01

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Ria

Everyone has a past. Past- that gives either joy, sorrow, or both.

But what if you don't even remember it?

And if given a chance, Will you relive it or rewrite?

My answer would be to re-watch.

The situation is something like this: I don't know what happened to me in my past. Since I have lost my memory, I don't remember my teenage years. I wish I knew what happened during those years. What was I like? How was my school life? Did I achieve anything? Did I make any friends?

As I'm an introvert from the very beginning, I doubt I had made any friends. I tried to recall, but my mind goes blank like a white canvas.

After the accident, for almost six months and ten days, I was in a coma. Everyone thought that I would not survive. But fortunately, I did.

I didn't even remember about the accident. When I woke up after a coma, I started searching for my parents, then my grandma came and told me that an accident happened. Everyone died, and I survived. I tried- tried to remember anything I could about all those years- anything, but it was all in vain. It felt like I slept when I was thirteen and woke up the other day, turning twenty.

It's been 5 years since then. I never turned back.

Releasing a deep breath, I waited impatiently in my car, trying to spot my familiar cousin. My fingers drummed on the steering wheel as the rain started pouring, blurring my car windows. Then, the passenger door opened, and my cousin jumped inside.

His clothes were drenched, destroying the seat of my pretty car. Water droplets were dripping from his hair, as he threw his bag on the back seat and settled himself.

I rolled my eyes and started the car.

"Don't kill me, please," Aaron, my cousin, spoke passing me a nervous smile.

I glanced at him, raised my eyebrows, and asked, "Why?"

He gulped and avoided my gaze, fiddling with his fingers. I immediately understood what it was.

"Don't tell me you got into another fight again." I glared at him, to which he just shrugged looking away.

"They started it! I was just defending my friend." He hesitantly spoke staring out of the window.

I scoffed, "You don't have to become a superhero every time."

"You weren't there! Those kids were being bullies. Someone had to do something!"

"But fighting doesn't make the problem go away. You have to learn to handle things calmly. You are not a kid anymore."

"Sorry and Please Don't tell Grandma." He side-glanced at me, making me pursed my lips.

I shook my head at him and stopped the car when the light turned red.

Aaron Mehra is a 17-year-old boy who is studying in high school. He is my cousin. Our parents died in an accident five years ago when I was 19 and Aaron was 13.

Now, We live with our grandma, who raised us all these years. She owns a Cafe.

Aaron is like a little brother to me who can be annoying sometimes.

Correct that- every time.

He frequently gets into fights, which is one of his major issues. Whenever this happens, his principal calls me to her office the very next day, and I have to endure a one-hour lecture from her. Such a waste of time.

I started the car as the green lights appeared. After driving for a while, I saw the familiar house and parked the car in the driveway. Our house is not too big or too small; it has two floors. Inside, there is a kitchen, three bedrooms, a living room, and a front yard.

I unlocked the door and entered. The house was silent meant Grandma was still in the cafe. I sighed and made my way upstairs to my room.

After changing, I exited my room, descended the stairs, and noticed Aaron sitting on the couch, with his eyes glued to his mobile. With an eye roll, I proceeded to the kitchen to prepare something.

Engrossed in my work, I noticed my phone erupting into a ring. I picked it up without glancing at the caller ID.

"Riaaa!" A loud voice shrieked from the other end, practically giving me a free ear piercing. I pulled the phone away, feeling my ear go a little numb.

"Whoa, slow down! What happened?" I quizzed my bestie, Sarah.

"You won't believe it." She spoke.

"Is One Direction Reuniting?" I asked.

"No!"

"Did the scientist discover time travel?"

"No Stupid! Think something logical."

I opened my mouth, but she interrupted, "Wait! You can't think since you don't have a brain." She laughed.

"I'm hanging up. Bye." I spoke pretending to get offended.

She stopped laughing and shouted, "Wait! It's important."

"Spill the beans already!"

"I have received an acceptance letter from the company, and they expect me to start the job in a few days."

"That's great news. Congratulations," I said, smiling, truly delighted for my best friend. Understanding her challenging financial situation, I knew she was in urgent need of a job. She had been applying for months now but couldn't get a good package. They always offered something less than what she deserved.

Sarah lives with her mother and little sister who is 15 years old. Her father left them when she was just five years old. I don't know the reasons and didn't try to ask.

Sarah has been my closest friend for over five years. We became friends in college. Throughout difficult times, she has consistently been by my side, always helping in pulling me out of troubles.

We talked for some time and finally hung up the call.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was the evening, the sun was setting down, and the sky was orange. I walked in the busy streets, making my way towards my grandma's cafe.

Once I saw the cafe, with "Sweet and Sugar" written on the board in bold letters, I entered. The bell chimed, and the old lady sitting on the counter looked up from behind her glasses. A smile made its way to her lips, crinkling her eyes.

