Chapter Seventy: The Catering Chaos (And Mithun to the Rescue)
The morning after the India crew's arrival, the mansion woke to chaos.
Not the usual chaos—this was amplified by approximately four extremely energetic new residents.
Akshi was already in the kitchen when Jay came down, attempting to cook something.
"GOOD MORNING, SISTER! I'M MAKING BREAKFAST!"
Jay blinked. "Akshi, it's 6 AM."
"BREAKFAST TIME!"
Chethan appeared behind her, equally energetic. "SHE WOKE ME UP! AT 5:30! TO HELP!"
"YOU LOVE HELPING!"
"I LOVE SLEEPING MORE!"
Shreya wandered in, looking slightly more awake, Mithun behind her with coffee.
"We tried to stop them," Shreya said. "They're unstoppable."
Mithun handed her a cup. "Drink. You'll need it."
She took it, fingers brushing his.
Jay saw it.
Shreya saw her seeing it.
Shreya's face went red.
Jay grinned.
---
Keifer appeared, Keiran on his hip. "Why is everyone awake?"
"AKSHI AND CHETHAN HAPPENED!"
Keiran wiggled down and ran to Akshi. "AUNTIE AKSHI! WHAT YOU MAKING?"
"DOSAS! Well, trying to make dosas. I've never actually made them before."
"REX WILL HELP!"
Rex was held up for inspection.
Akshi pretended to consult him. "Rex says more batter."
"REX IS RIGHT!"
---
Breakfast was... interesting.
The dosas were slightly burnt. The chutney was perfect (Mithun had quietly fixed it). The coffee was abundant.
Percy arrived midway, drawn by the smell. "FOOD! INDIA FOOD! I'M HERE!"
He grabbed a dosa, took a bite, and made exaggerated pleased noises. "AKSHI! YOU'RE A GENIUS!"
"They're slightly burnt."
"BURNT IS FLAVOR!"
Honey followed, rolling her eyes fondly. "He's been like this since he heard you were cooking."
"UNDERSTANDABLE!"
---
After breakfast, the mission began.
CATERING.
The wedding was in two weeks. Food orders needed to be finalized. Tastings needed to happen. Decisions needed to be made.
Tita Gemma arrived with a clipboard and a determined expression.
"EVERYONE! We're going to the caterer! We need opinions! Many opinions!"
Percy raised his hand. "I HAVE OPINIONS!"
"I KNOW! THAT'S WHY YOU'RE COMING!"
---
Two vans. Twenty people. One catering hall.
They piled out like clowns from a circus car.
The caterer, a patient man named Mr. Santos, looked slightly overwhelmed.
"Ah. The wedding party."
"WEDDING PARTY AND ASSORTED CHAOS!" Percy announced.
Mr. Santos smiled weakly. "Of course. Right this way."
---
The tasting began.
Course after course of delicious food.
Appetizers. Soups. Salads. Main courses. Desserts.
Everyone had opinions.
Percy loved everything. "THIS IS AMAZING! WE NEED ALL OF IT!"
Honey tried to moderate. "Babe, we can't have ALL of it."
"WHY NOT?"
"Because there are only so many stomachs."
"CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!"
C.N. took notes. Rakii photographed everything. Yuri filmed.
Mica rated each dish on a scale of 1-10. Calix wrote down her ratings.
David attempted to recreate a dish with his hands. Freya stopped him.
Felix and Bridget simply enjoyed the food, occasionally feeding each other bites.
Aries and Ella discussed logistics. Tita Gemma took notes furiously.
---
Jay and Keifer sat at the head of the table, trying to keep track of everyone's feedback.
Keiran sat between Akshi and Shreya, being fed tiny bites of everything.
"REX LIKES THIS! GANESHA LIKES THIS! I LIKE THIS!"
Akshi laughed. "You're the best taste tester."
"REX AGREES!"
---
The main courses arrived.
Rich, aromatic dishes. Biryani. Butter chicken. Dal makhani. Paneer dishes for the vegetarians.
Everyone dug in.
Shreya took a bite of something—too fast, too eager.
It went down wrong.
She coughed. Then coughed harder. Then started choking.
---
For a split second, everyone froze.
Then Mithun moved.
He was beside her in an instant, hand on her back, voice calm. "You're okay. Cough it out. You're okay."
She coughed again, face red, eyes watering.
He didn't move. Stayed right there, hand steady, presence grounding.
"Breathe. Slow. You're fine."
She coughed once more—and the food cleared.
She gasped, sucking in air.
He was still there. Still calm. Still close.
"Better?"
She nodded, still catching her breath. "Better."
His hand didn't leave her back. "Drink water. Slowly."
She drank.
---
The table was silent.
Everyone staring.
Percy's jaw was on the floor. Honey's eyes were wide. C.N. had stopped taking notes.
Akshi's face split into the biggest grin imaginable. "MIT HUN! YOU SAVED HER!"
Chethan nodded vigorously. "LIKE A HERO! A ROMANCE HERO!"
