The night passed peacefully and the sun came up in all its glory... Ready with the challenges of the new day...
Reyansh's Side :
As the alarm beside Reyansh's bed made its first beep , Reyansh got up his bed , switched it off , stretching his hands and yawning slightly he went towards the washroom.
After washing his face he took his smart phone , head phone , put on his shoes and went out with the grocery bags.
This was the usual routine of Reyansh , just that on other days it used to start from 7:00 and today or rather today onwards it has started from 6:00...
He jogged his way to the market greeting different people of his neighborhood.
"Are Reyansh , tu itni subha subha !?" The owner of a vegetable shop said still opening her shutter.
"Wo... Aaj mere job ka first din h..." Reyansh said assisting her with the door.
"Kitna kaam karta h mera baccha... Haye ! esa beta bhagwan sabko de... Ek taraf tumhe dekho itni subha utke bazaar krne ayo ho aur waha mera Anku... Abhi bhi soya para hoga ghore bech k..."
"Ankit to 10:00 baje k age utne wala nhi... Wo to pakka h..." Reyansh said laughing along with Ankit's mom.
Ankit's family owned a grocery and vegetable shop in the neighborhood and Reyansh usually shopped from them so here he was today as well...
"To tumhara usual pack kr du kya !?"
"Haa aunty... But aaj patta ghobhi aur Shimla Mirch nhi chahiye..."
"Thik h..."
"Aap pack kr ke rakhiye mein..."
"... Tu machli aur baki chize kharid k merese sabziya le jayage..."
"Haa... Perfect..." Reyansh and Ankit's mom exchanged smiles and he went to the other side of the market.
Reyansh usually shopped for his home as well as well as the eatery in the morning...
He went to the meat section and purchased some fresh fishes , meat , mutton etc. After buying everything he returned to Ankit's mom's shop and took the vegetables from her.
"Thank you..." He said smiling and coming did a little promotion out loud
"Meri pyaari mausiyo aur chahiyo aiye... Aur iss dukan se taazi taazi sabziya leker jaiyee... Genuine price mein best sabzi leker jaiyee..."
All the ladies around slowly started drawing towards the shop and Reyansh exitedly shouted back to Ankit's mom
"Bariya business jamana aur next time mujhe aur bhi zyada discount dena..."
"Badmash kahika..." Ankit's mom called back and saw Reyansh making his way out of the market.
Reyansh jogged all the way back home with all the grocery and reached home within 6:30.
He went into the kitchen and keeping all the grocery items , quickly prepared breakfast for Swastika and his mother.
After completing his terms in the kitchen , Reyansh came out and went to take a bath.
He came out after a few mins and wrapped himself in a towel. Water slided through his muscular abs and back... He put on a t-shirt like a jacket.
Water still dripped from his curls intensifying the beauty to a hundred thousand volts... He combed them thoroughly and tried to set them neatly...
(A/N : Enough to suffer mini heart attacks... 😝✋🏻😍)
Reyansh came out of his room after completing his morning routine.
Swastika had woke up and was seated at the dinning table , about to hv breakfast...
"Good morning..." Reyansh said smiling not expecting any reply from the other side and neither did it come...
He looked up at the clock which read 7:30...
"Shoot ! Am gonna be late..." Reyansh hurriedly stuffed a sandwhich into his mouth and put on his shoes.
"Maa ka khana kitchen mein rakkha h... And ur copy that got wet is kept on my desk... Its dried now... College safely jana... Bye !" He gave some last minute instructions to Swastika which were partially heard and partially ignored by her... And with that Reyansh rushed out of the house towards the main road...
Priyanka's Side :
Priyanka woke up to the sound of a msg that had arrived on her phone. She sat up on the bed looking at the food quote sent by Rohini and smiled to herself.
As she made her way down to the dining table , she was greeted by her mother and Yash... At the breakfast table Mr. Ryankoi said
"Priyanka did you get that cook to work for the resort ?"
Priyanka who was too engaged in her tortillas to think about anything else said absent mindedly
"Kon cook Dad !?"
"Priyanka..."
"Oo... ! Ha ! Mein to bhul hi gyi thi... Aaj to us Kharoos Momowale ka first day h..." She exclaimed excitedly. All eyes around the breakfast table looked at her confused and suspicious , bringing her back to the surrounding she was currently in and she quickly reformed her speech.
"I... Mean... Yeah Dad ! He is hired... Today is his first day at work..."
