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Chapter 11 - The Ride Back Home - Part III

Unable to comprehend the names of the dishes, I asked Ishaan to order whatever he liked as he had been a frequent visitor to cafes like this. He signalled the waiter to take the order and all I did was watch him do it with utmost confidence.

"One Spicy Mushroom on Khari and one Tomato Cheese Macaroni. And two cold coffees, please."

The waiter noted down the order and left. Ishaan started turning the pages of the menu and I sat there feeling like a fool. My mind went back to remembering the amount of money I had on me before being interrupted by Ishaan.

"So, how long have you been living in Delhi?"

"Forever.", I answered.

"Ha! Me too. And it took us 17 years to find each other.", said Ishaan.

Quickly realising that it was merely an attempt at flirting, I lifted up the menu card to hide my blushing face. I knew that he had caught me blushing but couldn't help it.

We spent the next 10 minutes waiting for food, and later ate it while bonding over life in Delhi and our future ambitions and goals. As desperate as I was to know about Ishaan's dating history, I decided to drop the idea to avoid any kind of awkwardness between us.

And then came the most horrifying moment – paying the bill.

As someone who has grown up reading about feminism and equality, I knew that I couldn't just let Ishaan pay the entire bill even if he insists. But with an unplanned date and only a meagre amount of money in my wallet, I was completely clueless about how I would handle the situation.

The bill arrived at the table and just when I extended my hand to grab it, Ishaan seized it before me.

"Hey! That's not fair", I tried to reason with him.

"Watching girls swipe their cards in front of me? I hate it."

"But you're already paying for the ride."

"I'm not doing you a favour."

"Well, let's just split the bill then. Is that okay?"

"No way.", he insisted.

"Then this was the last time I ate with you."

"Oh that's bad! How about this? I pay for this one. You pay for the next one. Okay?", answered Ishaan, with a delightful smile covering the major part of his face.

I smiled and gave in. He happily paid the bill and I, in my mind, had already started planning our next date. After stepping out of the café, we got into the car and began the journey to my home. Ishaan and I, within the next 35 minutes, talked about life, friends and everything unrelated to studies. He was the greatest listener I had ever come across, and I just loved hearing him talk. For the first time in my life, I didn't want to go back home. But I had to. And so I did. But not without getting a friendly hug from him before he left.

You can call me hopeless and stupid, but this was the best day of my life. I had my share of crushes and an unrequited love tale during my school days, but this was something that truly swept me off my feet. Although I was treated fairly good by men in my life, Ishaan was someone who made me feel welcome.

I just couldn't wait for the next day to see him again.