The air was filled with the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee, mingling with the sweet scent of pastries. People were seated at the various tables, some engaged in a quiet conversation while others immersed themselves in books or worked on their laptops.

"Ria! Why did it take you so long?" she inquired as I neared.

"Just some work," I replied.

"Oh, thank goodness you're here. Gianna didn't show up today, and you know how hard it is for me to handle everything alone," she explained all in one breath, exhaling deeply.

"Don't worry, I'm here now. Tell me what to do?" I offered a smile and took a seat. Glancing around, I observed that the cafe was unusually quiet. My grandmother's cafe is one of the most famous in the city.

I was sitting in silence then I pulled out my phone. The bell chimed, and I glanced up to see the new customers. Three men, who appeared to be a few years older than me, took their seats at a table.

"Ria, all the waiters are busy. Could you take their order?" Grandma requested, gesturing towards the newcomers. I offered her a smile and a nod. With a notepad and pen in hand, I approached them. They were engaged in conversation as if they were in the middle of a meeting.

Plastering a smile on my face, I asked, "Your orders, Sir?"

After taking their orders, I nodded and spun around, only to collide with a wall. The two hands came to hold my arms before I fell.

Hold on.

There wasn't any wall before. Who could have it suddenly built and in the middle of the room? And I have heard walls have ears, but hands?

I blinked and looked at the wall.

Oh! It was not a wall.

It was someone.

A tall man looking a few years older than me in business attire.

Raising my eyes to look at the face, I met with ocean-blue eyes. For a moment, time seemed to stand still, and the voices around me faded. His captivating dark eyes stared into mine, making me drown in them. There was something in his gaze- an unspoken connection that made my heart skip a beat.

I felt a warmth spread through me, a strange pull that made my heart race. I wanted to look away, but I couldn't. I felt as if the string between my eyes and brain had been cut off because no matter how much my brain screamed to look away, my eyes didn't follow the order. It seemed lost in his mesmerized eyes which was quite difficult to read.

Then, he averted his gaze.

The realization dawned upon me, and I instantly looked down, clearing my throat.

He quickly withdrew his hands that were holding my arms and took a step back, tucking his hands in his pockets.

Feeling his eyes on me, I again looked up into his dark ocean-blue eyes, which seemed to lose their softness, and it was replaced with a hard glare.

They glared at me as I stared at them.

"Are you blind? Can't you see someone is coming?" he asked in a deep voice. The room fell silent. Some people halted their activities and turned to look at us.

As an introvert, I hate attention.

Meeting his eyes, I fake smiled, "And what if I ask you the same question?"

He took a step forward and leaned dangerously closer to me, "You can't ask."

I glared into his eyes, "Why? Who are you? My employer?"

His piercing eyes bore into mine, "You are wasting my time. Move."

I opened my mouth to give a good comeback. But my eyes meet with the familiar brown eyes. Grandma shook her head, silently telling me to stop creating any drama, and she gave me a look that said, 'Behave properly with the customer.'

According to my Grandma's Act 2014,

Customers are the lifeblood of our cafe; they are everything. Without them, our business simply cannot thrive. Therefore, it is essential to treat them with kindness at all times.

I scoffed and mumbled a sorry while looking down, my cheeks burning with embarrassment.

"What?" he demanded, his voice cutting through the cafe's chatter.

I cursed under my breath and looked up into those piercing ocean-blue eyes.

Firstly, I wasn't speaking that quietly. Anyone within a one-foot radius could have heard me, especially Mr. whatever-his-name is. He was just trying to insult me in front of everyone.

Great.

With the sweetest smile I could muster, I apologized, ensuring my voice was loud enough for the entire planet to hear.

"I said I am sorry, Sir."

"Good. Now move. You've wasted enough of my time. And next time, watch where you're going!" he snapped, taking a seat among the three men. He resumed the conversation, completely ignoring my presence. With his back turned to me, I could only glare at him, my cheeks burning with a mix of embarrassment and anger.

Sensing my glare, he turned and looked at me. "Why are you still standing here?" He asked in a harsh tone.

How Rude!

Someone has to teach him some lesson about 'how to be polite to others'. Maybe I should write a book about it and throw it at his face.

Anyway, I smiled at him and asked as sweetly as possible.

"Your order?"

Having noted the orders, I turned and headed to the kitchen to prepare everything. Once everything was ready, I stood at the same table and began serving everyone.

I held the cup, intending to pass it to Mr. Rude, who thankfully wasn't even sparing me a glance. But, in true slapstick fashion, the cup slipped from my hand and landed on his laptop. Coffee cascaded onto it.

On his very, very expensive and important-looking laptop!

I stood there, wide-eyed, as the room fell into a silence so deep you could hear a pin drop.

"What... the...?" His voice trailed off, staring at the laptop, which now seemed to be auditioning for a coffee commercial.

Then his gaze shifted to me, anger brewing in them.