Breakfast with the Bendilanis.

Breakfast at our house was never boring. The dining table was always crowded, and the chatter flowed faster than the pancakes disappeared. But that day, there was something different in the air. Maybe it was because Dad wasn't dining with us, or perhaps it was the way Mark seemed oddly distant, sipping his coffee in silence. His usual cool demeanor was tinged with distraction, and naturally, it didn't go unnoticed.

Emily, always the first to call things out, raised an eyebrow as she buttered her toast. "Mark, you're unusually quiet today. What's going on?"

Mark cleared his throat and set his mug down carefully, as though stalling. "I'm expecting a visitor this morning," he said, his tone nonchalant.

Jacqueline, ever the inquisitive one, narrowed her eyes. "A visitor? Who's so important that they're dropping by this early?"

Jerry leaned back in his chair, grinning like a Cheshire cat. "Oh, let me guess—Ruhi?"

Emily nearly choked on her tea. "Wait, wait… Anushka, isn't it?"

Mark gave a little nod, trying to keep his expression neutral, but the corners of his lips twitched, betraying him.

"Oooh," Emily teased, smirking. "Mark's got a crush!"

I tilted my head, suddenly intrigued. "Who's Anushka? And who's Ruhi?"

Jerry, never one to miss an opportunity, wagged his eyebrows in mock seriousness. "She's a potential girlfriend."

"She's not—" Mark began, but Jacqueline's sudden gasp drowned him out.

"Wait, is she your girlfriend?" Jacqueline leaned forward, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"No!" Mark said louder this time, his ears faintly reddening. "She's just a colleague."

"A colleague you're inviting to breakfast with the entire family?" Emily teased, leaning back with a smug grin. "Seems serious to me."

I blinked at him, unable to hold back my curiosity. "So, Anushka and Ruhi… are the same person? Is she pretty?"

"You'll see for yourself," Mark muttered, avoiding eye contact as he took another sip of his coffee.

Before I could press him further, the sound of the gate creaking open caught everyone's attention. Mark shot to his feet so fast that his chair scraped loudly against the floor.

"She's here," he said, already halfway to the door.

Jacqueline raised an eyebrow, exchanging a glance with Monica. "Since when is Mark this enthusiastic about visitors?"

Monica, who had been silently observing, finally spoke up. "Why is he so… concerned about her?"

Emily leaned back, an amused look on her face. "Oh, you know why. He's falling for her."

Jacqueline let out a dramatic gasp. "Mark? In love? I need to see this!"

We all turned our attention toward the entrance, the anticipation crackling like static in the air. After a few moments, Mark reappeared, walking alongside a girl I had never met before.

She was… beautiful. Averagely tall, elegant, with dark, flowing hair and sharp, intelligent eyes. She exuded confidence but carried herself with a polite modesty that made her instantly likable.

"Everyone," Mark said, his voice a little too formal, "this is Ruhi."

She offered a warm smile, and somehow, it felt like the entire room lit up. "Hi. It's nice to meet all of you."

Before anyone else could respond, I blurted out, "You're so pretty!"

"Dorcas!" Mark groaned, shooting me a look.

"What?" I said innocently, still staring at her. "It's true."

Anushka let out a light, melodic laugh. "Thank you. You must be Dorcas?"

I nodded eagerly and abandoned my seat to plop down right next to her. I was already fascinated. Who was she? How did she know Mark?

Mark sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Dorcas, don't be troublesome."

"I'm not!" I replied, grinning up at him. "I'm just being welcoming."

Anushka didn't seem to mind. She turned to me with an amused smile. "It's nice to meet you. Mark's told me about you. It's great to finally put faces to the names."

I glanced at Jacqueline and Monica, both of whom were studying Anushka like she was some complex puzzle. Jerry, predictably, sat there smirking, clearly enjoying every second of the moment.

"So," Jacqueline said, leaning forward, "how exactly do you know Mark?"

Anushka exchanged a quick glance with Mark before replying, "We work together."

"Just work?" Emily chimed in, her smirk growing. "Or is it more than that?"

Anushka smiled sweetly but with a sharp glint in her eyes. "For now, just work."

Monica tilted her head thoughtfully. "You seem… different from Mark's usual colleagues."

" I'll take that as a compliment," Anushka said smoothly.

I was already a fan. I had to know more. "So, tell me… what's India like?"

Anushka's expression softened, though there was a hint of humor in her voice. "I wouldn't know. I've never been there. Nothing makes me Indian apart from my looks and name."

I frowned, tilting my head. "So, you were born here?"

Anushka nodded. "Yep. Born and raised here."

Mark sighed heavily, pulling out a chair and plopping down, rubbing his temples. "Can we just have breakfast without the interrogation?"

But even as we resumed eating, I couldn't help but notice the way Mark's eyes kept drifting toward Anushka. Something told me this wasn't "just work."

But the teasing didn't stop. As we ate, the conversation kept looping back to Anushka, with Jerry and Emily doing most of the prodding. I kept close, absorbing every word she said, fascinated by her confidence and calmness. 

As the conversation rolled on, Anushka seemed perfectly at ease answering Emily and Jerry's endless teasing questions. She didn't flinch or back down, which only made me like her more. But then, just as we were all settling into this new dynamic, she tilted her head and looked at Monica, studying her face.

"Monica right," Anushka began thoughtfully, "are you Alice's sister?"

The room fell silent. Completely silent. Forks froze halfway to mouths. Even Jerry, who always had a joke on hand, didn't say a word.

I glanced around the table, confused. Monica's expression didn't change, but her hand tightened slightly on her mug. Jacqueline frowned and stared down at her plate. Mark's jaw tightened ever so slightly, though his face remained calm.

Anushka looked around, realizing she had hit some kind of invisible nerve. "Sorry, I just—" she hesitated, gesturing toward Monica, "you look so much like her. Like a younger version of Alice."

Still, no one said anything. The air in the room felt thick, like we were all waiting for someone else to break the silence.