Memory: 4

Despite the fact that it was Thursday, this particular shopping mall seemed to be filled with people. Tasnim sneaked a look around while not getting caught by not taking off her shades. It was much easier that way. There was no need to hide her puffy eyes.

Tasnim smiled at the staff behind the counter. She knew the face but never bothered to look at the cashier’s name. There was always something else to do while waiting for the coffee.

‘ You are always busy,’ Adam said with a smile, right before he sat in front of Tasnim.

Tasnim looked at the table in front of her. There was; of course, the mandatory iced coffee, an iPad and a notebook. A pen was abandoned beside another leather bound notebook. Her bag was left open, exposing another book that she intended to write if she was free.

She was about to retaliate but figured out maybe that was unnecessary.

‘ Well, I had to fill my time while waiting for a certain someone. Don’t you think so?’ Tasnim teased. She knew Adam just came back from the office. He popped in for some accounting files.

‘ What’s that?’ Adam leaned over to peek at the notebook Tasnim was writing on, ignoring her question.

‘ Ouh nothing,’ Tasnim quickly snapped close the notebook.

‘ Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt,’ Adam smiled while taking a sip from his coffee. It was Americano. Always Americano when they visited this place, which Adam introduced to her. ‘ I’m just…you know, curious.’ Adam peered from behind his spectables.

Tasnim felt herself blush. ‘ Urm..I was writing…’ she mumbled. It was embarassing to be caught in the middle of her work while it was even more difficult to explain what she was doing. It also felt a little bit like intrusion of privacy although she was sure that it was just a question to pass the time.

‘ Pardon?’ Adam asked while smiling, revealing a dimple on his left cheek.

‘ Write. A story,’ as usual, Tasnim’s speaking ability will be reduced to that of a small child everytime she saw the dimple.

‘ Ouh so you are a writer?’ Adam pushed aside his coffee and put his elbows on the table.

‘ No, it’s just something that I like doing. Hobby,’ she looked down at her shoe. It was never easy to tell people that she has always loved writing. Everyone will assume that she wants to be a huge successful writer. Not that she did not want to but Tasnim knew it was too difficult. It was a mixed feeling, really.

‘ What do you usually write?’

‘ Usually fiction. Sometimes, things that I see,’ Tasnim paused. No reaction from Adam so she decided to continue. ‘ Basically, my daily life. Fiction perhaps but these days I’m quite busy so I try to keep it really short.’

‘ Daily life. Fiction. Love?’ there was a cheeky glint in Adam’s eye.

Tasnim rolled her eyes and immediately regretted that. ‘ No, not my cup of tea. I can never write about those stuff.’

A silence hung between them. It was heavy and felt like it should be filled with some flirting but they did not act on it.

‘ I’ve always been amazed by people who write,’ Adam said with a smile, breaking the silence.

‘ Why?’ it was Tasnim’s turn to be curious.

‘ I don’t know. How can someone get an inspiration from, say..coffee?’

‘ Aneem?’ the voice jerked Tasnim back to reality. It was the voice that she missed the most.

A smile that have long deserted her face re-emerged for a split second. Tasnim felt her heart sank when she realised it was Sufee, the barista, who called her to indicate her drink was now ready.

‘ Your iced Americano, Aneem,’ Sufee said.

‘ Thank, Sufee,’ Tasnim accepted the drink, trying hard not to cry.

Sufee, on the other hand, stood rooted behind the counter with a slight look of amazement on his face.

Americano. Iced Americano.