My Strawberry-Flavoured Coffee

I look up from Page 31 of ‘Em and The Big Hoom’ by Jerry Pinto to take that perfectly timed sip of my Caramel Latte. As a ritual, I throw quick glances on the nearby tables before getting back to the purple colored paperback in my left hand. I see an afraid smile trying to peep from a dreamily cropped stubble. I wait for it to broaden but sadly the stubble engulfs that adorable little smile.
“Oh Boy! If that baby smile can make me stay away from my book for more than thirty seconds what would its father do to me?”

I had to proceed towards his eyes. I look slowly towards his nose which looks like a miniature version of a light-bulb. I catch a glimpse of his brown eyes, as coy as they can get. They look at me and run inside a cup of coffee. I now have a full vision of the most gorgeous face I have seen in quite a while: unkempt hair, perfect jawline and a cute little zit under his left eye. That white cup reaches his lips and leaves a trail of froth; he licks it off slowly in an anti-clockwise motion. I quickly move my eyes towards his, confident that they would meet mine this time, and they did. A minute passes, no one blinks. His smile returns, this time aging directly to its eighties. And, I blush. The liquid in the mug on my table transforms to a sparkling crimson. I look down overwhelmed with the experience. I need time to digest this emotion before I can look back at him. I promise my eyes that in exactly one minute they would be treated again. Unfocused, I try to read the remaining text on that page. Precisely after a minute I look up, across the table, sipping my strawberry slushy.

I wish I had held on to the thought a bit longer. Page 31 of my book ends and so does my Latte.

Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash