Sujoy's POV

I kept ignoring the call, but she was persistent, so finally, I picked up the call. She invited me to her place to spend another hot night there, but I turned her down, and she kept insisting. So I thought of obliging her, and as it was, I wanted to distract myself.

But just the thought of the girl who smelt like vanilla and chocolate made me change my mind. How I wished I was talking to her and not this girl.

The girl sounded disappointed but I told her that I was not interested.

*********

I was lying on my bed wide awake with a smile on my face. Thinking about the cute chef, I Loved annoying her. She was beautiful, smart, savage, fiercely independent, witty, feisty and talented.

I liked her... But I was shocked to see that she had no effect of my flirting on her. She was just a bit uncomfortable.

How?? And why was she stepping away from me as if I was a live wire?

Her behavior was strange... But I had already taken up the challenge and I would make her fall for me.

But, she seems to have someone in her life.

So what?? She was not married. If only she was married, I would not have bothered her. But she was not...

Maybe she just said that she has someone, to keep me away. Yes, it is quite possible... She might have thought that I would not bother her if I thought she had someone special in her life.

I was feeling... I don't know... What I was feeling. I was intrigued by her and wanted to get to know more about her.

It was morning, I parked my car and went inside to see her. The manager greeted me and showed me to the same table again.

" Can you tell the chef to hurry up, please? I have an important meeting in an hour. " I said to him.

" Sure, sir!! " He said and went into the kitchen to inform her. I was looking through the toughened glass.

She nodded and started taming her beautiful locks, tied them in a messy knot, and secured them with a chopstick.

Chopstick??

Well, she was different... I smiled to myself.

She started working and like yesterday, she was managing two or three cooking processes and was also working on the plating and sent a few things to my table with the waiter.

I saw another chef approaching her and asking her to taste. She shook her head but he made her try that, with his hand.

She ate it, smiled, and nodded.

Were they so close??

I went back to the table and saw the waiter laying everything and one plate.

" Please arrange one more plate here, and please send the chef so that she can explain all these things. " I said to the waiter.

I saw falafel, hummus, and pita bread on a platter, Garlic bread, two different types of croissants, two types of dry cakes, and some kind of puffs.

Two tall glasses were also served. One had cold coffee and another had some fruit punch.

Everything looked so good and tempting. The fresh aromas of all these things were making me much more hungry but I was looking for the girl with the vanilla fragrance.

I think she was avoiding me deliberately. But I decided to wait for another five minutes.

" Sir, please start eating, the chef is busy." The manager came and informed me.

" So am I... Tell her to come here,e, and if she is very busy, you can serve all the things in the kitchen itself; I can eat there." I insisted.

" Sir, wait! " He went in and within five minutes, she was coming towards me with a waiter carrying more food.

She looked pretty with that messy bun of her hair but I wanted it open. My hands were itching to pull that chopstick out of her hair and comb it with my fingers.

" Good morning, sir! " She said politely.

" Good morning chef!! " I flashed my famous smile at her.

The waiter placed one more serving dish... Just one look at it made me grin.

Honey chili potato!!

" Awww... You just made my day. I was craving to taste... Honey chili potato. " I said with a smile.

" Then please try all these dishes. And let me know. "

She started serving everything and I kept waiting.

" Serve it for you as well. " I pointed at her plate.

" No, I have already had my breakfast. "

" Then let it be... I don't want to try them. " I said.

" Mr Khanna, I have spent almost an hour preparing them. How can you say that? " She was getting irritated.

" I already told the owner of the hotel that I want to discuss the dishes with the chef. " I said

" But I can't eat more. "

" Sit in front of me, while I eat. Eat just a few bites to give me company and we can talk about the dishes. "

" Fine!!" She served on her plate and nibbled at the food.

Everything that was served here was marvelous. I was being a glutton; I was eating so much.

" Can you please tell me about them briefly? " I asked and she nodded.

" The cakes are very healthy fruit cakes without any refined flour. One is banana cake and another is spiced apple cake. They have very little amount of sugar and butter. Falafel and hummus are perfect and healthy food as they are rich in protein, and you eat it with pita and salad, so it is a complete meal. And the puffs are stuffed with tangy and spicy veggies. It is perfect for a snack. Rest you know. " She was speaking while I was looking at her.

