1. High School Sweetheart

Something was wrong. Not in the general but with my coffee. It tasted like dirt and not a bit like my usual. I took another sip. Yes, definitely not my usual. The coffee I take, had a texture, a smell so unique, it refreshed me even before I took a fill of it. It always had a soothing effect on my tongue and my dry throat but something was amiss today. Had Di changed the coffee or something? The thing I had in my cup was not coffee. It was too bitter and although it cleared my sleepy mind more than usual, the old coffee tasted better and didn't sour my mood in the process. I dumped the cup of coffee on the table but its smell lingered in my head and I cursed. Damn! How to get rid of this smell? I daydreamed about my coffee, its smell.. its delicious smell.. its creamy texture.. the color. Oh hell! I am addicted to my coffee!

The daydreaming did a good thing to me though. It got rid of some of the smell of the tasteless coffee out of my head.

When I went downstairs Di was at breakfast table, waiting for us. She was enjoying her glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. I needed a good coffee more than I had thought. I was starting to behave like an antagonist now. The smell of that wretched coffee hadn't washed away after bath. The taste had vanished, brushing and rinsing my mouth had helped, but the smell hadn't.

"Good Morning Di." Di looked up from her glass, surprised.

"Good Morning Khushi. Problem?" I had kept my tone as cheerful as possible but looked like I had failed miserably. I guess sleeping late three nights in a row does that to you.

"Yes with the coffee I just had. Is something wrong with the coffee machine?" I sat down on a chair after putting my jacket and bag down. Where is Buaji? I am hungry.

"Oh that." Di smiled, but her smile had a concealed edge. She was laughing at someone and I had an inkling that that someone was me.

"Your coffee maker left."

"Left?"

"I meant the man who used to make your coffee has shifted to Lucknow. He left yesterday. Didn't you know?" There went my day in the waste basket. And probably rest of my days on earth too.

"I thought it was a machine." Di was biting her lips. She was still laughing at me, internally.

"Di, I really want a good coffee. The coffee I had earlier this morning was totally muck and I have meetings lined up for the day." I had a headache creeping up already. I had worked untill 3 this morning and without a refreshing coffee I was as bad as a walking corpse.

"Yeah I understand. I am missing my special coffee too." She sounded more cheerful than sympathetic. What's wrong with her today? Maybe it's your own head, idiot.

"How about I make you one?" She offered and my dull morning brightened by a notch.

"Thanks Di." I was really in need of a good cup of coffee.

"Anything for you Chutki." I had surely made a face at the word Chutki because the next second Di was laughing, walking away from me, her steps a little bouncy and strolling leisurely in the direction of the kitchen. I groaned inwardly. Apparently I wasn't going to get that good coffee in the next five minutes. Only if my headache waits till Di make the coffee.

"Good Morning Khushi Beta."

"Good Morning Buaji." Oh how I loved my Aunt's voice. It always had a calming effect on me. Today it was a little more than usual. Courtesy of the damned cup of coffee I had an hour ago. I was starting to ponder to take her to work but then I rejected the idea. The last time I had it was a disaster.

"Where's Anjali Beta?" She asked sitting down beside me breaking my spell.

"In the kitchen." I told her and at her perplexed expression, continued. "To make a cup of coffee for me." She nodded.

My coffee arrived fifteen minutes later. It smelled a lot better than the morning one. Di really know how to make a good coffee. "Smells good Di."

Di sat on the other side of the table facing me.

"Khushi?"

"Hmm?"

"I want a favour from you." My eyes narrowed and Di hurriedly modified. "A task for you." She still sounded hesitant. Why?

I took a sip from my cup. That's called a coffee. "That's a good coffee Di." She was waiting for me to say something more so I turned my attention away from my coffee.

"What's the matter Di?" I asked.

"My friend, her brother's got a job here, in mumbai and they are from Delhi. It's a temporary job and he has no place to stay here. You remember Payal? He's her brother." Di was looking at me oddly. And then it settled inside me. Payal's brother! It meant Arnav.

"Payal?" I asked nevertheless, a lump forming in my throat.

"Payal Raizada. You don't remember her? She was my desk-mate. Her brother Arnav, he was our senior. The one who used to follow you around." Di and Buaji laughed at that. How can I forget the nightmare? I cleared my throat softly. They had no idea what I was going through. And it was best this way.

"Oh yeah! Now I remember him. The clumsy one right." Who caused most people to fall on their faces when he walked.

