After their first meeting at the cafe, a new change had come in Ritesh's routine. Earlier he used to go to the cafe only for books and coffee, but now his steps would unknowingly take him there where his eyes kept searching for Ananya. Ananya also probably thought like Ritesh, because now their meetings in the cafe started happening again and again. Whether it was just a coincidence or the game of fate, both of them were unable to understand, but with every meeting their bond started deepening
One day, when Ritesh was sitting in the cafe reading his book, Ananya entered the cafe. Her eyes fell on Ritesh, and she smiled and pointed towards him. Ritesh also smiled lightly seeing her. She slowly moved towards him and sat at his table. "Can I sit here?" Ananya asked smiling lightly.
Ritesh hesitated a little, but then smiled and said, "Yes, of course."
This was the first time they were talking to each other openly. Earlier, their meetings were limited to just eye contact, but today's conversation was the beginning of a new chapter. Ananya showed the book in her hand and said, "You are also fond of books, right?"
Ritesh replied with a smile, "Yes, I love reading. It relaxes me."
Ananya opened her book and said, "Me too. Books take us to places where we might never be able to go in real life."
Their small conversation gradually deepened. They started talking about books, literature, life, and even their personal likes and dislikes. Ritesh was surprised to see that Ananya was also a deep thinker like him. She was very spontaneous, and there was a different charm in her laughter which was drawing Ritesh towards her again and again.
Gradually, their meetings at the cafe became regular. Whenever Ritesh went to the cafe, he expected Ananya to be there too. Ananya too seemed to be waiting for Ritesh. They both would sit and talk to each other for hours, sometimes even without saying anything, they understood what was going on in the other's mind. Their communication was not limited to words only, but a strange rapport had developed between them.
Ananya was becoming an enigma for Ritesh. He was very impressed by her simplicity and her positive attitude towards life. There was an innocence in Ananya's laughter, and a depth in her eyes, which made Ritesh think. Ananya used to talk a lot, and Ritesh used to listen to her every word carefully like a silent listener. Ananya's liveliness and Ritesh's seriousness were completing each other.
One day, when they both were sitting in the cafe, Ananya suddenly said, "You are very quiet. Don't you like to talk?"
Ritesh smiled slightly at her and said, "It is not like that, I just like listening to people. And anyway, when your talks are so interesting, I don't need to speak."
Ananya laughed at this. There was a sweetness in her laughter, which Ritesh liked very much. He himself smiled every time he heard Ananya laugh. These small things were strengthening their friendship. The relationship between the two was now turning into a deep understanding and intimacy.
Sometimes topics other than books would come up in their conversation. They had also started discussing the big questions of life. Ritesh was learning a lot from Ananya's perspective towards life. There was a special kind of positivity in her thinking, which also influenced Ritesh. Ananya's way of living life, her cheerfulness and carefreeness, was completely opposite to Ritesh's seriousness, but perhaps this contradiction had brought them closer to each other.
One day, when it was raining lightly outside the cafe, Ananya suddenly said, "How do you like the rain?"
Looking out of the window, Ritesh said, "I like the rain very much. It relaxes me, as if it washes away all the stress."
Ananya said smilingly, "Me too. Getting drenched in the rain is a different kind of fun."
Ritesh nodded in agreement to her. He started enjoying every moment spent with Ananya. Her company gave him a new freshness, as if something new and special was happening in his life.
There was now an unspoken connection between their meetings. Whenever they were together, both of them did not care about the rest of the world. They would get lost in their small talks, and time would fly by. It had now become their habit to sit in a corner of the cafe and talk for hours.
One day, while Ananya was sitting in a cafe, drinking her coffee and Ritesh was reading a book, Ananya suddenly said, "Don't you ever think that our meetings with some people are not just coincidences?"
Ritesh thought for a while after listening to her and then said, "Maybe. Some meetings connect us to the depths of life."
Ananya looked at him and there was a deep sparkle in her eyes. She probably wanted to say something else, but then she stopped herself. Ritesh saw something in her eyes at that moment, which he had never felt before. There was a newness in their friendship now, an unspoken feeling, which both of them had felt till now, but were not able to name it.
This friendship between Ritesh and Ananya was no longer limited to the four walls of the cafe. They now started roaming together in other parts of the city. Sometimes they would go to a bookstore, sometimes they would go to a park and sit. They would sit and talk for hours. There was something new in every meeting. For Ritesh, Ananya's company had become a part of his life, and Ananya too could not imagine her day without Ritesh.
This friendship between them was now turning into a deep relationship, but both had called it just friendship till now. Ritesh found a new energy in Ananya's laughter, and Ananya found a strange comfort in Ritesh's seriousness. Both of them were so opposite to each other that they were completing each other.
With time, their meetings became even deeper. Now there were not only talks between them, but also an unspoken connection. But what this connection was, it was perhaps yet to be understood