Monica walked in, her arms full of plates and napkins. "I figured you all would forget the basics," she said, setting them down on the table with a pointed look at Mark.
"Thanks, Little Mom," Mark said, grabbing a plate and piling it with slices. "You're a lifesaver."
"I know," Monica replied, her tone dry but her eyes warm. She sat down next to Jacqueline, who was scrolling through her phone like she was too cool for pizza night. She wasn't. I'd seen her sneak three slices already.
I plopped down on the couch next to Emily, grabbing a slice of pepperoni. "So," I said, my mouth half-full, "what's the plan? Are we solving mysteries or just eating pizza?"
Mark shot me a look, his tone teasing. "Can't we do both?"
"Not if Jerry keeps hogging all the pizza," I said, pointing at him with my slice. "Seriously, dude, save some for the rest of us."
Jerry grinned, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "Hey, I'm a growing boy. I need my fuel."
"Growing boy?" Emily repeated, raising an eyebrow. "You're 22, Jerry. I think you're done growing."
"Not where it counts," Jerry shot back, winking at her. Emily rolled her eyes, but I noticed the faint blush on her cheeks. Ugh. Those two were so obvious it hurt.
Anushka, meanwhile, was doing her best to act like she wasn't paying attention. She focused on her pizza like it was the most fascinating thing in the world, but I could tell her mind was elsewhere. Probably on Jerry. Honestly, I didn't get it. Sure, Jerry was cute and all, but he was also kind of a dork. Then again, maybe that was the appeal. Who knows?
Monica cleared her throat, breaking the awkward silence. "So, Mark, what's this I hear about you and Anushka going on a little adventure today?"
Mark froze mid-bite, his eyes darting to Anushka. "Uh… what?"
"Don't play dumb," Monica said, her tone light but her eyes sharp. "Dorcas mentioned something about you two sneaking off earlier. Care to share?"
I grinned, leaning back on the couch. "Yeah, Mark. Care to share?"
Mark shot me a look that clearly said *traitor*, but I just shrugged. What can I say? I'm a curious 12-year-old. It's my job to stir the pot.
"We were just… following up on something," Mark said, his tone vague. "Work stuff."
"Work stuff?" Jacqueline repeated, finally looking up from her phone. "Since when do you and Anushka do 'work stuff' together?"
Anushka shifted uncomfortably, her cheeks turning pink. "It's not a big deal," she said quickly. "Just… you know. Cyber Genesis things."
"Uh-huh," Jacqueline said, her tone skeptical. "And does this 'work stuff' involve secret meetings and code names?"
"Only if you count 'pizza night' as a code name," Jerry said, grinning as he reached for another slice.
Emily elbowed him, her tone teasing. "You're not helping."
"I'm not trying to," Jerry shot back, his grin widening.
Monica sighed, shaking her head. "You're all impossible. But fine, keep your secrets. Just don't come crying to me when it all blows up in your faces."
Mark chuckled, his tone light. "Noted."
As the conversation shifted to lighter topics—like Jacqueline's latest drama at work and Monica's ongoing battle with the neighbor's cat—I couldn't help but notice the little things. The way Mark kept glancing at Anushka when he thought no one was looking. The way Jerry and Emily kept finding excuses to touch each other's hands. The way Jacqueline pretended not to care but was clearly hanging on every word.
Then Mark reached for the box of Anu burgers, holding it up like it was some kind of trophy. "By the way, I got these for Ruhi," he said, grinning at Anushka. "You guys remember how she came up with the recipe, right?"
Anushka's eyes widened, and she shook her head quickly. "Mark, don't—"
But it was too late. Mark was already launching into the story. "So, back when Ruhi was still in high school, she had this crazy idea to create the perfect burger. She spent weeks experimenting with different ingredients—spices, sauces, you name it. And then one day, she finally nailed it. The Anu burger was born."
Jerry raised an eyebrow, his mouth full of pizza. "Wait, *you* came up with that? The one they sell at that fancy burger place downtown?"
Anushka nodded, her cheeks turning pink. "Yeah. It was just a fun project at first, but then the restaurant liked it so much, they bought the recipe."
"And now it's, like, their signature dish," Mark added, clearly proud of her. "Pretty cool, right?"
"Pretty cool?" Emily repeated, her eyes wide. "That's amazing, Anushka! Why didn't you tell us?"
Anushka shrugged, looking embarrassed but pleased. "I don't know. It never really came up."
"Well, it's coming up now," Jerry said, grabbing one of the burgers and taking a big bite. "Damn, this is good. You're a genius, Ruhi."
"It's Anushka," she corrected automatically, but she was smiling.
I grinned, reaching for a burger myself. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, *Ruhi*."
Anushka shot me a look, but there was no real annoyance in it. "You're all impossible."
As the conversation continued, I couldn't help but notice the way Mark looked at Anushka—like she was the most fascinating person in the room. And maybe she was. After all, she'd invented a burger that even Jerry couldn't stop eating. That had to count for something.
Monica, meanwhile, was watching the whole scene with a small smile on her face. She had that look she always got when she was thinking about Mom—like she was remembering something bittersweet. Mark and Jerry called her "Little Mom" not just because she was Mom's younger sister, but because she looked so much like her. She had the same eyes, the same smile, the same way of tilting her head when she was thinking. Sometimes, when she wasn't looking, I'd catch Mark or Jerry staring at her like they were seeing a ghost. But they never said anything. None of us did.