"You remember when he broke that fool NK's nose?" Di and Buaji were really enjoying all this.

"How can I ever forget? Thanks to him, NK stayed away from me." That's called being diplomatic.

"So will you help?" That's like my Di, using emotional blackmail on me. And she says she doesn't have business acumen. "Buaji agreed to let him stay here for a couple of days till he finds a place to live. It was all so sudden for him." Di stalled.

"The task?" I asked.

"Umm.. Khushi, will you be nice to him? I know you don't like him much. But…." She trailed off not knowing what to say. And she thinks I don't like him. She will have a mini heart failure if I ever told him about us.

"Sure. Anything for you Ganji Anji." And it was my turn to laugh.

"It's not fair Khushi." Di huffed at me. But I didn't care. I had to change the topic.

"Everything's fair in sister's war." I dug into my plate. Eggs smelled good today. Or maybe the smell of that coffee made everything else smell better in comparison.

"When is he coming?" I had no idea where did it come from. But it was out of my mouth as soon as my mind registered it. And I had sounded excited. I have to work on this mind to mouth filtration. I run an entire business and I have the restraint of a child.

"Tomorrow morning." If Di was surprised she didn't say anything. Instead she answered in a straining voice. Is she tired? I lifted my head to look at her face for any indication. But Di was looking at her toast now like it was something fascinating. Even Buaji. Something didn't sit well with me. If they were acting then they were a really lousy actors. But it had my curiosity. They knew something which I didn't.

"Send me his ticket details alright. I'll….." Buaji interrupted before I could finish. "I already arranged for everything Khushi Beta. You don't worry."

"I am leaving now. Thanks for the coffee Di." I drained my cup and stood up.

"You want one every morning?" Di offered again. When life throws something good at you like now, you grab it with all your being.

"You're a savior Di." I took my bearings and turned to leave but of course Buaji had to ruin it.

"What about after her marriage? It's three months away." Buaji had a tendency to say something depressing at a very wrong time. But I wasn't stupid.

"Shyam Jiju is so unlucky. I am going to snatch her back from him." Buaji gasped and Di chuckled. Before she could make a retort I flew out of the dining space with my coat and bag in hand.

The day didn't get better. My condition got worse. Because the morning coffee had ruined my morning and I couldn't get rid of its smell the whole day. The coffee Di had made, got me going till the afternoon which was really pathetic. I was officially an addict now. For a good coffee, I added. It was a consolation prize which didn't cheer me up. I was working on Saturday when the whole damn office was empty. Aman wasn't here either. He was getting married and his substitute was due on Monday.

And most of all because Arnav was coming back.

The whole day I couldn't decide on how I have to behave around him. Like a woman who had her first kiss with him. Or the woman who was his sister's friend's cousin. That sounded crazy to me. Or to just plain ignore him for my own good. The last time I had seen him he was at the threshold of my room and I had shut the door on his face. I cringed at the memory, the noise of doors sounded harsh to my ears. He must hate me now. I had hurt him. His hurt eyes had haunted me for weeks. But what else could be expected from a sixteen years old? He had hurt me too. You don't kiss a person and then tell him or her that it was a mistake and then try to be sympathetic before leaving the country. That insensitive jerk had did it.

Why was he coming back? That was a dumb question. It was his choice. But why now? And how did he look now? The Arnav I knew had just turned nineteen, lean but tall for his age. And the best thing about him was that he was never embarrassed. Even when he followed me around. I had never saw anyone teasing him for following me. He was always left alone. Boys of his class and age stayed away from him. Was it his height that had kept his classmates away from him or his glaring black eyes? I didn't know. Maybe it was his decision to stay away. His eyes had fascinated me. He had that understanding and intelligence thing in his eyes which had pulled me towards him. He had an eye for everything. He always knew where to sit in school garden during lunch hour, which place had more grass or which had more flowers, which was the best spot or which was not. Those were my golden days. Certainly not his.

Damn! I am thinking about why he was good for me.

I didn't want to wander there. It was a forbidden territory. Some scars were better left untouched. Concentrate on real problem Khushi. The problem was how to deal with Arnav after 13 years. He must be 32 now. What was he doing all these years?

Stop! I glanced at my bedside table. 2.21 a.m. "Sleep now Khushi". I muttered. Or get dark circles tomorrow. You were awake last night too. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the white light in the darkness. It didn't help. And people said it was a big help. I guessed I was too excited for tomorrow. Return of 'high school sweetheart' thing is something.