"Sahil! Gauri!" I waved my hand at them to get their attention.
Both of them turned their heads in my direction and smiled. I walked towards them, and Sahil pulled me in a tight hug.
"Finally got you." He squeezed me.
"Nice to meet you too, Sahil, but are you planning on choking me?" I joked.
He let me go, and Gauri laughed when Sahil gave me a sheepish smile. As I promised, I came to meet him after the trip and as per his promise, he brought Gauri along with him. We had decided to roam in a famous mall which had a small aquarium in it.
I met Gauri after five months, but it didn't seem like that. After that science competition, a lot of things happened, and I apologized to her for not keeping in touch. She waved it off, and Sahil said that today we would have a lot of fun and made me promise him that we would keep meeting like this frequently.
"Shall we eat something first? I am hungry," he suggested.
Gauri and I nodded and after filling our stomachs, we went to visit the aquarium. All the time, Sahil was talking about his new restaurant and how he had made some changes as I had suggested. I thanked him for taking my views in consideration, and he gave me his signature lopsided grin.
"How about we do some shopping?" Gauri asked as she admired a long purple gown in a boutique.
"No problem. But I won't be buying anything," I replied, and we entered the shop.
"Why not?" Sahil questioned.
"Mom will kill me if I bought more clothes. I just spent a major portion of my salary last month on upgrading my wardrobe, so I can't do unnecessary expenditure this month," I explained.
"I will pay," he said, and I shook my head vigorously.
I refused his offer, but Gauri told me to buy at least one dress along with her. I checked my wallet; I didn't have that much cash. And I also didn't bring my debit card as I knew that I would end up buying something which wasn't needed.
"Don't you consider me your friend, Sandhya?" Sahil asked sadly. "Buy anything you want, I will pay for it. And you can pay me later if you want. Okay?"
"Sahil, but-"
"He is right, Sandhya. We are friends, it is alright if he wants to buy you something. You can pay him back later," Gauri reasoned.
I thought for a moment; she wasn't wrong. If it had been Surbhi or Parth, I wouldn't have thought about money while shopping with them. A lot of times, I had borrowed money from Surbhi and vice-versa. It wasn't a big deal to do each other small favours.
"Okay, thanks a lot, Sahil. Actually, I did want to buy a few dresses which caught my eye," I confessed and gave an awkward smile.
He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and chuckled. "Don't worry about it. Go on." He pushed me forward, and I joined Gauri in our shopping spree.
Sahil waited for us in the reception area, and once we were done, he paid the bill. I bought two jeans, three t-shirts and a single one piece. I asked Sahil how much the bill was, but he tore off the receipt and waved his hand in dismissal.
"I will just check the price tags," I teased.
"No need. Think of it as a gift from me," he said.
"Gift? For what?"
"For helping me in my start-up. Your feedback served really helpful, so buying you clothes is the least I can do." He smiled.
I shook my head at him. Gauri told me to chill and let the matter go. Sahil was like that only; he always showed his gratitude by buying gifts or buying lunch and dinner. She also added that since the clothes I bought were a gift, I shouldn't refuse.
"Fine, guys." I laughed. "But next time, I will take you shopping, and you can't deny me."
"How about a date instead?" He winked.
I hit him on the stomach. "In your dreams, Mr. Sahil Arora."
"I make my dreams come true, Sandhya." He stared directly in my eyes.
"All the best then," I replied and giggled.
He rolled his eyes, a small smile playing on his lips. I couldn't believe he was flirting with me, but I knew he wasn't serious. He was my friend, and I was sure he also saw me like that only.
Moreover, I already had a crush-who most probably had a girlfriend. And I wasn't even confident enough to ask him that or just sort out my feelings.
Damn, I am getting depressed for no reason. Ved is also not here so I can distract myself by getting in a fight with him. Ved... Wait a minute... Why the hell am I thinking about that idiot?
"What happened, Sandhya? Why are you making such a weird face?" Gauri questioned.
"Nothing, thought about someone-I mean something weird," I cleared my throat.
She didn't query further, and we decided to play some games. The gaming centre was already crowded, but fortunately, we got our chance to play within a few minutes.
"How about bowling?" Sahil asked, and I nodded.
