Vy woke later than usual. Reminded that today was a self given holiday, he felt lazy. He stayed in bed, stretching and rolling. He reached for the phone. He could feel the impulse quite strongly, to greet Li. He laughed at himself, and thought about Dee. In the end, he opened the browser and considered reading a novel. He used to read a lot of novels. So much that it almost seemed an addiction. A day couldn't go by without him reading a few chapters. And ever since he had come back here, he hadn't read at all. He hadn't even missed the novels. He lay looking at the browser, running through the names of the many novels he read and knew of in his head. But after a long time, the browser stayed unchanged. What was wrong with him?
He should be up, he realised. He left the bed with great reluctance. Washed up. Changed. And sat waiting. He knew Dee would show up. She did, without him having to wait for long.
The door was knocked. He opened the door to Dee's grin.
"Good morning," she said brightly.
"Good morning," he replied, smiling fondly.
"Ready?"
"As you can see."
He stretched his hands by his sides and did a slow whirl. She studied seriously, and nodded in satisfaction. Then, they burst out laughing.
"Shall we then?" She asked.
"Sure," he answered, reaching for her hand.
She was surprised. She wasn't expecting him to be so aggressive. She was pleased, however. Felt her heart flutter. A warm current coursed through her, setting off pleasant goosebumps. And a blush spread over her cheeks.
He looked into her eyes. Smiled. And something clicked in the both of them. It was as if the kinks in their relationship had been ironed out in that one moment. He pressed her hand.
She smiled wide. Pressed on his hand. And led the way down.
They went to the cafe first. Brown Aromas. Like the name, the inside was entirely shades of brown. The chairs and tables were of bamboo. The cutlery was of light brown wood. Even the fragrance was woody. The cafe truly meant its name.
There weren't many customers. And so, the quiet seemed very personal to everyone inside. Dee and Vy liked that.
"A new favourite?" Vy asked.
"Sure," Dee answered. "It's beautiful, isn't it? Rather unique too."
"But not enough," he said, reading the hesitation underlying her words. "Not enough to make it to the list of favourites. What's lacking?"
"I don't know," she answered, slowly. "It's a little too plain, isn't it? Let's wait until we've eaten. Then we can make the final decision."
He was in agreement. The menu was carved onto thin sheets of wood that were knotted into a book with a strip of bamboo. He was impressed. He saw that she wasn't that much. But at least the menu was to her liking.
"Pancakes?" She asked.
"Waffles," he replied.
"Cream."
"Of course. And cinnamon."
"And chocolate sauce."
"If you insist. Mountain loads of whipped cream."
The waiter smiled, partly from politeness and partly out of amusement, noting down the order. It would be ten minutes, he said and left.
While they waited, Dee and Vy enjoyed the silence some more. Looking more at each other than around the cafe.
"See something different?" She asked, after a while.
"What do you mean?" He asked back, truly confused by the sudden question.
"You're staring."
"Yeah. But I'd rather call it looking. And you were too."
"I do see difference. You're cuter. Brighter. Like a bulb is sitting on your face, spitting all of its light onto you. Can't look away from that, can I?"
"Oh my, thank you. I'm embarrassed. And pleased. But still, I see no difference. You're the same you. Cute, some. Pretty, not much. Delightful, a lot."
"Smooth. I'm impressed, even though you said I'm not cute and not very pretty. Quite an achievement. You should be proud."
"I am. I mostly am. I am the smarter of the two, after all."
That was the cue for the laughs.
Their order was served. Pancakes weighed down by cream and chocolate sauce. Waffles buried under mountains of whipped cream, sprinkled with cinnamon powder. While they ate, they talked about their shared love for whipped cream and chocolate, although their preferred forms varied. They were hungry, so the food was gobbled up. But the coffees were savoured in a relaxedness that was too slow to be lazy.
Dee recounted Annie's love story. Annie was out shopping one day when she met a boy in a store. He wasn't particularly handsome, but there was something magnetic about him. She couldn't look away. Unlike her shy self, she gathered her courage and said hello to the boy. Asked him out to coffee, which they had right then. At the food court. They exchanged numbers. Talked. Met up. Went on dates. Within three months, were a couple. A year and a half later, they were still going strong.
Vy shared the finer details of the most popular couple of their class who weren't exactly a couple. Phin crushed on Nayer from the first day of college. He was the tallest boy in class. She was the tallest girl. They were both garrulous, popular, and were quickly friends. Everyone knew how Phin felt about her, but no one was sure exactly how Nayer felt about him. But she treated him more special than any other boy. So, that was their relationship as of now.
"You know the story, don't you?" Dee asked. "Do they get together?"
"The story isn't about them," Vy answered.
He looked sincere, so she believed him. But he wasn't entirely truthful. Early in the fifth semester, he would convince Phin to confess. Nayer would turn him down, telling him that she liked him as a friend and nothing more. Phin would say nothing, but secretly his dejection would turn into anger and then into dislike for Vy. Phin wouldn't say anything to Vy, but in Vy's absence Phin would lash out at Vy and his dishonesty. Primarily, commenting harshly on Vy's dishonesty in his relationship with Li and his closeness with Dee and other girls. Vy would learn of this, and his trust in Phin would be forever broken.
Maybe none of that would happen now, because he wasn't that Vy now. Whatever.
It was a short walk to Blue Grass. Dee and Vy were the first to walk in as the restaurant opened doors. Buffet was a lavish spread, with a total of twenty four dishes on the menu. The meats included chicken, lamb, shrimp and fish, under several names, and many, many vegetables. Then there were breads, and rice, and curry. Desserts included pastries, tarts and ice cream. It truly was a slow and long lunch.
Dee told of her best friends, Lana and Rey. The three grew up together in the same building, and had been friends for as long as they could remember. They were inseparable, and ran everything by each other before deciding.
"So, today has their stamp of approval?" He asked.
"Well, no," she answered gingerly. "But you do. At least, they have a nice enough impression of you. The final verdict will be after they meet you."
"I'm honoured," he said, like he meant it.
She liked that. He respected her friends. He was ticking off every thing in the list. Maybe, one day, she would show him the list. And how perfect the list made him seem.
It was evening when they wound up at the park. They never discussed it that way, but it should be their favourite after the many walks. The sky was under a thin cover of clouds, making it perfect for an evening walk. Almost romantic.
"I like you," she said suddenly. "A lot. So much so, that maybe, I could fall for you. I could fall in love with you."
She wasn't looking at him, because she was embarrassed to show him her red face. But she felt his eyes, and his smile. And her heart quickened, as he began to speak.
"I like you too," he said, sounding truly fond. "A lot."
And that was all he said. There was a subtle change in that moment. And there was another click, of something more falling into place.
"We should really go back," he said after a minute. "We don't have very long. Who knows how long we'll need coding the algorithm. And then, you have to learn it too."
"Yeah," she agreed, smiling with some difficulty. "Sure. Let's get started. That of course means you get started, and I'll give you space. I'll be ready, all ears, for when you're done."
They hadn't let go of their hands since morning. They finally did, leaving the park. They said their byes. She went home, to Lana and Rey. He went home, to his notebook.