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Reethu stirred from her sleep as the incessant ringing of her phone pierced through the early morning silence. Groggily, she reached for the device on her nightstand and answered it, still half-asleep.
"Abe, ithne subah kaun hai?" she mumbled sleepily into the phone.
"Han, good morning to you too," the voice on the other end replied.
"Dylan?" Reethu asked, her voice still thick with sleep. Her family had left town for some work, leaving her alone in the house for at least two weeks.
"Heard you were getting married?" Dylan inquired, cutting through the haze of Reethu's drowsiness.
"Who told you?" she questioned, now fully awake. "Venkat," Dylan responded.
"That idiot. Well, yeah... I met the guy yesterday," Reethu admitted, sitting up in bed.
"What does he do?" Dylan queried.
"He's a cricketer," Reethu answered, a hint of amusement in her voice.
"Nice," Dylan chuckled. "Yeah... We're meeting up today, so thanks for waking me up. I gotta go," Reethu said, ending the call abruptly.
As she glanced at the clock, Reethu realized it was 9 am, and Shubman had promised to arrive at 10. Hastily, she made her way to the shower, towel in hand, and her phone rang again.
"Hello," she answered, toothbrush in her mouth. "Okay, Ma," she responded to her mother's instructions before hanging up.
After a refreshing shower, Reethu got dressed and headed downstairs with her phone, where she poured herself a cup of coffee. As she slipped on her shoes, the doorbell rang.
Opening the door, Reethu was greeted by Shubman's smiling face. "Hey," she greeted him warmly.
"Hi, you look great," Shubman complimented her. "You too," Reethu replied, feeling a blush creep onto her cheeks. "Shall we go?" Shubman asked.
"Oh, yes, of course," she replied, locking the door behind her. "Is no one home?" Shubman inquired as they got to his car.
"Yeah, they went out of town for some work. Won't be back for at least 2 weeks," Reethu informed him.
As Shubman held the door open for her, Reethu couldn't help but smile. "Why thank you, kind sir," she quipped before getting into the car. Shubman closed the door before taking his place behind the wheel.
"Oh, by the way, did you do threading for your eyebrows?" Reethu blurted out, feeling a sudden rush of embarrassment.
Shubman glanced at her before bursting into laughter. "Why would you ask?" he chuckled.
"It's just that they look so neat," Reethu explained, joining in his laughter. "By the way, I have a surprise for you," Shubman announced after pulling out of the driveway.
"A surprise?" Reethu echoed, intrigued. "We'll be going to this cafe, have breakfast, see your surprise, and then go shopping," he revealed.
"Shopping?!" Reethu exclaimed, her eyes widening in surprise. "You don't like shopping?" Shubman asked, casting a curious glance her way.
"No, no, it's just... nothing," Reethu muttered, feeling a bit flustered.
But deep down, she knew that shopping was all fun until she saw the bill. Sometimes, a few shirts could end up costing a fortune.
"Hey, come on, you can tell me anything," Shubman reassured her, taking her hand in his.
"It's just that sometimes the bill amounts too much, so I don't really go shopping," Reethu admitted, feeling a wave of vulnerability wash over her.
"Hey, who said you'll be paying?" Shubman countered, his tone gentle yet firm.
"Shubman, you're not paying for everything," Reethu protested, shaking her head.
"Nah, nah," Shubman shook his head. "Okay, I'll pay for you, you pay for mine, deal?" he suggested a playful twinkle in his eyes. "Okay."
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