" Wow!! Everything is perfect and Awesome, but my honey chili potato was the best... Want to have it every day. "

" You will gain weight." She said.

" Don't worry, sweetie pie... I do a lot of exercise every day. I am in great shape. Do you want to check? " I asked.

" No!! " She said immediately.

" Have you not learned to say yes? Try saying yes to a few things, you will enjoy it more. " I said.

" Sir, keep your valuable suggestions to yourself. Please tell me what you like. " She said professionally.

" I liked everything. We can add almost everything to the list. Let's try everything, and then we can decide which things can be repeated more often. " I said.

" Ok, sir. "

" You can call me Sujoy if you want. I would love it. "

" But, I don't want to... "

" Fine I am going, for now, I have an important meeting, will be here around 2 PM. " I informed her.

" Sure, sir. Do you want to try something special? " She asked.

" Everything that is made by you is special. " I said.

" Then why are you making me prepare so many things?? Why not trust my culinary skills?? " She asked with a raised eyebrow.

" Ouch !!! Hot!! " I said.

" What ?? Of course, I just made it... It has to be hot. " She explained.

" I was talking about your temper. What happened?? In a sour mood?? " I winked at her and smiled

" Sir, my moods are none of your business. " She said glaring at me.

" Loverboy got jealous and angry because you were late yesterday? " I asked.

" Why don't you leave my private life away? I will tackle all my issues. " She was annoyed.

" So, there are issues... Leave him. "

" What?? No!! "

" Why? I am sure, I am more eligible than him being tall, dark, handsome, successful... I can bet on the fact that I am more handsome than him, Isn't it? " I said looking into her eyes.

" Who said that?? He is the best in the entire world. I love him. " She smiled as if thinking about him.

Lucky man !!

" Why?? You seem to have some trouble in your paradise. If you are not happy, leave him. "

" Never! "

" We will see... "

" See all you want... Just don't interfere. I love him more than my life. Who are you to suggest such things to?" She was so annoyed that she whispered and yelled at me

" Well-wisher... Friend... It can be more than that, too, if you want. " I said.

" Mr Khanna, unlike you, I am very busy. Please excuse me... " She said and went back to the kitchen.

I saw her through the glass door. She sat down on a high stool near her working area. She seemed to be stressed. I wanted to go and ask if I could ease some of her tensions.

But just then, I saw another chef going to her, and he placed his arm around her shoulder and asked something.

He was the same chef, who had claimed to have made all those cakes.

She said something and he smiled at her lovingly and started massaging her neck and shoulder.

What the hell??

How dare he?? I don't know why but I wanted to break his hands for touching her.

He was now kneading the tension knots in her shoulder. She smiled and moaned at that.

How dare he?? Remove your hands, you idiot !!

I don't know why, but I was getting very uneasy to see his hands touching her.

Was he the one??

What was wrong with me?? Why was I getting irritated??

I asked this question myself but could not get any answer. I came back to my office.

I had 2 meetings so I immersed myself in work.

********

I went to the hotel to have lunch and as usual, was sent to the secluded table. I looked through the glass but I could not see her.

I asked the manager, but he said that she had some kind of emergency at her place, so she took the day off and went home.

I nodded and was about to walk away when the manager said, " Sir, your food is ready. She made a few dishes, and the rest of the work was done by another chef. He is in charge of the main course. He is a fabulous chef too. Please try the food.

I was hungry and wanted to eat food but was feeling disappointed. So I told him that I had some work.

" Please add the Bill for the lunch to my account. "

" Sir, please eat the food... I will call the chef Neel. He can brief you. " The manager said.

" Maybe some other time. Thanks. " I said and turned to look at the glass door.

" Sir, the food would be wasted. "

" Please send it to someone needy. "

" Sir, please... " I said and came out.

" No, thanks! I am not hungry anymore. " I said and came out.

My phone was ringing. I picked it up.

" Hello?? "

" Sujoy Khanna?? "

" Yes!! "

" Hi, this is Mohit Paul. Viraj's Brother-in-law. " He said.

" Oh, hi! How are you? " I asked.

" On top of the world!! I am getting married to my wife again next week, you have to come. "

" Congratulations!! I am very happy for you. Srusti is a gem of a person. I wish you a very happy married life. " I said.

