Greetings all you lovely people! Thank you do much for your endless love and affection for me, and the story as well. I know I delayed this longer than usual, sincere apologies for that. I’ll try my best to be more regular here on. Happy reading!
Twinj: Meant to be: Episode 3
A quick recap: Kunj and Yuvi arrive at the Sarna mansion, only to be faced with Usha’s wrath, but it turns out Yuvi had intentionally kept Kunj from finding out about yet another alliance Usha had found for Kunj. On the other hand, Twinkle is visited by the mystery person yet again, and she asserts to break all connections with the said person.
Twinkle’s lips curled up of their own accord each time thoughts of Yuvi and his friend – “Kunj!” her mind reminded her yet again – popped up in her mind. She had been overwhelmed by their friendship, perhaps because it reminded her so undeniably of an equally dear bond that she herself had held too. Or maybe it was just because her new customer, who seemed to love her food, was Yuvi’s friend and hence she was just glad that things had gone well with him. “Or it could be his ability to make you laugh effortlessly, his warmth, and just something about him that commands attention!” Her mind suggested slyly, but she swatted the thought away as soon as it had made itself evident. She hummed softly to herself as she put a bunch of fresh flowers in the vase on the reception desk, greeting Maya as she went along.
Once she was done with her routine inspection of the neatly laid out tables, she stood at the door, admiring the café. She still remembered exactly how it had looked when she had walked in the very first time, and it had undergone several changes since then, giving it her characteristic touch at every corner, in every article. The café defined her, just as much as she did it. She sighed contently, but before she could fully relish the moment, she heard faint knocks on the door. “Mr. Sen! Good morning!” She greeted the unexpected visitor with all the cheer she could gather – she usually saved that for working hours, and that was still quarter an hour away. The tall man dressed richly nodded at her greeting, seemingly too occupied in observing the café – or rather, the changes that had popped up since he had seen it last.
“May I get you a cup of coffee, Sir?” Twinkle asked anxiously, following him around the café as he maintained his silence and strolled casually. “No, thank you.” He said sternly, now pulling up the nearest chair for himself. Once he had settled down comfortably, he looked up at her meaningfully, and she knew what was coming even before she heard him voice it, “I was wondering when you would pay the next instalment, Twinkle.” She gulped hard, knowing too well that she couldn’t pay up right away. She hadn’t managed to accumulate even half the funds yet, and it had already been three weeks into the month. “I will do it in time, Sir.” She mumbled, whispering “Hopefully!” to herself. “You are aware that isn’t good enough, Miss Taneja.” He stated, making her flinch for more reasons than he was aware of. “Yes, Sir. I’m sure we’ll do better next month, for we have a couple of big orders coming up.” She explained, her eyes never leaving the ground. And that was why she hadn’t heard the new pair of footsteps approaching her.
“Is that so? Which one, may I ask, as the rightful owner of this place?” Sen asked, his tone dripping of his doubts. “A wedding, Sir.” She answered honestly, only to be forced to look up when she heard the man burst out laughing. “A wedding? That’s simply ridiculous! I’m pretty sure nobody trusts you enough to hire you for such a big event.” He taunted, proceeding to laugh some more. “Why, you’re under a huge illusion, Mr. Sen! I’ve hired Twinkle for my wedding.” Yuvi’s voice appeared from out of nowhere, and Twinkle had to admit she was slightly amused to see Sen stand up hurriedly, evidently intrigued by Yuvi’s presence. He had been a horrible landlord to Twinkle and although she knew she owed him a lot for the trust he had placed in her when she needed it most, his unprecedented attacks of words had got unbearable more often than what she thought was bearable.
“Yuvraj Luthra.” Yuvi introduced himself, and Twinkle could have sworn he was only doing it to intimidate Sen further. “Of course, Sir. I should be stupid to not know you, or Mr. Kunj Sarna. It’s my absolute honor to meet you, Sir.” Sen stuttered, using what had to be his most impressive tone. “Well in that case, Mr. Sen, you would be glad to know Kunj is a customer here too, and he appreciates the place too much to be pleased by your behavior that I’ve just witnessed.” Yuvi declared, while Twinkle watched the exchange between the two men confusedly. If Sen, who didn’t even live in India for most of the year, knew Kunj Sarna how had she never heard of him before? Her other dominating thought though, was if this is how Yuvi dealt with his professional issues, for she had never seen him in that role before, and it almost made her laugh at the stark contrast of a man she had known him to be. “That is unacceptable, Mr. Sen, you have no idea how reliable, hardworking and diligent Twinkle has been all along!” She heard Yuvi argue and smiled softly. Although she hated someone else stepping in to help her in her battles, Yuvi had a way of doing so without making her feel little about it, and she could always only be so glad he had chanced upon the café that fateful day over a year and a half ago.
