Third person point of view
They reached the café and parked the bike. " Isn't it weird that two guys are just sitting in a café and chatting ? " Aravind asked in a low voice. " Is there a rule that they shouldn't ? " Dev asked back. Aravind turned to him and Dev smiled. Aravind quickly looked away. " This guy is way too charming today ".
Aravind grumbled to himself. Dev opened the door to let him in first and then walked in. They sat down at a table in the corner. " Here ". Dev gave the menu to Aravind. Aravind opened and looked through. " Cheesecake and blue lemonade ". Dev nodded. " Plain ? " Aravind nodded. Dev got up and went to the counter.
Aravind looked around and the cafe was well decorated. They balanced the colors well and the place looked just bright enough. He looked out of the window and could see the people bustling about without much noise coming in. He turned back to the inside and saw Dev coming up to their table with the food.
Dev set the tray on the table. He gave Aravind his plate with the cake and the drink. He put down his own cake and drink too and put the tray aside. Aravind looked at Dev's food. " What cake is that ? " " Oreo ". Aravind nodded. They took a bite of their own choices and Aravind nodded. " I saw a lot of reviews and it is indeed tasty ". Dev said and Aravind agreed.
" It is tasty. Try it ". He pushed his plate a little forward. Dev took a bite and nodded. Aravind also tasted the Oreo cake. " Which do you like better ? " Dev asked. " Mine ". Aravind said and Dev chuckled. They had it while chatting about various things. Aravind paid since he owed Dev a lemonade.
They walked out of there. " Where to now ? " Aravind asked putting on the helmet. " Let's go to the mall ". Aravind nodded. And so they went there. They went to different stores to do some window shopping. They then went to the arcade and played games there. It was dark by the time they walked out.
They looked for a restaurant. " Will we go home after dinner ? " Aravind asked looking through his phone. " No ". Aravind looked up after hearing the answer. " Where to then ? " " Beach ". Aravind nodded. " Then how about this ? " He showed a restaurant which was not far from the beach. " Okay ". Dev nodded and they left for the restaurant.
They went and had a nice dinner. Unexpectedly the food was better than they anticipated and they both had a nice time too. And Dev paid for the dinner. They drove to the beach after that. Dev parked his bike to the side and they removed their shoes. They held them and walked on the sand. Aravind liked the feeling of his feet sinking into the sand.
The side of the beach they were on didn't have a lot of visitors even in the day and now, at that time, there was no one except them. Dev held Aravind's hand as they continued walking. Aravind was two steps behind but gradually fell in step with Dev. They just walked in comfortable silence with the sound of the waves crashing.
After walking for a while, Aravind tugged at Dev's hand and sat down. Dev also sat down beside him. They sat facing the almost dark sea. Dev broke the silence. " I know you would've thought about a lot of things and gone through a lot to take this decision. There are also going to be a lot of things in the future that we will face. But... "
Dev turned to look at Aravind. Aravind also turned to Dev. " I am going to try my best to be with you in all those situations and stay by your side no matter what. And I promise I will never let you regret this decision. And... " Dev looked down and smiled. There wasn't much light, but from the little moon light and trying hard; Aravind could see it.
Dev looked up again. " Thank you, for liking me back ". Aravind gulped. It was a good thing he couldn't clearly see that way too earnest and sincere expression. He might end up crying if he did. " No mention ". Dev laughed at Aravind's reply. The surreal feeling was hard to shake off in the past few hours.
It was as if he was in a dream and woke up to find out it was just a dream. It took him a lot to keep himself steady when he was with Aravind throughout the evening. He went through so much emotional turmoil from the moment he found out, to pursuing and then getting together after such a bold confession.
He really would say he was blessed. The person he liked also liked him back. He was already in heaven. Dev felt the small void fill up as he held Aravind's hand. Dev kissed the back of his hand. He rested his face on it and sighed. Aravind laughed and kissed his hand back. The gesture left both of their hearts fluttering.
Dev felt his heart settle down and he was happier than ever. He smiled and looked up. Aravind also smiled. " I love you ". Dev grinned in ecstasy. His brain might not actually be able to keep up. " I love you too ". Both of them chuckled. They were smiling a little too much. " Shall we go back ? It is getting late ". Dev said and got up. Aravind also got up.
They dusted their pants and walked back to where Dev's bike was parked. They went back home. Aravind got down from the bike and removed the helmet. Dev took it and looked up at Aravind. " How was it ? " Aravind smiled. " Five stars ". Dev grinned. " I can sleep well tonight ". Aravind chuckled. He flicked Dev's arm making him hiss.
" Bye ". He walked into the house. Dev also went to his house. Aravind saw Atharva sitting on the sofa. Atharva got up and looked at him. Aravind smiled. " Hehe. Sorry ". Atharva chuckled. Aravind knew he was waiting for him to come home so that he could lock the door. Atharva locked the door and went to his room. Aravind also did.
-MG