"Good..." Mr. Ryankoi said in a satisfied tone.
"First day at work hi nhi... First at hell bhi h , uss Kharoos Momowale ka... Jesa meine socha tha aab tak to wo restaurant to pohoch chuka hoga... And..." Priyanka let out a cunning laugh thinking all this in her mind.
Once again all the eyes around the table went towards her and she quietly continued with her breakfast quite embarrassed at her immature behavior...
Reyansh's Side :
Reyansh entered the Ryankoi Restaurant and headed straight for the kitchen...
The kitchen was huge... As expected of a 5 - star restaurant... All the vegetables and other cooking stuff were piled up neatly in perfect stacks... The place was way more perfect than the small kitchen of Reyansh's eatery.
After fulfilling the dreams of all the people around him , when it came to something of his own , Reyansh only had one dream... Working in a 5 - star restaurant like this one... He had loved cooking ever since he barely knew what it was , and hence it had always been his dream to work at big restaurants and sufficing customers with his dishes... Everything was in front of his eyes...
Reyansh's POV :
My dreams , my wishes , my happiness , everything was in front of my eyes... But with just one little problem...
As I was exploring the kitchen , a male figure , apparently the manager came in front of me...
"Mr. Reyansh Sharma !?"
"Yes that's me..." I said formally.
"Welcome... This will be your new workplace from today onwards... We r about to open so get ready..."
"Uh... I had a question actually... Where r the other kitchen staff !?"
"Oh ! Ur alone... Along with him..." The manager showed a plan - looking boy who had a folder , a writing pad and a pen in his hand.
"Hi ! I am an intern... I would like to take down some notes as u proceed with the cooking... I'm sorry for all the trouble..." He bowed his head giving a small smile.
"So Mr. Sharma hope u hv a great work experience..." Saying this the manager went away leaving me isolated with the intern who was ready with his pen already...
Yes... This... was the main problem...
Priyanka's Side :
"Mam don't u think we should go a little easy on Reyansh ? Its the morning time... Peak time of businesses... I think hume thore aur staff rakhne chahiye the..." Rishi said to Priyanka , concerned.
"Nope... Everything's ok..." Came a reply from not-at-all-worried Priyanka.
"But what about our businesses ? What if he's not able serve all the customers in time !?"
"Rest assured... He runs a eatery... He might more accustomed to the rush than us..."
"But... But..."
"No more buts'... Get back to ur work..." Priyanka ordered Rishi and returned to her work too thinking about how nicely her cunning plan would work...
Reyansh's Side :
Reyansh had just finished prepping up , when the first order came. The waiter came in and said
"Two oatmeals , three French toasts , eggs and bacon , avocado toasts , French fries & coffee..."
Reyansh started off with his work as soon as the words reached his ears. The orders kept piling up one after the other and by the time he was able to complete the first order , five orders were pending already.
Maybe Priyanka's plan was taking shape after all !
Swastika's Side :
Swastika met up with Alisha at the entrance of her college and both of them went inside together.
Alisha was looking a bit upset rather worried and so Swastika enquired her laughing
"Kya hua !? Aaj koi ladka college nhi aya h kya !?"
"Nhi... But... But..."
"But kya ?"
"Swati chal na aaj bunk marte h..." Alisha said but her voice did not have the usual mischievous tone... It seemed like she wanted Swastika to not enter the campus today.
"Pagal h kya.. Assignment h aaj... Chal..."
"Re ruk..." Both of them entered the hallway which was filled with talking and chattering... Swastika initially assumed it to be some worthless discussion regarding Yash but a particular sentence made her rethink herself.
"Yeah... Who does she think she is..." Apparently everyone was gossiping about something and someone.
As Swastika advanced through the hall the goassips turned more relatable
"Haa... Haa... Bari chalak h wo..."
"Aur nhi to kya... Yash k ate hi girne ka natak krke attention create kr lia.."
"Aur bata... Aur bata..."
"Dikhati to ese h... Jese koi farak hi nhi parta use Yash se... But asal m haar wakt seduce krne ko daurti rehti h usko..."
"Haa... Ofc... Warna koi hall k beech mein Yash ko kiss kyu krna chahega..."
"Excuse me..." Swastika barged in to make a way for herself drawing all the jealous eyes towards her...
"Oo... Aa gyi maharani..." A girl pushed herself through crowd and came in front of Swastika holding a photograph in her hand.
