Two Seats Away

Rain streaks the window. Soft jazz hums under the clink of cups. A small booth by the glass. Two coffees sit between IMRAN (33), quiet, glasses, soft shirt, canvas tote full of novels and receipts, and DEV (35), denim jacket, neat beard, watch on his wrist.

They are two seats apart in the same booth.

Imran reads a paperback. Dev checks his watch.

A beat.

Same time, same rain.

Without fail.

Dev looks up. Small, polite smile.

Tumhara usual?

Haan.

Mera bhi.

Imran nods. He turns a page. Dev stirs his coffee, doesn’t drink.

The silence is familiar. Not comfortable. Not uncomfortable.

Rain gets heavier.

Dev checks his phone. No new notification. He locks it.

Imran notices the untouched coffee.

Coffee thandi ho jaayegi.

Haan.

He still doesn’t drink.

A long beat.

The lights FLICKER.

Both look up.

A final BUZZ.

POWER CUT.

The jazz dies. The café falls into dim, rain-lit gray.

Only the window and their faces remain visible.

Chalo. Aaj bhi timing kharab.

Shayad timing hi sahi hai.

Dev looks at him. That lands.

Kya?

Imran folds his napkin slowly.

Main roz yahan aata hoon.

Main bhi.

Pata hai.

Pata tha?

Haan.

Kaise?

Imran glances at his own cup.

Tum watch bahut dekhte ho.

Dev gives a tiny embarrassed laugh.

Aur tumhhe lagta hai main tumhe dekh nahi raha.

Imran looks up.

Mujhe laga tum bas polite ho.

Main bas darr raha tha.

That honesty hangs between them.

Imran’s fingers tighten on the paperback.

Main bhi.

Dev leans back, as if that answer changed the room.

Kis cheez se?

Ghar jaane se.

Dev nods, relieved to have a reason.

Wahan koi wait nahi karta.

Yahan bhi nahi.

Phir bhi tum aate rahe.

Kyuki tum aate rahe.

Dev freezes. Then looks at him properly for the first time.

Main isliye aata tha kyunki tum aate the.

A beat.

The rain taps the window like applause.

Toh hum coffee ke liye nahi aa rahe the.

Nahi.

Toh kis liye?

Courage ke liye.

Imran smiles despite himself.

Kaafi mehenga order tha.

Haan. Aur thanda bhi.

They both chuckle, low and real.

A faint VOICE from off-screen, distant and indistinct.

CAFÉ VOICE (O.S.)

Power aa rahi hai.

The lights SNAP back on. Jazz returns, softer now.

Nothing looks different.

Everything is different.

Dev picks up his watch, then sets it down again.

IMRAN closes the paperback.

Kal bhi aaoge?

Agar tum aaoge.

Main toh tab se aa raha hoon.

Kab se?

Jab se tumne pehli baar mujhe namaste kiya tha.

Imran is caught off guard.

Maine socha tha tum bas polite ho.

Main bas scared tha.

Imran smiles, softer now.

Toh ab?

Ab bhi.

A beat.

But this time, they’re smiling.

Dev stands, picks up the umbrella.

Imran shoulders the canvas tote.

They move out of the booth, finally side by side.

The door opens to rain.

Dev opens the umbrella.

Imran steps closer under it.

Their shoulders almost touch.

Coffee thandi ho gayi.

Haan.

Par baat garam ho gayi.

Dev laughs. Imran laughs too.

They step out into the rain together.