Just another random one part story. Sorry if you get bored and decide to quit reading half way through the story :p

Siddharth glared at the inanimate object in his hand,one from which he couldn't stand being separated for long-his iPhone 6S. Of course the phone was blissfully unaware of the fact,that its owner had been having a staring session with the lock screen for the past ten minutes.Little did it know,that the poor boy had realized the date, when he had clicked on the 'Home' button on his phone and was angry with himself for having forgotten to get a gift for his mother,whose birthday was on the next day.

Siddharth was forced to break eye contact with his phone,when his sister called him,to join them for breakfast.

'Okay,relax.Thank God it's not today! You still have a whole day ahead of you to come up with something',he gave himself a pep talk and climbed down the stairs,eager to finish his breakfast as early as possible.

"Goodmorning!,"he heard his father's voice greet him,as soon as he entered the dining room.

Siddharth scanned the room quickly to see if his mother was around.On realizing that she was in the kitchen,he turned to his father and whispered,"Pa,its amma's birthday tomorrow! What do we get her?"

Mr.Krishnan looked at the anxious look on his son's face and realized that he probably mirrored that very expression. "I was thinking about that too,Sidhu.Let's do something different this year.Shwetha,do you have any suggestions?,"he asked his daughter.

"Why is it that you guys always come to me at the last moment?,"the youngest of the lot said,while setting the table for breakfast and looking at the kitchen door,simultaneously.

"Does that mean you've already gotten her something?,"Siddharth whispered,feeling all the more dejected but also recollecting the fact that Shwetha had always been good in remembering dates.

"Ofcourse.I got her a handbag,the one she told me she loved,while we went shopping last week,"Shwetha replied,with a content smile on her face.

"Good Kanna," her father said and smiled at his ever proactive daughter.

"Yeah yeah, good. Now can you help me ?,"Siddharth said,hoping his mother wouldn't make an appearance anytime soon.

Luck wasn't on his side,as just when his sister opened her mouth to give him some timely and much needed suggestion,their mother entered the dining room,with a casserole in her hand.

Siddharth sighed,but quickly schooled his features and converted that action to a yawn,when his mother looked in his direction.

"Someone's been up late last night," she said,while serving piping hot dosas and some tomato chutney onto their plates.

Siddharth grinned,deciding to make use of the chance to let his mother,Shuba,believe that her reasoning was spot on. Shwetha stifled a giggle and gulped some water,lest she failed in her attempt of maintaining a straight face. The head of the house started enjoying his favorite breakfast,deciding not to give his two cents.

Just as Shubha Krishnan started conversing with her husband,Shwetha caught her brother's eye and gestured for him to look at his phone.

But before they could proceed any further,they heard a,"You might require your hands to eat. Can you text later?,"being said,by none other than the subject matter of their conversation.

They quickly locked their phones, kept them on the table and continued eating,not wanting to keep the delicious food waiting any longer. Siddharth caught his father grinning,from the corner of his eyes and suppressed a grin of his own,happy that his mother didn't guess that her kids were texting each other and planning for her gift.

Siddarth Krishnan,a doctor by profession,was now working in a reputed hospital in New Jersey. The 27 year old doctor,had been living in New Jersey for the past three years.His smart 23 year old sibling,Shwetha Krishnan,had gotten an admit in the prestigious Princeton University.Thankfully,that was only a forty minute drive from Siddharth's place and so,she had been staying in her brother's place for the past one and a half years.

Mr and Mrs.Krishnan had come to visit them and planned on staying there for around a month and a half.They had scheduled a visit to New York and couple of other places,whenever Sid and Shwetha could find some time off from work and University,respectively.Having become used to Taco Bell and Chipotle the past couple of years apart from some quick cooking with the help of Mr. All time savior,Google,of course,something even as simple as Shuba's Dosas seemed very palatable to the siblings.

