Wrong Impressions

Chapter 4

[Note: This is a long chapter, one with a lot of conversations to set the foundation of their understanding and relationship. Sorry in advance if I got a bit extra xD If you want shorter chapters, do let me know and I'll try. I know it can get tedious to some to read huge ones]

Teja stood in front of "The Royal Kitchen" as she peeked inside. It was an hour away from midnight and the restaurant was relatively empty despite it being a Sunday. It was precisely why she had chosen it. Well, there were several reasons for her choice of place; first, it had an amazing assortment of dishes whether veg or non-veg and they tasted heavenly, second, it was close to her house... yes, call her selfish but she didn't want to dine in too far since it was getting late. She would have been considerate had she known where Karan resided but since she didn't... Plus, he did agree to her choosing the location. Thirdly, this area was mostly a paps-free zone and Teja was sure no one would follow her there. She was loved by people of course but she wasn't the most wanted celebrity face or something that paps would roam after her. And finally, The Royal Kitchen, as heavenly as it was, was usually closing up close to midnight so you wouldn't find a lot of crowd on a Sunday night when people could be having dinner by Juhu or all the other fancy restaurants.

Karan hadn't arrived yet so Teja decided to wait inside. She had left before him since he wanted to quickly say his goodbyes and she didn't want to be seen leaving with him either. The girl was super careful about her image and tried to stay away from all controversial headlines. For all she knew, there would be pictures from her dinner but that was something she could handle. Smiling at the doorman, she waved at the server and got one of her usual corner booths. This was also one of the restaurants she usually visited so the staff knew her well. It didn't take long for Karan to arrive but Teja had pretty much surveyed the menu and sort of had an idea of what she wanted to order.

It wasn't difficult for Karan to find her since there were hardly many people around. The moment he entered, his eyes instinctively gravitated towards her, as if she was what they were searching for. There was a softness that had taken over his features... and awe as he walked to where she sat rather carelessly, lost in her own world. No one would think she was an actress with her girl next door attitude. Karan barely knew Tejasswi but he could already tell that she was one of a kind. I mean... who else sat so casually in a lehenga as if it was no big deal.

"Did I keep you waiting for long?" He asked her curiously, taking a seat opposite her, making her jump at his sudden arrival.

"No... not really." Teja pulled back to the present and nodded with a soft smile. It had only been fifteen to twenty minutes and Teja honestly didn't mind. Doesn't mean you make it a habit but yeah, she understood that day. "Were your friends okay with you leaving this early?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't they be?" He shrugged but in all honesty, they weren't exactly happy. He had bailed on the wedding and canceled their plans for after party with a silly excuse, one they didn't buy. He was sure Jessica figured it out but she chose to keep mum for which he was grateful. As long as the groom had no qualms, Karan didn't care and Ashish seemed too occupied with his wedding to be annoyed at him.

Tejasswi chose not to respond. The question was more out of curiosity since she had seen his friends and didn't think they would want him to leave too early. But again, what did she know?

"I have never been here." Karan continued breaking the silence. "How did you know of this place?"

"I visit here occasionally. Less crowd, amazing ambiance, and the food... oh my god, the food. I love the food. I love it." And Teja launched into listing some of her favorite dishes from this place.

Karan stared at her in amusement as she went on and on, listing what he thought was practically all of the menu, her fondness for food evident on her face. It wouldn't take a genius to guess how much she loved food with the way she was talking about it... as if it was her one true love.