Raghav's POV

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You're turning heads when you walk through the door

Don't need make-up to cover up

Being the way that you are is enough

Everyone else in the room can see it

Everyone else but you

Baby, you light up my world like nobody else

The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed

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          For the on-lookers, I must have looked like a joker with a wide smile on my face for no reason at all;  but they didn't know that I was beaming in my glory. With my cappuccino in my hand, I went ahead looking for a suitable place to sit. Just then my eyes fell on the pixie-haired person and the empty chair in front of her. My legs automatically took me to that place but I was standing in between two rows and hesitant on whether to sit with her or not. I saw someone walk past me, I literally pounced to reach "the" chair, thinking my chair would be taken. A sudden rush of blood was within me and I felt if my performance was being rated, I was not just "meeting the expectations" but I was "exceeding the expectations".

"Oh man! I'm again making the same blunder as in the morning". I had already sat in the chair in front of Ms. Sneakers but forgot my courtesy. She was looking into her purse below the table so she mustn't have noticed anything, so it was OK, I reassured myself. 

"Hi! Sorry I forgot to ask if you are expecting someone to join you here." 

She looked up and adjusted her spectacles, "Uh?... No, you may take it." 

Thank God, I heaved a sigh of relief. Now I had to make the next move nice-n- smooth, before it becomes too late and looks like the "forced conversations" people have with the elders. 

"Oh ! Hey ! I'm Raghav, I think we met each other today morning?", trying to be as casual as I could and hoping I had delivered my dialogue of a sudden realization with conviction.

"Uh?" she said with a what-the-hell kind of a look and turned towards the Television on her left, trying to ignore me.

I realized if I try to be uber cool and try all kinds of stuffs, nothing is gonna happen. So I decided the best way is to be honest and pour my heart out, but obviously in a decent way.

"Yes, seriously !", swaying my body slightly to be face-to-face with her. 

"Don't you remember the morning dash while swiping the card at the floor? ...You may not remember me, but how can I forget my savior of the day"

        That caught her attention and she turned toward me. It was like those 5 penalty shootouts the team gets in a FIFA match to decide the winner and each time she gave a positive response, it was like a score for me.

I went on ,"Sorry and THANK YOU!"

Her first reply, "Both? Sorry and Thanks?"

"Thank you was for being my savior for opening the door and saving me from my man-eater manager." She giggled and I was like, I'm on the right track, just keep going. 

"If it wasn't for you, it would be Hell for me, today and for the next few days ; not only from my manager but from my clients too. Escalations after escalations, meetings after meetings and still the pending work lying right just there, in front of my eyes", I smirked. I didn't know while talking about my day's tension, I would be so involved and animated with so much hand gestures.

        She gave a reassuring smile that said I-have-been-there and I-can-understand. I guess everyone can relate to the escalation and meeting round-the-clock in the IT world.

 "And sorry was for...?", she asked with a puzzled look and took a sip of her coffee.

"That's for two things", I smiled, "One for not able to thank you at that time and..." 

         I didn't know how to articulate it in an unoffensive way about thinking she was a Guy. I needed some time for my brains to churn out something good, so hurriedly I sipped my coffee.

"And the other one was for misbehaving with you", I said in my soft, innocent voice with my I-didn't-do-it-wantedly charm; which always works with my mom, when I own up to my mistakes and helps me escape from the punishment. I was hoping It would work with her too.

         She must have had a very long day because she was trying to recollect what had happened exactly in the wee hours of the day.

I continued, "and for calling you a 'bro'", and was so embarrassed with my guilt that I didn't realize that I was fidgeting with my hair at the back of my head. "I didn't do it purposely, I'm such a fool, how could I have mistaken such a beautiful girl for a Bro, it must have been the dim lights".

She burst out laughing for a good whole minute, "Now, now, now... you don't have to put so much flattery into it," her words were hardly audible with her giggling speed-breakers. "Obviously, everyone knows, "How", the mistake happened", she said with both her hands  pointing to herself and moving her hands up and down, gesturing her get-up. 

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But when you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell

You don't know, oh oh

You don't know you're beautiful

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"So ... then.. All's OK between us?" 

She nodded and said with a raised left eyebrow, "But, that doesn't mean you can get away with it."

I was dreading this.

"Might be you should go in for an eye check-up and get it tested for night blindness", she said with a naughty laugh.

Now it was my turn to let out a laugh and I was happy it ended on a such a good note.

"Thanks once again and Sorry, it won't happen again... Friends?" 

"Ok! :) Raghav is it?"

"Yes", my smile was touching ear-to-ear and I could feel it.

"Sasha", and we shook hands. What a beautiful and unusual name it was, I didn't want to say it aloud and make her feel I was trying too hard.

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Right now I'm looking at you and I can't believe

You don't know, oh oh

You don't know you're beautiful, oh oh

That's what makes you beautiful

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"To US!" I raised my cup and we clinked our coffee cups together to mark the beginning of our friendship.

 Afterwards we exchanged pleasantries and went our ways.

         While I was driving back home and replaying the chat over our coffee, I realized that girls do like honest men with a dash of humor. 

        And that's how we got to know each other's name over our first coffee date. Yes, a  "Date", a smooth conversation between a guy and a girl getting to know each other's names, over a cup of coffee and throw some giggles here and there; doesn't that count as date. So yes it was our cute little Coffee Date, I reassured myself while rolling over my bed and went to sleep.

*****A/N*****

Sasha and Raghav had their "first date", at least that's what Raghav thought 

Will there be more to come? 

Will Sasha, our Tom-Boy, shoot Raghav down?

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