「 desi romance novella x university romance x food lovers」
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Ayana did not expect her crush to order from her kitchen service. She also did not expect him to catch feelings for her. But, life has a way of surprising her when she least expected it t...
Raghav stared at the streets ; it's raging traffic doused with water from the skies, it's adoption of silence as it's new sound. He was dealt a brutal reminder of his concerns about having the dorm for the boys outside the university campus, which he had slowly shoved to the back of his mind over the first semester.
Now, it had made a re-appearance with onslaught of monsoon. There was nowhere he could go without getting drenched. He had not had the presence of mind to buy an umbrella. He could only watch with narrowed eyes as his peers held an umbrella majestically and walked towards the main campus to grab food.
Raghav switched on his mobile, which had been flicking on and off with constant notifications from various group-chats. He clicked on the university's main forum and browsed through the posts, wondering if he would just starve for the rest of the night. He could ask one of the dorm-mates to get something for him on the way back but he still felt pretty new and shy to ask for help. Plus, it was fucking midnight. He couldn't (and shouldn't) be stalking people in his dorms for food at that hour.
He thought he had a pretty cool persona in public - he was the kid with cool outfits and headphones always around his neck like it was his necklace. He had a bunch of cool friends too. A guy like him couldn't just go around begging for food now. Even if he was tempted to.
Raghav's face contorted to a pained expression. Why did he even think appearing cool was the way to go? He should've just been his awkward, nerdy self, like he was in school. He scratched his eyebrows as he continued browsing posts. He was nearing the end of the unread chat when he caught sight of a particular post. It felt like the heavens had taken pity on him and blessed him with an opportunity to get food.
MIDNIGHT KITCHEN SERVICES ! We're do deliveries in the rain too! On the menu tonight is simple steaming poha. Call or text this number to order : 93XXXX89
He quickly called the number with movements that resembled a flash of lightning. The phone picked up.
"Hi! This is Ayana from Midnight Kitchen Services. How can I help you?"
Raghav was tempted to shower a hundred words on her ; all of them being synonyms of angel and goddess.
"Can I get the Poha you're offering today?"
"Sure. Let me know your name?"
"Raghav."
There was a pause on the line. He thought he heard some muffled sounds but it was quickly forgotten when the next question came in.
"Your address?"
"The boys dorm, C block. Room 5."
"Cool, got it! Your meal will be there in a few minutes."
"Thank you." Raghav hung up his phone and grinned like he hit the lottery. A delivery in a few minutes? Amidst the pouring rain? Whoever she was, Ayana was definitely his goddess. Raghav flopped onto his bed and reached for his lap-top, hoping to finish his assignment before his delivery came.
★
By the time, he caught sight of the time on the right corner of his laptop, 30 minutes had already gone by. Raghav leaped up and shrugged on a cardigan as he hastened out of his room. His phone displayed a message on it's lockscreen : Your delivery is here! Pick it up.
Fuck, fuck. Raghav turned corners and nearly slammed into a dorm-mate. After muttering a string of apologies, curse words began tumbling out of his mouth. He flew down the stairs and reached the entrance when the security guard smiled at him.
His eyes scanned the surroundings quickly, catching no sight of a girl around the block. The security guard slowly rose out of his chair, the keys on his pocket jiggling. He pulled open a drawer attached below his wooden table.
"Raghav, I think there's a delivery here for you."
"That must be my poha. Thank you, anna. Did the girl wait for long?"
The security guard shook his head, as he handed over the parcel. "Not really, she looked round and then gave it to me with your name and this note."
Raghav tilted his head as he received the note, his eyes carefully going through every word. Your Poha is packed in this parcel along with a free cup of Shrikhand. Eat well!
"Is that girl your girlfriend?"
Raghav chuckled. "No, but she is my savior." A fucking goddess, that was for damn sure.
The old security guard let out a contemplative hum. The corners of his eyes creased further. The girl had reminded him of his own late wife.
"Thank you, anna. Good night."
"Good night, child."
★
Raghav pulled open the parcel, which was dripped with droplets of water from the steam of the poha. The fresh aroma of the food blessed his nose as the yellow, flattened rice blessed his eyes. He pulled out the spoon and quickly dug in, finishing the meal within 10 minutes, much to his disappointment. He had wanted to relish it slowly but his demonic hunger wouldn't let him.
He patted his stomach as his eyes travelled to the cup of Shrikhand. He leaned forward again, opening the plaster on top. The sweet aroma filled his senses, as he closed his eyes momentarily. That hits the spot, he thought, as he picked half a spoonful of the dessert and let it melt on his tongue.
The food was so much better than any of the cafeteria stuff he was used to for the past semester. How had he not found this service before?
Raghav lamented to himself, as he devoured the last spoonful of the shrikhand. He was not keen on sweets, usually. But this shrikhand had managed to convert him into a fan. As he sat there with a filled stomach and a content smile, his mind began to throw questions at him. Did Ayana run this service by herself? Whoever it was, how were they able to cook so fucking well?
He didn't know who Ayana was but he was interested in getting to know the girl.
☰
poha is a maharashtrian food made with flattened rice, onions, herbs, peanuts & spices (such as curry leaves, etc). the original maharastrian recipe also adds potato in the poha. this food can serve as a good breakfast (which is how i usually have it), snack or a quick, light dinner!
usually poha can be had with vegetable salads or sev or coconut chutney. i find that poha is best with this gravy called kadala curry (a traditional kerala dish), it's a personal favorite combination.
shrikhand is a sweet popularly from gujarat and maharashtra (according to google). it is made with thick yogurt, cardamoms, saffron & sugar.
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hey reader, if you enjoyed this chapter, do consider giving it a vote! all thoughts are welcome tin the form of comments. in case of any inaccuracies in the descriptions for the food, let me know. happy reading <3
