Chapter One Hundred Sixteen: The Breakfast That Ended in a Nap
The morning after the pillow incident, the mansion was peaceful.
Too peaceful.
Shreya woke up in Mithun's arms, warm and content. She stretched, kissed his cheek, and smiled.
"I'm going to make breakfast," she announced.
Mithun's eyes flew open. "What?"
"Breakfast. For everyone. To thank them for putting up with us."
He sat up slowly. "Shreya. You don't cook."
"I CAN cook!"
"You burned water last week."
"That was ONE TIME!"
"It was three times."
"THREE TIMES IS NOT A PATTERN!"
---
She bounced out of bed.
Mithun watched her go with a sense of impending doom.
---
Downstairs, the kitchen was already filling up.
Jay and Keifer sat at the table, coffee in hand. Akshi and Chethan were curled on the couch. Percy and Honey had arrived early, as always. C.N. and Rakii were reviewing photos. Felix and Bridget were reading. David and Freya were playing a game. Mica and Calix were arguing. Aries and Ella sat together, Ella's hand on her belly.
Keiran was running in circles with Rex and Ganesha.
Shreya walked in. "Good morning, everyone! I'm making breakfast!"
The room went silent.
---
Jay slowly lowered her coffee. "You're... making breakfast?"
"Yes! To thank everyone!"
Akshi sat up. "Shreya. You don't cook."
"I CAN cook!"
"You set off the fire alarm last week."
"That was a minor incident!"
"The fire department came."
"THEY WERE OVERREACTING!"
---
Percy grabbed Honey's arm. "THIS IS GOING TO BE AMAZING!"
Honey sighed. "Percy, don't encourage her."
"I'M NOT ENCOURAGING! I'M OBSERVING!"
C.N. made a note. "Shreya cooking. Statistical probability of disaster: 94%."
Rakii raised her camera. "I'm documenting this."
---
Shreya looked around at everyone.
Jay was shaking her head.
Akshi was waving her hands in a "no" gesture.
Percy was grinning but not moving toward the kitchen.
C.N. was taking notes instead of offering to help.
Mithun had appeared in the doorway, arms crossed, watching.
No one was volunteering to eat her cooking.
---
Shreya's face fell. "You don't want me to cook."
"It's not that—" Jay started.
"It IS that! None of you trust me!"
"We trust you! We just don't trust your cooking!"
"THAT'S THE SAME THING!"
---
She turned to Mithun. "Mithun. You'll eat my cooking, right?"
Mithun opened his mouth.
Closed it.
Opened it again.
"Shreya—"
"YOU TOO?"
"I love you, but I also love living."
"THAT'S NOT FAIR!"
---
Tears filled her eyes.
Not fake tears.
Real tears.
"I just wanted to do something nice," she whispered. "I wanted to thank everyone. For everything. For not giving up on me when I forgot. For bringing me back. For—" Her voice broke. "For being my family."
The room went quiet.
Jay stood. "Shreya, honey—"
"No. I get it. I'm a terrible cook. Everyone knows it. I'll just—I'll just go."
She turned.
Walked toward the stairs.
---
Mithun moved.
Fast.
He caught her at the bottom of the stairs.
Grabbed her arm.
Spun her around.
Pulled her into his arms.
Not against the wall.
Just... held her.
---
"Shreya."
She sobbed into his chest. "They don't trust me."
"They trust you. They just don't trust your cooking."
"Same thing!"
"It's not the same thing. I trust you with my life. I just don't trust you with a stove."
She laughed weakly through her tears. "That's not better."
"It's honest."
---
He held her tighter.
Rocked her gently.
"Shh. You're tired."
"I'm not tired."
"You barely slept last night. You were up late stressing about the pillow thing. Then you woke up early with this breakfast idea. You're exhausted."
"I'm FINE."
"You're running on empty. And when you're running on empty, everything feels bigger. The cooking rejection. The teasing. All of it."
She sniffled. "Maybe."
"Definitely."
---
He picked her up.
Cradled her against his chest.
She yelped. "MIT HUN!"
"Bedroom."
"BUT—"
"You need sleep. Not cooking."
"I'm not sleepy!"
"You're literally falling asleep in my arms."
"I am NOT!"
"You just yawned."
"That was a—that was a—"
"A yawn."
