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This chap is affectionately dedicated to - Garimasrivasatava 🖤✨

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"The affection that has become a habit, has already exceeded the affection itself...................."

With a quick stride Manjiri reached the gas stove and turned it off, she was swift enough to rescue the boiling milk from spilling over. Without much ado, she immediately transferred that milk to a large clay pot, which was already half - filled with milk kept at room temperature.

Dissolving a tablespoon of thick curd with the help of a spoon in the pot, she carelessly plonked the spoon into the sink. This made a slight commotion which made someone to walk inside the kitchen.

Just as she was about to cover the pot with a lid, the sounds of approaching footsteps reached her ears. But she didn't need to turn around and look at the person to confirm who he was, cause she recognized his presence even without glancing at his face.

"You woke up?"

"No, who said?
Can't you see I'm still on my bed, peacefully taking my afternoon nap..."

Devoid of getting proper sleep from last so many days in Chandigarh, Shaurya's sleep cycle got disturbed a lot..... In spite of taking a leave from work and nearly sleeping for all day, he still had put on a irritable mood.

"Despite sleeping for long three and a half hours undisturbed, you're still being cranky..."

Modulating the intensity of the flame of the stove on which her work in progress dish was being prepared, Manjiri retorted back to Shaurya and moved to the refrigerator without even glancing at him.

Leaning against the kitchen counter, Shaurya silently watched her burrowing deep inside the fridge. He shook his head and pulled out his phone from his pocket to check the number of missed calls he has got.

"At what time did you come back from college?"

"Same!
At usual time only..."

Still engrossed in some search operation inside the refrigerator, Manjiri answered him simply.
Scrolling down the feed on his device, Shaurya probed again

"The house seems empty, where are rest?"

"Except Dadi, rest all elders are off to meet and have dinner with your some distant uncle and aunt..."

Coming back to the counter with some fresh veggies in hand, she informed him.
Darting his eyes from his smartphone to her, he inquired quizzically

"Who uncle and aunt?"

"Umm! I don't remember their names exactly, but yes I guess your uncle is being referred as Cheenu Chacha or Chunni Chacha or something like that, I don't know..."

Manjiri shrugged out simply whilst washing the veggies one by one, blatantly busy in her work.
An amused chuckle escaped through Shaurya's mouth when he heard her.

"Well he's neither Cheenu nor Chunni, he's Chinnu Chacha..."

"Yes whatever you people refer him as, that only."

He smiled more when she replied whilst trying to conceal her embarrassed sheepish grin. He shook his head in amusement and then questioned her yet again

"And what about rest?"

"Dii was here only a while before but on feeling nauseous, she was forcibly sent back to her room.
And I guess Dev Bhaiya has gone out to catch up with his some school friends.
Jiju and Dadi are outside with Shankar Bhaiya..."

"Shankar is still here?
Probably Dadi will not allow him to go back until and unless he perfectly manages to fix up the whole garden..."

Stuffing his phone back inside his pocket, he stated whilst looking in her direction.
To which she explained him plainly after sparing him a glance

"No! No! He has finished all his work there,..... those three are only having some random discussions on politics and high price inflation..."

"Huh?
Knowing about who all are out is ok but about the topic of their discussion..."

Before Shaurya could even finish his confused statement, Manjiri replied after cutting his speech in the middle.

"I know it, cause I just came back after offering evening tea to all three of them.
By the way you too must be feeling hungry, tell me what will you have?"

"Nothing!"

Shaurya smiled at her concern but on realizing that she was unilaterally working in the kitchen without any assistance, he simply refused.

"Coffee?"

"No!"

"Then?"

"Simply nothing! Don't bother yourself Manjiri ...."

Sneering at her lightly, he couldn't help himself from asking her

"Well how much of your work is left?"

"Huh?"

"I mean here... these kitchen chores?"

Shaurya clarified, clearing his throat.
Turning around and after staring at his face attentively for a good while, in order to comprehend something Manjiri modestly stated

"I've just started preparing dinner..."

"Need some help?"

"Whose?... Yours?"

Confused at his sudden approach, Manjiri's eyes shot up in surprise. But Shaurya didn't notice her expressions as her back was facing him now

"Yep Manjiri!"

"Umm! Well, can I say no?..... As your last kitchen encounter was enough for me to inspect your culinary art."

Manjiri clearly stated after again turning around to face him.
Shaurya was undoubtedly a little taken aback by her words.
Both of them looked at each other's face expressionlessly for a few seconds before finally bursting out in light laughter.

"Come on Manjiri, give a chance at least."

"No! I can manage, you go please."

"Manjiri!"

Shaurya didn't even budge a little from his place, instead he called out her name as a warning with a serious look pasted on his face.

"Ok then bring Masoor daal (Split red lentils) from that lower cabinet."

