KHWAB : A Distant Dream

Chapter 12

I am so happy that the votes exceeded the target.

Thank you dear readers. Please continue the good spirit. 😊
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Next day when Anika woke up she was feeling better than she had in the past two weeks. Getting ready she went to the kitchen directly and started to cook. She had decided to make breakfast according to everyone's taste. She plugged in her earphones and got busy, all the while humming to the songs.

After a while Gayatri entered the kitchen after completing her puja. She had waited for Anika, but she had not come and hence she was a bit late. She did not expect to find Anika in the kitchen. Seeing that Anika had noticed her yet, she just stood there watching her move around the kitchen gracefully.

Anika, who was lost in her own world, turned around a minute later and jumped. She quickly pulled out her earphones, "Badi ma, aap kab aayi? Aapne to dara hi diya." she said as she moved towards her to touch her feet. "Thodi der pehle beta, jab to apni dhun main khoi thi." Gayatri said with a smile while caressing her head.

Anika just gave her a sheepish smile and nodded. "Aap baith jaye Badi Maa. The breakfast is almost done." Saying that she turned towards her cooking. Gayatri was amused and sat down. She noticed a few covered dishes and asked her, "Yeh sab kya hai beta?". "Badi ma, vo dada aur bhaiyu ke liye cheese sandwiches aur cold coffee hai, Avi bhai ke liye omelette and juice, aur Bhaiya ke alu paratha and black coffee." She said in a single breath while pointing towards various dishes.

Gayatri looked at Anika for a moment, "Aur mere liye.?" She asked with a smile. "Aap ke liye Matar ki kachori ban rahi hai Badi Ma." She gestured towards the stove. Now Gayatri was thoroughly surprised. Very few people knew about her love for kachori. Anika saw her bewildered look and understood what she was thinking, "Ma ne bataya tha." she said with a soft smile and turned away.

Gayatri was lost in her thoughts when she heard Anika, and remembered a few memories of the past, with her best friend. Soon she was brought out of her thoughts as Anika had finished. "Tumne yeh sab akele kyun banaya? You could have waited for me beta. I was coming" Gayatri said as she got up to help her take the dishes out. "It's okay, Badi Ma. I like to cook, aur waise bhi everyone deserves a break once in a while." Anika said and passed Gayatri a mischievous smile.

Gayatri was really touched and overwhelmed by her. Apoorva had really raised her daughter well, she thought, and saw her son's coming downstairs. Everyone sat at the table and were happy to see their favourite food laid out. "Aaj kuch special hai Ma?" Rudra asked, as he served himself. Gayatri shook her head, "Ask your sister, she cooked." She said pointing towards Anika who was sipping her coffee.

Hearing this they all looked at her, and before they could ask her, "Nothing special, Mann kar raha tha to bana diya" she said with a shrug, while typing on her phone. As a result she missed the surprise look on all her brothers faces. They stared at her for a moment and started eating.

"OMG!! Anika. It's so good. Tumhare haton mein jadu hai." Aru said and threw a flying kiss in her direction. She giggled at him and said, "stop exaggerating dada." "Nahi Anika, Aru sahi keh raha hai. It's really good." Avi complimented, and Maan nodded while eating his sandwich. "Waise, how do you know our preferences so well?" Rudra finally asked as he couldn't control his curiosity.

"We live under the same roof, bhaiya. It's normal that I know about your preferences." Anika replied casually while looking at them and then put her attention back to her phone. But what she didn't know was that her casual reply struck like lightning to her brothers. They were feeling guilty and a bit ashamed, as none of them were much aware of her likes and dislikes. But she had managed to note down their preferences and habits in just two weeks.