Hridyanshu sipped the lime soda while Nalani spoke with her Amma on the phone. They were still in Chandni Chowk as Nalani wasn't done with the rest of the shopping. She was planning on buying some jewellery and bangles.

Nalani ended the call and went back to the restaurant. She took her seat and looked at her plate. "You haven't ordered the kachori? She asked. Hridyanshu shook his head. "Why?"

"I was waiting for you. Do you want to have samosa or kachori?" Nalani looked at the menu behind him. "I would prefer trying their rajbhog."

"Okay, I will get a kachori and rajbhog. Is that all?" Hridyanshu stood from his seat. "Yeah." Hridyanshu went over to order, and Nalani placed her shopping bags underneath the table. She finished the chole kulche. They would be returning to their hotel after shopping.

Hridyanshu handed the bill to the food counter. "10 minutes, sir."

"Okay." He returned to his seat. "My Amma was asking about you."

"She knew that we were together?" Nalani gave a nod. "Yeah. . . She was asking if you are attending the wedding with me."

"What did you say?"

"I said, I haven't invited you―" Nalani looked at Hridyanshu. "Yet." She crossed her hands on the table and leaned a bit. "So, do you want to attend my best friend's wedding with me?"

Hridyanshu thought about it, but he wasn't sure about attending the wedding. "When is the wedding?"

"On Sunday, but I will go to Gujarat on Thursday." Hridyanshu gave a slow nod. "Well, I don't think I can attend the wedding. I have an important meeting with my team, and there's a legal case we need to work on."

"Okay. . . Just in case, I will forward the wedding invitation." Nalani picked up her phone. "If you change your mind. You could always join us."

"Sure."

"So, what are you planning to get?" Nalani chuckled.

"I'm planning to get you."

Hridyanshu coughed. "I― I mean, what are you planning to shop for?"

"Oh, I need good earrings and bangles to match my marriage outfits." Hridyanshu nodded. "You have heels to match them?"

"Thanks for reminding me! I need to get a pair of heels too. . ." Hridyanshu handed his phone to Nalani. "What's this?"

"I have searched for a few shops over here. According to the reviews, this one has the best wedding footwear to match your lehengas." Nalani chuckled. "That's so sweet and thoughtful of you, Hridyanshu. . . I'm impressed."

*

Hridyanshu held the shopping bags while Nalani tried on heels. "What do you think?" She asked. Standing in front of the mirror. Hridyanshu observed the heels.

"Will you be able to manage wearing them all day?" he asked. "They look good on you, but your comfort is the main priority."

Nalani nodded in agreement, looking at the heels. "They look good but not comfy. Let's try on others." Hridyanshu looked at the collection and picked the ones that would suit Nalani.

"I think I need to try on something of low heel. I don't want to wear stilettos."

"Okay." Placing the bags down on the floor, Hridyanshu made his way towards the low golden heels. He picked them up and went back to where Nalani was sitting. "You need to try them." He placed the heels down and waited for her to wear them.

"They are comfortable and beautiful," Hridyanshu smiled. "Why don't you take a round and see if they are comfortable while walking?" Nalani looked at Hridyanshu and smiled at him.

"What?"

"Nothing. . . You just reminded me of Amma. She says the same. . . You need to walk to know if they truly fit you." Hridyanshu hummed as Nalani did a walk. "They are comfortable and not high."

Hridyanshu looked at her feet. "Yeah. . . They fit you well. I'm sure they will compliment you well with your lehenga." Nalani chuckled, nodding her head.

Once they were done with the heels shopping, they went on with their search for the right earrings. Nalani was startled when she felt a cold hand holding hers. She looked at Hridyanshu, who held her hand. "I don't want to lose sight of you. It's crowded. . ." he whispered.

"Yeah," Nalani answered, looking at the crowd. Nalani glanced at their intertwined hands. Her hand is way smaller than his. Hridyanshu fought with a smile that threatened to break out on his face. He held her hand in a tight yet gentle grip. He weirdly loved the feeling of her warm hand against his. He shook his head to push the thoughts away.

They walked for a while before Nalani stopped at a store. "Let's check their collection. I've heard so much about this store."

"Okay." They walked into the store hand in hand. Hridyanshu un-intertwined their hands. He still held her shopping bags and didn't allow Nalani to carry them. The shop had little space, but they had an immense jewellery collection. Nalani pulled her phone out and showed the sales assistant images of the earrings she was looking for.

Hridyanshu looked around. He was curious about everything. He had never gone shopping with someone other than his Mum. Even though he dated Mitali for a long time, they never went shopping together. Even when Hridyanshu asked her several times to shop together, Mitali declined, saying she preferred shopping with her friends.

"Hridyanshu. . ."

"Hmm?" He turned to Nalani. "Can you help me with this?"

"Sure." Hridyanshu took the earring, and Nalani brought her hair to one side so Hridyanshu could put it on. He gently placed the earring and helped her with the screw. Nalani hummed, looking into the mirror.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"They look beautiful on you. . ." Hridyanshu held the bottom of the earring. "But isn't it heavy?" Nalani laughed. "It is." They tried on different earrings before choosing the beaded one. Then they went to different bangle stores before finding the one where Nalani got her bangles.

"Hey, Hridyanshu. . ."

"Hmm. . ." They were walking on the sidewalk to reach the entrance.

"This is our third date." Hridyanshu looked at Nalani, and she was already looking at him. "Huh?" Nalani gave him a soft smile. "I wanted to see if we were compatible while shopping."

"I―I don't understand," Hridyanshu said.

"Umm. . . I'm at a stage where I need to give good attention to my fashion sense or invest in my clothes. I prefer not to spend most of my income on clothes from big brands." Hridyanshu was listening to her attentively.

"So, I spend my holidays going to local markets to get my reasonably priced sarees. It takes time and patience to shop locally." Nalani sighs. "Sometimes, it gets lonely, and I don't want to feel lonely every time. I want my partner to join me whenever he can. When he does, I don't want him to be ignorant or make me hurry."

"I wanted to see how we would get along while shopping. This date was for my selfish reasons."

"I understand; it's important if you are looking for someone with whom you will spend the rest of your life." Hridyanshu smiled at her. "I―I enjoyed spending time with you. I enjoyed going shopping with you."

Nalani held his hand and gently squeezed it. "I enjoyed having you with me. . ."

*

Hey, everyone!

How are you all doing?  I hope everyone's doing good. Two years ago, on this date, I met someone who dared to go shopping with me in the streets of Chandni Chowk. Well, it was my first time, and so was his. 😂😆

Let's say he's the solulu to my delulu. . . 😂😂😂