"Umm... I think all of u hv some sort of misunderstanding"
"Dekho... Dekho... Kesi bholi ban rhi h aab..."
"Mein to bas classroom tak jana chahti thi..."
"What do u think !? We r fools ? Tum Yash ko le jaogi aur hum yeha haat p haat dhare bethe rahenge ?" Another girl stormed
"Kya !?" Swastika asked confused
"Explain this..." The first girl threw a photograph towards Swastika's direction. The picture was of her and Yash in the hallway yesterday , when Yash was teasing her and they had had a little argument...
But the pictures were taken in the exact time Yash had come closer to Swastika's cheek and she had cupped his face into her hands. The angle was such that could make anyone believe that both of them were having a romantic chat with a kiss.
"Sukr h Mayra ne ye taswir khichi thi... Warna I can't even imagine for how long we would be in the dark..."
"Mujhe nhi pta..." Before Swastika could finish her sentence , Mayra came and held her by her face tightly.
"Tujhe kya laga tha ki tu Yash ko apne jhase mein fasa legi aur hum yahan natak dekhenge bethe bethe !? Sun be do kauri ki ladki , tera bhai ek sara hua eatery chalata h na , to jaa jake wahi khana bana aur chula chauka sambhal , zyada urr maat... Warna ek din esa pankh katungi na urr nhi payega kabhi..."
"ENOUGH !" Swastika shouted.
Reyansh's Side :
Reyansh came to his cafe after 5 hours of continuous cooking at the Ryankoi's. It was the start of his schedule but he was a bit tired already.
"Re Reyansh raat ko nind puri nhi hui kya ?" One of the workers asked
"Nahii... Chup raho..." Reyansh said unmindfully.
"K..kya h..hua !?" The worker stammered confused
"Huh !? Kya !? Oh sorry... Sorry sorry... I didnt mean that u... Chalo kaam p lag jate h..." He quickly got busy ignoring the embarrassing situation.
Reyansh's POV :
The only questions that were buzzing in my ear that time were those of the intern.
"What did u put in that dish !?"
"Do u think its a problem if we boil it at 14°C ?"
"Does it need to b preheated ?"
"Y do u think the avocado is important ?"
"Y do we need to heat it !?"
"Y do we..."
"How do u..."
"Ughhh... Wese uski bhi koi galti nhi thi... Wahi kam h uska abhi... But am not used to getting questioned so much during my cooking maybe that's y... But jo bhi ho... Accha fasaya h mujhe uss Nackchari Madam ne...!"
******
Reyansh worked at the cafe for a few hours and then departed for the Ryankoi Enterprise... It was noon time and he was working non-stop without a pause. Running , he took the bus from the side of the alley and reached the grand office within a few mins.
The cafeteria was nothing like what Reyansh had ever seen so far... Well-furnished and well-decorated... As expected of the Ryankois'... Reyansh went inside the kitchen and started his work as was instructed by one of the managers.
Priyanka's Side :
Going around the office , Priyanka was suddenly reminded about Reyansh's arrival in their company and thus to check on how nicely her brutal plan was working , she tiptoed to the kitchen...
Inside Reyansh was washing some vegetables... Keeping them aside in a basket , he took a sigh out of tiredness and a menanceful laugh let loose in Priyanka's mind.
"Finally... Finally... Ab samjha na Kharoos Momowale , Priyanka Ryankoi se panga lene ka anjam..."
As Reyansh advanced with his cooking and also his tired gestures , more and more happiness unloaded in Priyanka's soul... Once when he tripped over something and nearly lost his balance , Priyanka couldn't help but let out a small laugh , which at once drew the pair of beautiful sap green eyes towards her...
"Tum !?" Reyansh exclaimed
"Uh.. Uh... Haa.. Haa... Aur kya dekhna nhi parega tum kese kaam krrhe ho !? After all meri employees ke khane ka mamla h..."
"Accha... To has kyu rhe the !?"
"Kyu , hasne k liye tumse permission lena parega kya ? Mera muh , mein jo marzi kru... Tumse matlab !?"
"Hey Bhagwan... Is ladki ko akal do zara..." Reyansh mumbled softly
"Kya bola ?"
"Kuch nhi... Kuch nhi... Apko kuch aur chahiye mam !?"
"Haa... Meri chai tum mere cabin mein lekr ana..."
"Thik h..."
