Vansh opened the door, leading them into the living room. All three friends began inspecting the room, and the cosy afternoon light beamed through the windows. He went over to pull the curtain halfway shut.
"Well, you guys, take your seats and get comfortable," Vansh said politely. Before he could finish, Srujan jumped onto the sofa. Rina quickly hit him and said, "Have some manners."
She sat down beside him, while Aanya noticed a floor cushion, grabbed it, and sat down. Vansh looked at the two on the sofa and asked, "Guys? Do you need something?"
Srujan raised his hand and said, "Can I get those doughnuts from the shop? I wanted to try them." Rina and Aanya nodded in agreement, and Vansh replied, "Noted. Anything else?"
They shook their heads, feeling cosy in the room. Vansh added, "If you want, feel free to use the TV," and then he left for the café to place their order.
"Now I can clearly see Vansh's enthusiasm for coffee," Srujan commented as he spotted a coffee machine in the kitchen. He then wondered aloud where Vansh's room might be and stepped out of the living room to peek through the stairs.
Rina stopped him, saying, "Don't be so nosy; we came here for a reason." Her tone made him sit back down, a downcast expression on his face. He looked at Aanya and slyly asked, "Aren't you curious about his room?"
Aanya interrupted him, "Don't. I know what you're trying to do."
He persisted, "What if he has your pictures hung on the wall? Or something interesting?" His words piqued her curiosity, and her imagination began to run wild, almost convincing her to agree.
THWACK!
Rina hit Srujan with a magazine. "I told you to sit still!" she scolded. Aanya coughed slightly, trying to hide her amusement. "No more talking about his room," she warned.
"My room?" Vansh asked, standing right behind Rina with a plate of doughnuts. She turned around, and they were very close; the plate was the only thing separating them. She locked eyes with him, and he could see her surprise. Quickly shifting to the side, she said, "Nothing, this monkey just can't stop bouncing around."
He was walking toward the sofa table. "Well, that's making sure of himself," he said slowly, placing the plate on the table. "Did you guys have your lunch?" Aanya and Srujan reached for the doughnut and replied, "This is our lunch."
Vansh swayed the plates out of their reach. Aanya and Srujan slid across the table after them, arms outstretched, but the plates drifted just beyond their grasp. "This is your lunch? Are you guys serious?" His words were laced with anger; his brows furrowed, his eyes narrowed, and he clicked his tongue.
"Aanya said there would be food; we didn't think it would be like this," Rina said, sitting on the sofa with her arms crossed. "What? Are you going to make it for us now?" she asked with a teasing tone, smirking.
Vansh took his plate toward the kitchen, passing by Rina. "Yeah."
She turned to him, surprised by his response. "I didn't mean it like that; don't force yourself."
"It's fine; I also haven't had lunch yet. So let's have it together like we always do," Vansh said as he placed the plate of doughnuts into the fridge. Srujan slid next to Rina, covering his mouth with his hand. "Oh ho, well, well, look who's forgetting their manners!"
Rina grabbed a magazine, and before she could hit him, Srujan jumped over the sofa to join Vansh's side. Rina sighed, "I messed up." Aanya went to console her, and the two of them stood up and joined the others.
"We have some leftover rice, chicken, and eggs," Vansh said as he examined the fridge.
"And some doughnuts," Srujan added.
"Not those," Vansh said, tapping Srujan on the head. "Well, we do have some veggies," he added.
"Then we can make fried rice and a chicken side dish," Srujan said as he took the chicken out. Vansh grabbed the rice box and some vegetables from the tray. They both placed the ingredients on the kitchen counter and pulled out the necessary utensils from the shelves.
Vansh looked at Aanya and Rina and said, "Oh, you guys can rest. Srujan and I will handle this ourselves."
Rina teased, "You're trusting this guy in the kitchen? I would be the last person to do that."
"Well, I don't think he would mess up that much. If he does, I'll call you to give him a hard time," Vansh replied, holding a pan in his hand. Rina gave him a thumbs-up.
