First Date to Forever

Time-Out

"So how long do we wait ? " asked a curious Sujay.
"It should take another 5-10 mins , the attendance registers are opened at 8:50 pm... " Shonali replied anxiously.

     Shonali had called up one person she knew who could help her - Ruhi ! She just had to tell her she didn't feel like coming back and Ruhi took it upon herself to let Shonali have the night out of her dreams , although Shonali was a bit scared as it was for the first time she was pulling off something like this. She had never even bunked a lecture forget about bunking hostel and taking an illegal night out !! They had to take permission from their warden well in advance for any such night outs however in this case someone had to sign attendance for Shonali as proxy and not let the warden know she is missing!! Who else other than Ruhi can do such mischief!!

They were still parked near the hostel gate and were waiting for Ruhi to confirm if everything was good to go . Shonali was very nervous and at one point she almost gave up and was about to leave when Sujay held her hand and looked at her with so much emotion...
" Can I please have this night with you ? "

They both were looking at each other in a trance when suddenly Shonali's phone rang !

"Yes Ruhi ! What happened ? Is everything alright ? Should I come back ? " Shonali picked up the call in panic .

"Arre relax ! You know you don't need to fear when Ruhi is there ! " Ruhi exclaimed " Your attendance has been signed and luckily for you warden is out of town for some reason so the student coordinators are incharge and you know how easy it is to distract them.. " she laughed.

"But there is one problem Shonali .." Ruhi said with warning in her voice .

As expected Shonali got all worried
"What is it ? I really shouldn't take this risk . I'll come back right now other wise I'll get you in trouble too ! "
"Ahhh ! Why are you panicking? I said na everything is handled here , you go and enjoy your time with Sujay !!! I just wanted one favor from you for doing this.. " Ruhi said in one breath cutting Shonali off .

"Favor ? Yes I do owe you big time Ruhi , tell me what do you want ? "

"You are not allowed back inside the hostel untill you Kiss Sujay !! Okay bye !! " Ruhi laughed and cut the call leaving a shocked Shonali .

Sujay who was unaware of the conversation between Shonali and Ruhi saw her looking shocked and for a moment thought she has to go back ...
"What happened Shonali ? Are you staying? " He asked with worry in his eyes .

    Shonali overcame her shock and it suddenly dawned on her she will be spending the night with Sujay ! What has she done? Hope he doesn't get any wrong signals ! Where will they go ? Oh my god she should have thought of all this before acting on impulse !

"Shonali !" Sujay had to raise his voice a little to get her attention. It brought Shonali out of her mental conference.
"Oh sorry  , yeah we are good to go " she said absentmindedly.

      Sujay was elated " Great !! You are about to have the best time of your life today Shonali ! " He quickly started the car but he noticed Shonali was having second thoughts and he understood her dilemma.
" Shonali " he said softly looking at her and making her look in his eyes " do you trust me ? "

      She understood he could feel her dilemma but then smiled and replied " Yes Sujay I do trust you .."
"So now forget about everything else and just enjoy watching my city at night ! You are going to love it !! "

     Soon they were on the main road , towards their first stop for the night . They both were very quiet as if trying to accept that this is happening and they aren't dreaming ! It felt like a time-out from all their fears and the impending separation ...

After about half an hour , Sujay parked the car and saw a huge smile on Shonali's face .

"Oh my god !!! I always wanted to come here at night and walk around and have ice cream !!! " Shonali exclaimed .

"Well India Gate is the favorite picnic place for all the OG 90s Delhi kids !  " Sujay chuckled.

      They got down and started walking towards India Gate and its surrounding garden. There were many people there , some just taking a strolll , some having a picnic with their families, kids playing around with frisbees and so many street hawkers and vendors ! It was all so lively .

     They both bought ice creams and were walking along the garden .

     "We used to come here almost every month with our neighbors when we were kids. Mom and aunty used to pack tiffins and we would get bedsheets and have a nice picnic here .. " Sujay told Shonali.
     "Yes I have heard from a lot of my friends that they used to have family picnics over here when they were kids. I so wanted to see this place at night " Shonali was looking like a kid in wonderland.
     Sujay could not help staring at her . The way her eyes were twinkling and the way she gets happy at little things in life .. it was all so endearing for him !

It was a bit chilly and suddenly Shonali craved for Chai ! She asked Sujay if there was some place they could get tea at this time and Sujay laughed at her cuteness !

"We just had ice cream and you want Tea ? " He asked amusingly
"It's so cold outside , a hot cup of tea would be perfect right now .." she said like it was the most obvious thing .

"I just know the perfect place for the perfect tea , come let's go .." he said with a smile.

     They both settled in the car and both drove around the city for some time. Sujay wanted to show Shonali all the places he loved and honestly he just wanted to spend some time alone with her .

     Shonali had never felt so lively in a long time. She was cherishing every moment with Sujay . That's when she realized suddenly that they were in Jeet's car.

"Sujay , this is Jeet's car right ? What if he needs it ? I feel so bad he had to go in a cab.." she said feeling embarrassed.

"Don't worry Shonali . Jeet is like a brother to me there are no formalities between us. Plus he has left me alone at clubs so many times to take a girl out , he owed me one ! " He chuckled.

"And I had asked him before leaving from your hostel of he needs the car .." Sujay told her

"Oh , then it's fine. You had promised me the best tea by the way , where is it ? " She asked him teasingly.

"Here we are ! " he said pulling into a parking of an apartment complex.

Shonali looked confused and a bit tensed .
"It's an apartment complex Sujay. Who stays here ?  "

"Just trust me Shonali , I am not kidnapping you ! " He gave her a reassuring smile.

       They were in the elevator and Sujay pressed the button to floor 28 . Shonali was busy admiring the place it was a luxurious apartment complex, she was wondering whose place are they going ? Is he taking her to a friend's place ?  Is he taking her to his place ? She started worrying what if his parents are home? What will they think of her ?

        Amidst all these thoughts the elevator dinged as they reached their destination floor. Sujay gave a reassuring smile to Shonali and proceeded to move towards one of the apartment and pressed the bell.

"Hi guys ! Finally you are here ! " Shruti opened the door and greeted them with a huge smile !

    Shonali felt all the emotions she could have felt in that moment. He had thought of her comfort and her safety and brought her to his sister's house !! At that moment all her fears and anxiousness vanished .