Chapter 32: A Friendship Served on a Plate

On a Saturday,

At a multi- cuisine café:

(The café buzzed with soft chatter and the gentle strumming of a live band in the corner.

Vikram, Naina, Kiaan, Kiara, Kabir, Tanvi, and Gaurav had arrived early and were seated at a cozy corner table, chatting softly as they browsed the menu, while waiting for Purab and his family to arrive.)

(Kiaan leaned back in his chair, tapping the menu against the table.)

Kiaan: apna Pizza toh fix hai, but sab ke  order se bhi thoda taste karunga, main!!!

Kiara: (smirks) Tumhaare 'taste karna' ka matlab hota hai poora kha jaana!!!

Kabir: (chuckles) haan didi.... Last time, mera aadha burger khaa gaye thay, bhaiya!!!

(The playful argument made Naina smile as she glanced at the door.

Naina: Pogo aur uski family bas aati hi hongi.... Tab tak hum drinks order kar lete hain. what say? Anyone up for coffee?

Tanvi: (nods her head) ek cold coffee toh order kar hi sakte hain!!!!

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Then,

(Just as the waiter arrived to take their drink orders, the door swung open, and Purab walked in with Bhoomika, little Prakhar clinging to his hand.

Purab spotted their table instantly and waved, his usual broad smile lighting up his face.)

Purab: (exclaims) waah!! Arrey, everyone is settled already!!!

Vikram: Hey Purab.... Perfect timing!!! We were just ordering the drinks... aao.... Baitho!!

(Purab and Bhoomika approached the group with an apologetic smile.)

Bhoomika: Hello.... (she turns towards Tanvi and Gaurav) Namaste didi, Namaste Jijaji... sorry... thoda late ho gaya.... Kabhi- kabhi Prakhar ko handle karna bahut mushkil ho jaata hai!!!

Tanvi: (waves it off with a smile) arrey koi nahi.... hamaare bhi bacche hain... we understand!!!

(Bhoomika settled beside Naina, holding Prakhar in her lap. While Purab walked over towards Gaurav and nudged him politely.)

Purab: kaise ho aap dono? How's Bangalore?

Gaurav: sab badhiya hai, boss!!! Tum sunaao. Kaisi chal rahi hai life?

Purab: (smiles) Life theek hai, jijaji, but mujhe ek zaroori baat karni thi.... I wanted to tell you something since a long time.

(Tanvi and Gaurav exchanged glances before focusing on him.)

Purab: (exhales deeply) main aap dono se, maafi maangna chahata hoon.... uss din, Courtroom mein jo hua tha... Maine jiss tone mein aapse baat ki thi.... I want to apologize for that!!!! I was quite rude that day!!!

(Tanvi's her expression softens, though she looked momentarily surprised)

Tanvi:  Purab, woh situation hi aisi thi.... please don't worry,  Tumhaare emotions justified thay!!! Hame kisi bhi baat ka bura nahi laga!!!!

Purab: (looks relieved but still earnest) thank you didi.... Aap dono mujh se bade ho.... and I respect you both. Main nahi chahata ki hamaare beech koi bhi tanaav ya koi bhi awkwardness rahe.

Gaurav: (smiling) Purab... tumhara, hum se apologize karna hi dikhaata hai, ki tumhaare mann kitna saaf aur accha hai.... and waise bhi.... Tum bhi Naina ke bhai ho, aur main bhi. Us din courtroom mein hum dono ek hi cheez ke liye lad rahe thay, aur woh thi—Naina ki khushi!!!

(Purab gave a small smile, the tension between them finally easing.)

Gaurav: (leans back in his chair, his tone light yet warm) aaj yahaan we are just here to enjoy a lovely meal and celebrate Vikram and Naina getting back together. Puraani baaton ko bhool jaate hain. theek hai?

Purab: (nods, his smile widens) haan jijaji!!!!

Gaurav: (gestures to the empty seat) chalo aao... baitho!!! Order karte hain. Bahut bhookh lag rahi hai!!!!

(Purab chuckled and pulled out the chair across from Naina, settling into it comfortably.)

(As he adjusted his seat, Naina glanced at him with a warm smile.)

Naina: oye Pogo.... Tum teeno toh aa gaye.... (looks curious) Baaki ki paltan kahaan hai??

Purab: (chuckles lightly) Prem Bhaisaab ki ek important meeting achanak aa gayi, aur aaj papa ki tabiyat thodi kharaab ho gayi thi, isiliye bhabhi ko ghar pe rukna pada.

Naina: oh.... Kya ho gaya, uncle ko?

Purab: nothing major... just cold and cough.

Kiaan: Paarth bhai kyun nahi aaye? Unke bhi toh vacations chal rahe honge, right??