Priyanka turned back and went away chuckling.
"Pagal h puri... Nackchari Madam..." Saying this Reyansh got busy in his work.
Priyanka kept on giggling and entered her cabin. Inside Rohini was waiting with an expression that portrayed she had loads to tell...
"Re tu kab ayi ?" Priyanka asked settling down.
"Abhi..."
"Aur kesa chal rha h sab kuch ?"
"Tu bta... Aaj tere uss Kharoos Momowale ka first day at work h na !?"
"Use hi dekh kr aa rhi hu... And wo mera nhi h pls..."
"Accha accha whatever..."
"Wese tu bta kon h wo ladka jiske bare mein tu baat kr rhi kal raat..." Priyanka said sitting beside her on the couch.
"Wo... Wo... Asal mein ek waiter h... Kal jis hotel mein , m khana khane gyi thi na..." Rohini narrated the full incident of meeting Reyansh in detail...
"Hmm... Accha dikhta h kya !?" Prjyanka asked with a teasing tone.
"Umm... Idk..." Rohini blushed.
"Ohohohoho...." Priyanka teased.
By that time , Reyansh entered the room with a tray in his hand. Keeping it on Priyanka's table , he was about to leave when
"TUM !?"
"TUM ?"
Priyanka simply stared and exchanged glances.
"Wai..Wait... U both know each other ?" Priyanka broke the excited air which was created by Reyansh and Rohini.
"Haa... Ye.. Ye.. Yehi wo waiter h..." Rohini said softly.
"To iska matlab..." Reyansh started
"Haa.. This only my best friend , Priyanka..." Rohini ended
"Nackchari Madam..." Reyansh thought and then went back to Rohini.
"Wese tum ayi nhi beach pe..."
"Oh ! Actually kuch kaam aa gya tha that's y I couldn't make it..."
"Ohh accha..."
As both of them advanced in their conversation , Priyanka noticed a strange glow in Rohini's eyes which did not exist till today.... Interrupting she asked Reyansh
"R u done with ur work in the kitchen ?"
"Not much is left... I'll complete it and then leave for my part time..."
"Fine then... Get busy... Rohini come with me , we hv to get to somewhere."
Priyanka pulled Rohini by her hand and took her out , while Reyansh returned to his workplace silently.
Yash's Side :
Yash had entered the college campus along with his colleagues , expecting to be flooded with girls once again... But was a bit surprised since there was a lot of commotion going on but not about him...
He entered the hallway which revealed the mob of girls , surrounding the star of the show Swastika...
"ENOUGH !" Yash heard her shout. He ventured further to get a clear view of the front.
"Enough I said !" Swastika raged. "Don't u dare bring my brother into all of this... And what do u even know about what me & Yash where doing there !?"
"What else... Had it been a classroom I can't even imagine what..."
"Just shut up Mayra... Will u... And not only u... U , U & U..." Swastika pointed to all the other girls surrounding her... "What's wrong with u guys !? I cant even imagine the mentality u have... How could... I mean y..."
"Oh... Now Miss Beggar is acting all philosophical is it !?"
"Ur crossing ur limit Mayra..."
"Well then let me... I can't see someone like u standing beside our Yash..."
"He isn't your's... Ur just mad behind his money and family background... Tell me something truthfully... Any one... Any one of u standing here... Does anyone really love Yash !? I guess u guys r just here for money like gold diggers..."
"I don't need that lesson from someone like u...." Saying this Mayra went forward to slap Swastika but was stopped mid air by an angry Yash...
"How dare u raise ur hand on my girlfriend !?"
Reyansh's Side :
Reyansh completed the work of the Ryankoi Enterprise and again ran off to his restaurant. Upon reaching his co-workers asked
"Re kya hua ? Itna hap kyu raha h ?"
"Re.. Wo.. Daur k aya.. Na... Isliye... Wo kuch nhi h... Chalo kam krte h..."
Everyone got busy in their works including Reyansh.
After finishing his work there , he again ran off according to the schedule , making turns between the Ryankoi company and Ryankoi restaurant.
Almost out of energy , for the first time during the evening hours , Reyansh completed all his works outside and left for his own eatery.
Ankit's Side :
Ankit had arrived at Reyansh's eatery in the hope to find him but instead faced an annoyed crowd who were impatiently waiting for Reyansh to open up. Ankit went in the kitchen and opened the shutter. The crowd at once gathered around the counter
"Reyansh kaha h ?"