Shreya's face, already red from choking, went crimson. "He was just—he was helping—"
"HELPING? HE WAS GLUED TO YOUR SIDE!"
Mithun's ears were pink, but his voice remained calm. "She was choking. I helped."
"WITH HAND ON BACK! SO CLOSE! SO CONCERNED!"
Jay caught Shreya's eye. Shreya looked like she wanted to die.
Jay mouthed: "TOLD YOU."
Shreya mouthed back: "SHUT UP."
---
The teasing continued through dessert.
Percy reenacted the moment dramatically. "SHREYA! I'LL SAVE YOU!" He grabbed Honey, pretending to pat her back dramatically.
Chethan joined in. "MIT HUN! THE HERO WE DIDN'T KNOW WE NEEDED!"
Akshi narrated. "AND THEN—HE LEANED CLOSE—HAND ON HER BACK—EYES FULL OF CONCERN—"
Mithun ate his dessert calmly, as if nothing had happened.
But his ears were still pink.
Shreya couldn't look at him.
---
After the tasting, they moved to a restaurant for more food.
Because apparently, one tasting wasn't enough.
Percy's logic: "WE NEED TO COMPARE! FOR SCIENCE!"
The restaurant was nice. Quiet. Peaceful.
For about five minutes.
Then Akshi started watching Shreya and Mithun like a hawk.
Every interaction. Every glance. Every accidental brush of hands.
She reported her findings to Chethan in loud whispers.
"THEY LOOKED AT EACH OTHER! FOR THREE SECONDS!"
"THREE SECONDS? THAT'S LONG!"
"VERY LONG! VERY ROMANTIC!"
Shreya buried her face in her hands. "I can hear you."
"WE KNOW! THAT'S THE POINT!"
---
Jay leaned over to Keifer. "This is the best day."
"The absolute best."
"Akshi and Chethan are the most obvious matchmakers."
"And completely oblivious about themselves."
She grinned. "Right? Shreya told me about them."
"Really?"
"Soup. Blankets. Paper cut kisses."
Keifer raised an eyebrow. "Paper cut kisses?"
"KISSED IT BETTER."
He looked at Akshi and Chethan, now arguing about something loudly.
"They have no idea, do they?"
"None whatsoever."
---
At the restaurant, Shreya ordered soup.
Carefully. Slowly. No choking this time.
Mithun watched her anyway.
Akshi noticed. "MIT HUN! STOP STARING! YOU'LL MAKE HER NERVOUS!"
Shreya glared. "AKSHI!"
"What? I'm HELPING!"
Chethan joined. "HE'S JUST CONCERNED! FRIENDS ARE CONCERNED!"
"WITH THAT MUCH INTENSITY?"
Mithun calmly sipped his water. "I'm not staring."
"YOU TOTALLY ARE!"
"Observational. There's a difference."
Akshi looked at Chethan. "OBSERVATIONAL! HE CALLS IT OBSERVATIONAL!"
Chethan nodded sagely. "Classic denial."
---
The food arrived.
Shreya ate carefully. Slowly. Deliberately.
Mithun still watched.
Not obviously. But he watched.
Akshi documented everything on her phone. "FOR POSTERITY!"
Chethan helped. "GET THE ANGLE WHERE HE'S LEANING TOWARD HER!"
Shreya wanted to disappear.
Jay caught her eye and smiled sympathetically.
Shreya mouthed: "KILL ME."
Jay mouthed back: "NEVER. THIS IS TOO FUNNY."
---
After lunch, they walked through the market.
Percy bought approximately seventeen things. Honey carried approximately sixteen.
Akshi and Chethan ran ahead, exploring everything.
Shreya and Mithun walked together.
Not holding hands. Not obviously together.
But walking. Close. Comfortable.
Jay watched them.
Mithun pointed something out. Shreya laughed. He almost smiled.
She nudged Keifer. "Look."
He looked. "They're so obvious."
"And they have no idea."
"The best kind of romance."
---
That night, back at the mansion, everyone gathered in the living room.
Exhausted but happy.
Akshi started the debrief. "OKAY! Highlights of the day! MIT HUN SAVING SHREYA! Number one!"
Chethan agreed. "Number two! The way he watched her eat soup!"
"Number three! The way they walked together in the market!"
Shreya threw a pillow at them. "I HATE YOU BOTH!"
"No you don't!"
"...No. I don't."
Mithun, calm as always, simply said, "It was a good day."
Akshi gasped. "HE SAID IT WAS GOOD! BECAUSE OF SHREYA!"
"I didn't say that."
"YOU IMPLIED IT!"
---
Jay leaned against Keifer, Keiran asleep on her lap.
"Look at them," she whispered.
"Chaos."
"Beautiful chaos."
"Our chaos."
"Yeah." She smiled. "Our chaos."
The night hummed with laughter and love.
And somewhere in the room, two people who didn't know they were in love sat close together.
Shreya and Mithun.
Akshi and Chethan.
The next chapters were writing themselves.
---
End of Chapter Seventy