𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑

3- 𝐘𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐘 𝐂𝐀𝐊𝐄

The doorbell had rung three times. I didn’t know who was there, but I was certain they were impatient. Can’t people wait for three minutes? If I had left the cake baking, it would have burned, and I detest incomplete work. After the cake was done, I removed it from the oven and went to answer the door. I peeked through the peephole and saw a girl in casual clothes, though I couldn’t see her face clearly. When I opened the door, she started shouting but then mumbled when she saw me.

Oh, it’s Advika.

Everyone here was so excited to see her. I don’t understand why, but even though they are meeting after a week or two, it seemed like they hadn’t seen each other in years. Kainaat and Sridhi had talked all day about her—how she is as a person, what she does, and that she was coming today. I had seen her on video calls when she was with Aayan and Rian but had never spoken to her. She seems nice.

Just as she stopped shouting, I asked if she was mad or really eager to meet me, but she replied that she didn’t even know I was here.

We argued for a little while, and this girl thinks she’s sarcastic. I tried to match her sarcasm in my replies.

This girl really got on my nerves within those 10 minutes.

She went to the backyard after our exchange, and I went to the kitchen to frost the cake. It was a chocolate cake, and I wanted to keep it simple to maintain the desired taste. I just spread melted dark chocolate over it and garnished it with almond and walnut pieces.

I was satisfied with my work. It looked delicious, and I knew it would taste just as good.

I placed the cake on a large plate and headed to the backyard. I saw everyone chatting with each other.

My friends’ girlfriends really talk a lot. I think a whole day wouldn’t be enough for them to get through all their gossip.

Advika was also there, answering everyone’s questions.

I called out to them.

“Hey everyone! The cake is ready.”

They all came running, except for that haughty girl who walked slowly, like she was on a runway.

“This cake looks so delectable. Can we cut it and start eating?” Sridhi asked, eyeing the cake.

“Yes, darling! Come on everyone, let’s celebrate our reunion!” Aayan exclaimed.

“Okay, Advika, come here. You and Sidharth will cut the cake. Since you haven’t been here for a while and Sidharth came back after years, both of you should cut the cake,” Kainaat suggested.

“No, no! I won’t cut the cake. He should cut it alone since he’s the one who reunited with us. I was already here,” Advika protested.

“No, she can cut the cake. I’m not a child. I don’t enjoy cutting cakes. I prefer cooking and baking, which I did for you all on your request. Now don’t ask me to cut the cake,” I responded.

“Why is he so arrogant? We’re all being so nice to him, and he’s being so rude!” Advika whispered to Kainaat, though I overheard her.

“No, miss, I’m not being rude or arrogant. This is just how I am. Do you have a problem with that?” I asked.

“Can’t you control your voice? You’re really loud. Keep your tone down a bit,” she advised me.

“Okay,” I replied in a lowered voice. She had a point. There was no need to be loud. “But I won’t cut the cake. Anyone else can cut it.”

Rian and Aayan exchanged confused glances. I ignored them. While they were looking at me, I realized that Sridhi and Kainaat had gone to the table and were cutting the cake together. Advika was taking pictures, and the guys were adoring their girlfriends.

Fools in love.

They finished cutting the cake, and Advika started dividing it into pieces. She seemed like the mom of their friend group. She placed each piece on a plate and handed them out. When she came near me, she looked so mad that she could have killed me with her eyes. She put the plate on a nearby table and went back to get her own. I took my plate, and everyone took a bite of the cake.

“It’s so scrumptious. You’d make a fantastic chef, Sidharth! Leave your business and start a restaurant,” Kainaat complimented.

“I can manage my business and a restaurant simultaneously. I’m not giving up my business to open a restaurant,” I clarified.

“I didn’t mean that. I was just praising you,” she responded.

“Yeah, yeah! I know. I took it as a compliment but just wanted to clarify,” I said.

We all enjoyed the cake. The four of them couldn’t stop talking. I don’t talk much, so I sat quietly, listening to them. The arrogant girl was sitting at the corner of the table. She was laughing with everyone, but she didn’t seem genuinely happy. It looked like she was just pretending. She also didn’t talk much. I think she just likes to argue and be sarcastic, like she was with me.

Suddenly, she stood up as if she remembered something and ran inside the house. Everyone stood up, about to follow her, when she came back with a box.

“I bought cheesecake for all of us. I left it on the sofa,” she said.

Is she really that absent-minded? She ran like she was escaping a monster.

“Are you crazy? It was just cheesecake, and you ran like you were fleeing from a wild beast,” Rian said.

She smiled at everyone. For real. This girl scared the crap out of us and is now laughing.

She took out the cheesecake pastries from the box. She had only bought five.

“Oh, I’m really sorry. I didn’t know you were coming, so I only bought five,” she said, looking at me.

“No problem. I can have yours,” I said.

“Why would I give you my cheesecake? You’re not special enough for me to share my food with you!” she retorted loudly.

“She doesn’t share her food with anyone, not even us. We could ask for her life, and she’d give it, but if we ask for her food, we’re all dead,” Aayan whispered to me.

“Oh!” I reacted.

“Can you control your voice? You’re really loud, and I don’t like anyone shouting at me,” I said to her, mimicking her earlier words.

She looked so frustrated. I was about to laugh when she started crying. Kainaat and Sridhi went to console her.

I don’t know why she cried. I was just teasing her. She got up and ran to the washroom.

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