Purab: haan woh—

(Before Purab could complete his answer, Kiara, who was sitting beside Kiaan, instinctively replied without realizing.)

Kiara: Paarth, road trip par gaye hain. apne biker gang ke saath. He has gone to Rishikesh... abhi do- teen din mein waapas aajayenge.

(There was a beat of silence as the words hung in the air.

Everyone's attention shifted to Kiara, who blinked, realizing too late what she had just said.

A faint flush crept up her cheeks as she avoided making eye contact with anyone.

Purab's lips twitched into a knowing smile as he glanced at Kiara and then at Naina, who raised her eyebrows in amusement.

Naina leaned back in her chair, a teasing smile playing on her lips.)

Naina: (teasing her) Accha, toh tumhe kaafi detail mein pata hai uska schedule?? Paarth, Kab gaya, kis ke saath gaya, kahaan gaya.

(Kiara quickly recovered, grabbing her glass of water to mask her embarrassment.)

Kiara: (trying to sound casual) Woh... woh toh Paarth ne pehle hi bataya tha mujhe. You know, just casually mention kiya tha.

Purab: (unable to suppress his grin, chimes) Chalo... thanks to Kiara, mujhe pata toh chala ki Paarth gaya kidhar hai!!!!

Bhoomika: (smiling) Bas... bas, bechaari ko mat tang karo.... Paarth ke updates lena bhi, ek responsible partner hone ki nishaani hai.

(The table erupted in laughter as Kiara rolled her eyes, though a shy smile lingered on her face.)

(The conversation shifted to food, but the playful smiles around the table hinted that the topic of Paarth wasn't entirely forgotten.)

(Soon, Everyone started flipping through them, deciding what to eat.)

Purab: (going through the menu) aaj mera naa, Schezwan fried rice khaane ka mood ho raha hai!!! lekin ek poori plate nahi khaa paaunga. Bhoomika, tum share karogi?

Bhoomika: (wrinkles her nose) No, baba. Too spicy for me! Main toh apne liye Alfredo pasta mangwa rahi hoon.... main aur Prakhar wohi khaa lenge.

(Purab's face fell dramatically, drawing laughter from the group. Naina, noticing his expression and smiled.)

Naina: Koi nahi, Purab. Main share kar loongi. Tu order kar le.... Mujhe bhi Schezwan rice khaake bahut time ho gaya!!!

Purab: (face lights up) pakka??? chal theek hai.... let's order that.

Gaurav: (chimes in, looking at Tanvi) Main aur Tanvi bhi share karenge. Red chicken Thai curry with steamed rice sounds good. Right?

Tanvi: (nods her head) Perfect!!

(Kiaan, Kiara, and Kabir had already made up their minds.)

Kiaan: Hamara toh pehle se hi decided tha... one large chicken overloaded, cheese burst pizza.

Kabir: with extra cheese!!!!

Tanvi: (eying him) kitna cheese khaaoge beta???

Kabir: please mumma!!!!

Vikram: Tanvi.... Aaj bacchon ko khaana hai, khaane do!!!! (smiling) and I am going to take the classic, Grilled chicken steak with mashed potatoes!!!!

(Once everyone had placed their orders, the waiter collected the menus and left, leaving the table alive with conversations.)

Purab: (leaning forward) Vikram, ek baat puchni thi, aap se. Do you know any good neurosurgeon in Mumbai?

Vikram: Haan, ek hai. Dr. Shraddha Mathur. Meri junior thi AIIMS mein. Jab main MD kar raha tha, woh tab MBBS first year mein thi. (smiles nostalgically) Abhi suna hai, she’s the best neurosurgeon in the whole of India.

Purab: (impressed) Seriously? That’s amazing.

Vikram: Waise woh yahaan, Delhi mein bhi aati hai special cases ke liye. Tumhe kis liye chahiye?

Purab: Mujhe nahi..... Aryan ke kisi family member ko consult karna hai. Kuch complications hain.

Vikram: (nodding confidently) Don’t worry. Main uss se baat kar leta hoon. Toh Aryan, direct consultation ke liye jaa sakta hai.

Purab: (pausing, then frowning slightly) 'Shraddha Mathur'… ye naam suna hua lagta hai. (realizes) Ek minute. Wasn’t there someone by this name jo Buddh International Circuit pe practice karti thi? Motorcycles race ke liye? She was pretty good, right? Ek baar national championship bhi jeeti thi.... and then even she vanished

Vikram: (chuckling) Bilkul sahi pakde! Woh wahi Shraddha Mathur hai. She was crazy about motorcycles. Uske poore batchmates jealous hote thay, kyunki, sirf  uske paas hi superbike thi... she was passionate about riding... but I guess she was more passionate about her medical career.

