Hues Of Dusk

Chapter 76. My Team

"Sahil! Gauri!" I waved my hand at them to get their attention.

Both of them turned their heads in my direction and smiled. I walked towards them, and Sahil pulled me in a tight hug.

"Finally got you." He squeezed me.

"Nice to meet you too, Sahil, but are you planning on choking me?" I joked.

He let me go, and Gauri laughed when Sahil gave me a sheepish smile. As I promised, I came to meet him after the trip and as per his promise, he brought Gauri along with him. We had decided to roam in a famous mall which had a small aquarium in it.

I met Gauri after five months, but it didn't seem like that. After that science competition, a lot of things happened, and I apologized to her for not keeping in touch. She waved it off, and Sahil said that today we would have a lot of fun and made me promise him that we would keep meeting like this frequently.

"Shall we eat something first? I am hungry," he suggested.

Gauri and I nodded and after filling our stomachs, we went to visit the aquarium. All the time, Sahil was talking about his new restaurant and how he had made some changes as I had suggested. I thanked him for taking my views in consideration, and he gave me his signature lopsided grin.

"How about we do some shopping?" Gauri asked as she admired a long purple gown in a boutique.

"No problem. But I won't be buying anything," I replied, and we entered the shop.

"Why not?" Sahil questioned.

"Mom will kill me if I bought more clothes. I just spent a major portion of my salary last month on upgrading my wardrobe, so I can't do unnecessary expenditure this month," I explained.

"I will pay," he said, and I shook my head vigorously.

I refused his offer, but Gauri told me to buy at least one dress along with her. I checked my wallet; I didn't have that much cash. And I also didn't bring my debit card as I knew that I would end up buying something which wasn't needed.

"Don't you consider me your friend, Sandhya?" Sahil asked sadly. "Buy anything you want, I will pay for it. And you can pay me later if you want. Okay?"

"Sahil, but-"

"He is right, Sandhya. We are friends, it is alright if he wants to buy you something. You can pay him back later," Gauri reasoned.

I thought for a moment; she wasn't wrong. If it had been Surbhi or Parth, I wouldn't have thought about money while shopping with them. A lot of times, I had borrowed money from Surbhi and vice-versa. It wasn't a big deal to do each other small favours.

"Okay, thanks a lot, Sahil. Actually, I did want to buy a few dresses which caught my eye," I confessed and gave an awkward smile.

He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and chuckled. "Don't worry about it. Go on." He pushed me forward, and I joined Gauri in our shopping spree.

Sahil waited for us in the reception area, and once we were done, he paid the bill. I bought two jeans, three t-shirts and a single one piece. I asked Sahil how much the bill was, but he tore off the receipt and waved his hand in dismissal.

"I will just check the price tags," I teased.

"No need. Think of it as a gift from me," he said.

"Gift? For what?"

"For helping me in my start-up. Your feedback served really helpful, so buying you clothes is the least I can do." He smiled.

I shook my head at him. Gauri told me to chill and let the matter go. Sahil was like that only; he always showed his gratitude by buying gifts or buying lunch and dinner. She also added that since the clothes I bought were a gift, I shouldn't refuse.