The sky was brushed with blue color as if the creator just now painted it by his mystical hand. As the day began, a gleam of hope brought a surge of confidence in dispirited hearts and vim in lazybones.

Mental scars given by the author, Nitin Kushwa, were still fresh in Sid's mind. Yesterday he had promised Sara to spend a full day with her. The day that put a smile on every woman's face: the shopping day.

There were lines of annoyance on the forehead of Sara as she was tapping her feet on the ground. She has been waiting for an hour, still no signs of Sid. Except waiting people passing by or looking at the time every now and then, she did nothing. Her Vespa scooter was parked aside the footpath where she was standing.

Just as she was on the brink of losing her patience, Sid arrived on the scene. Sara looked at him like death personified, shooting daggers.

Sid thought it's wise to put a fish-eating grin on his face as wide as possible. The idea was, it could melt Sara, and she may not rain blows on him. To his surprise, he received a welcoming smile from Sara. "No need to give excuses, let's go. You're mine for a full day as you promised." She chuckled as naughtiness glittered in her eyes.

Instead of letting her ride the scooter, Sid took hold of it. Sara sat on the pillion and locked Sid's waist with her thoroughly waxed smooth arms. He didn't expect this much tightness in her grip, which made him a little coy. Right then he surmised it to be Sara's open nature. "Don't be surprised if next day you woke up in the hospital."

"Shut up," she crooned, rolling her eyes.

Within an hour, both of them arrived at the shopping mall. Sara had to haul Sid by his arm in the women's intimates section. Because he was feeling shy to enter there, and that also with a newly made friend.

When they moved on to other sections, Sara kept on asking for Sid's suggestions, before choosing any dresses, tops, shorts, tunics, or footwear she tried on.

She picked a keyhole midi dress and adhered it on her shoulder, going down to the middle of her thighs. She asked for Sid's suggestions, but he was lost in his world, being bored to tears. Without looking at the dress, he told her. "Yeah, it's a lovely frock. You'll look stunning in it. Pack it up."

"It's not a frock. Turn around and see!" Sara said through her gritted teeth. Squinted his eyes shut—hard—for a moment, Sid sent a silly grin at her while scratching his head on that mistake.

After twenty minutes, being done with her shopping, they went to the food court. Of course, Sid didn't leave this opportunity to pull Sara's leg about how in the world she wrapped up her shopping within two hours?

He was mentally prepared to wait for more than three hours. Sara belly-laughed on every jest made on her, instead of getting irked.

"Why were you curiously peeking at people's bill?" Sara asked because she remembered how he was catching a glimpse of every buyer's bill.

"Actually, I was observing how people ostentatiously spend money on unnecessary things. Whereas outside the mall beggars are starving."

Sid's chest puffed out as he realized his thoughts matched with the great philosopher, Socrates. But he was aware of the fact that people never consider this thing. They'll probably snap back. Like, hey, dude! Who the heck are you to refrain me from squandering my money, it's my money.

Sara said the same thing, but she winked, in the end, to give her statement a tinge of sarcasm.

Sense gratification is the most practicing religion in the world even Sid would agree. Sara nodded and a grin beamed across her face since she has perceived the same. She gazed at him for seconds as if awestruck to hear wisdom coming from a teenager, a rare thing you'd observe. "You're a philosopher."

"I ... don't know. Come to think of it. I'm like this since birth."

Sara firmly pinned her faith that Sid's would-be girlfriend will be a lucky girl since he's quite unusual as compared to other guys. Most of the guys nowadays are irresponsible and hyper sexual. And Sara was undoubtedly sick of those type of guys. A grimace made its way to her face. "I had come across some real sleazeballs but never fell for their cheap tricks to woo me."

"Wow, I'm impressed." A chuckle escaped Sid's bow-shaped lips. He gazed at Sara with unblinking eyes and leaned forward to speak something secretive. "You know I've played around with hearts of many innocent girls, and I can't get enough of it."

Sid burst out laughing as he caught sight of hot under the collar Sara, shooting daggers at him. She despised that joke. However, she went to another topic. "Well. What your reflective mind tells you about love?"

"Oh yeah! That's one of the fundamental questions I'm hunting down. I think present propaganda about love is simply lust. The love between two legs, not between hearts," Sid said it gravely as if he wanted Sara to understand his point.

Sara nodded. "Yes, I wholeheartedly agree with you. It's a sad fact."

"Even in a country like India, where relationships are treasured so much. Unfortunately, nowadays we can see infidelity, and teenage promiscuity is rocketing like anything."

Sara's face saddened by concern because according to her true love is hard to find these days.

Sid furthered expressed his observation. "Before relationship, we think that person we're in love with gives us ultimate happiness. But when we break up, then that same person becomes a pain in the bum. Love quotes turn into hate quotes. Sweet memories turn into bitter. These all facts make me wonder what is love?"

Sara smiled. "Yes, very true!"

A little later, Sid brought two Baskin Robbins cone ice cream. Sara loved ice cream; Sid must be aware of it. "Tell me which kinda guy you're looking for?" he asked while taking a lick on the edge of ice cream.

