Freshly Brewed Love

Thin rays of golden yellow sunlight peeped in from between the tightly pulled blinds. Abstract patterns danced on the bed as the curtains swayed in the autumn breeze. He turned over in his slumber trying to evade the sunlight and groped for his wife with one hand. On encountering a bunch of linen instead of his newly-wed, he propped himself on one elbow and glanced around the room. The digital clock blinked 7.40 am on the bedside table. Finding no signs of her presence, he craned his neck to check for lights from the gap beneath the washroom door. It took him a whole minute to acknowledge the aroma of coffee drifting through the bedroom door and the low notes of instrumental music emanating from the living room.

She pulled aside the curtains and let the bright sunlight caress her face. Taking in the warmth for a while, she switched on the radio and plopped herself on the overstuffed sofa. The mug of freshly brewed coffee was placed next to her on the table. And beside the mug, a very ornate frame held the photo of two people grinning broadly at the camera. She picked up the frame and smiled to herself. It was hard for her to believe that she was now living with the man whom she had loved all her life! She pinched herself hard to confirm reality. Hearing a muffled chuckle, she looked up to see the man in the photograph leaning casually against the frame of the bedroom door, smiling at her.

He knew that she was happy. The radiant look on her face, deep dimples on her cheeks and the way her eyes sparkled conveyed more to him than words could express. His protective arms around her said millions about how much he cared for her. Taking her mehndi adorned hands in his and looking straight into her deep dark eyes, he said in the most honest of tones, what she had felt shy to utter all her life - "I love you".

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