Randy was quite the social guy, so it hardly surprised Harvey that he had been chatting it up with absolutely anyone who would listen to him. He was standing among a group of about 5 other students, laughing along with them, having a good time. He saw Harvey and Gurpreet walk up to them. "Hey Harp! Looks like you're having fun!"
"Harp?" asked Harvey, confused at the nickname Randy had given him.
"Yeah, Harpinder?" replied Randy, in a half-mocking tone. "Don't be obtuse, man."
Gurpreet laughed, "I guess it's been a long day for our newest friend."
Harvey smiled, "Yeah, a bit!". He guessed that Randy was going along with the ceremony and calling him by a Punjabi name now. It was what was respectful to the group, after all, so Harvey just went along with it. He was a bit surprised that the same Randy who hadn't even bothered manners by harassing Satvinder and eating the food early was suddenly complying with everything, but who was he to complain?
"Have you tried the food yet? It's delicious!" shouted Randy, pulling Harvey out of his daze.
"Oh, sorry." he said, paying attention again. "No, I haven't. I was just on my way with Gurpreet to grab a plate."
One of the women standing in the circle was visibly excited. "You should go grab some! His cooking is absolutely delicious!" To which Randy grinned ear to hear upon hearing.
Gurpreet picked up the pace. "Let's go, Harpinder. If everyone is saying it's as good as it is we won't get any if we delay!" The two men then started walking to the kitchen.
"I'm glad you're being a great sport about this." said Gurpreet. "I know that Professor Martinez is basically forcing you to do this, but it means a lot to us that you're giving it an honest try."
Harvey smiled. "Thanks Gurpreet," he replied. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't enjoying this to some extent." Even though he had been plenty frustrated with several of the events over the past two days, and still hadn't figured out who had gotten into his room, he was speaking honestly. Even suddenly having a box of turbans felt entirely normal to him now, that it wasn't a big deal anymore.
"That's what happens when you find like minded individuals of your faith." said Gurpreet, before the large man clapped Harvey's back and gave him a side hug. "We're happy to have you, brother."
Harvey truly felt a sense of belonging as Gurpreet hugged him. The seriousness soon ended as the two men walked into the kitchen and smelled the delicious warm food, in many dishes. Several delicious home cooked meals were there: butter and tandoori chickens, several lamb and veggie kebabs, samosas, and eggplant to name only a few. Khoya and malpua were also available for dessert. Each took a plastic plate and loaded it up, taking advantage of the delicious food.
After trying a few bites, Gurpreet spoke again. "Ravdeep truly outdid himself for this event. This food is absolutely delicious!"
Harvey couldn't help but agree. "Yeah, my compliments to the chef on this food. I haven't had anything this good in such a long time."
Gurpreet laughed. "The two of you are such good friends, I figured he would feed you from time to time!"
Harvey raised an eyebrow in confusion. Gurpreet saw it and dropped the subject. "Or perhaps not. Cooking like this surely takes a lot of time and preparation."
The two walked back to the room and mingled for a bit. Harvey was chatting around with people in the room that he knew and that he didn't. He spoke mostly about school related manners and his classes so far, not even bothering to think about or mention his mysterious course change to Bollywood Film Study. Instead he spoke of Dr. Farrell and her apparent passion for the class.
Soon, the night was ending, and people were starting to shuffle out. Harvey realized he hadn't seen Randy in a while. As people petered out, Harvey heard a call from the kitchen from a mildly accented voice. "Hey, Harp! Can you help a brother out?"
Harvey headed to the kitchen and recognized the black turban and gym clothes right away. It was Randy, but something looked off about him. His skin was richer in color and his face was covered in a thick, black stubble. "Hey, Harpinder. Stop gawking and help me out with these dishes." he said, holding a few empty trays and dishes in his hands. There were more on the table.
Harvey stacked the rest of the dishes in his hands and picked them up. "You know it's just us now, right? You don't have to call me that." he said.
"Call you what, your name?" replied Randy, confused, before cluing in. "Oh! Your full name. Sorry Harp!" he exclaimed, "I just needed the help."
"That's not what I-" Harvey started, as he was interrupted by Gurpreet and Mandeep.
"Ah, the last to leave!" Mandeep exclaimed. "Thank you for your help in feeding us all tonight, your food was delicious Ravdeep."
Randy beamed. "It's my pleasure. I'm glad to help you with such an important event. The new people seemed to have a lot of fun, right Harp?"
Harvey, a bit confused, stammered out a "Yeah."
Gurpreet let out another deep laugh. "The poor man is exhausted. We should let you two go for the night. Rest well and we'll be in touch soon about the next meeting. We'll try not to spring anything on you tomorrow!"
Randy chuckled, and Harvey laughed along anxiously. He was so tired and everything seemed so confusing.
The two men walked to the door. "Don't worry Harp, we just have to get these dishes back to my dorm and then you can go back to yours and finally sleep."