Gauri wasn't interested, so she sat on a bench and observed us. Sahil challenged me to win after informing me that he was a pro in that game. I pursed my lips; I had played that game only once. But I was up for the challenge.
"Ladies first," Sahil said and smirked.
After shooting him a fake glare, I took a small yellow coloured ball and threw it on the lane. It rolled forward and landed in the gutter. Sahil laughed at me and played his turn.
The ball rolled smoothly and hit the centre, making all the pins fall like dominoes. He shot me a smirk and offered to teach me. I swatted his hand away when he came forward, and I took a competitive stance.
"Don't underestimate me, Sahil," I grinned and threw the ball.
"You won't win," he said as a matter of fact.
"Let's see," I replied and jumped in joy when I got a perfect shot.
I teased him by pointing my thumbs down. "Who is losing now, eh?" I stuck out my tongue at him.
I was way behind him in scores, but I couldn't help myself from celebrating my small win. He shook his head at me, and Gauri joined me in teasing him.
"Are you happy by just winning once?"
A very well known voice landed in my ears. I turned around and saw Ved walking in my direction. He was dressed in all black, and his head was covered in a familiar grey beanie. It was mine!
He pushed me aside and went to shake Sahil's hand. Both of them smiled at each other, and Ved shot a smile at Gauri in acknowledgement. Gauri returned the gesture, and they began chatting like old friends.
I was also there, but he completely ignored me.
I huffed and rolled my eyes when I saw Gauri giggle at something Ved said. How could she find his jokes funny? Maybe she was just being kind. Right?
I decided to play by myself when I saw them act like I didn't even exist because of Princess Ved's royal entry. I shot the ball forward, and as expected, it landed in the gutter.
I took a deep breath and picked up another ball. I was about to throw it, but Ved came beside me and grabbed my arm. He twisted my wrist and pushed my right foot with his. After adjusting me like a mannequin, he told me to take my shot.
I did as he said and bingo! I got all the pins in one go. I turned around with a huge smile, but Ved was staring at me with an angry expression on his face. He had crossed his arms across his chest and was standing like an Army sergeant.
"Why didn't you pick up my calls?" he questioned in a cold voice.
"You called me?" I asked in confusion. "But why?"
"Do I need to take your permission for that?" he snapped. "Where is your phone?"
"In my pocket," I replied and quickly checked if he was lying or not.
I widened my eyes at my phone screen. 16 missed calls and 9 messages?! All were from Natural Heater.
"I forgot to put it off from Silent mode," I said, and he narrowed his eyes.
"Next time you do that..." he cracked his knuckles, "you can start counting your last days."
I thought Ved was going to kill me on the spot, but Sahil came in for my rescue. He stood in front of me and told Ved to relax.
"Don't fight, dude. She must have forgotten since we were busy playing," Sahil defended.
But Ved and I were not fighting. Were we? I don't think so.
Ved moved his gaze on his friend and raised an eyebrow. "I was talking to her, you don't need to get involved."
"Chill, bro. I remember what happened last time we met, so I am just trying to reduce the tension. Why are you getting so angry over such a small thing?" Sahil asked him and looked at me over his shoulder.
I shrugged my shoulders. I also didn't know why Ved was reacting like I had committed a crime by keeping my phone on silent. Not even my mom got that hyper. Actually she did, but she didn't turn into Red Hulk over it.
"What is it, Ved? Did you have something important to tell me?" I asked from behind Sahil.
"I have... but you seem too busy," he taunted.
I raised my eyebrows at him. "Can't you be polite for even a minute? Do you want to pick a fight in front of your friends?"
"You won't survive, Sandy Pandy, but I won't hurt you even if we do get in a fight." He fixed his steel gaze on me.
Why can't he say things directly instead of talking in riddles?
"Why? Are you afraid of losing?" I mocked.
Ved pursed his lips and averted his eyes from my face. He pinched his nose bridge and shook his head while mumbling to himself. He let out a huge breath and calmed down after a few minutes.
"You guys continue, I will leave," he announced and started walking away.
I quickly moved my feet and grabbed his arm. He halted, glancing between me and my hand.
"Did you want to tell me something about Ayush?" I interrogated.