"Ha... Ha... Mujhe hostel wapis jana h... Pls bulao na use..."
"Ha.. Ha... Bulao na Ankit..."
"Aap log pls shant ho jaiye... Rey ata hi hoga..." Ankit tried to calm the crowd.
"Kaha rhe gya ye !? Meine bola tha bhohot hectic ho jayega... Meri bat sune tab na..." He thought. "Ha.. Ha... Zara sabar kariye.. Wo... Wo.. Bas aagya h..."
Reyansh's Side :
Reyansh started running from the main road and after a little sprint , his eatery came into sight along with Ankit trying to pacify the customers.
"Oiiii !" He shouted and ran into the kitchen.
"Kaha mar gya tha !?" Ankit showered.
"Bad m.. Bad m... Abhi order le.."
"One Aloo Paratha... One plate Fired Rice and one veg manchurian..." One girl ordered. "Aur pls zara jaldi karna..."
"Aaj hi sabko itne bare bare order kyu krne h !?" Reyansh muttered slowly in a tired tone which Ankit heard
"Kya ?" He asked
"Nhi kuch nhi..." Reyansh denied quickly and continued his cooking.
"Reyansh ek plate samosa..."
"One plate veg chowmein..."
"One extra large burger and soda pls..."
"One plate chole kulche..."
"Reyansh two plates vada pav... Aur thori jaldi pls..."
The orders kept flooding in. Usually Reyansh would be quite happy but today he didn't have the energy to go about...
After completing a set of orders , he put on some momos in the steamers and finally sat on a chair nearby. Taking a deep sigh he said
"Paani..."
Ankit quickly handed him a bottle of water.
"Kaha tha na meine... Kaha tha... Bohot hectic ho jayega..."
Reyansh just kept quiet.
"Dekh... Aaj tujhe bara order ane par thori dikkat hui banane k liye... Mein..."
"Haa... To aur mein kya krta !? Tu bta... Swati k college fees aur ghar k kharche bas eatery se nhi aarhe the..." Reyansh spoke looking towards the ground. Ankit put a hand on Reyansh's shoulder.
"Wo sab chor... Kuch khaya h pure din mein !?"
Reyansh's absolute silence and avoidance of eye - contact confirmed the answer to be no...
"Mein kuch khareed kr le ata hu... Ruk jaa...
"Nhi... Ruk..." Before Reyansh could stop , Ankit was gone and so he returned to the counter to tend to the customers.
"Reyansh do plate dosa please..."
"Yes of course..." Reyansh put on his usual smile and returned to his cooking.
Priyanka's Side :
Priyanka was roaming in the dining hall happily , since her sinister plan was finally successful. While walking past the kitchen she heard three cooks talking among themselves.
"Haa... Aur kya batau... Mujhe to lagta h mere haat ab nikal ayenge..."
"Aur nhi to kya... Pehle to pura din us bhari ladle ko ghumate raho.. Upar se itni garmi..."
"Ye to acchi baat h ki hume thora sa rest milta h... Warna humara kya hota bhagwan hi jane..."
"Sach mein... Mujhe un chefs k bare soch k hi dar lagta h jo pure din bina rest kiya khana banate h..."
The first image that appeared before Priyanka after hearing all this conversation , was the smiling face of Reyansh which was glowing so bright that it could cover all the problems and worries behind it. A sudden wave of guilt hit her hard on the heart and made her re-think of her decision which she had just taken to trouble someone and get some fun out of it...
Many questions arised in her mind , answers to which were blurry but only common thing that connected everything together , was Reyansh and her guilt.
Reyansh's Side :
Finally after wrapping everything up , Reyansh started towards his home , without the energy to wait at the eatery for Ankit to return or the energy to keep walking straight.
His arms had gone numb with pain and he could barely keep his eyes open. He held onto his bag tightly and slowly walked towards his home.
Finally he reached but couldn't keep up his legs... He took the support of the nearby wall and somehow made a grip of himself. Massaging his head , which was nearly killing him , he was about to go in when Swastika appeared.
"To finally ur back !? Aajka mahan banne ka quota khatam ho gya...?"
"Swati thori der bad baat kre... I don't feel like talking rn..."
Reyansh was about to go to his room when Swastika stopped him again and said sternly
"Ruko... Where do you think you're going... Mujhe tumse baat krni h... Right now..."