The Rose on Flames : Vol 1

CHAPTER - 3:

The yelling went on outside the kitchen, while Jasmin started cooking. Anna kept watching as Jasmin mixed the spices in a bowl. Anna gave a skeptical look, wondering if the idea of adding so many spices and herbs was a terrible idea. "Are you sure this is the best way to cheer the boss? Because I'm pretty sure he will be pissed..." Anna whispered to Jasmin. Jasmin smiled and spoke, "Think positive, Anna. Besides, if he doesn't like it, I'll eat it." She started adding the ground meat to the spice and mixed it well. Anna gave another skeptical glance at Jasmin, but she was also amused by her confidence. She sighed and whispered again, "It's still risky, trying to play nice with him. You don't want to get on his bad side. But I guess it's your call..." Jasmin smiled again and spoke, "We'll never know unless we try. Or else the entire day will go like this, and who knows, he might go with the flow and end up firing all of us. Somebody has to take the risk." With that, Jasmin put the seasoned ground meat on a grilling rod and layered it with a mix of spice, herbs, and butter.
Anna stared at Jasmin's bravery, unsure of the consequences. She chuckled softly and shook her head. Trying to hold back a little smile, she spoke, "Fine, you are crazy, but I can't say I don't admire it. Just don't let me catch the dish turn up undercooked because it will be on you if the boss wants to yell at someone..." Jasmin giggled and nodded. "What's the worst that can happen? He will kick me out of the job? I'll find a new one, no worries." Anna laughed along. She realized that no matter what she said, nothing could make Jasmin back out. "Yes, and some yelling. He can be pretty mean, though. But it seems like you have nothing to lose." Jasmin paused for a brief moment while smiling sadly to herself, but she quickly shrugged off her sadness before Anna could notice it and smiled. "Trust me, no one can be harsher with words than me." She laughed. Anna chuckled at Jasmin's response.
"Seems like it's going to be interesting to watch. I can't wait to see if it backfires miserably or works perfectly." Anna spoke with an excited grin. The meat was starting to get cooked inside the grill, and a beautiful mouthwatering smell of desi spices with meat came out from it. The smell filled the air, and Anna started sniffing the air like a rabbit, catching the aroma of the spices. She then turned to Jasmin, an expression of anticipation on her face. "Just by the smell alone, I can already tell you did a great job. I'll be dumbfounded if this doesn't cheer him up." Anna spoke. Jasmin smiled and asked, "Mind being a taste tester for me?" Anna stared at her face for a moment before speaking excitedly. "Gladly! I don't mind trying some of this at all. After all, I'm here watching you cook all by yourself, and the least I can do is to try it for you."
Jasmin took out the meat and cut it into pieces, and gave two pieces to Anna. "How is it?" she asked Anna, as her heart raced in anxiety. Anna smiled and tried a piece. There was a bit of silence, and then her eyes widened. "Wow! This is awesome! You know your ways, huh? The spices make the chicken taste much better, and it's still so juicy. I'd almost call this even better than the boss's favorite place. If this doesn't make him happy, then I don't know what will." Anna exclaimed. "Now it's time for a pleasant presentation," Jasmin said and was about to take a nice plate when Anna took another piece and nodded in response. Jasmin stared at her, dumbfounded, and then spoke, "I'll make extra for you. Just don't eat from here, please." Anna laughed and said, "There is no way you can stop me. You are lucky my stomach hasn't finished the entire thing yet." Jasmin took the plate and ran away from Anna. But it was useless since Anna was running right behind her and managed to steal more. Jasmin sighed and eventually ended up making another set.
After that, she took a black porcelain plate and placed the pieces before sprinkling a little bit of chat masala and placing a small cup of green chutney. She looked up to see Anna still eating from the previous set and facepalmed with a short chuckle. "Hey, can you pull the door a little more to widen the gap so that the smell reaches that demon's nostrils?" Jasmin asked Anna. Anna nodded and opened the door a little wider but didn't leave the place of the previous set alone. "Let's hope this works and makes enough difference. But I doubt if anything can work on this demon of yours." Anna whispered. Jasmin sighed, "As long as his mouth is stuffed with food, it will work too." Anna imagined the boss's mouth stuffed with food while he was trying to curse and rant. They both laughed at the idea. Anna looked at the serving and spoke, "Wow, it looks delicious. I think he will like it." Jasmin smiled and walked out to serve.
____________________________________