“A word, Twinkle?” Sen asked humbly when Yuvi was done dealing with him in his own way. “Absolutely, Sir.” She said quickly, turning to shoot Yuvi a grateful grin while simultaneously assuring him she would take over from there before following Sen to the glass doors. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were doing so well, but trust me, I’m really happy for it. You already know this café used to be my mom’s dream. It’s sad we had to give it up after she passed away, since neither me nor dad had any time for it. You’re also aware that we would have sold it a year ago if you hadn’t been so insistent on buying it yourself. I value my mom’s dream, Twinkle, and hence I decided to let you have it, although the commercial builders offered us a much better price for it. Now though, we’re in need of the money, I know you always pay on time, I would appreciate it if you continue to do so. Keep up the good work!”
Twinkle had been left so dumbfounded that she just stood and blinked as Sen took his leave. Of course, she knew his side of the story already. She understood it and really wanted to keep Mr. Sen’s mother’s dream alive, for it had now become her own dream as well. Immense trust had been placed in her and she meant to keep it. Her daze was broken by Yuvi’s cheerful chattering from behind the reception counter. She smiled at him momentarily, only to end up panicking when she saw him pick up the book that she had absentmindedly left on the counter the previous night.
“Yuvi, hand that over, please!” She beseeched, but that only made his suspicion grow. “You don’t want me to see this.” He observed and she cringed, figuring that she should have sneaked it out of his hands instead. “Whoa. What is this?” Yuvi was skimming through the pages in awe now, looking up at her, throwing alternate glances at her as well. “Just some notes.” She answered hesitantly, and when he began to read the page he was currently on, she quickly added a “To help us serve the customers better.” He nodded, proceeding to hold it away from her when she tried to snatch it from him. She heaved a sigh of defeat and gave in, knowing that if she didn’t explain, he would read through every single thing written in there. “I make my observations about customers’ choices when they come here for the first time. That way we learn about their likes and dislikes quickly and make them feel more at home.” She explained, hoping Yuvi would now return the book to her – she didn’t want him to read her lengthy description of Kunj.
“Is there something about me in here too?” Yuvi asked curiously instead, quickly tuning to the first few pages in the book. “No, there isn’t.” She said strictly, managing to grab it this time, but he pulled at it too, leading to fall on the counter, opening to the last written page – the one about Kunj. “Hey! This one says Kunj Sarna! I want to read this!” Yuvi insisted, but Twinkle shut the book immediately. Needless to say, he hadn’t given up and they settled on letting her narrate it to him instead. “He’s Yuvi friend – one that Yuvi’s nagged me so much about that I could hate both of them for it. A Sarna. Obviously rich. Only time will tell if he’s the same kind as Yuvi, or the others.” She paused to look up at Yuvi, who had a knowing look on his face. He knew who the other kind were after all. “Yuvi tells me he’s Usha Sarna’s son. He probably gets his warm, kind nature from her. The rest of it is a list of the things you had me make for him.” She was obviously lying about the latter part, but she didn’t want Yuvi to know that she had unknowingly ended up liking him a lot more than her other customers. Of course, it was just a harmless opinion but he might have misunderstood her.
Yuvi had a smile on his face even after Twinkle had finished reading – an indication that he had approved of her account of Kunj. “So?” Yuvi prodded, and she smiled, for she was now ready to pass her verdict. “I don’t know how this happens, Yuvi. Every person you’ve introduced me to is exceptionally nice!” She said, pausing when she saw him smirk. “Usha aunty too?” He asked teasingly, a question she chose not to reply to. She laughed along with him instead, wondering if Usha Sarna knew her son had been there, and if she approved of it. The possibility seemed bleak.
That’s it for now, guys. I know, I’ve been away for so long, the comments on the previous episode are now closed, but I did read each one, thank you so much! I know there are several unanswered questions, I hope things will get cleared soon. Also, I know there wasn’t really any Twinj interaction in this one, but it’s coming soon, and you would have expected nothing like it! Stay tuned!! Much love!