Once at the breakfast hall, Harpinder was able to quickly spot Mohan and took a seat next to him. "Sorry for getting here so late, I just woke up when I replied to your texts" Harpinder said.
"Don't worry about it, Man. You got here pretty fast, especially in that full suit. It took me an hour just to put on a hat and a t shirt" Mohan said between bites of the breakfast burrito he got from the hall.
"Yeah, I was actually thinking you don't strike me as the type of person to get up so early. I was surprised you were up before me" Harpinder smirked.
"You know how Indian parents are. They'd always nag me about wasting the day if I slept in. I guess your parents had a lot to say about what you wore?"
Harpinder chuckled, "Well I did get my share of good natured nagging, but fashion is something I kind of taught myself. I like to look my best. Believe me, if my parents had anything to say about it, my brother wouldn't be walking around in athletic gear all the time".
"Really? Well you look good. The dots on your turban are a nice touch, very unique"
Harpinder couldn't help but brightly smile at this compliment. He felt this interaction had brought them very close, despite know each other for a short time. "That's exactly what I was going for. I like to stand out"
"It's hard not to stand out when you're wearing a turban. You caught my eye immediately"
"Caught your eye?" Harpinder started to feel his heart beating in his chest.
"Yeah, I mean, obviously you're Punjabi so I thought we could relate to each other, and you turned out to be a nice dude."
If Harpinder was blushing, his dark complexion didn't give it away. He couldn't pinpoint why, but was feeling especially happy to be with Mohan right now "I feel the same way about you. So, what did you want to do before class?"
"I thought we could go over a few notes, then maybe talk about how we're getting to the meeting tonight. But for now we can just eat" Mohan took another bite of his breakfast burrito.
"Sounds good" Harpinder took a Tupperware containers out of his messenger bag, revealing a saucy Punjabi breakfast.
"What'd you bring?"
"Oh it's just some leftovers my brother made. He actually cooks a lot for the organization's events"
"Ah man, your brother cooks? You are so lucky. It's been forever since I've had my mom's cooking"
"Feel free to take some, I have plenty" Harpinder slid the Tupperware to Mohan, who happily chowed into the dish, while leaving a good serving for Harpinder to finish.
"Man that hits the spot"
"Another good reason for you to come to our meetings. Youll get more of that home cooking you've been missing" Harpinder grabbed a napkin from his bag and handed it to Mohan "by the way, you got some sauce stuck on your upper lip.
"Oh, thanks" Mohan wiped the sauce off. As he pulled the napkin away from his face, a long handlebar mustache was revealed on his face "it's so embarrassing, sometimes I can't help but get sauce on my mustache".
Harpinder thought Mohan's face was completely shaven, but obviously that wasn't right. He rationalized that he must have been confused by the fact that Mohan shaved his beard. It was a shame, Mohan's mustache looked so good on him. Harpinder was sure that a lucious beard would look all the better. Though, if he was getting sauce on his mustache, one could only wonder what more he could spill on a beard. "It happens to the best of us. It's the price we pay to have such handsome facial hair. Have you ever thought of growing the rest out?"
"What, like my beard and hair?" Mohan scratched the back of his head "not really since I stopped practicing the faith. I think I look best with short hair"
"I would have to disagree. I really think you could pull off long hair"
"Hmm, I guess I could think about it" Mohan scratched his head again and readjusted his hat. As he did, his hair fell down to chin length. All Harpinder could think about was how Mohan was getting more handsome by the minute.