Armaan sat in the living room with a book in his lap but his complete attention was towards the scene in the kitchen while the book lay forgotten. Sitting comfortably on the couch he had a clear view of the on goings in the kitchen and watched quietly as Rahul wrestled with the pots and pans and kept on lighting the stove again and again which seemed to hold a personal grudge against the poor boy and got extinguished as soon as Rahul diverted his attention elsewhere.
Things had finally calmed down in his life, he and Riddhima had solved their misunderstanding and were back together again. The horrid nightmare was finally over. All was good in the world till he had come back and found out Rahul's sudden desire to cook a dinner for Muskaan. He had no idea how Rahul had gotten himself into such a fix, all he knew was that Rahul had the capability of burning the house down if he entered the kitchen.
No, it was not because he was a man, after all were'nt the greatest chefs in the world men??? No it was because he was Rahul. As simple as that. He had no culinary skill whatsoever and the only time he entered the kitchen was to drink water or make coffee. That was it! Coffee was the only thing that Rahul could make in the kitchen and even then he used the microwave to heat up things, never going anywhere near the stove since the age of ten. He had been forbidden by his mother to touch the stove at the tender age of ten when he had tried to make Maggi noodles and instead had used up all the gas and disfigured the metal cutlery. Thankfully he had run out of the kitchen when he realized the danger and had not gotten burned.
Well Armaan was also not a master in the kitchen, instead he could give Rahul a run for his money in cooking or more appropraitely burning stuff, but atleast he was not foolish enough to promise a home cooked meal to his lovely girlfriend.
"Dude, you can't cook" Armaan finally broke his silence after watching Rahul's attempt for more than half in hour.
"Wow! Thanks for the news bulletin Armaan" Rahul muttered sarcastically as he tried to read the instructions in the cookbook and boil milk at the same time.
"Fenugreek kya hota hai???" Rahul wondered reading the book intently not noticing the milk spilling out of the pan and onto the floor.
"Oye Rahul!!!" Armaan shouted noticing the milk on the floor. He must not know a lot of cooking but even he knew this much that the milk was not supposed to do that.
"Kya hai be??? Help to kar nahi sakta, atleast pareshan to mat kar" Rahul shouted angrily looking up from the book at Armaan. Instead of answering Rahul with a comeback Armaan ran into the kitchen and started twisting all the knobs and dials on the stove. Rahul finally noticing the milk disaster gave a loud shriek and removed the milk pan from the stove as Armaan tried to switch off the stove fire. Finally Armaan came upon the right dial and twisted it to turn off the stove.
Both boys breathed a sigh of relief and turned their attention to the mess which was formely called as the kitchen. Utensils lay on top of each other hapharzdly threatening to fall down. Packets lay open on the counter, their contents spilling out. And the floor was an array of colours with white, red and yellow mixed together. It was amazing what a single man could do in only half an hour in unchartered territory.
"Kaka tera murder karne wale hai when he sees what you have done to his precious kitchen" Armaan said looking at Rahul with disapproving eyes.
"Well Mr. Know it all, tu wahan baitha baitha sirf comment pass kar raha tha, andar aake meri madad nahi kar sakta tha" Rahul shouted.
"Are you crazy??? Agar main aur tu, dono kitchen main hote na to shayad fire brigade ko bulana parta. What is wrong with you Rahul??? Maine pehle hi kaha tha, ki yeh faltu dinner ka idea bhul jaa, aur Muskaan ko pata wata ke baahar le jaa, par nahi, meri sunta kab hai" Armaan reminded him sternly.
"Lekin Muskaan bahaar nahi jaana chahti thi" Rahul whined.
"To phir ek hafta wait kar leta, Parsuram kaka aate, acha sa khaana banaate, aur tujhe aur Muskaan ko khila dete. Why the hell did you have to propose to make the food, you idiot" Armaan said angrily.
"Ab galti ho gayi na, forget it aur yeh soch ki ab main kya karu" Rahul said biting his nails.
"Make other plans, go for a movie or something coz there is no way you can make dinner" Armaan advised.
"But I promised her, woh gussa ho jayegi".
"Uska gussa bardasht karne ke liye, tera zinda hona zaroori hai, aur agar tune phir se khaana banane ki koshish ki to hum dono marr jayenge".
"But Armaan..........." Rahul insisted.
"No Rahul, no more cooking".
"Armaan cmon, I promised Muski home cooked food".
"Then order Take Away or something" Armaan sugguested.
"NO!!! I promised her home cooked food and she is gonna get home cooked food, thats it" Rahul said stubbornly.
"FINE!!! But you are not gonna cook, I am calling for help" Armaan gave up and taking out his cellphone send a message. After waiting for a few minutes the cell beeped and reading the reply Armaan smiled, satisfied.
