At the dinning table, Divya— Mainish's wife— and Shirisha were helping Ajji set up the table. Sharanya noticed her mother-in-law look at her as she and Nikhil approached the table, but she didn't show any more acknowledgement than a curt nod of head, and turned back to talk to Nikhil's grandfather. Sharanya looked at Nikhil and he reflected her look.
Swallowing the distant behaviour of her mother-in-law Sharanya cheerfully greeted her and Senior Mr. Kumar. She then paid her greetings to Manish's teenage children Swathi and Prerna. The two happily greeted her. "I shall go help them," she spoke to no one in particular only to be asked by Divya who emerged from the kitchen with a big bowl of steaming gravy to sit down.
Sharanya hadn't interacted much with Divya but she already liked her more than Nikhil's own siblings. Shirisha smiled, joining them at the table with glasses in one hand and a jug full of buttermilk in another. Gosh, why couldn't Shreya be as sweet as Shirisha? Sharanya thought to herself returning the smile, answering Shirisha's questions about their travel.
She was about to pull a chair for herself when Nikhil beat her to it. She met his gaze. His eyes urged her to sit. She quickly lowered herself on the chair while he simultaneously pushed it a little forward.
"Comfortable?" He asked softly, as he pulled the chair beside it.
"Yes," she answered, her eyes darting towards his mother's direction as though to check if Nikhil didn't upset his mother with his thoughtfulness for her. Thankfully not. She was completely engrossed in the serious soft conversation she was having with his grandfather. They could barely hear anything sitting across the broad table. Soon, Shirisha started serving the aromatic food while engaging in a conversation about how she couldn't attend all the functions of their wedding because of an emergency at work.
"Shirisha," Nikhil interrupted, stopping her from serving the gravy into the bowl near Sharanya's plate. "She's a vegetarian, she won't have it."
Sharanya looked at Nikhil and then at the bowl. She hadn't noticed or bothered to ask what it was.
"Really?" Shirisha asked surprised.
"Yeah," Sharanya answered nervously, aware that they had the attention of everyone in the room.
"Okay, but you'll have it right?" Shirisha asked Nikhil, "or have you also become a vegetarian?"
"Ajji's prawn curry and me not having it is not happening in this lifetime." He grinned, looking at the gravy with a glint of increased appetite.
Sharanya kept a straight face. Her tolerance for non vegetarian food was limited to chicken, mutton, fish and eggs. She kept her face straight not bothering to react to the two servings of the gravy that landed in Nikhil's bowl.
"You'll have the vegetable curry, right?" Shirisha asked, ready to serve from the other vessel.
"No, no, don't serve that," Ajji spoke up, coming out of the kitchen with another wife bowl. "I prepared this for her," she smiled, placing the wide bowl of vermicelli before her. "She doesn't eat spicy food much." She explained.
"It's okay, Ajji. I can eat you didn't have to make anything for me." Sharanya spoke up feeling guilty.
"What do you mean I didn't have to?" Ajji admonished, "You're coming here for the first time and I don't get to decided what to cook for you?"
Sharanya smiled, defeated by the woman's motherly authority. "I surrender,"
"Good, now have this and tell me how it is." The woman said sitting on the chair beside her.
YOU ARE READING
Along the Lines of Love | ✓
浪漫He doesn't know what love is but he knows he doesn't want to be lonely. She knows what love is but also knows she doesn't have a chance at it. Nikhil is a pretty straightforward guy who can be a little choosy about things and food. Sharanya is mos...
