An hour later, Nila ran out of the bedroom to the living room before calling out, "Daddy, Papa, Mama, Mommy's ready! Let's go now! I'm tired of waiting!"

Hearing her daughter's announcement, Shalini, who was walking out of the bedroom, facepalmed herself.

Shiva chuckled seeing his wife's embarrassment before turning to Anuradha and then Narain. "Shall we go now?"

They both agreed with a silent nod, rather hesitantly.

As they walked out of the apartment to their cars, Shalini turned to Anuradha, "Why don't you go in Narain's car?"

"What? No need, I can drive on my own."

Seeing the disappointment in Shalini's and Shiva's faces, Anuradha frowned.

"Isn't it enough if I talk to him when we're having coffee there? Do I have to go there with him in the same car too?"

"He won't harm you. And there's no harm if you start talking in the car," reassured Shalini, "You might get more time to know each other. We won't compell you though."

"Fine, I'll go with him, just for you."

Anuradha walked over to Narain's car and waited. Nila was asking Narain one question after the other about his car. Thus, Narain was oblivious of the conversation that had ensued between his friends and Anuradha.

After talking to Nila, he turned to open the door of his car when he noticed Anuradha standing nearby. Narain shifted his glance from her to her car and back.

"Why are you standing here? Is there something wrong with your car?"

Anuradha narrowed her eyes at him. No, I want to come with you because I'm a stupid who fell in love with you. That would be the biggest lie I could say! If there was something wrong with my car, I would have gone in my friends car, man.

"Anu will come with you to the café," informed Shiva before Anuradha could answer Narain.

"What? Why?"

Shiva glared at his friend. Anuradha rolled her eyes and gave Shalini an 'I-told-you-so" look.

"Okay, whatever. Fine." Narain opened the door for Anuradha before slipping into the driver's seat.

"Wow, Mama and Papa are going in the same car! Nicey nicey! I wanna go with Mama and Papa!" exclaimed Nila, before jumping out of her father's car and running over to Narain's car.

Narain and Anuradha grinned as Nila hopped into the backseat of the car.

"Nila, come here. You can go with them in this car on the way back later if you want. Now, you come with us." Shalini called out to Nila, walking over to Narain's car.

"No, Mommy, I wanna go with Mama and Papa now. Papa and Mama going in the same car for the first time today. Nila love that very very very much."

Shiva approached the car as well. "Come to Daddy, Nila, you're our good girl, right? If you want to go to beach later, you have to come with Mommy and Daddy now."

Nila pouted, looking from her mother to her father. "Papa and Mama won't come to beach with us?"

"They'll come but you have to come in our car now."

"Let her come with us." Anuradha and Narain spoke in unison but Shiva and Shalini paid no heed to their words.

Nila scowled before descending from the car and going with her parents to their car. Dejected, Narain and Anuradha watched them walk away.

"You know your Mama and Papa always argue about everything. If you go in their car, you'll get bored listening to them argue." Shalini tried to cheer up her daughter as Shiva drove the car out the gate of their apartment.

"If Papa and Mama fight, I will tell them to keep quiet and be good. My Mama and my Papa will listen to me."

Her parents remained silent. They wanted their friends to spend time together to realize that they could find a life partner for themselves in each other. They didn't want Nila to be a hurdle for their friends to finding love in each other.

***

Anuradha and Narain arrived at the café first. They had not spoken a single word to each other yet.

As Anuradha descended from his car, she was stunned to see how perfectly Narain had parked his car.

Narain and Anuradha waited by the car, looking in opposite directions and maintaining the silence for those few minutes until Shiva and Shalini arrived.

As soon as Shalini stepped out of the car, she frowned a bit, noticing Anuradha and Narain. "Why were you two waiting here for us? Go on in."

Nila jumped out of the car and ran straight into the café and to the play area provided for kids.

Narain and Anuradha watched Nila with a smile before they glanced at each other pensively and entered the café. They looked around before quickly heading to a table, from where the play area and Nila could be seen without any obstruction.

Before they could seat themselves, they heard Shiva mocking formally, "I'm sorry, Mr. And Ms. but this table has been reserved by us."

Anuradha and Narain turned to the couple with a frown.

"We didn't bring you here to sit and watch Nila play. We will keep an eye on her. You two can sit at that table." Shalini gestured to another table at a further end of the café.

Anuradha pursed her lips while glaring at her friend, before following Narain to the table Shalini had gestured to them.

Seating themselves at opposite sides of the table, they turned a bit to see that the play area was totally out of their sight. Only the top of the play area could be seen, which meant they could only see Nila if she was standing at the top of one of the slides.

Dejected again, Narain and Anuradha shifted their gaze to the table between them. A waiter arrived at their table and they ordered for two hot coffees.

There was a long moment of silence that felt like hours to them. The table between them was the fortunate one to receive all their attention.

Shiva and Shalini who were seated a little further away, watched their friends in disappointment as the coffees arrived at the two tables.

"They haven't started talking yet, Lini."

"Not a single word."

"I don't think they would have spoken in the car."

"Obviously."

"These two have been in relationships, right? Why do they act like they haven't?"

"Because they aren't interested in getting into a relationship again."

"But still, after all the time I took to speak to Anu, I thought she would try to make it work this time."

"We can't change a person's mindset. That's the thing about motivation. No one can motivate anyone. We can only advise. Whether they think over that advice and take it as motivation, it is up to them. If I had spoken to Anu, I know she wouldn't have agreed. Because of the respect she has for you only, she agreed to give Narain a chance."

"True, even I didn't expect Narain would agree. But you managed to make him agree to consider Anu. That's really good, Lini."

"What good? Look at them. Staring at the table or looking at us only. If we had let them sit at this table, the whole time would have gone with them just watching Nila."

"They are watching us. Then, why don't we set an example for them? Seeing us, perhaps they might start talking or...."

Shalini narrowed her eyes at her husband before breaking into a smile and gesturing to him with her eyes to go on.

Anuradha could sense Narain's restlessness while she was just looking around, feeling bored. Her gaze soon fell on Shiva and Shalini who were engaged in a deep conversation. The way the couple were smiling, lost in each other's eyes reminded Anuradha of her days with him. Raghav.

Blinking back the stinging sensation in her eyes, Anuradha glanced at Narain to see the same pain flash in his eyes for a moment as his eyes fell on their friends. The couple who were very much in love. Narain tore his gaze away from the couple to Anuradha.

Anuradha and Narain shared an understanding through their eyes for barely a moment. They looked away instantly, trying to hide the pain that roused inside them whenever they remembered their past.

Anuradha stared at the table for another long moment before glancing at Shiva and Shalini whose hands were now intertwined as well. Anuradha smiled and then looked at all the other couples and single parents in the café before glancing at Narain.

"This is such a nice café, isn't it? Nila can play in the small playground in that corner while Shiva and Shalini get to enjoy their time together," voiced Anuradha.

"True, it's a really nice place. Nila had told me about it before but this is my first visit to this café."

"Same. For a six-year-old, Nila's very clever. She remembers many places and likes telling stories about anything and everything."

"Her stories are very cute."

"She is too cute herself."

"She is." Narain smiled.

As their eyes locked for a brief moment, their smiles faded and the mood turned serious.

"You had a boyfriend before, right?"

To be continued...

A/N: Hey peeps, hope you liked the chapter.
Anu and Narain started talking about Nila before their conversation got personal. What do you think of it?
Please vote and comment. :)