It Started with a Smile

Sometimes, the smallest moments end up changing everything.
Not a grand twist of fate.
Not a cinematic scene.
Just a glance, a smile, and a choice to not look away.
Gayatri wasn’t looking for anything that day. She was in her favorite book café, tucked into her corner seat by the window. The place smelled like roasted beans and old pages, with fairy lights dripping lazily from the ceiling. It was her cocoon, her comfort space.
And then he walked in.
Tall. Fair. A neatly kept beard. Fashionable in a way that looked effortless. But what caught her wasn’t his look—it was the warmth in his smile. A smile that felt unplanned, unpolished, yet somehow perfect.
Sometimes, a smile is louder than words.
For someone like Gayatri, who usually kept to herself, this should have been nothing more than a passing moment. But when their eyes met, she smiled. A small, almost shy smile.
And he smiled back.
It could have ended there. Just another fleeting exchange. But it didn’t.
Minutes later, with coffee in hand, he walked up to her table.
“Hi,” he said gently. “Is this seat taken?”
“No,” she replied, still unsure of her own voice.
“I’m Rishi,” he said, settling down.
“Gayatri.”
And just like that, two worlds touched.
They spoke about books—he was reading Murakami, she was rereading her favorite poetry collection. They laughed about bad first dates, compared coffee orders, and found common ground in their love for old Hindi songs.
The hours dissolved unnoticed. The café grew quieter, fairy lights dimmed, chairs were stacked. Yet, Gayatri and Rishi stayed—lost in conversation, in laughter, in silences that felt strangely natural.
By the time they stepped outside, the streets were glistening faintly from a drizzle. For a moment, they stood under the soft glow of the streetlight, neither wanting the night to end.
“I don’t usually do this,” Rishi said, his voice hopeful, “but… would you like to meet again? Same place, same time?”
Gayatri hesitated—only for a heartbeat. The old her would’ve said no. But tonight felt different. It wasn’t love at first sight. It was gentler. A spark. A possibility.
“Yes,” she whispered, her smile brighter this time.
No fireworks.
No drama.
Just a smile returned, a conversation shared, and the quiet beginning of something beautiful.
Sometimes, the simplest beginnings turn into the best stories.
And for Gayatri and Rishi—
it all started with a smile.