From Strangers to Partners

Chapter 4

Samyra's POV:

I am a married woman now. I cannot believe it. Rajesh uncle and Arjun both have been very warm and welcoming towards me, treating me like a glass doll almost. I have always been pampered and so I love it when it's the same here. My first day in this household, and I am supposed to cook something sweet.

The cook shows me the kitchen and where all the stuff required for cooking halwa are.present before leaving me to get to the work. Unfortunately, I end up burning the halwa and am too ashamed to go outside empty handed and so, I decide to retry making it, this time making sure I don't burn it. I keep the flame at its lowest, when I hear footsteps coming closer. Afraid of getting judged, I grab the burnt halwa that I have transferred to a bowl under the kitchen towel while acting like nothing happened.

"What happened in here? What's that weird smell now?" Arjun asks entering the kitchen with uncle following closely behind. "What? What smell? I don't smell anything." I lie as I now realise that they might have been able to smell my amazing work. "No, no there's definitely something wrong. There's a sorta burning smell that I can't pinpoint." Arjun says, moving forward inspecting the kitchen like a crime scene.

"It's nothing, you both sit outside, I am almost done with my halwa." I say. Arjun is still unsatisfied and suddenly looking somewhere I can see a grin taking over his face and I know he has seen my burnt work as he unveils the bowl hidden under the cloth.

"See dad, I told you something was wrong." I am close to tears knowing I am gonna get an earful for burning the simplest dish. What I didn't expect was for Arjun and uncle to start laughing so hard. Seeing them laugh, I get more embarrassed and start crying.

"Samyra, dear, why are you crying?" Uncle asks realising I was in full to sobbing mode

"I am sorry, I burnt it." I say lowering my face.

"Samyra, it's alright. You should have told us if you didn't know how to cook halwa or anything for that matter." Suddenly I see Arjun moving closer to me and I move back with him moving forward until I am pressed against the counter. I look back at uncle only for him to laugh harder and turn to my side to see Arjun turning off the gas and my new batch of halwa also going through the same hell as the first one.

"Samyra, you know even Arjun's mom burnt the sweet on her first day in this house. I then had my friend bring the sweet from outside which she presented to my family saying she cooked that. I am sure she would have loved you if she was here. You are just like her."  Uncle tells me and I can see how he is happy remembering aunty and Arjun's eyes turn a bit watery probably remembering his mother who isn't here to witness such a big change in his life.

Arjun disposes the second batch and I apologise for the foul smell and for not knowing how to cook something sweet, despite my mom teaching it to me thousand times. Uncle and Arjun both laugh it off and then they even help me make it again as I wanted to complete the ritual. They go step-by-step over each instruction and finally, I am able to present a decent looking halwa. Lunch went by fine with me being embarrassed for whatever happened and uncle trying to make me understand it was okay to not know how to cook and everyone makes mistake while my husband resorted to laughing and cracking 'burning' jokes. Uncle and Arjun do not let me cook for the night as they have cooks for the same and so, we sit and enjoy the day watching movies and talking about random stuff, after they have given me a house tour.

After dinner, I enter the room that has been informed me to be Arjun's and now mine too. The room is dimly lot and decorated with roses making me feel weird. It is my first night at a place away from my parents, in my in-laws house, and I don't know what to expect. I am fiddling with my fingers all nervous when Arjun enters the room. He just asks me to change into more comfortable clothes as I am still in my saree while he clears the roses spread on the bed and candles lit inside the room which were making things more awkward.