The Krishnans finished their breakfast,chatting about Sid's neighbour's kid's birthday party they had attended the previous evening.After Shubha went to the kitchen to load the dishwasher,Siddharth asked his father if he could accompany him to the antique store.

"Shubha wants to go to your uncle's place today afternoon.She'll get suspicious if I give her some reason for not accompanying her,"Mr Krishnan said. Shuba's brother lived in New Jersey too,the main reason she wasn't too reluctant about letting Siddharth work in a new place,thousands of miles away from home.Siddharth and Shwetha,despite the age difference,were very close and made it a point to share everything with one another.

Realising that he had no option but to decide on the gift all by himself,he left home,bidding goodbye to his family.Shwetha followed him to the basement and asked him to text her the images of whatever he shortlisted,so that she could help him select. Siddharth heaved a sigh of relief.

"Thanks Kanna. I'll do that," he said, pinching his adorable little sister's cheek.She winced slightly,rubbed her cheek and hit him playfully on his shoulder,before he could run to the driver's side and get behind the steering.

He programmed his GPS, to direct him to the antique store Shwetha had mentioned and switched on the music system in his Honda Civic. The song that blared through the speakers was quite old,probably one of the first few songs he had heard after moving to the US.His mind drifted off to the first time he visited the place he called home now,the first time he got introduced to the senior doctors in his hospital and how slowly he had come to love this tranquil and scenic New Jersey,which was a slight contrast to its neighbouring city,one that never sleeps-New York.

On arriving at the destination,Siddharth pulled up outside the antique store.He had always loved the roads leading to Princeton.They were filled with trees on either side and housed some famous icecream and chocolate shops,branded apparel stores and couple of places where get togethers could be held.

He entered the store and was awestruck at the unique collectables,ranging from desks, to lampshades, to jewellery-things that had clearly been brought there by someone who had a keen eye for detail.They were segregated into different sections and the whole place was well organized.The items there, were so rare and beautiful that they were sure to pique the curiosity of the store's customers.

"Dr.Siddharth?,"an overly familiar voice called his name.He looked towards the source of the sound, to find that it was none other than the girl, who had occupied his thoughts,the past couple of months.Her doe shaped eyes widened and she blinked,surprised.

"Maya? What a pleasant surprise!,"he said,overjoyed at getting to see her after a good couple of weeks. "Never pictured you as an Antique collector. "

Seeing Maya again,made Siddharth realize,how much he missed her many small gestures-like the way she interlocked her fingers whenever she was engrossed in thought,or how her curly hair never paid heed to her attempts to keep them kempt,or her mile long smile which always reached her eyes and just a lot of other minute things,which defined Maya for him.

"Well,then you wouldn't have guessed what I am about to say next,"she said and paused for a dramatic effect,unaware that her statement succeeded in bringing him out of his reverie.

"Go on,What's it?" he said,after composing himself and replaying what she stated,in his head,once.

"This is my dad's store.He had to visit a friend today,so,being the good girl that I am,I decided to step in,"she said,a child-like grin plastered on her face.

"Wow,so this is basically your store. That's news to me! My sister mentioned this 'Cool new antique store' to me couple of times but I didn't really have time till before now,to drop by,"Siddharth said,smiling,while simultaneously trying to grasp the latest piece of information.

"Sorry,my phone hasn't been working fine and I also managed to lose all my phone contacts recently. Couldn't keep you posted..Anyway,what brings you here now,Dr.Siddharth? Some special occasion,I presume," Maya said,while taking a seat on the couch and gesturing him to occupy the seat across her.

"First of all,you don't have to still keep addressing me as 'Dr', you know? I've told this many times already,but Siddharth or Sid will do,"he said,looking right into her eyes. He saw a flicker of some unknown emotion in her eyes,which vanished just as quickly as it had appeared.That made him slightly hopeful about the impact his presence had,on her mind.

