Midnight Cafeteria Chapter 1: The Smell of Forgotten Dreams

The clock struck twelve. The campus of St. Mirabel College, usually buzzing with life during the day, was now draped in a heavy silence. The lampposts flickered, casting ghostly shadows that seemed to follow anyone brave enough to still be outside. Aarav Singh walked alone across the empty courtyard, the straps of his worn-out backpack digging into his shoulders. His hoodie was pulled up, his steps heavy with exhaustion. Final-year assignments, part-time jobs, unpaid bills — life had piled up on him faster than he could manage. He wasn’t supposed to be here this late. But something — a strange pull, an itch in his soul — kept him wandering instead of heading back to his hostel room, where loneliness sat waiting like an unwelcome guest. That’s when he smelled it. Coffee. Fresh, rich... almost magical. Aarav stopped in his tracks. Coffee at midnight? In a deserted part of the campus? Curiosity outweighed common sense. He followed the scent around the old Performing Arts building — a place students often said was "cursed" after an accident ten years ago. Aarav never believed in ghost stories. Real life was scary enough. As he turned the corner, he spotted a small, ancient wooden sign he had never seen before: Midnight Cafeteria - Open Only for the Lost. The words glowed faintly under the dying lamplight. For a second, Aarav hesitated. His heart pounded. But something deep inside — that same itch — pushed him forward. He placed his hand on the old door. It creaked open. The inside was... surreal. Soft yellow fairy lights hung from the ceiling. Shelves lined with old books and board games filled the walls. There were only three tables, each different — as if stolen from different decades. Somewhere in the background, an old vinyl player whispered an English jazz tune. And at the tiny counter, a girl. She was humming softly, stirring a steaming pot of coffee. She wore a plain white kurti, ripped blue jeans, and a silver chain around her neck with a locket shaped like a crescent moon. She looked up. And smiled. Something in that smile — tired, knowing, yet warm — broke right through Aarav’s carefully built walls. "New?" she asked, her voice gentle, almost teasing. Aarav blinked. "Uh... yeah. I didn’t know this place existed." "It doesn’t," she said with a playful grin. "Unless you need it to." She poured a cup of coffee and slid it across the counter without asking for money. Aarav hesitated, then took it. The first sip was unlike anything he’d ever tasted — smoky, sweet, almost like a memory you couldn’t quite hold on to. "I'm Anaya," she said, wiping her hands on a towel. "Aarav," he replied. They stood in silence for a beat. Outside, the wind howled. Then, with a mischievous glint in her eyes, Anaya said, "You should know... once you drink from here, you can't leave the same." Aarav chuckled awkwardly, trying to brush off the creepiness. But somewhere deep inside, he already knew — Nothing about tonight was normal. Nothing about this girl was ordinary. And nothing about his life... was ever going to be the same again. --- (Chapter 1 END)

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