Hamesha, Yours!

-2-

The aroma of pancakes filled the room as Nandini closed her room's door. The pleasant smell of good food brought a smile on her lips and she made her way to the dining table.

"I'm hungry!" she squeaked in happiness and pulled out a fork of the cutlery stand.

"Ah! Come on, pancakes are up! Syrup?" he said and the slid one of the soft, plump ones right from the pan into her plate.

"Nandini, I promise you I can make better breakfast than him, okay! You give me a chance and dekh, what magic I do! Tu rest kar na!" Aryaman procrastinated.

"He's bullshitting around, okay, kid! Iski baatoon mein mat aaiyo! I have been there, and I have done that. It wasn't pleasant. I got salty chai and meethi bread to dip in! And for heaven's sake, he used kharab milk for stuff and rather than getting fine I felt worse!" Abhimanyu cribbed back with anecdotal explanations.

"Jhut! He's a liar, Chrikut! Kya paranthe banaye the maine! Aha,ha, I'm hungry just remembering them!" Aryaman countered and sat on the bed besides a Nandini who sniffled between her cold.

"Yeh, the paranthe that I never got to eat and jiska bill mere bathroom ke dust-bin mein tha!" Abhi dramatized.

"Ja bey! Tu baaney ga bhi kya? What do you know? 2-minute maggi? Woh bhi tujhse do minute mein nahi banti!"

"Woh kisi se bhi 2-minute mein nahi banti!"

"Nach na jane angan tehdra!"

Their banter continued oblivious of Nandini's cringes and rolling eyes. Her throbbing head was enough to handle and their discussion on who was the cook for breakfast wasn't helping her in any shape or form. She crept out of the blanket, slowly eyeing them and went downstairs to fix herself a plate of something.

"Guys! Ghar par kuch nahi hi!" she called to them from the kitchen in a cold-stricken hoarse voice and slammed the fridge's door shut.

"Yeh!" Abhimanyu and Aryaman answered in unison as they tumbled down the stairs together.

"Then what did you have yesterday?" she questioned blankly.

"Abhi's pancakes!" Aryaman slugged monotonously and scratched his head.

"Pan.." Nandini stood there dumbfounded and demanded with puppy eyes, "Please!"

Abhimanyu smiled at her, and ruffling her head lit the stove to start their endeavors. The pancakes that should take 10 minutes to serve took half an hour with their swirled in flour fights, and holi with syrups. Other than a mess all over the kitchen, they also ended with every-shape-but-a-circle pancake on the table.

Nostalgia hit her hard with the pancakes' sweetness.

"I am not hungry", she replied blankly and slipped on her shoes when his voice questioned her calmly,

"Why not? What's up with you?"

"I'm just not hungry!" Nandini deadpanned.

"But, you were moments ago! Come on, these pancakes won't make you fat, Ms. Chubby-cheeks!"

Nandini sulked at his excuse, rolled her eyes and was about to get up from the table when he pulled her back down and flipped the pancake on the heated pan and asked,

"What has happened to you, Nandini?"

"What has happened to me?" she shrugged back an answer and fiddled with the pancake that awaited for her in the plate.

"Nothing, Nandini!" he mused and continued cooking, "Kuch bhi toh nahi hua- bas tum kuch kha nahi rahi ho, cheezo ko idhar se udhar kar rahi ho, you've been writing a lot lately, you haven't rehearsed or sung early morning, you've been internalizing a lot, you've been getting up late and well, you've not been tripping me- that's very well not you, Nandini!", he sarcastically complained and set up a plate full of pancakes on the table.