Srujan observed both of them teaming up while he felt overshadowed by their high authority.
"At least give us some work; we can't let you guys do it all by yourselves. We want to be a part of this too," Aanya insisted, clenching her fist near her chest.
Srujan tossed some onions and tomatoes at Aanya, and she caught them. "Then you can cut these while we prepare the spices," he suggested.
Both girls took the knife and the cutting board with them. Aanya positioned the knife properly, gripping the handle with both hands and pointing the blade at the tomato. Meanwhile, Rina held the knife upside down and rotated it repeatedly. Vansh and Srujan exchanged defeated looks and sighed. Vansh walked over to Aanya's side and asked for the knife.
He demonstrated how to hold the knife and cut it neatly. After washing the knife, he handed it back to Aanya, who managed to cut the tomato nicely—though not perfectly; it was acceptable.
Srujan did the same and assisted Rina in peeling the onion's outer skin and dicing it perfectly. Rina glanced at Srujan and thought to herself, "Not bad; this guy is somewhat reliable."
"Be careful with the knife's sharpness," Vansh warned them both. Srujan moved to his counter and grabbed another knife. "Do you really keep a variety of knives?" he asked.
"Yeah, we have one specifically for cutting chicken too."
After dicing the vegetables, both girls handed them to Srujan. He then passed them some potatoes to peel, and both of them began to work—Rina peeled while Aanya cut.
Vansh asked Srujan to take off his jacket and handed him an apron to wear. Srujan accepted the apron and tossed his jacket onto the sofa before rolling up his sleeves.
"Looks good on you, maid," Rina teased, causing Srujan to frown in annoyance.
"Did your aunt have lunch?" Srujan asked, picking up a bowl.
"Yeah, she had her lunch. Our café will be closing for lunch at 12:30 and will reopen at 1:15," Vansh replied.
Aanya and Rina were watching them make the dish while finishing their side quest. Suddenly, Vansh sensed something and glanced toward the door. Kiri slowly entered and made her way to his side.
Aanya completely melted at the sight of her and tried to reach out, but Kiri dodged her hand and went over to Vansh. He scooped her up in his arms, rubbing her fur affectionately.
"I want to pet her," Aanya insisted.
"She is the charm of the café; some people come here just to see her. But most of the time, she just sleeps around," Vansh explained.
"What's her name?" Aanya asked.
"Kiri," Vansh replied as he pulled a treat from his pocket and fed it to her. Aanya attempted to pet Kiri, her hands moving as if guided by strings. Vansh held Aanya's hand and placed the treat in it, allowing her to feed Kiri.
"Meow meow, nya nya!" Aanya imitated Kiri, giggling.
Rina fought the urge to join Kiri, trying to restrain her desire to pet the cat. After finishing her treat, Kiri jumped onto Vansh's lap, which left Aanya feeling disappointed.
Vansh asked Aanya to open her arms, then gently lifted her, settling Kiri on her lap. Kiri sat still, looking up at Aanya, meowing at her. Rina gradually moved over to Aanya's side.
With a serious expression, she asked, "Can I?"
Aanya felt nervous about lifting her, but she managed to do it. Rina was now carrying her and enjoying the feel of Kiri's fur in her arms. Both girls were having a great time with Kiri. Vansh mentioned that there were some toys of hers in the cupboard downstairs.
He opened the leftover rice box and set it aside. Then he took a small wok from the bottom shelf and placed it on medium heat.
Vansh added a little oil, reached for an egg, cracked it, and scrambled it quickly before it could dry out. He added garlic, releasing its delightful aroma. Next, he tossed in the carrots, beans, and spring onion that Srujan had cut. Stirring them over high heat, he cooked them well.
Afterwards, he added the cold rice, breaking apart any clumps with his spatula. He tossed the rice vigorously, allowing the grains to heat through and absorb the aroma of the garlic and vegetables.
Vansh then added the spices and soy sauce from the side, mixing and tossing again to ensure everything blended perfectly.
