Potluck

And so the potluck has begun! The food was laid out in our kitchen island counter, buffet style. We had an assortment of Indian delights, from Jaya's chicken biryani to Panchi's goat curry. Plus, Nishad brought some mango lassi for us, my favorite drink. A nice chandelier above the kitchen ceiling lit the area nicely for us.

We all grabbed our food and sat at our dining table, but the seating arrangements implied something that I hadn't noticed till later on. I sat between Panchi and Vinati on one side of the table, while Jaya and Nishad sat next to each other on the other side. It would make more sense if Nishad and I were switched, but hey. The table was also pretty small, so the people on each side were bunched up together. Nevertheless, our conversations started with Jaya.

"So, Vinati. How is school?" She asked.

"It's…going. I'm doing some undergrad research, and it is a little tense now." She replied with a light smile. She's in university?! She looks like she's in her late 20s! I almost spat out my food.

"Wait Vinati? How old are you?" I asked.

I expected a number, but got a smug expression. "Call me Vinati, and I'll tell you~"

"Okay...Auntie Vinati." I said, without a second thought. Vinati then wrapped her arm around me and came close to my ear. Very close.

"Don't act all surprised…but I'm 19." She whispered.

How can I NOT be surprised? I let out an audible gasp, making all the women at the table laugh out loud. I thought back to what happened earlier. I've been picked up and held like a baby by a college freshman, eight years younger than me. Absolutely embarrassing.

"O-Oh While we're at it…" Panchi's voice crackled from all thr laughing, "If you're wondering what we do, I'm working at Astrazeneca, and Nishad is…still working at that tech company right? What was the name again?"

"Syrius Data" Nishad sighed. Wait, that's the name of the 1st startup I "sold". Me and my co owners were kinda given a shitty deal, but we accepted it anyway because we were too inexperienced. I've sold two other startups with much better deals, but hearing Syrius Data again is a flashback and a half. I wonder what his role is in the company.

"That's…good!" I added. Panchi then took a napkin and wiped some rice off my cheek. Just like with Vinati, she smelled really nice. I'd say I was almost in another trance. I hadn't noticed, but I guess this was her way of saying "eat slowly." She really had this big sister vibe then. I also saw Vinati from the corner of my eye watching us with a mature smile.

"Hey…" Panchi turned to the rest of the friends, giddy about something, "Since we've all met Agriya now, how about we go on a little getaway?! Just for funzies"

"Oh, that sounds good!" Jaya said, clasping her hands.

"I..should be free, yes." Replied Vinati

Nishad then looked me straight in the eyes, put his massive arm around Jaya's shoulder and smiled. "If Jaya comes, I come." He said.

"Agriya too!" Jaya exclaimed.

"Sure…I'm good." I said, looking down to avoid Nishad's glare.

"Then it's settled!" Panchi smiled, pulling out her phone, "where shall we go?"

"How about…Oceanville?" Jaya perked up, "We can rent a place there. I've always wanted to go to the beach and the amusement park there." She did mention Oceanville to me, but I wasn't as excited as her about it (since everything is expensive). But with all five of us, I felt that this trip would be worth it.

"I'm fine with that. Any objections?" Everyone nodded their heads with approval. I also noticed that Nishad pulled Jaya a little closer to his body. His hands were dangerously close to her breasts. Again, I decided not to say anything, but I do remember feeling a bit ticklish seeing that. "Then it's settled. We'll have a getaway at Oceanville!"

—

After a fun night of talking and good food, everyone said their goodbyes and left. Me and Jaya cleaned up what we could before we got tired.

Before bed, I decided to look for rental beach houses on my laptop. They were all pretty damn expensive for what they're worth! Well, except for one.

"Did you find anything good?" Pamchi said, creeping up behind me. She had just finished taking a shower, and stood with a towel wrapped around her goddess body. Another great sight!

"I did find this one place for cheap." I said, "but it's only cheap if we have a child under the age of 12 coming with us."

"Oh.." Jaya then went into some thought…and smirked! What was she planning? "How about you pretend to be a 12 year old? I mean, I think you can pass off as one. You have the looks. And I know you can change your voice as well!"

"H-Huh?" At first I thought that was an awful idea, but as I thought about it, it made more and more sense. I'm the only one that can pull this off. No one else can. It's just gonna be a bit…painful for my sanity. "I guess…that can work out?" I said, slipping back into thought, "Ahh I'll do it. It'll save us a lot of money anyway."

Jaya leaned close to me and gave me a peck on the cheek. "Thank you Agriya, be a good boy then, okay?" She whispered. That was the first time she teased me like that. In fact, she acted a little different all night. I guess having someone's friends here really does change how a person acts.

Either way, I booked the place and hopped into bed with Jaya for a good night's rest.