Window Seat

May I have your attention please, Train number 18520 from Lokamanya Tilak Terminus to Visakhapatnam, Visakhapatnam express is about to depart from platform number 3, thank you…

“Oh no! Not again I’m late; I have to run now to get the train…” Pragnia started walking fast to catch the train.

Pragnia is a 22year girl works in an IT company in Hyderabad; travelled to her hometown every Friday and returns to Hyderabad on Monday.

She reached the platform just as the train arrived; she started walking towards her compartment as the train slow down to stop.

Pulling her blue wheeled suitcase behind her, she hurried toward her compartment.

“Excuse me, can you please move from my seat?” Pragnia asked the person who is already seating in her seat.

The person sitting in her seat is wearing blue jeans black shirt and looking as same age.

Looking up from his book, he replied, “My seat is the side upper. If you don’t mind, can I sit here for a while?”

“Ok no problem, I don’t mind if you sit here, but can you take out your bag from the seat”

“Of course” he quickly shifted his bag to his seat, and sat opposite Pragnia in the side lower seat.

Pragnia settled in her seat and being in her own thoughts gazing out of the train window, She glanced up to see the man sitting opposite her, she felt calmness in his face, he had the slightest smile on his face as he turned the pages.

A sudden jolt of the train, their knees almost touched in the arrow space.

Pragnia stole a glance. “Before the coffee gets cold”

She hesitated for a moment before saying “That’s a great book”

“Have you read it” The man asked surprisingly

“I look the books with a bit of fiction” she admitted

His eyes lit up “Then you must know the major rule in it” he asked

Pragnia smiled and said without hesitation “You cannot change the present even though you go the past”

His smile widened “Impressive. I am Uday”

“Pragnia”

That’s how the conversation started.

“So you work in Hyderabad?” – Uday asked

“Yes, I work in an IT as a software tester, and you?”-Pragnia asked

“I work in a start-up as a product manager” “Nice to meet you” Uday offered the handshake.

And then there conversation flowed effortlessly -shared about books, arts, and their work.

The 3 hours journey felt like 30min this time.

When the train finally pulled into Warangal, Pragnia grabbed her bag and stepped off, stealing a final glance at Uday before disappearing into the crowd.

____________________________________________________

After a week on Tuesday evening Pragnia stopped near a shop with her friends to grab a coffee.

As she walking with her friends into the coffee shop, she got a phone call from her manager.

“I have to take this call, I will join you in a minute” pragnia said and stepped out from her friends to have a quick talk with her manager.

As she ended up her call she saw someone in black shirt white pant approaching her with 2 cups of coffee in his both hands.

As he approached her, she realized he is the one whom she met in the train.

She hesitated to see him.

“Ma’am would you like to have a coffee” – Uday asked with a smile on his face

“Sure” Her face lit up

They both grabbed the seats.

"So you will come here regularly?" Uday asked

“No, it is my first time to come to this café, I came with my friends “ pragnia showed her friends sitting in the other side of the café .

“I’ll come here regularly, this is like my go to place when I stressed” he smiled

“I should go back to my friends. Let’s meet some other time” Pragnia left hesitatingly

Now the coffee shop became their regular place and their meetings became a quiet ritual.

And their conversations went effortlessly

They never exchanged their numbers, the only place they meet is the coffee shop and both felt it was enough.

Days passed.

And for a week he did not show up in the café,

Pragnia tried not to overthink, maybe he is busy with his work, maybe he had meetings, and maybe he had deadliness.

A few weeks passed, the café felt emptier, a stranger who had become more than a friend.

Then one evening, she ordered her usual coffee with extra sugar, the waiter bought her coffee cup along with a small envelope.

“What is this envelope about?” Pragnia asked

“The person named Uday asked me to give this envelope to you” waiter placed the envelope on the table and left.

Curiosity on her face, as she opened the envelope

"A note in it, what could it be?"

Her heart pounded as she opened it.

“Got busy with some work, wait for me till 7pm in the same café; I don’t want to delay it”

Pragnia checked her watch; it’s already 6.35pm, thousands of thoughts started revolving in the mind.

Its 7pm

And there he was Uday in white shirt folded sleeves navy blue jeans and formal black shoes, walking towards pragnia’s table

Had his seat opposite Pragnia’s, both hesitated for a while to talk.

“I thought we would never meet again” Pragnia whispered.

“I am sorry for that”, he admitted. “But I realized something- I don’t want our story to end it in the coffee shop, I want it for lifetime.”

Silence settled over the café.

He grabbed her hand and asked “will you marry me?”

And then the alarm clock rang Pragnia woke up from the dream realizing it was a dream and she never met any Uday.