She pouted. "I hate you."
"No you don't."
"...No. I don't."
---
He carried her up the stairs.
Past everyone watching.
Past Percy's open mouth.
Past Jay's knowing smile.
Past Akshi's cooing.
Past C.N.'s note-taking.
Past Rakii's camera.
---
He kicked their bedroom door open.
Laid her on the bed.
Pulled the covers over her.
She looked up at him with tired eyes.
"You're really making me nap?"
"I'm really making you nap."
"What about breakfast?"
"Breakfast will be there when you wake up. Made by someone who won't burn it."
She laughed softly. "You're impossible."
"Your impossible."
---
He leaned down.
Kissed her forehead.
Then her nose.
Then her lips.
Soft. Sweet. Gentle.
"Sleep," he whispered against her mouth.
"Stay?"
"Always."
He lay down beside her.
Pulled her close.
She curled into him.
Within minutes, she was asleep.
---
Downstairs, the living room was silent.
Percy stared at the stairs. "Did he just... put her to bed?"
Jay nodded slowly. "He did."
"Like a child?"
"Like someone who loves her and knows she's exhausted."
Percy's eyes filled with tears. "THAT'S THE MOST ROMANTIC THING I'VE EVER SEEN!"
Honey patted his back. "Babe, calm down."
"I CAN'T CALM DOWN! HE CARRIED HER! HE KISSED HER! HE PUT HER TO BED!"
"That's what boyfriends do."
"MY BOYFRIEND NEEDS TO DO THAT!"
Honey raised an eyebrow. "You want me to carry you to bed?"
"YES!"
"Percy, you're twice my size."
"DETAILS!"
---
C.N. made a note. "Conflict resolution method: Physical removal to bedroom for nap. Effectiveness: 100%. Romantic content: Maximum."
Rakii lowered her camera. "I got all of it."
"All of it?"
"The carry. The kiss. Everything."
"This is going in the family album."
"Obviously."
---
Akshi grabbed Chethan's arm. "That was SO SWEET!"
Chethan nodded. "Mithun's a keeper."
Jay leaned against Keifer. "He really loves her."
"He does."
"In the most Mithun way possible."
"Calm. Steady. Perfect for her."
"The best."
---
An hour passed.
Shreya woke up slowly.
Rested. Warm. Happy.
Mithun was still beside her.
Watching her.
"Hey," she whispered.
"Hey."
"How long did I sleep?"
"About an hour."
"You stayed the whole time?"
"Promised, didn't I?"
She kissed him.
Soft. Sweet. Full of love.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For knowing what I needed. Even when I didn't."
He kissed her forehead. "Always."
---
They came down together.
Hand in hand.
Shreya looked... different.
Rested. Calm. Happy.
Jay noticed immediately. "Feeling better?"
Shreya nodded. "Much better."
"Good. Breakfast is ready. Made by someone who won't burn it."
Shreya laughed. "Who?"
"Akshi."
Akshi waved from the kitchen. "I MADE DOSAS! THEY'RE ONLY SLIGHTLY BURNT!"
"SLIGHTLY?"
"OKAY, MODERATELY!"
---
They sat down to eat.
The dosas were, indeed, moderately burnt.
But no one complained.
Shreya ate hers happily.
Mithun sat beside her.
She leaned into him.
He kissed her temple.
---
Percy watched them. "You two are disgustingly cute."
Shreya smiled. "Thank you."
"It wasn't a compliment!"
"IT WAS TO ME!"
Honey patted his arm. "Let them have this, babe."
"I GUESS."
---
C.N. made a final note. "Shreya cooking incident resolved. Nap effectiveness: 100%. Romantic satisfaction: Maximum."
Rakii snapped one last photo. "For the album. 'The Morning After the Nap.'"
Jay looked around at her family.
At Shreya and Mithun, glowing.
At Akshi and Chethan, laughing.
At Percy and Honey, bickering lovingly.
At all of them.
Chaotic. Beautiful. Perfect.
---
She leaned against Keifer.
"I love our family."
"I love you."
"Even when we're dramatic?"
"Especially when you're dramatic."
She kissed his cheek.
The chaos continued.
But for one moment—
Everything was exactly as it should be.
---
End of Chapter One Hundred Sixteen