. He drives her crazy. Oh gods, not that way! Not at all. It's in the manner he knows her-too well- the way the strings of her hearts work and it's the way he somehow manages to tug at the wrong one.
Moron.
The training can't end soon enough.
He has missed her.
The smiles, their coffee breaks, the way she punched his shoulder when he tried to be too funny and her ability to make him feel like a misbehaving five year old. Gods, has he missed her. She walks into he cafeteria the precise moment this realization dawn on him-loads up her plate and walks out without sparing a glance elsewhere. Meaning, she's dead angry.
And on this exciting note, he rolls his eyes at himself (is that even possible?) congratulating himself for earning the number one spot on the list of people she's mad at, all in two-rather impulsively- spoken sentences.
Way to go, buddy. Way to go, he thinks dejectedly.
"Look, I am sorry. For whatever I said. Just try to forget it, okay? Let's just pretend I never said anything while giving you the coffee"
She is looks at him rather skeptically after this monologue and wonders for the millionth time how sincere he manages to look. She knows he is being sincere and also that he knows that she knows he is being sincere because despite everything, they know each other. They always will, probably (hopefully always, he thinks)
Kavin walks away this time, leaving her to figure out just how exactly she had fallen for him in the first place. What was it, really? He played the idiot, she liked to be intellectual. He liked tea, she liked coffee. She was dead serious while working, he liked to lighten the mood. But then, he was the Spring to her Autumn. Something like that, yeah.
Oh what the Hades, she doesn't have the time to deal with that right now. She was angry at him anyway before he opened his mouth, no difference really.
And it's not until she has returned from her jog the next day, pausing to look at the sunrise that she realizes what the difference is. The difference, she thinks while marveling at its slight pathetic-ness, is that she can't turn around and just lean her forehead against his, theirs breaths creating a weird kind of rhythm and in that moment feel the world stop around her.
And she almost misses it.
A/n: Dedications after such a long time!
This chapter is dedicated to all those friends I don't often talk with, but would want to give out a friendly wave to *grins and waves and yells 'hi!' * Kv's Neha, Kuki17, Sarru, Topaz007, kv's lover sunshine dareya, Meghana0106, Zoya.F, purvi's niharika, disani, Sheeza517 and surely Divya26. I hope I haven't left out anyone's name but in case that happens, (CF and ES, you guys don't fall into this group) and you consider me a friend, feel free to tell me.