Riya had always loved cooking.
In their little apartment, the smell of her cakes and biscuits filled the rooms. Neighbors started knocking, asking:
"Didi, thoda extra bana dena?"
Aziz noticed something in her eyes every time she baked —
a spark that had been missing for years.
One evening, as she pulled a tray of warm coconut cookies from the oven, Aziz said:
"Riya… why don't we open a café?"
She froze, surprised.
"Aziz, we barely have enough savings. A café needs money… equipment… rent… I'm too old to start over."
He stepped behind her and held her shoulders gently.
"You're not too old," he whispered.
"You're just finally free. Let's do it. Together."
Her eyes softened. Nobody had ever believed in her like this.
---
🌟 The Planning Begins
For weeks, their evenings became planning sessions on the balcony.
Riya designed a simple menu: tea, coffee, cookies, small cakes.
Aziz sketched a cozy interior with second-hand furniture.
They searched for cheap rental spaces around the city.
Their savings were tiny. But their dreams weren't.
---
💛 Aziz Works Harder
To support the café plan, Aziz took extra shifts at the workshop.
Some days he came home exhausted, hands sore, clothes dirty with metal dust.
Riya would hold his hands gently and massage them.
"You're doing too much," she whispered.
He kissed her forehead.
"For our future, it's worth it."
---
🌼 Finding the Perfect Spot
After a month of searching, they found it —
a small, abandoned corner shop with peeling paint and broken tiles.
It looked terrible.
But Riya stepped inside, touched the cracked counter, and smiled.
"I can see it," she said.
"This is my café."
Aziz grinned.
"Then this is where we begin."
---
🔧 Building the Café Together
The next two weeks became the most beautiful struggle of their lives.
🌟 Aziz did all the heavy work:
Painted the walls himself
Repaired the chairs he found at a scrap shop
Built a wooden signboard by hand
Installed shelves and fixed lights
🌟 Riya did the soul work:
Tested recipes every night
Decorated the place with colorful cloths
Placed small flower pots on each table
Designed the menu names lovingly
Every evening they sat on the floor, tired but happy, eating simple food and dreaming together.
---
🌙 A Romantic Moment Among Chaos
One night, after hours of painting, Riya accidentally got a streak of white paint on Aziz's cheek.
She giggled.
Aziz pretended to be annoyed.
"You think that's funny?"
He dipped his brush and put a dot of paint on her nose.
She gasped.
Then they both burst into laughter.
In the empty, half-finished café, surrounded by paint buckets and dust, Aziz pulled her close.
"This place… this life… all of it starts with you," he whispered.
Riya rested her forehead against his.
"And survives with you," she said softly.
They stayed like that for a long moment — warm, tired, in love — in the middle of their dream.
---
☕ Opening Day
They opened the café with:
two tables
a borrowed coffee machine
homemade cookies
and hope.
Aziz stood beside Riya in the tiny counter, holding her hand.
"Ready?"
She nodded, nervous but smiling.
The first customer came.
Then the second.
Then a group of college students.
People complimented the warm vibe, the smell of fresh baking, the friendly atmosphere.
And by evening, Riya sold out every single cookie.
She looked at Aziz with tears in her eyes.
"We did it."
Aziz wiped her tears gently.
"No," he said softly.
"You did it. I just helped you fly."
---
🌟 A New Life Takes Shape
Business grew slowly but steadily.
Aziz worked at the workshop by day and helped at the café in evenings.
Riya handled baking, customers, and decorating the place with tiny personal touches.
Every night, they walked home hand in hand, tired but full of pride.
They had run away with nothing.
Now they were building everything — together.