Riya

A week. A week since Dhruv and my fight, and a week since I had started working at the cafe. And it was a whole week since I talked to Dhruv.

"One cappuccino please." I nodded and typed away at the counter in my oversized coffee-colored t-shirt that they had given us to wear.

The walls of the cafe were filled with scribbles that the students left on the wall. When it opened, the walls were bare. Now, no one could guess the colour of the wall on the first try. Or so they said.

"Riya, can you help me out a bit?" Angie, a third-year student, called out. She too had the same t-shirt on, but she would tie it at the front and make it a crop top. I loved her fashion sense with all her piercings and coloured short hair. She baked the best desserts here.

"Can you help me bake some treats for today? We're out of the pastries."

"Already?" Usually, there were a lot of leftovers.

"Yeah, the drama club had a birthday celebration." She said, looking at the wall clock. "They wanted to celebrate it early, so they could watch the football match today."

"Okay," I turned to Sam, our manager. "Can you handle the counter till then?"

"Okay." He nodded with a smile and took over. Working here had been a fun ride. A difficult one, but nonetheless. Learning how to make coffee and being polite to even rude people was something new.

I did a lot of thinking throughout the weekend and asked the girls what they thought. Apart from a lot of 'I told you so', I got the shoulder I needed to cry and vent. There was another fight last week, probably, in retaliation for the arson that they did. But I didn't do the stupidity of talking to Dhruv again.

I opened the oven and put in the cupcakes Angie made. The smell in this cafe was divine. One of the reasons I decided to work here was the smell of the baked goods. Along with that, the other wall was lined with beautiful artwork. A place that matched my vibe. I straightened my back and stretched.

"I've kept the cupcakes in the oven," I said, coming out of the kitchen and finding the cafe almost empty.

Looking at my gaze, Angie replied, "Football match."

"Guessed." After the match, the place would be jam-packed.

"We can rest for a while." She said, sitting down on a table closer to the counter. "So, is your brother single?" I rolled my eyes.

This was the constant for a week. She liked Dhruv enough to bother me continuously. "As I told you earlier, you can ask him that yourself." I sat down on a chair closer to the paintings.

I pulled out my phone, hoping she would take a hint. "Oh, c'mon. You can at least tell if he's not."

I wasn't sure. I thought it would be something that he would share with me, but now I wasn't sure. Did he have a crush on someone? Was he dating someone?

"I don't know. We don't share our dating lives with each other." A safer answer.

"Are you dating someone?" she asked, her eyes on the paintings behind my back with a forlorn look. She did that a lot. I wondered what went on in her mind. I wanted to ask to become her friend. But I wasn't sure how to do that.

"No. I don't date. The guys make it seem they're doing me a favour."

"What?" Her attention was back on me.

"Because of my dusky colour," I said, remembering the scene from last week when I went home crushed from the encounter with Dhruv to come face to face with distant relatives who couldn't stay distant enough.

My skin color was somehow always the topic, one way or another, no matter how hard my parents tried to change it. "Your son has such a bright color." Then for me, "Oh, she has her father's color," with a sad smile as if it was a curse or something.

"Guys are shit." Agreed. "So, you're going to be single forever?"

"Yes."

It was six, and the cafe started piling up with students. The sudden crowd told me the match was over. From the chatter and the excitement, it was pretty easy to figure out, our team won.

Apart from Angie and me, two more students worked here, who were busy balancing coffee cups in the ruckus.

I was the in-charge of the payment and sometimes baking. Baking wasn't something I thought I would get into, but I remembered Ruhi's enthusiasm when she tried my cookies. I decided to continue it. Still, it was something I was mediocre at best. Angie was the star baker.

I gave the change to the guy and looked around for Angie. But my eyes fell on Abhay. The root of all evils in my life. I believed in the fact that there was some good in everyone. But there wasn't one I could find in him.

He was sitting with some of his football buddies, in his blue jeans and white t-shirt. His clothes always had some dried mud. Maybe because of football. My mind went to Dhruv as they usually hung out together. But I couldn't find him.

"Since when did you start working here?" I jumped at Dhruv's voice. This devil would live for a hundred years. He stood in front of me with his hands in his jeans pockets. Where did he come from?

He raised his one eyebrow, waiting for me to answer. "Last week."

I looked at the person beside him, smiling at her and thanking her after she paid. Dhruv stepped aside for a while, waiting for me to be done with the work. I pulled my phone out from my pocket, not willing to start the conversation.

"When do you get free from work?" he asked, looking uncomfortable. I should've felt good about his condition, but I was too sad from this whole situation to feel any triumph.

"After 8."

"We can go home together." I blinked at his words.

"No thanks. I don't really want to talk to you or see your face for a while."

We used to fight, then we would not talk for a while. Then we would start talking again as if nothing happened.

But these days, it was tough to move on from a fight or disagreement. Is this what we call growing up? I had no idea how I would navigate this phase with Aarush. I wasn't mentally ready to handle that with maturity. I would break down.

He sighed. "I.....I'm sorry for the things I said." I looked at him.

"I forgive you." His eyes shone at my words. "But I agree, I need to stop butting in your business."

His brows furrowed at my tone. I forgave him; he was my brother, after all. But he was right too. I needed to step back and focus on my things. He was an adult and could face the consequences of his actions. He was quiet for a while, maybe thinking what to say. The disagreements were tough to navigate, but maybe, sometimes, it was for the best.

"Oh hello, golden boy." Angie's voice came from behind. She came forward, and I was grateful for the rest. I handed over the counter for her as she continued her talk with Dhruv.