"Hey... Do you know how to cook?" Ajay asked Anjali.
"Why, the next thing you want me to do is to cook for you?" asked Anjali.
"No. The next thing I want you to do is to teach me cooking." said Ajay.
"Wow.. and you want to cook for... Reema?" Anjali asked.
"Yes."
"Seriously?"
"Yup"
"Have your parents fixed your marriage or what?" Anjali teased.
"Hahaa... Nothing like that.. We are arranging some collaborative activities for the class. And we have to cook for each other." Ajay explained.
"Nice.. these things don't happen in our class." Anjali said.
"Trust me... It's better that there are none."
"Hahaha.. you are too lazy, that's why." Anjali said.
"Crazy... I would say I am getting crazy. You know what, I was trying to cut an onion, and I accidentally cut my finger." Ajay said with a pinch of sadness in his voice.
"Ohh.. and you were talking about cooking food yourselves that day!!!" Anjali teasingly reminded Ajay.
"Yaar…my phone suddenly rang while I was chopping the onion." Ajay replied.
"Ohho.. accha where are you now?" Anjali asked.
"I am at home, Why?" Ajay asked.
"Well. I am going to send an ambulance there." Anjali jokingly replied.
"Aww... So sweet yaar... How could I get a friend like that?"
"You must have done some good karma's."
"Hahaha... Yes, so good that you are ready to send an ambulance to my place but not help me with cooking."
"For that, you have to let me know, where you are na?"
"So, you will come.. ??"
"Yup"
Anjali agreed to help Ajay, so he texted the address to Anjali and she reached his place.
"Hi..." Anjali said as Ajay opened the door.
"Hi. Please come in and don't mind this clumsiness. I am still learning how to live alone."
"Hahaa.. never mind. I will stay only in the kitchen." Anjali replied.
"That will be good."
"By the way, even, I don't know how to cook." Anjali replied, gritting her teeth.
"Then you are here because??" Ajay questioned.
"To see your finger.." Anjali smiled at Ajay. "I have seen it's ok. So, I should go now."
"Really...You are being so nice but mean also... But can this be our next thing, to cook together?" Ajay asked.
"Hhmm... Let's do this then." Anjali agreed.
"Ok. So, where should we start?"
"By Searching the recipe online." Anjali gave a prompt response to Ajay's question.
"Good point." Ajay smiled at her.
"Hey look.. this one." Ajay pointed to one of the recipes online.
"It's quite tough, let's find something else," Anjali replied quickly.
"How about pulao (rice mixed with vegetables)?" Ajay asked.
"It's good but too common," Anjali replied.
"Then??"
"How about .. "
Anjali and Ajay looked upon several recipes online and finally zeroed Poha (flattened rice) for preparing lunch.
"Easy, quick, simple and different." Anjali smiled.
"Yeah... It's different because nobody eats poha for lunch." Ajay teased.
"You can eat anything anytime, it should just gotta be simple."
"Ok, let's try then." Ajay agreed to it.
"Hey, let's not forget onions", Anjali was yelling.
"And lemon, when should we put it in, is it now? Check the recipe fast." Ajay asked.
After an effort of half-hour or so, both of them landed with their test poha.
"Theirs was a refreshing yellow, and ours is a pale one," Ajay commented.
"Yeah. Let's just taste it then." Anjali said.
"Ok. Taste it." Ajay rolled his eyes and pointed Anjali to Poha for tasting.
"What... Why me? You taste it."
"No... it's your experiment..."
Finally, both of them agreed to taste it together.
"One.. two... three..", both of them said, syncing each other's voices.
"Aaaa.. ", Ajay yelled, "it's spicy."
"No... it's not."
"It is.."
"You have a poor tolerance then..." Anjali commented.
Both of them fought for like another half-hour and finally settled into the chairs in the living room and Anjali asked,
"Now you know, what needs to be done, right?"
"Yes... I just have to order the food."
"N... Yes.. that will be a good option." Anjali agreed and both of them laughed.
"So, how are things with your dad, have you called him?" Anjali asked.
"Yes, and he suggested I should get married to Reema," Ajay said.
"What? Why? I mean how could someone marry at 19?"
"Naah... Not now obviously. He just wants me to nod, so they could get started. That's the only way I can get to continue my studies at home."
"Weird. Who does that?"
"Thinking about it now, I seem to be living in quite a weird World. My parents who always bragged about me being an achiever are now telling me to quit my studies. And the only girl that I got a crush on, announced on the first day of the meeting, that we are dating. And the sad part was that I, who wanted to know all about her, was not able to know anything more than her name because she kept herself so busy in determining acid and bases."
"Ohh. Such a poor soul." Anjali smiled slightly and got up from the chair. she tapped on Ajay's shoulder, and said, "Let's go, let me get you something tasty to relieve your pain." Ajay also got up from the chair and turned towards Anjali only to find her much closer than before.
They both were into each other's eyes from sometime when suddenly Anjali's phone rang.
"Aaa.. " a bit nervous Anjali said. She moved a bit to calm her fast beating heart beat and pointing towards the gate said, "Let's go."
"Yeah. Please...", another tone of nervousness came from Ajay who was also trying to calm his heartbeat.