"Who are you...........".
"You will see" Armaan said smugly as he walked back to the living room and sat down on the couch, returning to his book. Rahul followed Armaan and sat down himself hoping that whatever Armaan had planned works. Half an hour later the bell rang making Armaan look up from his book and bringing Rahul back from his reverie. Before Armaan could even move Rahul sprang up from the couch and bounded towards the door to see who it was. On opening the door Rahul came face to face with a smiling Riddhima and his jaw hung open.
"You called Riddhima???" Rahul shouted unbelievingly at Armaan who had materialized at his side.
"And a hello to you too Rahul" Riddhima spoke.
Ignoring Riddhima Rahul shouted at Armaan,"Why the hell did you call Riddhima???".
Armaan frowned at Rahul who instead of thanking him seemed to accuse him,"What do you mean why did I call Riddhima???".
"She is Muskaan's best friend" Rahul informed Armaan stupidly.
"So???" Armaan said confused at Rahul's reaction.
"So, I mean she is Muskaan's best friend" Rahul repeated slowly.
"What has that got to do with anything???".
Riddhima watched the ping pong match between Armaan and Rahul and wondered when they would realize that she was standing outside in the heat. Geez talk about respect for women.
I know, look at the two talking about us as if we are not standing before them. Men!!! I tell you chivalry is long dead in this world. I blame the stupid women's lib for this. Ooof!!! Armaan better not have called me to listen to this verbal duel between him and Rahul. Stop talking to me and try and get their attention, its bloody hot here and they would go on forever if not stopped. I know *sigh*. Hey, idea, poke them. Nice one!!! But whom should I poke??? Armaan or Rahul??? Both of them, just get their attention before I melt. Ok drama queen, sheesh can't even stand a little heat.
Armaan and Rahul were still arguing with each other when Riddhima poked both of them on their sides making them yelp loudly and rub their sides while looking at her accusingly.
"What??? You guys were not paying any attention to me, I had to do something" Riddhima defended herself.
"Sorry, cmon in" Armaan muttered still rubbing the spot. Riddhima finally walked in while Armaan glared at Rahul to shut him up. She went towards the couch when she peeked a look at the kitchen and came to a stop horrified at the mess.
"Wow, you were not joking, this is an emergency" Riddhima exclaimed looking at Armaan.
"What do you mean I was not joking??? Why would I tell you there is an emergency unless there was one, why would I lie to you???" Armaan asked perturbed that she did not trust him.
"Well can you blame me, the last time you messaged with an emergency it was because you had a sudden craving for pani puri at 9 in the night" Riddhima replied seriously. Armaan looked a bit sheepish while Rahul giggled softly.
"It was an emergency, I wanted to spend some time with you" Armaan mumbled childishly. Riddhima cocked an eyebrow at him and shook her head at his antics.
"Soooo, tum dono ne mujhe yahan apna ganda kitchen aur jhagda dekhne bulaya hai, ya seriously tumhe koi madad chahiye???" Riddhima asked.
Before Armaan could speak, Rahul butt in,"Ek hi shart par, you have to promise that you won't tell Muskaan any of this, deal???".
"Excuse me???" Riddhima asked incredously looking at Armaan and Rahul.
"No Riddhima, we won't tell you anything til.............." Armaan covered Rahul's mouth to stop him from speaking and continued himself,"Well you see basket, the problem is, the great Mr. Rahul Garewal has promised Muskaan that he would cook a nice romantic dinner for her".
"Awww, thats so sweet" Riddhima gushed.
"Oh yeah, very sweet" Armaan said with fake excitment, his hand still clamped over Rahul's mouth,"There is only one hitch in the plan, the said Rahooool can't cook".
"Oh!!!...............so that explains the mess in the kitchen".
"Exactly" Armaan finished truimphantly.
"Aur tumne mujhe yahan Rahul aur Muskaan ke liye khaana banane ke liye bulaya hai???" Riddhima asked.
"Yes" Armaan beamed happliy at his plan.
"But you can't tell Muskaan" Rahul shouted finally managing to wrestle himself out of Armaan's reach.
Riddhima stared at the boys for a full minute to make sure they were not lying or joking with her, but she realized that they were quite serious about this whole thing. "I can't believe you two, you are trying to decieve your girlfriend and then calling me over to help the both of you, are you crazy??? How could you do this??? This is my best friend we are talking about. Do her feelings mean nothing to you??? How could you be so insensitive and lie to her Rahul??? You should be ashamed of yourself" and on and on she went accusing both of them.
Armaan and Rahul stared at Riddhima ranting at them and blaming them as if they had committed a heinous crime. Seriously, why were girls so touchy about emotions and stuff???