He stared at me for quite a good time before speaking up. "He has no issues with you coming to my house, but don't cause any problems," he advised.
"Thanks, Ved. And don't worry, I won't do anything." I beamed.
He blinked rapidly, and I felt his muscles tighten under my hand as he curled his fists. I sensed his body heating up, so I removed his arm from my hold.
"Sorry," I apologized and mentally facepalmed myself for behaving like that.
"Go and play," he said in a soft voice, and I snapped my eyes at him in surprise.
He realised what I was going to say, so he shook his head in a warning and left. He glanced at me once over his shoulder and rubbed his right hand on his neck. I stared at his retreating back and went back to my friends who were waiting for me.
"When did you guys get that close?" Sahil asked, sounding a bit off.
"We are not close." I gave an innocent look. "Why would you think so?"
He and Gauri looked at me like I was some alien who was speaking an unknown language. They exchanged a look, and Gauri subtly shook her head at him.
"Remember, you are in my team, Sandhya," he added, his voice getting serious.
"Yes, I am. Why are you even asking? Don't worry, man. Relax," I said and patted his shoulder.
"Doesn't look like that though," he grumbled.
"Oh, come on, Sahil. What got into you now?" I complained and told him to continue playing.
"Yes, Sahil. Don't spoil the mood now," Gauri took my side.
After cheering him up-which was kind of confusing since I didn't understand why he was so pissed off-we played some more games and went to eat lunch.
We were sitting in a small cafe made up of brown walls and orange and white furniture, chatting and laughing over random topics. I was telling Gauri a joke which I heard two months ago when Sahil excused himself.
He left for some time and came back with a small dark blue rectangular box in his hand. He occupied his seat and handed me the box.
"What's this?" I asked.
"Your gift," he answered with a smile.
"One more? How many are you going to give me for just a small feedback?"
"As many as you want." He smirked.
And... he was back to pulling my leg again.
I opened the box he gave me and widened my eyes when I saw a sparkling silver bracelet with diamonds. I picked it up and admired it. It was really beautiful.
"This looks really expensive, Sahil. I can't take it. These are real diamonds, aren't they?" I accused.
"They are not," he said, but I caught on his try on lying.
"I can't take it, sorry. These clothes are enough." I put the bracelet back and moved the box towards him.
"I knew you didn't consider me your friend," he sulked.
"It isn't like-"
"I get it. You would have accepted it if it was cheaper, right?" he blamed.
"No, Sahil. I just..." I trailed off.
Honestly, he was right. The bracelet was really pricey; it had diamonds in it! How could I accept such an expensive gift from him just like that?
"I liked it and thought you would love it too. I wanted to give you a present because I felt like it. But you refused it just because of its price. Basically, you put a price tag on our friendship," he said pensively.
Gauri also made a sad face and turned me into a villain. I opened my mouth to defend my decision but realised that what he said wasn't wrong either. I couldn't decide what to do.
"You should never ask the price of a gift, Sandhya. A gift is something which is given without any expectation of getting anything in return and holds the emotions of the giver, so when you reject a gift, you are indirectly rejecting their feelings too," Gauri reasoned.
Okay, now I was feeling really bad-and guilty.
I took the box and wore the bracelet. Sahil's face lit up with a bright grin, and I chuckled.
"It suits you," he commented, and Gauri nodded.
"Thank you, Sahil. I am happy to have you both as my friends." I smiled.
After that emotional moment, we chatted for some more time and decided to leave for our respective homes. I hugged Gauri and she reminded me to take my shopping bags with me.
Sahil gave me a big hug, and patted my back. "My team, Sandhya Rai," he said, and I hit him on the arm playfully. "I remember," I scolded.
"See you soon," Gauri said.
"You too," I replied and exited the mall after waving at them.
I took an auto and relaxed in the backseat. I had a lot of fun today, and next time, I would bring Surbhi, Parth and Shreyas also. That way, my college friends would be able to make new friends too.
I took out my phone to call Dad to inform him that I was coming home, but I saw the previous missed calls from Ved. I checked his messages and all of the texts were asking me where the hell I was.
Why was Natural Heater getting heated up for such a small thing?
But whatever. He didn't act like a douche bag like he did last time; I must appreciate him for that.
I hope his friends follow his footsteps too.