A Date? For Real!?

The next morning, we met up with the girls at the entrance.

“Hey there guys!”

“Yo… Another morning full of energy huh.” I joined the conversation.

“Fine fine. Let’s just head inside first.” Vishal pushed me towards the entrance. The girls followed him and we entered the campus.

There was idle chatter for a while before we split up with Mythili and went to our class. I don't know why, but I wanted to see her leave, so I turned around. When I did, our eyes met and she gestured that she would call me before lunch. I was curious about why she wanted to call me, but I decided to ignore it and go to class.

I was done with my morning classes and just when I left the classroom I received a call from her.

“Hello”

“Hello…”

“Hey, if you wanted to speak with me, you could have done it during lunch. Why’d you call me beforehand?”

“I wanted to speak with you in private. I didn’t want to involve Aashvi and Vishal in this conversation. Can we meet up somewhere?”

At this point, I was sweating and freaking out.

‘Is this a date????’

‘No, it isn’t.’

‘But, I still feel happy.’

‘I know you are.’

‘Should I tell Vishal?’

‘Better tell him later.’

‘But I can’t stop this excitement!’

‘I know. But if you end up getting depressed later, why involve Vishal in it?’

‘But…’

“Hello, Ram?”

‘Just shut up and speak!’

(Thus collided my internal thoughts)

“Ah yeah hello”

“You went silent… do you hate going out with me?”

“No no no! Absolutely not!”

“... Thanks, where do we meet up then? I’m not so familiar with this place and I’d like to go to a place of your liking.”

What a nice girl…

“Sure I’ll text you the place and time after the classes are over.”

“Yea… Thanks.”

“See ya later. Bye.”

“Bye…”

I was so excited about our upcoming pseudo-date that I couldn't concentrate during lunch. I kept staring at my phone, pretending to laugh at random stuff. Vishal looked at me with concern, and Aashvi kept glancing at me with a perplexed face. I just shrugged them off and told them I was fine. I didn't care what they thought. I was too busy thinking about the date.

It was 4 pm and I decided to text her.

5:20 pm, La Vinto cafe.

I arrived at the restaurant 10 minutes early, my heart pounding in my chest. I planned this date long ago but it didn’t go through, and I was nervous about everything going perfectly. I had saved up enough money, but Vishal had insisted on lending me some just in case. After all, this was the restaurant I had wanted to take her to when we first started dating. I knew it was a special place, and I wanted to make sure she had a good time.

5:30 pm.

A nervous me was staring at the entrance from the other corner of the room, eagerly awaiting her.

A few seconds later, she was finally walking through the door of the coffee shop. She was even more beautiful than earlier, with her long, flowing hair that bounced against her shoulders and back. Her eyes are like black diamonds, glistening and sparkling in the light. I couldn’t appreciate it in proper terms because I was ignorant of women’s fashion trends or more like, I had no reason to bother until then. All I could say was it was a sight to behold. Her presence was such a spectacle that it turned quite a few heads in the cafe. She wore only a few pieces of jewelry, but they complemented her beauty perfectly. The simple necklace and earrings accentuated her delicate features and made her sparkle. She looked effortlessly elegant and graceful.

“Hey!”

“You look stunning!”

“Hehe. Thanks! You look great too!”

“So… The reason I called you-”

“You spoke with Vishal didn’t you?”

“How did- Did Vishal tell you?”

“No, both of you were absent in the evening, you and Vishal told Aashvi and me the same thing. It wasn’t hard to figure out what might happen.”

“...Yeah”

“Why don’t we order something?”

“Yeah…”

“I’ll order a hazelnut bubble tea with blueberry pops”

“Me too…”

“You like this combination too?”

“I just wanted to try it since you seem to like it.”

Wow… Such a nice girl… I might’ve misunderstood her…

“Anything else?”

“No…”

“I insist… try getting something to eat too… If it’s awkward for you, I’ll order a sandwich.”

“I’ll take a cheese pasta and a choco lava cake then…”

“Hmm yes, a great choice.”

“Hehe thanks”

I summoned the waiter and placed our order. The food was exquisite, as expected of such an expensive place. I couldn't help but notice her impeccable table manners and the graceful way she handled her utensils. She was perfect in every way, and I was determined to make a good impression by maintaining proper etiquette myself.