Chapter 7 – First Meal, First Bonds
The waiter slid steel plates onto the table with practiced ease, the smell of spices filling the air. Steam rose from bowls of dal and fresh butter naan, while sizzling plates of paneer tikka were set between them. The dhaba buzzed with life—other students crowding tables, laughter and shouts of orders echoing across the tin roof, the clinking of glasses mixing with the hiss of frying oil.
Arjun leaned back in his chair, one arm slung casually across the backrest. He eyed the spread before them with a grin. "Now this," he said, "is the true welcome to university life. Forget the hostel mess."
Raghav chuckled, unfolding his napkin with quiet precision. "You say that now. Wait till you actually have to eat mess food for a week straight."
Aditya, already reaching for a naan, laughed. "Why wait? Let me enjoy this before you curse us with such thoughts."
Across the table, Aditi tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she glanced at the group. "Do you guys always talk like this?" she asked lightly.
"Like what?" Arjun raised a brow, tearing a piece of naan.
"Like… bantering over the smallest things. It's like watching brothers argue."
"That's because we are brothers," Raghav said simply, looking at Arjun with a faint smile.
"Not by blood," Arjun added, smirking, "but close enough. He just follows me around like a shadow."
"I don't follow you," Raghav muttered, though his ears turned slightly red.
The table broke into laughter. Even Megha, who had been mostly quiet until then, giggled. "You two remind me of my cousins," she said. "Always acting tough, but you'd never survive without each other."
Arjun leaned forward, pointing his spoon at her like it was a dagger. "Careful, Megha. If you start comparing us to your cousins, I'll have to start charging entertainment tax."
Kunal, sitting diagonally from him, chuckled. "Entertainment is one word for it."
The food passed around, plates filling quickly. Conversation flowed as easily as the chilled cola bottles they shared. Between bites of paneer and dal, stories began to unfold.
Aditya, always the talkative one, launched into tales of his hometown mischiefs—climbing water tanks, getting caught sneaking into a cricket ground at night, and narrowly escaping his father's wrath more times than he could count. His gestures were as wild as his stories, drawing laughter even when his antics sounded ridiculous.
Megha rolled her eyes but smiled, clearly used to his antics already. "He exaggerates half of it," she whispered to Aditi, who only laughed in return.
When it came to Raghav, his stories were softer—about summers in Himachal, cycling down steep mountain paths with Arjun, swimming in cold rivers, and sneaking into apple orchards when no one was watching. His tone carried nostalgia, his words painting calm but vivid pictures of their shared past.
"You both grew up in Himachal?" Aditi asked, intrigued.
"Yeah," Raghav nodded. "Originally, we're from Rajasthan, but our families settled there when we were kids. So the mountains… they're home."
"And trouble," Arjun added with a sly grin. "Don't listen to his calm version. Half the time, we were either running from angry orchard owners or patching up scrapes after falling down hills."
"Correction," Raghav said dryly, "patching up your scrapes. I wasn't the one who thought it was a good idea to race downhill on a broken cycle."
The group laughed again, and even Aditi's eyes sparkled at the image. She leaned forward slightly, resting her chin on her palm as though listening to a particularly good story.
When it was Arjun's turn, he was less direct. He didn't tell stories so much as drop sharp, short remarks that made the others laugh. He had a way of twisting details into humor, painting himself as the daring fool who never backed down—jumping into rivers first, picking mock fights, daring Raghav into challenges. Yet beneath the humor was an edge that none of them could miss. Arjun's tone carried a certain boldness, a daring spirit that made even simple anecdotes feel larger than life.
It wasn't long before Aditi spoke up with her own tale of getting lost in a crowded fair in Lucknow when she was twelve, only to be found hours later by her panicked father while she happily ate jalebis from a stranger's stall. Her laughter rang light and clear, the group joining in at her expense.
"You're unbelievable," Megha said, shaking her head.
"I was hungry!" Aditi protested, smiling.
"Some things never change," Kunal teased, nodding toward her half-empty plate.
The meal went on like that—lighthearted teasing, stories bouncing across the table, occasional bursts of laughter that drew curious glances from nearby students. For that hour, the group of six strangers-turned-classmates felt less like people meeting by coincidence and more like friends beginning something they didn't yet realize would matter.
By the time the last naan was torn and the last drop of cola finished, the table had become a battlefield of empty plates and half-told jokes.
Arjun leaned back again, stretching his arms with a satisfied groan. "Now that," he said, "is how you start a university life. Good food, good company, and…" He gestured at the mess of plates, "…no regrets."
"Except when the bill comes," Kunal pointed out dryly.
Everyone laughed as Aditya fumbled theatrically for his wallet, only to find it empty. "Uh… so, anyone feeling generous?"
"I knew it," Megha sighed.
Raghav rolled his eyes but pulled out his share, Arjun following with a lazy flick of notes onto the table. Aditi too contributed without complaint. Eventually, the bill was settled, though not without more teasing at Aditya's expense.
As they got up to leave, stepping out into the afternoon sun, the group seemed lighter, their steps easier.
For Arjun, though, the laughter faded into something quieter inside him. He didn't say it aloud, but he could feel it—the beginning of bonds, of threads that might weave into something bigger. He never cared much for making friends, but with Raghav at his side and these new faces orbiting closer, he wondered how long his carefree mask would hold.
But for now, he simply slipped his hands back into his pockets and walked on, grinning as Aditya tried to challenge him to a sprint back to campus.