Though a little reluctant to make him assist her, Manjiri instructed him whilst getting back to her back.
To which Shaurya gladly followed her instruction

"Hmm good!"

"Here take it, now what else?"

Placing a transparent container on the counter near her, Shaurya asked. But when Manjiri's eyes fell on the container, she looked at him with a little displeased look and stated

"I asked for Masoor daal..."

"So what's this?"

Unable to figure out the actual name of the lentils he had brought from the cabinet, he questioned her innocently. Hearing him Manjiri felt like to bang her own head with the same container

"Oh God!... You have brought Urad daal (black gram beans)...
Don't tell me you can't identify lentils by their names."

"Who the hell recognizes all these by their respective names, I toh since childhood address these by their colours... Now tell which one among these is your Masoor daal."

Walking back to the cabinets with the container, Shaurya clarified in his defence.
Manjiri too walked up in the same direction till midway to ensure that this time he picks up the correct container.

"The container with grey cap, yes that one."

"Why this? I don't like it...
Why can't we have yellow daal today?"

Shaurya probed her after observing the type of lentils he had picked up from the cabinet.
To which Manjiri questioned him back after taking the container in her hands from his.

"Arre! Why not this?"

"Cause yellow daal tastes better than this."

Shaurya mumbled with a disinterest. Manjiri chose to ignore his vague assertion and started pouring the lentils in the pressure cooker

"This one will also taste good, I'll make it nicely... Do try it."

"My answer is still a big no... Wish Maa was here, she would have cooked something else for me."

Her eyes rested back to him when she heard him passing an indirect comment.

"You're such a picky eater!
I said na I'll make it nicely, and I'm sure you'll love it."

In spite of her convincing assurances, his face was still morphed with grumpy expressions. On noticing that, Manjiri took a sigh and again tried her luck

"Try it once at least, even if you dislike it then my Masala Bhindi will be present there for your rescue.... Now ok?"

"Wish I could say ok, but what can one do if you are that adamant to damage my taste buds."

Shaurya silently added when he noticed her move all around the kitchen and fetch different - different ingredients and utensils from different - different racks and cabinets.

"Now tell me Ma'am what else I should do?"

"Do you know how to knead dough?"

Manjiri prodded as she garnished the Masala Bhindi with some chopped coriander leaves after lifting the lid of the pan who was kept against the turned off gas stove.

"Well I certainly know, but..."

"But what?"

She interjected after placing the lid back on the pan.

"You only do that."

Shaurya casually eluded the work to her while scratching the back of his neck. Though his tone was still calm, but it was not hard to tell that he was a little embarrassed. At then seeing and hearing him she wanted to laugh out loud but anyhow she tried hard to stifle her laughter inside herself and simply nodded with a sly smile.

"Hey! What's up with this mocking grin on your face?... Don't assume that I can't do that, if I'll try my hands at it I definitely can, but it's just that I don't want to spoil my hands by smudging them in flour..."

Shaurya enunciated haughtily.
To which amused Manjiri smiled sheepishly and murmured

"Ok, ok, I got it.

Undoubtedly your culinary art is above suspicion... How can I even pose a question at it?
You slice these then....."

"This was meant to be a praise or an insult?"

Taking the entities from her hands, Shaurya raised his eyebrows as he asked her this in a frisky tone.
To which Manjiri passed him a teasing slight smile whilst blinking her eyes in utmost innocence

"You wanted to assist me right?
So take this toughest job in your hands, cut these veggies for salad."

"Toughest job that to this? Seriously?....
You're again mocking me, right? No worries cause my time will also come and at then possibly the tables would be turned...
And subsequently, I'm excited to see what will you do under those circumstances, My Poor Silly Head!"

Twitching his lips in amusement Shaurya probed Manjiri playfully, and then there she stared at his face with a fazed expression for a moment and then biting the inside of her lips she shook her head snappishly.
Shaurya's smile stretched more after witnessing his Silly Head's huffing antics.

"Find someone that's worth your time, your smiles, and your laughter.............."

_

_

_

"Being told that someone is thinking about you, or thought about you earlier, is always such a warm feeling..........
Isn't it???"

"Are you not done yet?"

Shaurya complained irritably whilst doing something on his phone.
Preoccupied with some work, Manjiri hurried her pace hearing him, it seemed that she was slicing something with a knife

"Ohho I'm done, just this one thing is left... Just a minute."

"I'm so tired of your 'just a minute, just a minute'...
From last ten minutes continuously your one minute is not done..."

Still going through something on his phone, Shaurya grumbled without even peering a glance at what she was busy cutting

"Just this last Shaurya!"

"Here you go."

Manjiri spoke softly as she kept a small fruit platter on the counter on which Shaurya was leaning.
Darting his gaze towards that, he felt surprised and contented with her concern. But still in order to display his courtesy he tried to speak

"Umm thanks, but I literally don't need...."

"Shh! Have it!"