"Um..o-okay Dr..I mean, Okay Sid,"she replied,shaking her head for stuttering (he assumed) and passing a nervous smile in his direction.

"Finally!Now that's better," Siddharth said,happy that she conceded to his request. "And yes,it's my mother's birthday tomorrow and my sister suggested your store,when I was clueless on what to gift her."

"That's nice of your sister,thank her from me, please. A very happy birthday to your mother,"Maya said. "Does she collect antiques?"

"Who,my mother? Not really. We just wanted to get her something different this year and that's when the vintage jewellery idea came up.So..,"Siddharth replied,just as his phone vibrated in his palm. "Excuse me."

"Sure,just let me know if you would like to have something,so that I could get that ready while you respond to your text," Maya said and got up from the couch.

"Oh no problem.."

Maya was quick to cut him in. "Don't be so formal. Fine I'll make it easier for you,Dr..I mean,Sid..,"she said and paused,looking at Siddharth,who had an amused reaction to her flustered state.Everytime she uttered his name,he noticed the faint tinge of pink that rose up her cheeks. He would have loved to tease her for that but his phone interrupted his thought process,by vibrating again. That gave Maya time to gain her composure and say,"Is coffee okay?"

Siddharth merely nodded,his lips lifting to form a very slight smirk, at her endeavor to mask her nervousness.

Siddharth locked his phone screen and looked up, to see Maya staring at him, intently. The moment their eyes met, she quickly averted her gaze. She was chagrined, when she saw him smiling, maybe even blushing slightly, at whatever was displayed on the phone screen. Little did she know that his reaction was the consequence of his sister's words- "'Your' Maya".

Realizing that she had their coffees in her hand, Maya offered one mug to him and resumed her seat on the couch. Soon after draining his mug off the beverage,Siddharth expressed his wish to look for some vintage jewellery. Maya obliged and showed him her collection of inimitable Ear rings, Bracelets and chains, some that even belonged to an earlier era. Siddharth had a fair idea about how costly antique things usually were. He knew his mother had always been fond of bracelets and to his surprise,he found couple of them in the range of $250 - $300.He drew a handsome sum of money and so could afford the splurge,which in his case,was reserved for special occasions.

He zeroed in on a gorgeous Bracelet in Gold Tone with a pink stone in the center ,after shortlisting two other bracelets.It cost him $250,after a concession of $25.He didn't want to be the reason for Maya incurring a loss of $25,but she insisted and he couldn't argue further.When Maya went inside to get her Invoice book, Siddharth revived the memory of the first time he met Maya,around six months back.

It was a sunny Sunday,when Siddharth and his friends had decided to go to the 'Six Flags' amusement park,the second largest theme park in the world. It was famous for its pulse-pounding and spine-chilling roller coaster rides,which was sure to give its adventurous visitors,an extreme adrenaline rush.Having always been a risk-taker,Siddharth found the apt companions in his friends and they decided to try every single ride,however scary it looked.

It was after one such ride,he found this girl sitting on a bench close to the ride,her head in her palms.She didn't seem to have any company with her but he sensed that she was breathing hard.Siddarth asked his friends to proceed for lunch and approached the girl. Her breathing seemed to have come back to normal,slowly but when she moved her hands to her head,her expression gave away her feeling of dizziness.

Siddharth's admiration for the strikingly beautiful Indian woman in front of him, took a backseat and his responsibility as a Doctor made him react instantly.

"Excuse me? Are you okay?,"he said,waiting for her to open her eyes and look at him.When she did that,the doe eyed girl took his breath away,momentarily.

Her puzzled expression,made him perceive the need to introduce himself.

"I am Siddharth,a doctor.I just got out of this ride and saw that you didn't seem too well.So I thought I'd check on you..,"he said,showing her his Identity card,not wanting to come across as a creep.

"Oh,that's nice of you. Thankyou Dr. I am just feeling dizzy..I guess I'll be fine,"she said,removing her hand from her temple.

