Anwar is great at two things: making friends fast and dressing. The dress thing makes sense because he's a bank loan officer, and according to him, having a really strong sense of style makes convincing people miles easier. But also, he's a god when it comes to making friends. He could be buying milk at the grocery store, and he'll become lifelong best friends with the guy in front of him in line. So when I invite him, Jen, and Manish to my house, I know that the meeting between them is going to be nothing short of epic.

    I'm making sure that whatever the hell I'm trying to cook up in my kitchen doesn't taste like I fished it out of my dumpster. Unlike Manish, who can make anything under the sun taste heavenly, I can only really cook South Indian food. Thankfully, it's not a problem, because all three love it and Manish will happily eat my pongal and sambar without hesitation.

    I lay out everything on the table so that they can all take it with ease. Thankfully, Salim isn't coming, otherwise I would've had to make 3 times as much food.

And it still probably wouldn't have been enough.

"Pakoras, pongal, sambar, and rava kesari," I mentally tally, as I make sure there isn't a spoon or drop out of place.

I mentally high five myself for a job well done, and check the time. "12:28," I read on my watch, as I meld my fingers together. Knowing Manish, he will be here within the next minute. Like me, he's punctual to pretty much everything and being late is one of the biggest sins in both of our books.

So it doesn't surprise me that within less than 30 seconds, I hear the doorbell ring. When the doorbell sound rings through the air, I waltz over to the mirror to make sure that I look presentable enough for him to not run away screaming.

My low ponytail doesn't have one hair out of place, while my peach lip gloss looks clean and fresh. My blank brown eyes are now colored by joy and by the sun shaped locket dangling from my neck, as my cheeks are slightly upturned from the joy and excitement. My chest deflates a little bit with a long exhale, as I go to answer the door. I swing it open, and surely enough, Manish is standing right there.

Crisp khaki pants are smoothed out over his legs with not one wrinkle creasing them. A dark gray sweater keeps him warm in this frigid weather, while his warm eyes and illuminated face also offset it. His thick, dark hair looks slightly shorter, and the front is slicked up. The sparse dotting of stubble is the last thing I notice behind that giant smile.

I move to the side and extend my arm to further my message. "Come on in, Manish." He gently sets foot inside my house, like it's made of cards and one step will cause the whole thing to collapse, as I close the door behind him to keep all the warm air circulating in the house. I pay attention to how Manish is eyeing my apartment, because cleanliness is one of my biggest strengths hidden amongst a sea of vices.

In an attempt to gain insight into what he's thinking and break the tension that is starting to suffocate the words between us, I say, "What do you think?"

Manish turns back to me, with a proud smile twinkling in his eye, and exclaims, "I love it. It's so neat and open." My cheeks inflate with an even bigger smile, as my hand points to the couch in front of us. Frankly, that's the best compliment I can get at that moment, since I pride myself on my cleanliness.

Manish goes and flops down on the couch, as I follow him and gently sit on the edge. Jen and Anwar will be here any time now, and I don't want to relax until everyone else is here and safe. "You can start eating if you want."

I can almost see a little puddle of saliva pool at Manish's mouth, as he eyes all the food that is laid out in front of him. "Jaya, you are evil. You know my weakness is Tamilian food." His hand darts towards the karandi to start spooning out some pongal, as I can't help but giggle.

Back when we were teens, whenever we had Manish over for dinner, my mom would make extra for him because he would always go back for seconds or even thirds. And for every serving, he'd lick the plate until there was no drop or smear left behind. I'm almost positive that's going to happen today, as I can see how Manish looks like he wants to dive inside the bowl of sambar and live there.

Before I can ponder on that image even further, I hear someone's strong fist rap against the door. I spring up on my legs and leave Manish to devour the food while I go answer the door. I walk up to the door, swing it open, and am greeted by Jen and Anwar standing there.

Both are looking model worthy, with Jen's chestnut colored hair shoved inside her thick winter coat and matching gloves keeping her hands warm. Anwar sports a thick leather jacket, with the black color matching his ravenous hair and intensely sharp beard.

I move to the side for them to enter, and say, "Come in, guys." I hear Manish set the plate down on the table, and hear his feet patter their way up to where Jen and Anwar are standing. Jen's eyes dart towards where Manish is standing, and when she sees him again, her face explodes in joy and nostalgia.

"Oh my god, Manish!" she squeals, as she bolts towards him. Manish starts chuckling, as his arms spread open. Jen runs straight into his arms, as Anwar starts rumbling with laughter himself. Jen is squeezing Manish so hard in her arms that I'm sure Manish's lungs are going to explode anytime soon.

Once Jen notices that she's slowly killing Manish and crushing his ribcage, she lets go of him. "How are you? You look so good!" she squeaks, as Manish is still smiling from here to the moon.

"I'm doing great. I take it that's your fiance?"

Anwar perks up at the mention of him, as he inches forward. He holds his hand out, and goes, "Yo, I'm Anwar." Manish takes his hand, and they pull each other in to bro hug things out. Anwar's strong hand pulls in, as they bust out some manly laughs and give each other a friendly, firm pat on the back.

Jen and I both can't help but giggle, and she leans in towards me. "They're going to get along great."