"RIDDHIMA" Armaan shouted loudly to get her attention, Riddhima stopped in mid rant and looked at him,"What???".
"Cmon yaar, Rahul was just trying to do something special for Muskaan, and its not like he did not try, look at the kitchen, that is proof of his battle" Armaan said trying to gain sympathy.
"Yaa, I really did, and I will tell her eventually, you know, maybe in a year or two" Rahul added.
"But guys.........." Riddhima sighed.
"Please Riddhima" Rahul begged.
"Please please please basket" Armaan begged.
Riddhima fought mentally with herself but looking at the boys pleading faces gave up,"Ok, I will help you, happy???".
"Yayyyy!!!!!!!" Armaan and Rahul cried happily and hi fived each other.
"So what menu did you plan for this dinner Mister???" Riddhima asked Rahul.
"Chole Bathure" Rahul answered immediately.
Riddhima nodded absently, she should have guessed, the food would be of Muskaan's choice. "Teekh hai, woh to easy hai, chole kahan hai" she asked walking carefully into the kitchen.
Armaan and Rahul followed her to the kitchen and pointed to a bag of chickpeas on the counter. Riddhima's gaze landed on the pointed bag and then she asked again,"No guys, main bhige chole ki baat kar rahi hoon" seeing their confused expressions she asked again,"Soaked chickpeas??? You have to soak the chickpeas for atleast 6 hours before you can prepare them". Still meeting their confused faces she realized that they had no idea of what she was talking about.
"Rahul, did'nt you read the recipe properly, it tells you to soak them" Riddhima said exasperated.
"I did read the recipe, I followed each and every word in that book" Rahul defended himself and pointed to the book which still lay open on the counter. Riddhima picked up the book curiously but she soon turned livid when she saw the page the book was open in. "This is the recipe for making kheer, the recipe for making chole is.........." she cried shuffling the pages,"on Page 20, 15 pages behind".
"Rahul smiled sheepishly and shuffled his feet awkwardly,"The pages might have turned when I was not looking" he mumbled in a quiet voice.
"Rahul, use your brains, the recipe for kheer and chole are entirely different, why the hell would you need milk for chole bathure" Riddhima reprimanded.
"I don't know, I have only eaten it, never made it" Rahul said shrugging his shoulders.
"And you Armaan??? Even you did not realize this when he was making it" Riddhima asked turning to him.
"How would I know what goes into what???" Armaan said clearly surprised at Rahul's mistake.
"God you both are impossible!!! You can't even follow a simple recipe. How the hell have you both been managing this last week???".
"Take Aways" was the prompt answer from both the boys.
"You have been surviving on Take Aways???" Riddhima asked bewildered.
"Yes, Kaka handed us a long list of restaurants to order from when he went away" Armaan added happily.
"No wonder he did" Riddhima mumbled to herself,"Ok guys we only have three hours to make a nice sumptous meal, so I need both of you to help me, now first we are gonna clean this kitchen, and then I am gonna see what we have and what we can make" she ordered authoratively.
So the three of them started cleaning with the boys getting instructions from Riddhima who made sure that she gave them tasks which they could handle and even sometimes overseeing them. After the kitchen was clean, Riddhima checked the ingredients in the kitchen and decided on a simple but tasty paneer dish and naan. For dessert she decided on Vanilla ice cream with home made chocolate sauce. She sent Armaan to pick up certain groceries that were not in the house and tried teaching Rahul to make the dough for the naan. After he had made a mess by putting in too much water she insisted on making him stand aside and watch her as she prepared the food, although she did let him stir the chocolate sauce in the pan and even garnish the paneer dish. Even Armaan got to showcase his culinary skills by cutting the paneer in weird shapes, but seeing the excited look on his face at his accomplishment, Riddhima did not have the heart to correct him and instead agreed heartedly that he had cut them like a pro.
After two and a half hour of hard work the three chefs finally sat down tired on the sofa, exhausted but happy with their accomplishment. The dinner was cooked, the kitchen clean and the table set. There was only half an hour left for Muskaan to arrive.
"Thanks guys, I could never have done it without the two of you" Rahul said gratefully to Armaan and Riddhima. Before Riddhima could respond with a kind comment, Armaan spoke gloatingly,"We know that, you dork. After all we are the best".
"Armaaan......" Riddhima reprimanded him softly,"Its ok Rahul".
"So, tum dono ko yahan se nikalne ke liye mujhe kya karna parega???" Rahul asked perking up suddenly. Armaan and Riddhima looked at him as if he was mad,"Kya???".
"Oh cmon yaar, main aur Muskaan yahan par akele time spend karna chahte hain, you know alone" Rahul said.
"Aisaanfaramosh" Armaan shouted,"Dekha Riddhima, kaam khatam to bhaga diya".
