Our First Pasta Date

The delights of our dishes were not only just south Indian Dosa, I had never been so fond of fast foods, until our first pasta date.

It was our usual evening snack time, and it was a little late for us to go for snack break. Most other office colleagues, except Akashdeep, Chetan had already left for the day.

She came to my desk and said, "Aniket, Akashdeep, I am going upstairs to have something, I am super hungry. Anyone of you wants to join?".

"I will have to leave early today for my bike servicing, you guys continue...", Akashdeep said continuing surfing tik-tok videos on his mobile.

"I am coming, what about Chetan? Is he coming?", I replied.

"Chetan is already upstairs, most definitely with her girlfriend", she replied.

"Ohh! They both are together again. I thought they were in the break", I continued as I locked my system, followed her to the canteen.

"What are you ordering? I will take a fruit bowl", I asked

"I want to have something different, let's order pasta, it's a new item on the menu today."

"No I guess, it's not new but they don't prepare pasta that frequently here", I replied.

"Ohh! Maybe I didn't notice anytime, so how's they prepare. Did you like it?", she asked.

"Hmmm...I never tried. Actually, I am not so fond of pasta and fast foods"

"Arre...you definitely try today. I am sure you would love it.."

We sat in our usual place and we talked about our work-related stuff pending from each side while we waited for her order to be served.

"Look at the parrots making love... aren't they look beautiful.", I said pointing the birds through the window.

"Yes, with the drizzling evening rain and the rain scented air, everything feels beautiful.", she replied with a sign of relaxing her body towards the leaning chair backward.

"Don't look at them, they would feel ashamed and would fly away...", she continued as I was looking outside at the sky scarpered view of city buildings and traffics.

"Hahaha...lol, they won't get bothered even if we watch them", I replied.

"Aniket, you know much of making love...seems?", she interrupted.

"Tell me... about your girlfriend. I know you definitely have at least one.", she asked 

"No I don't have...I have a lot of special friends, but certainly none are mine girlfriends".

"What about someone in our office friends? You must be after someone? Is she Hridaya or Vanika?"

"No no...they aren't...", I replied blushing myself.

"Aren't your pasta ready yet", I asked her trying to divert the topic of conversation..

"Bhaiya..apon ka order ready ho toh bulana...", she cried with a high pitch, sitting at her seat and making signs to the chef directly. The chef reckoned back telling still it's not ready.

"So where were we...yeah we were talking about your crushes and girlfriends..."

"Yeah yeah continue...", I looked down thinking that I failed to divert her from the topic.

"And what about Jyostna... your face always glows up whenever you talk to her or we take her name. Your blushing smile tells it all that you have a crush on her."

"See I know you are pulling my legs...there is nothing like that. We are just good friends and yes we share a mutual college friend...bas! ..nothing more of it, that you are thinking."

"It's very difficult to get things out from you, Aniket.."., she said with a descending tone.

"I ...".

She interrupted herself what she was going to talk about as she received her delicious pasta ready on her table with cheese toppings melting on the white sauce and the aroma of the pasta sauce filling our lungs and part of our sitting area.

"It's yummy and delicious..", she exclaimed after taking the first bite of the spoon as if she had been hungry for ages.

"You should definitely try this...wait I will bring another spoon..", she continued as she got up and brought another spoon for me. 

I took two-three spoons, preferably picking the capsicum pieces with the white sauce that she was parting in her spoon bite.

"Yes, it tastes super...", I replied blushing to her thinking that it might feel her better.

"I love it now...thanks to you for exploring myself to this lovely Italian pasta dish and particularly the sauce. I would have always disliked eating pasta and chow mien, but this is the ultimate delicious food that I had after a long time", I continued praising her while she was busy completing her dish.

At that moment, it seemed I wasn't the guy who was at the moment just before. It seemed I was flirting with her or trying to impress her. I never knew why I would do that l never had that feeling for her. I guess neither she thinks me of anything like such for me.

"Should I order one more plate... actually I loved it so much, what if we don't get this item on another evening?", I asked thinking to extend this beautiful moment with her.

"You will be able to complete another plate with me, right?", I continued. Probably it was her company on that evening and her hungry face liking the sauces from every corner of the plate was tastier than the hot pasta and the diminishing dawn itself.

"Yeah yeah...sure, I can go for another, but you have to contribute more this time on finishing the plate", she replied.

"Sure..", I replied and ordered another plate of the same item.

Our order was delivered sooner than expected. Probably it was prepared along with our previous order itself. We grabbed our spoon and jumped to the plate at the same time. I couldn't think I was so close to her. I could smell her faded face cream over the aroma of delicious pasta sauce. I could see her face curves so closely that even the minutes of sweat accumulated over it looked so gorgeous on her. Her black-eyed underneath the cute little spec frame was as lovely as a full moon night with a clear sky.

"Isn't the previous one was slightly better than this one?", she queried breaking my romantic mood with her.

"Yes... slightly different", I replied hurriedly without thinking much, although it tasted the same for me.

"We will have it regularly in the evening, it's tasty and your stomach gets filled too...what do you say?", she continued.

"Yeah sure... unless we aren't bored and find something else..", I replied.

We finished our plate in no time. As we went on our way back to the ODC, she was hopping from one stair to the next one descending downwards. I was watching her and following her on the way back. It seems she was happy this evening, but I didn't ask her and interrupted her game that she enjoys herself. In fact, I know she goes sometimes crazy or weird and it's natural for her, and perhaps it's this nature of her that makes her different from others. Or in another way saying, I am attracted towards her because of such natural characters that she has.

"Acha Aniket...listen I have something important to talk to you. Listen carefully...", she interrupted my philosophy on her happy moods.

"Go on....", I continued as I always believed that she mostly talks of unimportant things...

"See Aniket...never expected any sort of attachment from my side...you are always my one of the closest and priority friends that I have ever met...but don't fall into getting into attachment with me...I don't want to be in a relationship..."

I paused a little, just rolled my eyes, thinking whether it certainly applies for me or does it breaks me...and then I replied in a slow stretching pitch, "Okay...got it clear..."

"Cool...", she replied with an expressionless face...and entered the ODC without turning back to me or looking to anyone else.

She was walking steadily with her head down looking on the floor below. I wanted to look into her at least her face and wanted to know whether she really meant it or not...

As our office work was over, she left first bidding bye to me. I soon completed my work, left the office, and boarded the first BMTC bus that I got. As usual struct in traffic near to the bridge signal, where most of the passengers got down and I took one of the seats by the window since I had to travel way beyond the bridge signal.

Comforting myself at the window seat, relaxing with the drizzling rain, and gazing at the red rear lights of the vehicles along with the chaotic honking traffic, I lost myself in the conversation that we had in the evening. I thought how did it start with a good mood and then what might have changed that our conversation ended to some suspension. Initially, I felt that she was interested in me and so she was curious to know whether I am single or not or whether I like anyone or not. I almost felt that she was going to tell me something positive me that she likes me or that I am a good, handsome, and smart guy, but her sentence was then interrupted by her delicious pasta order. And then something or rather many things happened in our first pasta date that she ultimately tells that she doesn't want any sort of attachment between us...Rather more probably her expressionless face at the end kept me more in suspension, that whether should I be more interested in her or should I leave the matter till here only and will resume when she speaks something about her past or current relationship.

As I reached my bus stop, I realized that I might be overthinking the matter and decided to be patient as girls' mood and their language is the 24th one other than the 23 Indian languages that we know...

Be patient...stay tuned.