Cake War

oh nakhrewaali

@oh_nakhrewaali

#7: Cake War

It was pitch black when the three oldest Sood women and Ram returned home in his car. As Sara and Priya unloaded the unsold goods from the bakery from the trunk, Meera watched Ram gaze at Priya. He had offered to help, but her impossible daughter had refused, leaving him to gaze helplessly at her.

"Ram, stay the night. It's too late anyway, and you can borrow clothes from Akshay," she said in a tone that left no room for argument. Ram was taken aback for a moment and looked at Priya for approval but she gave him a noncommittal shrug. It was up to him to decide now. One stern look from Meera Ma, and the decision was made. He liked the Sood house anyway. It was cozy and full of love and warmth that he missed at his own place.

"Maa, Sara Di, you guys should rest. I will take care of this stuff and will lock up too," Priya said, and they nodded, knowing that Priya wouldn't let them anyway if they offered to stay back.

"I'll help you," Ram offered, and this time, thankfully she accepted. The two women left the couple alone.

"Mr. Kapoor, can you put away the cake in the refrigerator?" She turned to look at her husband, who was gaping at the cake as if it was gold. "A few more seconds, and you’ll be drooling all over it," she chuckled.

"Sorry, but it looks so gorgeous."

"Yes, I think it's safe to say that it's Sara's Di's best creation," she said, eyeing the cake. She couldn't deny the chocolate cake looked delicious. And she was the tiniest bit hungry.

"We should put it away," Priya said after a few seconds. 

"Or, we could taste it," Ram said, his eyes fixed greedily on the cake.

"Mr. Kapoor, your eating habits are a mess and it’s showing. You’ve been working on it, don't give up now!"

"Come on, just a bite," Ram pleaded. "You know you want to!" 

He looked in her eyes, and she sighed. She grabbed two spoons from the counter and handed him one. They took generous bites of the cake.

"Oh my God!"

"This is so good!" They chorused together and looked at each other with the sudden realization that they had agreed to just a taste, and had to put the cake away now.

"We have already taken a bite of the cake. Putting it away now will mean it could spoil and we would have to throw it away. it would be such a shame to waste such a good cake." Ram said in an eager tone.   

"But we cannot eat the whole thing! It's late. Besides it's chocolate cake, with rich chocolate filling and chocolate chips that melt in the mouth and then, when the kiwi taste hits you it’s tart and sweet and smooth all at once."

"Are you really trying to convince me to put the cake away? Seems more like you’re encouraging me to eat the whole thing!" Ram grinned, pleasantly surprised by his wife’s obsession with the cake.

"I… I am going to take this cake to my room, and you can wait here and figure it out!" 

Priya picked the cake and ran into her room, while Ram just stood rooted to the spot for a moment, uncertain of what had just happened. Had his wife stolen that decadent cake right from under his very nose? Well, he was having none of it!  

Just as Priya had settled on the bed and was taking a generous helping of the cake and enjoying the sensation of the rich chocolate melting in her mouth, Ram entered the room with a spoon raised in the air as if he was brandishing a sword.

"You have declared this war, and I am here to end it," he said, wiggling his eyebrows, giving her a fake sinister look and almost jumped on the bed. With a crash, he landed next to Priya.

"Are you crazy? Everyone will wake up!" she glared at him.

"You cannot eat this cake alone. You don't have the stomach for it!" Ram said in a challenging tone.

"Watch me!" she snapped back and pulled the cake closer to her.

Ram tried to grab a bite with his spoon with Priya childishly moving the cake away each time he got close to it. 

"Ohh come on!" Ram cried in frustration.

Priya threw daggers at him and began taking such huge helpings of the cake in haste that it looked like she was inhaling it. 

He gaped at her, half in dismay and half in annoyance, realizing quickly that she had almost eaten a quarter of it, and it would all be gone if he didn’t show some spunk and counter-attack.

He cleverly maneuvered his hand beneath hers and scooped up a spoonful even as she childishly turned her back to him hugging the cake to her as if it were a precious baby. He wasn’t giving up though. Just as Priya was thinking she’d won, she felt a light prodding under her arm. She jerked her hand and then let out a bout of helpless laughter, sputtering, her mouth still full of cake. The cad was tickling her! How could she survive in the face of such a wicked, underhanded attack? The cake was slipping away from her! She could only watch helplessly, clutching her tummy, tears rolling down her face as he attacked the cake with renewed vigor, a look of fiendish triumph lining his face. Then she shook herself, the goal of their contest too irresistible to stay down for too long. They dove into the cake like crazed animals, not caring that their faces were streaked with the icing and the fact that they would put even a 5-year old to shame with their uncivilized behaviour.

After a few minutes, the two stared at the one last bite that sat on the tray.

"I am full," Priya sighed.

"Ok," he shrugged nonchalantly and grabbed the last spoonful, but before he could bring it to his mouth, she pounced on him. He held his spoon high up in the air as she tried to reach it. They tussled for a while, until eventually she stood up on the bed, not caring how undignified it may seem and closed her mouth around his spoon, finishing off the last piece. Aha! She had won! He looked at her in horror, and she flashed him a triumphant grin, not in the least bit remorseful. Dignity and good sportsmanship had been abandoned long ago in this war anyway!

"You should be named as the devil's personal minion," he said with a woeful look at the spoon he still held, but that was now licked clean of any cake.

"Yes, I should be his personal assistant. I’m happy to be if the job allows me perks like this cake!" She winked at him.

Ram couldn't stop a smile from forming on his lips. Even if he had lost the cake war. He could not believe the last half hour. He had never seen Priya act so childish and so carefree, with a complete lack of propriety. But Ram knew why she had always had to be the adult, so that she could protect her family. 

He was also aware that her family were the only people who got to witness this rare, goofy side of Priya. Then a sudden thought struck him. She had been goofy and carefree with him! Did that mean she considered him safe enough to be family? His smile widened as he watched her wipe the remnants of cake from her mouth. Yes, perhaps she was melting towards him just the way that cake had melted in her mouth.