Naina: (smiling in disbelief) Wow, a doctor who rides a superbike. Who would've thought of that!

Purab: (grinning) Yeh toh next level hai. Pehle doctor, phir superbike racer, aur ab best neurosurgeon in India. Hats off to her.

Vikram: (smiling proudly) She’s a rare combination, no doubt. Tum toh bas Aryan se pooch kar mujhe bataa do. main Shraddha se baat kar ke appointment fix kar dunga.

Purab: Haan. I'll let you know!!!

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soon,

(The food arrived, and the aroma filled the air, making everyone's stomach growl.

Plates were passed around, and the group began digging in.

Tanvi, mindful of her husband's portion, offered the Thai curry to Gaurav.)

Tanvi: Gaurav ji, yeh le lijiye.

Gaurav: (shakes his head with a polite smile) nahi, tum le lo jitna lena hai. Main baad mein le loonga.

(Tanvi served herself cautiously, while the others chuckled at Gaurav's chivalry.

Then came the highlight of the meal—Purab and Naina's shared Schezwan fried rice.

The waiter placed the plate in the center of the table and walked away.)

Purab: tu serve kar rahi hai? ya main karun?

Naina: Tu hi kar de.... For old times' sake.

(Purab smiled and leaned forward with a determined look.

He picked up a spoon like an artist ready to create his masterpiece. He tilted his head, inspecting the rice as if gauging the exact middle point.

Slowly, with careful precision, he placed the spoon at the top of the pile and began dragging it straight down, splitting the rice into two nearly symmetrical halves.)

Gaurav: (chuckles) Purab, yeh kya karne ki koshish ho rahi hai??

Purab: talent hai mera, Jijaji!!!! har koi nahi samajh sakta.

(Purab laughs and paused midway, leaning slightly closer to ensure his line was straight, then continued the division, his movements meticulous and deliberate. Satisfied with the boundary he'd created.)

Vikram: (laughs) wow yaar!!!! Purab, tumhe toh surgeon bannna chahiye tha!!! what precision you have!!!

Bhoomika: yeh toh aise kar rahe hain.... jaise koi India-Pakistan border ki line kheench rahe ho.

(Purab chuckles at the comment and then gently scooped up the southern portion.

With great care, he transferred it to his own plate, ensuring not a single grain strayed into Naina's half.

Once his portion was secure, he patted it down lightly with the back of the spoon, evening out the mound into a neat heap.

Next, he pushed the remaining half toward Naina with precise movements.

His face bore an expression of accomplishment, as though he had just completed an intricate task of monumental importance.)

Naina: thank you, Boss!!!! Perfectly divided. Na zyada, na kam

(The table erupted in laughter as Purab and Naina dug into their, equally divided fried rice.)

Gaurav: (wiping away tears of laughter) aisa khaane ka division toh, bas apne best friend ya sibling ke saath kar sakte hain. Partner ke saath toh kar hi nahi sakte

Naina: (chuckles and nods her head) Bilkul. Partner ke saath toh yeh kehna padta hai, 'tum jitna lena hai le lo, main baad mein le loonga.

(Tanvi laughed looking at Gaurav)

Gaurav: Haan, woh bhi is assurance ke saath ki baad mein kuch bachega bhi ya nahi!!!!

(The table erupted into laughter again, with Gaurav nudging Tanvi playfully. Amidst the jokes and shared bites, the group relished not just the food but the warmth of being together, the camaraderie as comforting as the dishes they were sharing.)

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Author’s Note 🎉🍕🍹

Hey everyone! Hope you all are doing amazing! 🌟

This chapter was full of fun, laughter, and food—because let’s be honest, what’s better than good company and great food? 🍕🍜

But amidst all the teasing and jokes, one moment truly stood out—Purab’s heartfelt apology to Gaurav.

It takes a big heart to accept when you're wrong and an even bigger one to forgive, and Gaurav did just that. 💙

Their bond is proof that relationships are built on understanding, not just words.

And speaking of special moments—how could we not talk about THE FRIED RICE DIVISION?! 🍚😂 I swear, the precision with which Purab divided that Schezwan rice, it felt like he was drawing international borders! ✍️😆

Vikram was right—he should’ve been a surgeon!

🥤🍫 Do you guys have siblings? If yes, HOW did you divide food growing up?

Because I know what I used to do! If I was pouring a soft drink for me and my sister, I would check it at eye level to make sure there was NO parallax error!!! 😂😂 No way was I letting her get even a single drop more than me!!!

Tell me your food division stories in the comments! Can’t wait to hear them! ❤️🔥

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Sharp-eyed readers might have noticed the mention of Dr. Shraddha Mathur. 🔍 She’s not just a passing character—there’s a whole new story waiting for her.

Stay tuned for more! 😉📖

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