Shrishti Reborn

Chapter 48. Pani puris and rainy days

Shrishti woke up on Sunday morning to a phone call. It was from Arpit.

'Hey neighbour. Interested in pani puri party?', was the first thing out of his mouth once Shrishti picked up the call and murmured a hello.

Shrishti frowned at the question and replied it in the most eloquent way she was able to. 'Huh?'

'Pani puri? Party? You asked for pani puri yesterday, remember?', Arpit sounded way too chipper this early in the morning. She said so to him.

'Early? Its nearly 9 AM.'

Shrishti, who was rubbing her eyes, half asleep, shot out of her bed and looked at the wall clock. Her eyes widened once she saw the time. 'Wow. Its late.'

'You are stating the obvious.' Arpit said in a sing song voice.

She huffed. 'Stop teasing me. Now what is this about pani puri are you talking?'

Arpit sighed dramatically. 'Oh my dear Pari! What magic have you cast on my Bhai?'

Shrishti's eyes widened while her cheeks burned. 'What?', she asked in a faint voice.

Arpit laughed out loud. 'So yesterday night, I made a throwaway comment to Megha about all the food available at the party and how you were unamused by absence of pani puri! Bro heard it. Now can you guess what happened?'

Shrishti's jaw dropped open. 'He is throwing a pani puri party because of me?', her voice was so high pitched that it squeaked at the end of the sentence.

Arpit burst out laughing. 'Yup. That is for the dinner. You, me, Megha and Bhaiyya. What do you say?'

'I have no idea what to say.', she blurted out. Raghav did that for her? Her? She swallowed while her heart thudded in her chest. She did not want to read between the lines. She was not ready for whatever Raghav's actions implied.

'Say yes.', Arpit shouted.

'Yes?', she whispered, her mouth fully dry while her heart felt like it was ready to fly out of her chest.

'Oh cool. See you in the evening.'

Shrishti cut the call, turned to the pillow, burrowed her face in it and let out a loud scream. This was too much for her heart! Why was Raghav so perfect! Shrishti was doomed!

The whole morning Shrishti was almost floating on the floor. Raghav was holding a pani puri party for her. She even messaged Divya about it whose response had Shrishti blushing.

'So... when is the wedding?'

That comment had Shrishti even more flustered and she spent the whole morning lost in her thoughts. But the doubts crept in by afternoon. Raghav was just being a friend. Don't friends make their friends happy by making things for them? Raghav cooked because that was what he was good at. Also, the man needed practice. He surely must have used her throwaway comment as a chance to improve his cooking skills.

Even though rationality made Shrishti realise that she could be overthinking things and seeing things that were not there, it did not dampen her happiness. Raghav liked her or not was irrelevant. He was making pani puri because she missed it the other night was the fact. He was making it for her and that was something no one could refute. And that was enough for Shrishti's romantic heart. This proved how good of a man Raghav was! He proved with his actions that he was worthy of being Shrishti's crush, Shrishti mused to herself while she cleaned her cycle. She had missed the Saturday practice due to the party. So she was now cleaning the cycle before taking it on a ride.

After cycling for an hour, Shrishti headed back home to get ready. She had a pani puri party to attend!

'You are wondering what to wear for a pani puri party?', Divya sounded bewildered. She had the right to be. Shrishti was calling her to take her help for a four person party inside a house!