As this question hit Sara's ears, her cheeks slightly turned pinkish since she was kind of shy to gossip about this topic. Although one will find that she has many male friends, none of them have ever become of her boyfriend. She lowered down her head and blushed. Because this was something, she can't decide. "I don't know," was the words came out of her mouth.

Sid was determined, however, to know what kind of guy she likes. He thought in his mind that if he can understand what women want, with the help of those tips, he could able to charm Nehali. He insisted her to speak up and to flatter her more; he even said that she's a girl who is meant to marry, not to play around.

Sara dipped into shyness because she found, Sid only buttering her up. She picked up her shopping bags and ran away like a typical shy Indian girl. But of course, she left two bags for Sid to carry. Oh! It was heavy when Sid picked it up.

As they came to the parking lot, Sara adjusted much of her shopping bags into the trunk her Vespa scooter. Sid came following her from behind and handed over the last two bags to her. She placed it on an empty footrest of the motorcycle.

Sid flicked his forearm to whisked the strain off. While traveling home, they didn't talk much. This time Sara was riding her motorcycle. But she took a chance by turning back and asked, "You have a crush on Nehali, right?" Now, this stretched shyness across Sid's face, which she found it to be cute for a guy to have. Good news for girls: if a guy seems shy if talked about his crush. It means he will not play around with that girl.

"Yes, I think so. Why you're asking that?"

"Rest assure. I'll patch things up for you," Sara said confidently as an expert matchmaker. "Don't you worry child; I'll be your messiah."

Sid chuckled and became pensive for a while, dragging his mind back to spirituality. Since Sara said "Messiah" he wished for a real-life Messiah, who would pull him out of his miseries. But no more spirituality, he scolded himself. Blame the author, Nitin Kushwa, who pulverized his spiritual longing. He tried hard to shrug it off so that he won't be obsessed with seeking the absolute truth again.

******

Next day, Sara arranged a date of Nehali and Sid near their college. While Sid was standing alone outside the gate, he saw his face on the front camera of his cell phone, to check if his hair was tousled or not. Man, I'm feeling a surge of nervousness flooding my body, he thought.

Sara and Nehali smilingly came outside and caught sight of Sid. As he laid his eyes on his crush, Nehali tore off her eyes from him since shyness shivered her spine and reached up to her face.

Sara dragged her towards Sid to talk. At first, she spoke casually, and then purposely deserted them in the middle.

Now everything was going as planned. Before walking off, Sara had winked at Sid; indicating him to make hay while the sun shines.

"You skipped the lecture again?" he spoke in a way to bring the girl in comfort zone.

"Yes," she replied. Being so nervous, she wrapped her arms around herself as if she's feeling cold, and fixated her eyes on the ground.

"It's very boring to attend lectures, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"You know, I wanted to sing a love song in the competition because you'd insisted, but things went astray." Sid hoped now Nehali will feel comfortable to talk.

"Oh! I see."

Why is she behaving so reserved? Sid thought. He doubted Nehali was purposely acting like this. Attitude, you know. Whatever he asked, her only response was: okay, yes, or no. That's a bad habit when someone doesn't speak with a full heart, and this was getting on Sid's nerves. She wasn't even looking at him; however, he still didn't lose hope. He presumed this must shyness that making her to evade an eye contact with him. Girls are shy, right?

"Why are you talking so less? Are you alright?" Sid couldn't bring himself to her piece of his mind. Lines of irritation smeared across his forehead.

"Yes. Actually..." Nehali opened her mouth to speak more, but she didn't go further.

Now, Sid couldn't take it anymore. He had enough energy of this reserved attitude of hers. "Am I playing answer-in-one-word with you? Speak something, don't suppress your emotions." His eyes lit up with wrath that may explode anytime.

Nehali chuckled. Her body was trembling in nervousness; she too had a crush on Sid. Because of that, she was unable to express herself. Sid brought his palm to his face and pressed it against his forehead. "Damn! I swear. With a girl like you, there'll be no possible conversation." His voice held rebuking tone.

"Excuse me!?" Nehali spoke up, "Don't you dare to pass a comment on me." The rush of confidence fired her up into attacking mode.

Wow, how come now she turned off her taciturnity?

"You're not Facebook to comment on," Sid snapped back.

A little later, Sara came with a bright face with a hope that Sid and Sara would be close friends by now. A lump of shock, however, formed in her throat when she saw them hassling. She hurriedly intervened to put an end to their verbal attacks.

Sid shrieked, "I don't like girls with attitude."

And Nehali bellowed, "I don't like guys who throw barbed comments at me."

Both of them crossed their arms over their chest and turned in opposite direction. Nehali twirled her lips at the corner with a "hmph."

"Shit you guys!" Sara held her head. "I thought I'd patch you up so that you can share some sweet words with each other. But you guys ... ugh!"

On the other hand, Sid and Nehali still didn't stop arguing. Sara thought in the back of her mind, it going to be very tough to deal with these two "lovebirds." Better luck next time, Sara.

******

A/N: Alright, so this was a chill out chapter after previous two heated one. Sid and Sara seemingly developed a close bonding between them. However, Sid and Nehali still have wicked destiny picking on them. Please share, comment, and vote.