As he reached for the salt, his hand accidentally brushed against Srujan's. They both looked at each other.
"Oh my, Vansh! Our hands are touching now; I'll never let it go," Srujan said, blushing and teasingly dancing his hips.
Vansh moved closer to him, and Srujan closed his eyes as Vansh stretched out his hand.
BONK!
Vansh playfully hit him with the spatula. "Don't act weird, or else I'll call Rina here."
"That's cheating!" Srujan retorted.
"Then get back to the dish," Vansh ordered, and Srujan made a long face. Rina and Aanya were watching them, and Aanya felt a bit uncomfortable with the vibes, while Rina recorded the whole scene.
Finally, as he reached for the sesame oil, Srujan slyly went over to the wok and added something. Vansh asked, "Did you add something?"
"A little secret ingredient, a favourite of someone," Srujan winked.
Vansh finished his dish and turned off the heat. Srujan had also completed his dish, preparing it himself.
"What's that?" Vansh asked, curious about Srujan's creation.
"Chicken potato masala," Srujan replied.
They had started cooking at the same time, each going at their own pace. Srujan heated a pan on medium heat, seasoned the chicken with some basic spices, and set it aside. The pan was ready, so he tossed the potatoes into the heated oil. After 3-4 minutes, he removed them and sautéed the onions in the same pan, adding ginger-garlic paste as he cooked.
After achieving a perfect golden brown, he added chopped tomatoes along with spices such as turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder, and salt. He stirred the mixture until the tomatoes softened into a thick masala. Then, he added the chicken and stirred for five minutes to coat it well with the masala.
Next, he took a plate of fried potatoes and tossed them in with half a cup of water. He covered the pot with a lid and cooked it for 12 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
In the final step, he added garam masala. Cooking it uncovered, he allowed the flavours to blend, filling the room with a delightful aroma.
Rina and Aanya could smell the enticing scent, so they went to the counter to watch the dish come together. Vansh asked if they could set the table, and they agreed, promptly removing their toys and bags.
Vansh distributed the fried rice into four plates, serving as evenly as possible, topping them with green spring onions for a final touch.
Rina grabbed the plates and placed them on the table, while Srujan brought over the bowl containing the chicken dish.
They all sat down, with Vansh and Aanya bringing the juice and glasses. Everyone settled onto their floor cushions and took their first bites after saying, "Thanks for the food."
As they enjoyed the flavours, Aanya remarked, "This is really good. Both dishes are well-prepared in their own way."
Srujan and Vansh thanked her for the compliment, with Srujan playfully turning toward Rina. When she saw him smiling, she asked, "What?"
"Well, you know... you can say it. Your face is trying to say something," he teased. Watching him while chewing the chicken, she finally smiled and replied, "Okay, you need some praise. Both dishes are really good."
Srujan puffed out his chest, feeling proud. Vansh urged him to continue eating, and the group chatted about random topics as they finished their lunch.
"But Srujan, what did you add at the end?" Vansh asked, curious.
"Oh, it was nothing special; it was just the great MSG," he replied, taking a bite. "You had forgotten to add it, so I did the honours. As a legend once said, MSG is the cocaine of cooking. It feels a bit illegal." He smiled with rice stuffed in his mouth.
With full stomachs, everyone was satisfied, sipping their cold juice and feeling the heat of the weather.
Vansh stood up to stack the plates, but Aanya grabbed his wrist and exclaimed, "No!" He paused and looked at her.
"This time, we both will do the work. You two have done enough for us. Now you can rest." Her words held a lot of weight, and both Srujan and Vansh agreed.
Aanya and Rina went to the sink to start doing the dishes, both wearing aprons and handling everything efficiently.
Meanwhile, Vansh played with Kiri, with Srujan joining in on the fun. He held Kiri's soft paws and cleaned them with tissues while Srujan watched him.
From the basin, Aanya spoke in a suspicious tone, "Vansh, you left before us but came back after us. Where were you?"
He froze, Kiri gazing at his face as a serious expression settled on their face.
THUD!