" Thanks!! Now you must get settled too. "

" Yeah! I am thinking about this line. "

" Great !! You are coming, I have sent you the invitation. Please be there. "

" I will come don't worry," I said and disconnected the call.

I was about to sit in the car when I realized that I didn't get the cake and snacks for Sia, so I went to the bakery.

I opened the door and was shocked to see her there.

Did the manager lie to me??

Did she tell him to do that??

12

Sujoy's POV

She had already taken the day off, then what was she doing here?

She was busy taking an order for a massive wedding cake and was totally engrossed in the conversation with them. I kept looking at her.

She was beautiful in her own way... Her long thick lashes looked like a beautiful fringed lace over her big eyes.

" Can you please tell someone to pack the cake my sister likes? " I said and she was startled.

" Oh, Hello... Mr Khanna. " She looked embarrassed.

" I am surprised to see you here. I was told that you had taken a day off and gone home, are you trying to avoid me?? " I asked.

" No, Mr Khanna, I had gone home but this young couple wanted to order their wedding cake today itself. The bakery suggested they come another day, but the groom was busy later on. So I had to come back. " she told me.

" Oh, ok!! " I nodded with a smile.

" So how was the lunch and which dishes did you like? " She asked me.

" I didn't have lunch. "

" What?? Why? I had already prepared the snacks and a few things, the rest were completed by my colleague. "

" I was not very hungry. "

" Then why did you come here to the restaurant? You could have simply called us. Come with me. " She said.

" Let it be, you are in a hurry and I don't want to eat alone. We can keep it tomorrow."

" It's ok, now that I have come back, I can spare an hour. Moreover, I made almost everything, my efforts would be wasted. "

" Ok, I don't want to waste the efforts you took. " I said and followed her.

We both went to the restaurant again. She took me to the table which was reserved for me and told me to sit there.

She went to the kitchen and, within five minutes, started sending the food items to my table. It had Quesadilla, burritos, pasta, vegetable momos, paneer cutlets, and some pastries and cookies.

" Sir, please try these. We can serve all these things to your office, and if you want anything else like Indian, continental, Chinese, or Mexican food, we can cater to that as well. "The manager said.

" Very well... I will tell my requirements to the chef. " I smiled at him. A waiter came and started serving the food but I told him to wait as I was waiting for the chef to join me.

He nodded and went inside and in two minutes, she came and joined me.

" Mr Khanna, as you know I have to leave, please start eating the food. " She said and served food to me.

" This seems to be good. I want to try everything, but you did so many things in one day. What is the hurry sweetie pie? " I asked.

" I don't want you to waste your precious time coming here every day. You can try these dishes and select what you want and we can deliver them to your office. " She said.

I knew why she always behaved like that. But didn't comment on it. She didn't want me to come every day, but I could not help it. I wanted to be around her, I liked it when she was with me.

I started trying the food, every dish was different and very tasty. The food was marvelous.

" Will you be able to cater to all these things ?? " I asked her.

" Absolutely, sir. " She said and just then her... A friend came towards us.

" Excuse me, sir, I am Chef Neel. If you don't mind, can I join the discussion? Actually, the owner of the hotel wanted me to assist you as well. " He said.

I don't need to discuss anything with you. Get lost !! I was glaring at him but he was persistent.

" Yes, if you must. " I said but I didn't want him to.

But that idiot took the chair next to Sneha. Their arms were almost touching. I was getting annoyed.

" It would be good, sir. Actually, I take care of all the orders so I will be able to provide you with a better idea. But for that, we need to know your exact order.

" What is the hurry?? If I have to give you an order for about a hundred and fifty people, every day, I have to see all the options that are available here. Do you have an issue with it?? I am not tasting the food for free. I am paying for it. What is the hurry?? " I glared at him.

" No, sir... there is no hurry. But I want to understand exactly what you want. We can plan our menu according to that sir. Can you please let me know your requirements? " He said.

" Can I have my food first and enjoy it? We can discuss it afterward. Can you please wait for some time?? " I said because he was annoying me. I wanted him to leave us alone.

" Sure sir, enjoy... I am waiting. " He said but kept sitting there looking at me.

" Neel, why don't you have food while you are waiting," Sneha asked him lovingly.

Wow!! She never talks to me like that... I don't know why but I was getting annoyed.

" I thought you would never ask. You know how crazy I am for your cooking. " He said with a stupid grin, she smiled back.