"Well main to waise bhi ghar jaane waali thi, bye guys, all the best Rahul, have fun" Riddhima said getting up.
"Noooo, you can't go, agar tum chali jaogi to phir main iss langur ko kabhi nahi bhaga paunga" Rahul cried desperately, stopping Riddhima,"Please, isse bhi apne saath leke jao, please Riddhima, last favour for today, promise".
"Oye, yeh mera bhi ghar hai, main kahin nahi jaa raha" Armaan said getting comfortable on the couch. Rahul send a pleading look towards Riddhima who caved in again. Man, Rahul could be really persuasive sometimes, she thought as she shook Armaan.
"Cmon Armaan uski date mat kharaab karo, lets go out, just the two of us" Riddhima suggested.
"Darling, agar tumhe date pe jaana tha, to you just had to ask" Armaan said getting up immediately and dragging Riddhima outside. Riddhima laughed at him and wishing Rahul all the best went away.
Rahul heaved a sigh of relief and then went to his room to get dressed. After a quick bath he came out to check everything for the last time when the bell rang. Humming softly to himself he opened the door to see Muskaan smiling brightly at him. He welcomed her inside after kissing her on the cheek and led her to the sofa.
"Armaan kahan hai" Muskaan asked as she sat down.
"Uss kabab ki haddi ko maine bhaga diya, cool na" Rahul informed.
"Rahul, tum pagal ho".
"I know, jis din maine tumhe pasand kiya tha, main ussi waqt samajh gaya tha, but kya kare tab tak haalat bahut kharaab ho gayi thi" Rahul sighed sadly.
"Rahul ke bache, main tera murder kar doongi" Muskaan shouted angrily lunging at his throat.
"Cough..........log kehte h.........cough......hai ki khali pet nahi maarna chahiye" Rahul muttered as Muskaan tried to kill off his wind supply. Just then his cell started ringing and Muskaan removed her hands from his throat while Rahul mumbling incohorently switched his cell off.
"Rahul!!! Important call ho sakta hai".
"Not important than you Muski" Rahul said winking at her making Muskaan smile widely.
Meanwhile Armaan and Riddhima drove around the city unsure of where to go. Armaan finally asked after driving for sometime,"So basket, where do you wanna go with a handsome guy like me, huh???".
"Home" Riddhima answered tired to the bone.
"Ok I will drop you" Armaan replied.
"You can also come inside with me Armaan, I have told you this before and I will tell you again, Atul jijs does not bite, trust me".
"Thats not the reason, I just don't wanna".
"Ya right! Its not like you will never meet him, you both will come face to face one day, I just don't understand why both of you keep on delaying meeting each other".
"Riddhima its not, I..........." just then Armaan's cell rang,"One sec".
Armaan:
Hello.
Lady:
Armaan???
Armaan:
Mom??? Hi.
Riddhima's ears perked up when she heard mom, Armaan had never mentioned his parents in all these months and this was the first time she heard him speak to his mother. Feeling curious she listened intently to the one sided conversation.
Mom:
How are you beta, you sound much happy than before.
Armaan:
Ya mom, everything's fine. Don't worry I was just a bit tensed, I am ok now. How are you and dad???
Mom:
I am missing you and Rahul a lot. You both hardly call me these days and now you have started cutting my calls also.
Armaan:
When did I cut your calls??? I always pick them up.
Mom:
I am talking about that Rahul, I just called him and he cut the call.
Armaan:
(teasingly) Oooh Rahoool, well mom, he is on a date, with Muskaan. Hehehe, I think his prioritites have changed, you are not the only woman in his life now.
Riddhima was a bit surprised when she heard Armaan speak to his mom like that. Why would his mom be the only woman in Rahul's life???
Mom:
(dramatically) I should have guessed, this is what happens when your boys grow up. Why would you care for an old woman like me, sigh.
Armaan:
Mom!!!!!!! Not the emotional drama, seriously, I swear it will never work on us.
Mom:
Hahaha but I can still keep on trying, oh wait a second...........acha Armaan I have to go, Dad has some work, talk to you later and tell that Rahul that I am very angry with him.
Armaan:
Gotcha mom, angry with Rahul. Don't worry this I will never forget LOL. Bye, say hi to dad.
Armaan kept the phone down, smiling to himself,"Hehehe Rahul is in trouble, man this day just got better".
"Who were you talking to Armaan?" Riddhima asked curiously.
"Oh! It was Rahul's mother" Armaan answered simply.
Riddhima was a bit taken aback by his answer. She had expected him to say his mother, seeing how he spoke to the lady,"You call Rahul's mother mom???" she managed to ask after sometime.
"Yes..............why???" Armaan asked casually.
Geet - Hui Sabse Parayee
Bade Achche Lagte Hain Naya Season
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