Stepping out of the café, Alex and Riya drove to a nearby spot — City Commercial Street, a lively hub where couples dined, giggled, dated, and fantasized under neon lights.
Aside from Alex, Riya's face glowed red, her sharpness now tinged with a shy charm. She was cute and well-mannered, like a tame kitten who had discovered her favorite toy.
With Alex accompanying her, everything was remarkably fantastic.
"Haaa..."
Riya breathed, voice light, as if she'd just stepped off a rollercoaster of expectations and nerves.
They didn't say much no jokes, no awkward pauses but instead a warm undertone of silence hung in the air, pale and pink.
They roamed the city lights for more than two hours. Between the arcade machines and the aisles of the bookstore, Riya suddenly turned chatty, chirping like a happy little bird.
Alex sat back and listened, unruffled and unflappable. His answers were scarce but well timed, with a sort of quiet comprehension that made her talk more.
When destiny came, nothing on this planet could have halted it.
At 9 in the evening, the date drew to a natural conclusion.
Once he dropped Riya at home, Alex did not dawdle around like a lovesick schoolboy.
Rather, he went directly to Mumbai's largest supermarket—his eyes moving up and down the aisles with purpose.
Mineral water – 100 cartons.
Basmati rice – 100 packets.
Parle-G biscuits – 50 packets.
Ready-to-eat poha, upma, and khichdi packets – another 50.
Tata salt, Maggi noodles, Haldiram's snacks, Steel utensils.
It was a supermarket raid.
Overall, the bill was a bit more than $350. Not a small change, but now that he was essentially a millionaire, this was just seed money.
Luckily, the store had home delivery within city limits. So he ordered and got it delivered directly to his villa at Lotus Crown.
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"The ancient warehouse is already ready."
"Now I can purchase anything I desire and just get it all delivered directly there."
Having gone back to the villa and showered, Alex remained by the window, observing the process of unloading.
"I wonder… is there any restriction on how much I am allowed to deliver back to ancient times?" he whispered to himself.
Therefore, he immediately inquired about it with the system.
[Current capacity: 2 cubic meters.
The compatibility of the host with the System is currently low.
As compatibility increases, the storage capacity will grow and new features will be unlocked.
For a better understanding, please view the System Panel.]
Alex was taken aback for a moment.
"So there is a limit after all."
He opened the panel readily.
[Remaining travel time: 3 minutes]
[Maximum storage capacity: 100 cubic meters]
[Current compatibility: 5%]
[Reach 8% to unlock +50 cubic meters of additional space]
He glared at the screen, brow furrowed.
"It even has upgrade levels… like a video game system," he grumbled, half in amusement.
If the compatibility is 100%, what capabilities will the system open up?
Can I bring someone with me?
Alex played with the system, asking it with all kinds of inquiries.
But the system kept silent about what exactly would become available with greater compatibility.
But after some probing, he was able to discover something helpful—the system was actually capable of storing time travel time.
For each hour he spent as a security guard, he would get an hour of travel time. An easy exchange… but with enormous potential.
-------------
Just as Alex was finished from the extra shift, he saw more than a dozen missed calls on his phone all from one number.
"Huh?" he grumbled, furrowing his brow.
As he gazed at the screen, the phone rang once more. Same number.
Without even thinking, he answered.
The instant the connection was made, a familiar voice rang through nervous, bordering on panic.
"Hello? Alex, it's Anjali."
It was the woman he went on the blind date with earlier that day.
She launched into an explanation, clearly agitated.
"About being late earlier today—I promise I didn't intend to be. I just… just forgot. I'm pretty forgetful sometimes, it's become a bit of a problem."
"And I wasn't judging your occupation as a security guard! I truly feel that all jobs are worthy of respect. What I did say before… I wasn't thinking clearly."
"Seriously, I'm very laid back. I don't expect much from marriage. As long as the two of them put in efforts together, that's what counts, isn't it?"
She said it in a friendly, virtuous manner, obviously attempting to sound genuine.
Alex: "."
You forgot the date and came late?
Your head's not in order, so you cursed at me?
Well. you're certainly masters at turning things around.
I'm Impressed.
He said nothing, just sitting in silence.
Assuming his silence as assent, Anjali hastened to add:
"Let's meet some other time within the next couple of days? I'll take you out for a meal to compensate you for today. What do you say?"
Alex blinked, caught off guard for a moment.
Wait. did she just invite me on another blind date. with her?
What is this, a sequel?
He sighed.
"Forget it," he told her bluntly. "Some things can't be mended with a hasty apology."
Alex was not a person who held grudges. He tended to keep things in perspective, preferred to ignore little stuff.
But neither was he spineless.
What she'd said that afternoon about belittling his work, treating him like less than nothing had crossed a boundary.
He was no longer interested.
Without saying another word, he ended the call… and immediately blocked her number.
--------------
In her apartment…
When Anjali realized the call was hung up and worse, her number was blocked her face contorted in shock.
"Aghhh!!"
She yelled and stamped her foot.
"Why is this guy so narrow-minded?! I already apologized! What else does he want?!"
She paced around in circles like a mad cat, seething with indignation.
"Playing like some big shot ugh! Insane man!"
But no amount of ranting was able to dislodge the heart-wrenching acknowledgment:
She may have just let a golden chance pass her by.
A security guard… a secret millionaire?!
Anjali came close to digging a hole in her floor after running 200 laps around the house.
After a long time Inspiration finally struck.
She picked up her phone and called Aunt Lata in a hurry.
"This is all your fault, Aunt Lata!" she snapped as soon as the connection was made.
"You didn't tell me the whole truth about Alex!"
"If I'd known he was wealthy, would I have been doing all that earlier?!?"
On the other side, landlady Aunt Lata was utterly surprised.
"Huh? Anjali, are you certain? I've known Alex for months. He's a normal security guard working at the industrial park down the street. He's a tenant of mine, earns a decent wage. Alright, sure, he's nice-looking and courteous that's why I set him up. But rich?"
"Are you kidding me?!" Anjali almost screamed.
"He drives a Mercedes G-Wagon worth 100k! And resides in a villa that's at least worth a million!"
Aunt Lata: "What?!"
She almost dropped the phone.
"A million dollar villa?! G-Wagon?!"
Her voice turned high-pitched with shock.
"If I had known that…." she said, in a dazed manner, "I would've introduced my nephew to him instead!"
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Author's Note:
*nephew remark is intentional