Interjecting his speech in the middle, Manjiri silenced him instructing this.

Picking up the salad tray in which the sliced salad pieces were royally resting, she added whilst stifling her silent giggles, as she scanned the various irregular shapes of the pieces of vegetable salad, efficiently sectioned by her Dr. Shaurya

"Have it, have it!
After all you worked so hard.
Cutting veggies for salad isn't a small thing after all."

"You started again.
Day by day you're revealing your true colours silly..."

Shaurya retorted her back when he heard and noticed her placing the salad tray inside the refrigerator.

"I....."

As soon as Manjiri turned around after closing the refrigerator's door and opened her mouth to utter something, Shaurya silenced her as he persuasively made her chew a piece of an apple from his hand.
At first, she felt a little awkward at his sudden action, but then shooing off her dismissive second - thoughts, she readily ate that piece from his hand. Though she was in no mood to have something but then she didn't want him to think otherwise if in case she doesn't eats, so she ate that.

"Stop speaking and have it. After all playing indirect taunts and teases on other's isn't a small thing either..."

No sooner did Shaurya finish uttering a playful remark targeting her, somebody's voice interrupt both of them from behind.

"Oh so you people have started romancing as a married couple...

Nice guys, all of a sudden I'm feeling extremely proud of you both, my slow - going snails."

Dev shrugged merrily as he walked inside the kitchen with a tray which contained used empty tea cups, which he must have brought from outside.

Jumping away from Shaurya, Manjiri immediately took the tray from Dev's hands, really very careful to not meet his mischievous teasing eyes.
Placing the tray in the sink she took more time to turn around, perhaps to buy some time to avoid such embarrassing situation. Soon she heard Shaurya commanding Dev in a way too rude tone

"If done? Then get out immediately."

"Yes yes, I'm going only!
You guys carry on."

After gulping a glass of water down his throat, Dev muttered the last sentence with a hint of tease lacing his tone. He was almost out of the kitchen, but then abruptly he turned around and informed Shaurya with the same tone as before

"But Bhaiya don't make her eat apples only..."

Noticing both Shaurya and Manjiri's confused face expressions, Dev added playfully

"Arre! Haven't you heard that an apple a day keeps the doctor away..... Would you like to go away from her yet again?"

But before Shaurya could even react to Dev's absurd blabbering, their Kaveri Dadi's loud voice came from the hall.

"Kids come, it's time.
Let's get going!"

"Come Bhabhi!"

Dev instantly said to Manjiri, to which she replied him saying

"Yes you go, I just come after dumping these peels in the dustbin...."

Perplexed Shaurya was finding it really hard to comprehend the present situation he was in.
Moreover, the most astonishing thing for him was Manjiri was going out somewhere, which she usually doesn't prefer to.
Despite taking a leave from his work, since morning he didn't get any time to spend with her properly; all thanks to his sleep, her college, kitchen chores and now her sudden outing.

"You're going?... Umm! I mean where is Dadi taking you both?"

Shaurya asked her as he caught her arm when she was all set leave the kitchen.
Upping her eyelashes to look at him, she answered him simply

"To the park!
Since Wednesday, Dev Bhaiya and I have started accompanying Dadi in her evening walks.

You know on Tuesday she all of a sudden felt dizzy while coming home alone from the park. So therefore from that day on, Bhaiya and I agreed to spend an hour with her in the park daily, to avoid any such future risk."

"Oh so let Dev only go na, I'm sure he can manage.
You stay here only... I mean you should focus on your assessments for few days."

Cajoling her to be with him, he calculatingly spoke.
Scoffing at his words, Manjiri reasoned

"I'm well prepared for those.
Moreover, it's just a matter of one hour, so you don't worry about my assessments..."

"But..."

"What?"

"Nothing you go!"

At last Shaurya gave up on seeing her unwavering intent to go. But his half - smile didn't go unnoticed by Manjiri, she shook her head at his unexpected attitude and smiled saying excitedly

"You also join us na...
In fact today we should ask Dii and Jiju too to join in, after all it's Saturday. We'll all be back by the dinner time. And I'm sure Dii would definitely feel better in fresh air...
So now I just go and check on her."

Shaurya silently kept hearing her, indeed her eagerness was amazing him.

"You're joining us, right?"

In high hopes, Manjiri raised her eyes to look at him. Instantly a glad blushful smile started gracing her lips when Shaurya gently nodded his head in affirmation whilst reaching out to caress her cheek with the back his fingers......................

"Falling slowly for someone is such a beautiful concept, the first time you meet somebody you have no idea if they are the one, but slowly and gradually the way they take all the space in your heart until there is nothing more left and then you wake up one day wanting to be in their presence all the time is such a beautiful journey that one can experience........................."

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This is it for now. Hope you liked it. I am sorry for the mistakes.

In case if you want to share your views or suggest something, you are more than welcome.

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