"Don't worry,that's common after a roller coaster ride.Just a minute..,"he said and walked towards the nearby refreshment stall and got her a bottle of water. He came back to where she was seated and offered the bottle to her. "It's advisable to get plenty to drink now. You'll feel better"

"My friend has gone to get us something to drink,but I actually need some water,Thanks Doc,"she smiled faintly and took the bottle from him.After taking few sips of the cool liquid and quenching her thirst,she could sense the dizziness ebb away.She rummaged through her wallet,stood up carefully and looked at Siddharth. "This is for the water,"she said and gave him a ten dollar bill.

"It's just water.You don't have to pay.How're you feeling?,"he said,relieved that she no longer looked pale.

"I feel better,thanks for the timely help,"she said and turned when she saw her friend approach them.She assured her friend that she felt better and introduced Siddharth to her.

When they realized that the girls were about to eat too,they proceeded towards the food court together. Siddharth introduced her to his friends and that's when she realized she hadn't given him her name.

"I am Maya,"she told everyone in general with a broad smile lighting her face. The others introduced themselves and they then placed their orders for lunch.

Everyone spent the rest of the day at the theme park together.Maya liked making new friends and she was thrilled at having found few Indians in the group of people she met that day. Siddharth and Maya had gone their own ways at the end of the day but didn't know ,that recurring thoughts occupied each other's minds about the small conversations they had shared.

Destiny probably had a soft corner for the pair,as it decided to let Maya grab a three month internship in the Finance department of the hospital that Siddharth worked in,two weeks after the theme park day.When Siddharth had gone to discuss something with his friend in the Finance wing, he was surprised to find Maya there and could see his expression mirrored on her face.They were happy internally,at having seen each other again. They had become good friends over a period,but that was when Maya's internship came to an end.

They had gotten busy with their own lives after that but had started missing the other's presence in their lives. They even came to terms with the fact that they might have developed feelings for one another,but were reluctant to take the first step,not wanting to ruin the friendship they shared,if the other didn't feel the same way.

"Earth to Siddharth,"Maya waved her hand in front of his face to gain his attention.

"Uh.. sorry,"he grinned sheepishly,at having been caught day dreaming.He paid for the purchase and was given the invoice and the bracelet,packed neatly in a designer box. It was time to leave the store but Siddharth,not wanting to let go of the chance,again,said the words before he could stop himself.

"Would you like to meet my parents tomorrow,Maya? It's my mom's birthday,as you know and they are here for a couple of weeks.Thought I could introduce you to them,"he said,rubbing his neck and pausing,anticipating her response.

Maya wasn't sure how to construe this request. Was it just a casual request or should she read between the lines? But she knew one thing for sure. She liked this man and she would only love to meet his parents,whatever future held in store for them. This would be a start.

"Sure,Siddharth,"she replied,surprising both herself and him,with her confident tone.And like always,his beaming eyes and answering smile,made her heart skip a beat.

Approximately 550 days later,

"Oh I love this picture! We should get this framed."

"Yeah,how sweet of you.Select the only one in which I look like a clown"

"Oh Come on,Sid. She's right. This is such a nice picture!"

"What did I do to deserve two girls in my life,who always oppose my views?"

"Only two?,"a third voice interrupted the conversation.

"Amma! You're taking their side too? You've known me the longest!!"

"So? My girls can never be wrong. Let's get this framed. Now stop pouting, it won't work on us. I am not including your wife in the list,"Shubha winked at her newly wedded son's blushing wife.

Shwetha chuckled and did a high-five with her mother,while Maya,now Mrs.Siddharth,grinned at her husband's helpless state. Siddharth and Maya had gone to India for their wedding and were to get back to NJ in few weeks.

Maya's parents had come to view the album too and the families continued skimming through Siddharth and Maya's wedding album,talking about who looked best in which picture. All was well for the Krishnans and the Narayans.