Chapter 5 – Second Date & Bookstore Adventure
Rahul asked me for another date.
I felt bad for him because I was only doing this as a punishment, but… I liked spending time with him. I wanted to talk to him more. He made me feel more at ease than any man around me. He was caring and kind.
After college, I left the classroom with my friends. As I glanced through the doorway, I saw Rahul still sitting at his desk. Maybe he would join me later.
"Oh! I think I forgot to submit my report to the teacher. I need to submit it today, so I really have to go. Bye, guys," I said.
"We can wait for you," Akash said.
"It will take a little time because I haven't submitted my report for the last month due to my schedule," I replied.
"Second thought—once you complete your submission, we can go out together again someday. So bye," Tanvi said.
As they left toward their cars, I made an excuse to go on a date with Rahul. Once my friends were gone, I headed back toward the classroom.
On the hallway, I noticed a girl standing by the window, looking into the classroom. When she saw me, she quickly walked away. I didn't give it much thought.
I entered the classroom and saw Rahul sleeping on his desk. Maybe he was tired from the lectures. I walked closer without making a sound and sat quietly near him.
I had never seen his face closely before. Now, I noticed how well-defined it was—high nose, long eyelashes… he was good-looking.
I also noticed something odd about his glasses—they seemed foggy. I slowly tried to remove them.
"Huh! Oh, sorry, I fell asleep. When did you get here?" he said, waking up and adjusting his glasses.
I jumped slightly on my seat but, thanks to my modeling career, I quickly put on a calm expression.
"No, I just got here. Then… shall we go?" I asked.
"Yeah, let's go."
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As planned, we went to McDonald's.
We placed our order and waited for our number. Once it was ready, I picked it up for both of us.
While eating, I noticed some ketchup on Salina's face.
"You've got some ketchup on your face. Here, use my handkerchief," I said, handing it to her.
"Huh! Oh no… how embarrassing… in front of you…" she said, taking the handkerchief and wiping her face.
"Thank you very much. I'll wash it and return it to you," she added.
"It's fine. You can keep it—you might need it again anyway," I said.
"Hey~ I'm not that sloppy of an eater!" she said. I couldn't tell if she was naturally cute or just pretending.
After eating, we went for a walk.
I saw a street stall selling handmade items.
"Let's see what they've got," I said.
"Okay."
We walked closer and browsed through the items. There were lots of things. Salina picked up a necklace. I leaned over to watch her closely.
"Do you like something? I can buy it for you," I asked.
"No, it's okay," she replied.
"Then let's go if you don't like anything," I said.
She kept the necklace in her hand. I quietly asked the stall lady to wrap it as a gift, along with matching earrings. The lady wrapped it nicely and handed it to me.
I passed the money, but the stall lady called me in a low voice.
"It costs more."
"What?" I said.
"It's real silver. Handmade. Here's my silver working license and your bill."
"How much?"
"3,000 Rs more."
I had already paid 1,500 Rs. Hearing the price, I felt my heart skip a beat.
With teary eyes, I gave the remaining money.
"What are you doing, Rahul? Let's go," Salina called, walking ahead.
"Yeah, I'm coming!" I said, hurrying to catch up.
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I got a notification on my mobile. It was a message from an unknown number. I didn't recognize it, so I ignored it and put my phone away.
"Oh!" she asked.
"What?"
"Nothing. I just remembered I have to go somewhere."
"Hmmm… can I ask where? It's okay if it's private."
"No, no, it's nothing like that. I just need to buy a book—I have the address."
"Fine, then let's go."
"Do you want to come with me?"
"Yeah, is there a problem?"
"No, I think it might be boring for you, but if you're okay, let's go."
Following the note's directions, I found the bookstore.
It was an old bookstore with a classic, aesthetic vibe—I liked it immediately.
We entered and asked the owner if they had the book I wanted.
"Yes, but you'll have to wait a few minutes. You can take a tour of the store if you like. It's also a library, so you can read here," the owner said.
"Okay, we'll see if we can find something interesting," I said.
We walked toward the bookshelves. There were many genres. Salina went to the romance section, and I followed her.
"Do you like romance novels?" I asked.
"No, it's my first time. But it doesn't hurt to try something new."
"Yeah, then can I suggest one?"
"Sure."
"It's your first time reading a novel, so start with a short one. Let me see…" I searched and immediately found one.
"Here," I handed the novel to her.
"I Saw You in My Dreams."
"What about it?" she asked.
"It's about two lovers who get separated by an accident and meet again. Office romance, too."
"Okay, I'll read it," she said.
We went to the counter. The owner returned with the book I wanted.
"This one too," I handed the book I suggested to Salina.
"Wow, you have great taste in books. I'm a fan of this author too. It's a shame he's underrated."
"Yeah, it's a shame. I've read his other works as well."
"Two fans of an unknown author," Salina said.
"Ohh, please call me a diehard fan," the owner said.
"Me too," I said.
"Okay, diehard fans, can we make the bill?"
"Sure. It's 1,200 Rs in total."
I handed over 1,500 Rs. The owner returned 300 Rs.
"Come back again; we can discuss more novels," the owner said.
"Yeah, I will," I said as we left.
We walked toward the nearby bus stand to head back.
Salina's area was safe, so I didn't need to worry much. I dropped her off, then headed home.
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