Over the past few days, Rai had heard a lot of students singing praises about the Paneer roll at their canteen so she kept begging Ankita and Rishav to accompany her for a taste test all morning. They had also heard about it a lot so when Rai brought up the topic they decided to see if all that craze was actually worth anything.
The canteen covered an area large enough for a hundred people sitting at tables for four. A smart pen was provided at each table to choose the orders on the menu screen. The two big screens on either side of the kitchen displayed the table numbers and their time of serving.
"Anu, do you know how the food here is?" Rishav asked Ankita.
"Nope. This is my first time eating here." Ankita shook her head.
"Rai?" Rishav turned to Rai who was sitting beside him.
"Me neither. I just knew the canteen's location, Bikram showed me. Nothing about what's inside." Rai shrugged.
"May I sit here?" A girl asked Ankita pointing to the empty seat beside her.
"Yes. Sure." Ankita gave her a welcoming smile.
Suddenly a commotion was heard at the entrance.
"What's all that fuss about?" Rishav asked.
"Mmmm.... oh! It's the Antariksha!" Ankita exclaimed.
Unlike Rai and Rishav whose backs were facing the door, Ankita got a clear glimpse of Koushik, Bikram and Rishi amidst the crowd.
"That explains it." Rai nodded.
"But what are they doing here, though? Aren't their food always sent by their manager during lunch?"
"Who knows part of they want to school life experience maybe? Poor them. Can't even enjoy a normal lunch without people bugging them on top of always having to worry about what they eat, do, look, speak, etc etc. Huff!" Rishav shook his head sympathetically.
"Of course, their life is tough. But they also get to do what they love. Yes, there are lots of don'ts than do's. But their sacrifice made them one of the most popular upcoming bands in our country. They have a such huge fan base which is constantly growing." Ankita said in admiration.
"Hey, you've been silent since the beginning. What's your name?" Ankita asked the unknown girl beside her.
The girl was startled. She looked at Ankita in a daze like she did not hear anything till then.
"Yes?" She asked.
Ankita smiled at her and repeated "I asked your name."
"..... Bani Sen." The girl replied after some time.
"Oh, what a nice name you got." Ankita grinned.
Bani did not answer. Her eyes just lingered on Ankita's face with the same absent-mindness.
Ankita waited for her to say something but receiving nothing but her blank stare, she averted her gaze. There was a sudden awkward atmosphere. Thankfully Rishav quickly found a topic for discussion and everything became normal again. Bani went back to fiddling with her fingers while the trio chatted.
"There, our food has arrived," Rai pointed at the automated service trolley that rolled down from the kitchen and attached to their table.
Along with a soft vibration a small voice rang out confirming the delivery of the order.
"Let's dig in," Rishav rubbed his palms eyeing the food.
"You stupid cow! Go wash your hands first. I'll kick your butt if you dare to touch the food with your dirty hands" Ankita glared at Rishav and slapped his hand which was reaching out for the food.
Rishav made an annoyed face and said "Argh. Okay okay. I'll wash them. Happy?"
Rai made way for him trying hard to stifle her laughter. Rishav shot her an angry look and mouthed I'll get back to you later.
Once the dishes and cutlery were dismounted, the trolley detached itself from the table and rolled back to the kitchen.
Another awkward scene developed. While the trio plated their food, they realised that Bani did not even order anything. She sat there staring at the table as if trying to hypnotize it. They tried to offer sharing their food but she just gave the one tired look and shook her head. Seeing her reluctance to communicate, they left her alone.
Ankita had ordered veg soup besides the Paneer roll. As she lowered her head to sip a spoonful, her peripheral vision saw Bani's hands fidgeting on her lap. And not just her hands.
Due to Bani's dark complexion, the veins on her hands were not prominent, let alone the faint red streaks on her knuckles which would be difficult to see even on close inspection. But Ankita's eyes caught them just from periphery. And they were anything but regular blood vessels.
Ankita leaned back against the chair and said, "I'm done."
Her fingers tugged at the right earring to untangle a strand from it.
"Me too." Rai licked her fingers clean.
"Let's head back to class then." Rishav said, playing with the ring on his thumb.
Before leaving, Ankita gave Bani a concerned look and said, "Bani, are you feeling unwell? You didn't order anything and kept sitting here silently. Would you like to go to the sick room?"
Bani slowly looked up at her face in a trance, then abruptly got up and left without a word.
"Weird. What's up with her? Anyways, let's go," said Rishav.
"How was the soup?" he asked Ankita while walking back to class.
"Nothing special... but the surrounding is clean and spacious. I enjoyed eating here," Ankita said.
"True. But we haven't tasted all the items yet. Who knows maybe the other items are better? Like the Paneer roll for instance." Rai grinned.
"Mhm. Let's come again some other time and try something different." Ankita nodded.