Starry Chocolate Brownies

She is known as the 'Star' at work.

The moment she enters office, faces brighten with a smile, people look up from their screens to hold her bright gaze and say a hello. Her clothes are always the happy shades and she smells like cool sea breeze.

Her playlist is loaded with songs that are peppy and loud.
Her desk, ah!!, is the most vibrant, with pictures and pieces of her life which is full of color.
But there is one drawer which is empty. She opens it several times a day, mostly when people are out on breaks, peeps inside and shuts it back.

And for few moments, her smile is off, and a deep shadow covers the white in her eyes. Sometimes, few friends have caught her doing it and they asked what is it? "Her heart" she jokingly says; which is empty and that is the truth. She still misses it; the feeling of being loved unconditionally!!!

"Ma'am, a bouquet for you", the office boy said, placing the brightest tulips on her desk. Who would have sent these, she wondered.

There was a note:

"I love you,
not only for your smiles and happy banter;
or for your attitude and confidence;
but for that innocent girl, inside the woman you are.
The one, that wants to be loved, not just admired;
wants to be caressed, not just complimented;
to be held and cared for."
Can I love you, for the rest of our life with no questions asked?

- From the grey desk across the floor!!!

She looks up, and smiles. Her sparkling eyes catch him looking at her, with hope and affection. She nods, 'Yes'. He smiles. She puts the note in the empty drawer. She knows what she is going to bake for their first date :)

"When Star met Love"

This entry is for the food fiction event "Of Chalks and Chopsticks" hosted by Aquadaze at "Served With Love" Spun a yarn yet? Hurry, you have another day left.

My star love Daksayani [my kid sister Who you would see a lot of in my blog] is a little chef in the making... her apron has D-A-K-S-A-Y-N-I embroidered on it.... She's not allowed to eat chocolate but sneaked in a fingerful and the G-L-E-E on the child's face was blissful...

Thanks Richa of Life is like that, for helping with the story :)

This post is being sent to “KIDS DELIGHT” by Pari of Foodelicious.

Starry Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients:
4 oz unsweetened chocolate
2 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 sticks butter
2cups white sugar
4 large eggs
1cup AP flour
1 tsp salt
½tsp vanilla



Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease a 9”x9” pan.
3. Melt the chocolate[reserve some for garnishing] and butter and mix well. (Can be done in a microwave, heating and mixing every 10 seconds until just melted. A double boiler also works well.)
4. Add 1 cup sugar to the chocolate mix, and stir.
5. Beat the eggs, vanilla, and 1cup sugar until frothy (about 3 minutes).
6. Slowly add the chocolate mix to the eggs, stirring to avoid cooking the eggs.
7. Gently fold in the flour and salt.
8. Pour the mix in the baking pan and level it out.
9. Bake for about 30 minutes or so, until the center is mostly dry when a toothpick is inserted.
10. Let cool before trying to remove from the pan.

You can read some more food fiction at:
Beguni -- ar Ashare Goppo by Bong Mom, In An Instant, Pickle & Fiction Both by When My Soup Came Alive, Cheese Capsicum Onion Pizza and Chicken in oyster sauce and Red - the endby Served With Love.