" Wait, let me ask a waiter to get a plate for you. " She said and looked around for the waiter.

" Let it be... I can share from your plate. As it is you were not going to finish it. I will finish it off for you. " He said to her and she nodded.

What the hell?? How can he do that? If she needs help, I can help her too.

They were eating and that chef was leaning towards her. The food tasted like cardboard now. My appetite was lost.

" Do you think you are on a picnic?? We are having an official meeting here. Not the friendly get-together. Please, behave accordingly. " I said as I could not take it anymore.

" Sorry sir, if I offended you. I was just trying to finish the food on her plate as we believe that food should not be wasted, and any food that is not used is sent to needy people. So instead of taking more food, I finished what was on my friend's plate." He said and smiled politely.

" That's nice... Tell me what you want to discuss?? " I was thoroughly irritated with him and wanted him to leave immediately.

" Actually, what he wants to ask is that exactly what kind of food do you want, sir? " Sneha asked and my temper simmered.

" Can you provide some Indian regular snacks as well? You see, I have many workers who are old-fashioned and are comfortable with the food they are more familiar with. These dishes are for some high-class employees who know about this food. Please add a few Indian snacks with some twists or you may provide the authentic dishes too. " I asked her politely.

" Means you want samosas and pakoras?? Why don't you try some good sweet shop, they will provide you with that. " He said all of a sudden.

Now I lost my temper.

" I did not ask your suggestions. Don't show me your attitude Mr chef. I am not here to take your attitude. I have enough attitude of my own... You need to understand that I am an influential client of your hotel. I will tell you what I want and you just tell me if you can provide me with that or not. " I said in a higher tone.

" Sorry to offend you, sir, that's not what I meant. " He apologized.

" That is exactly what you said and meant. For your kind information, we are already getting them from the best food chain in India. " I retorted.

" Oh, I am sure of that... Accept my apology on his behalf, sir. " Sneha said.

" Why?? " I asked out of annoyance.

" Why?? I did not get you. What do you want to ask sir?? " She asked.

" Why are you apologizing on his behalf? He is being rude; he should apologize. " I said glaring at him.

" I am sorry, sir. " Chef said.

" Please leave... I don't want to deal with someone rude. I don't take attitude from others. " I said.

" Sir, but my owner wants me to... " He argued.

" Do you want me to leave?? " I raised my eyebrows.

" No, sir. " He shook his head and said.

" Then you leave... "

" I am sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. " He said again.

" Leave! " I almost shouted. I was annoyed with his mere presence and he left immediately.

" Calm down Mr Khanna!! "

" I am fine! "

" Please enjoy your food. Tell me what you want, and we will try to cater to it. We can try some Indian snacks on the list. "

Tell me what you want...

Oh, God !! Tell her not to say such things. I am tempted to tell her but then I am sure she would be tempted to kill me.

"Yeah, ok... I hope you understand my point of view. We have been getting Indian snacks and they are good as they are sent by the best in the field."

" I do understand, sir. "

" We believe in giving the best to our workers so that they remain happy and contented. "

" That is really good. "

" So if your hotel can provide it, we will not have to give the contract to two companies. "

" I am sure we can do that. "

" I want to add the bakery products and some exclusive food items for meetings and events. But for daily supply, we need some regular Indian snacks too. I just wanted to try them here and if I like them, we can give you the whole order. " I said.

" We would love to do that. Please, rest assured."

" Actually, we give a packed lunch and a tea time snack to all of them daily. Sometimes we get foreign clients and have special meetings so I would want you to cater for us on those days. We will let you know in advance. And then we can have some snacks and bakery items in the cafeteria. So people may eat or buy if they want. I want your bakery items in snacks. "

" Sure sir... " She was saying when her phone started buzzing. She looked at it and said, " I am sorry, but I need to pick it up. " I nodded with a smile.

" Hello! ....... Yeah, I am coming, I had to come back. Don't be angry... I am coming. I will get your favorite food to brighten up your mood. I love you too. Bye!! Wait, I will be back in half an hour. " She said and smiled.

What the hell!! So this was her emergency?? How can she do that??

" Oh, so you are taking a day off, saying that you have some emergency at home while you are planning to spend time with your lover boy? " I asked. I don't know why I was getting so annoyed.

But why was I being so rude?? How does that matter if she is going to meet him?