IMMJ2 One Shots

chai pakore

Riddhima hissed the second the wet batter hit the sizzling oil.

She snuck a quick look towards the kitchen door entrance. She didn't think anyone would make their way downstairs, but she wasn't too sure. If not the sizzle of the oil, then surely, the aroma of the hot pakore would attract some bodies her way.

While the pakore fried, she took a moment to crack open the windows. Hopefully the cool night's breeze will help to get rid of some of the smell. While she was there, she grabbed an empty plate.

Turning around, she startled, seeing Vansh on the other side of the stove. Just how quietly did he move? She herself wasn't making a lot of noise as she didn't want anyone to wake up, but Vansh? He moved as quietly as a shadow.

Lowering her eyes, she walked back towards the stove. The plate on the counter beside her, she picked up the straining spoon, and carefully stirred the pakore. Once she was happy with the color, she scooped them out of the oil, and placed them on the plate, which was now layered with a paper towel.

She paused for a moment, wondering how the paper towel got there since she certainly didn't place it there. She glanced at Vansh who was leaning against the counter, one hand in his pocket, while the other browsed through his phone.

Riddhima didn't know what he wanted. It was somewhat normal for him to stay up till the late hours of the night. Daadi had once told her that he was simply conducting some business meetings with international clients but Riddhima knew better. She never pushed it however. The business deals that Vansh conducted were his personal matters. She had no reason to poke her nose in them. Not to mention, there simply was no way for her to inquire on such matters without raising suspicions on Vansh's part.

Still, 2:30 a.m. was pushing it even for Vansh. He never stayed up that late. Then again, it wasn't like her to be frying pakore in the middle of the night either. She supposed it was going to simply be one of those nights - ones where the odd, and unpredictable events take place.

While she scooped out another batch of pakore, she eyed Vansh as he walked around her to place a pot of water on the extra burner.

"Ek cup chai bana sakti ho? Sar mein bahut dard ho raha hai."

Riddhima kept quiet, and waited as he stepped away from the stove, and walked towards the open window. A cool breeze hitting her face usually helped Riddhima with her headaches, but she didn't know if it would work for Vansh as well.

She poured out the remaining blobs of batter into the oil, and holding the empty bowl, she turned around. She paused again, seeing Vansh in front of her. His back was to her, but it was still enough to make her feel on edge. With his hands in his pockets, he was standing in her way, and she needed him to move aside. However, she didn't want to engage with him more than what was absolutely necessary.

Keeping her head down, she took a few steps towards the sink he was standing in front of.

She reached around him to place the bowl in the sink. Her action must have startled Vansh for he slightly jerked in his spot. He took one step to the side, allowing Riddhima to come forward, and wash her hands.

It was a highly simple task. One that she must have completed over a million times in her lifetime by now, and one that she could do with her eyes closed. In that moment however, she focused all her energies into scrubbing, and rinsing her hands. If asked, she would have said that she simply wanted to make sure she had gotten every bit of the batter off of her hands. Truthfully though, it was simply an excuse to not look at Vansh who was staring intently at her.