I give her a definite nod, and she heads to the couch to get settled. Considering Anwar can become friends with a rosebush, that possibility isn't super farfetched. "So, your dad's best friends with Jaya's uncle, right?" Manish asks, as he tries to back track through his memory to make sure that's what he heard.

Anwar nods, as he himself drags his feet towards the couch and flops back on it to relax. "Yep! My dad studied with Jaya's uncle. Hell, my dad still calls Jaya's mom 'didi', because she took care of him like a big sister."

"Aw, that's so cute. I like that you guys go back like that," Manish admires, as his eyes continually dart back and forth between Anwar and I.

I can't help but smile, as it paints the perfect picture in my mind. My mom, uncle, and Karim Uncle all sitting in a room in my mom's family's Delhi house, giggling over some jokes, and sipping on cups of chai, as my grandfather sat in the corner and smiled at their bonding behind his daily newspaper. I would've paid a good sum of money just to see that.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Anwar reach towards the food to help himself. "Sorry, I'm starving. And the food just smells so good."

I chuckle a little bit, as my hand darts towards a plate. "Thanks. It's my mom's recipe!"

Manish gasps a little bit, as I see his eyes ignite with excitement. "That's how you know it's going to be good. Her mom used to make me food whenever I was sick and I swear it could be used as a legit medicine for some viruses."

The smile on my face doesn't wilt one bit, as memories of back when Manish was still here keep on flooding my mind. All the times he'd stay at my house, or I'd stay at his, and no matter where we were, we felt like we were secure. And more importantly, we'd feel in place. Just like how I'm feeling right now with everyone here in my apartment.

"So, Jaya says that you make terrible puns. Does that still hold up?"

I raise my eyebrow at him, but can't help but shudder at all the puns he made about the Fast and Furious franchise. "Well, I guess that's true, especially about Fast and Furious. But that's because she's always Letty-ng me get away with it."

My eyes roll so hard that I'm sure that I'll look like I'm possessed. Jen starts snickering, and Anwar can't help but chuckle as well. "Okay, that was pretty funny. I like you."

Manish starts snickering as well, as I shake my head in a joking form of disapproval. "His Bollywood puns are worse, though," I groan, as instant regret snaps through my mind. Anwar's eyes widen with anticipation and excitement, as he leans in to hear whatever Manish has up his sleeve.

A devilish smile spawns on Manish's face, as I see Anwar rub his hands together. "Shoot one. I need to hear how bad they can get."

Manish thinks for a little bit, but I can see his eyes light up when he thinks of an awesomely bad Bollywood pun. "What do you call a service for girls to look for their lovers through a mail order service?"

Anwar, who seems confused for a second, just gives a shrug. Even Jen, who is the pun whisperer at this point, seems lost. "Mail-a Majnu!" he squeals, in reference to Laila Majnu.

This time, I scoff loudly, as Anwar groans a little bit. "Okay, that was so terrible. I love it!" We all burst in a fit of giggles. I dig my spoon deeper into the pile of pongal, and instantly bring up what I had in mind. "How does a movie sound? I was thinking we could watch Sita Ramam."

Jen immediately perks up a little bit, as Anwar and Manish nod in unison. "Let's do it. I heard it's an amazing film," Anwar affirms, as Manish and Jen both nod at each other.

"Alright, I'll put it on," I say, and I flop back to put on the film. As I'm sitting back and watching Anwar and Jen cuddle each other, I feel Manish's hand gently brush against mine. My breath hitches a little bit, and I give him a little look from the corner of my eye. He gently smiles at me, and whatever nerves that may have been bundled up in the pits of my stomach immediately dissolve when I see his face.

His hand gently holds my index and middle finger, and I don't stop him. My thumb goes to gently hold his hand, and I feel his breath hitch a little bit. A little smile curls at my lips as well, and serenity washes over me. Like we've both ascended to a level of peace and nothing around us will disturb that.

As we're casually holding hands, I hear Anwar pipe up from behind. "Okay, we get that you two are close, but you may want to wipe off that blush on your face, Manish. You too, Jaya, you got a little right there," Anwar points out, while rubbing his cheekbone.

Manish and I can't help but giggle a little bit, and I unsuccessfully try to rub off the blush dusting my cheeks. For once, I hope the tinge of embarrassment that heats my core replaces the desire filled blush that reddened my cheekbones.

"Please, you can't talk after I saw you drooling after Jen when you guys first met."

Anwar's eyes widen with shock and offense, as he lets out a loud scoff. Jen can't help but giggle a little bit too, as Anwar just rolls his eyes and goes back to watching the movie. I sit back and just relax so that I can watch the movie without anything weighing down on my mind. But deep down, I can't stop myself from smiling.

And it's definitely not from the movie.

-------------

I thought we definitely needed a Jen and Manish reunion after we saw how close they were when the trio was all together. Also, this kind of gives more insight as to how Anwar and Jaya are so close! So, what do you think about their little moment at the end? Let me know.

As always, please make sure to vote/comment/share/follow/message if you like my work and follow me on my Instagram (svts.writes) to keep up on updates and announcements regarding my writing! See you in the next chapter!

Love you guys,

Shree