Love Rivals: The Day I Saw Your Tears

30. Choosing The Right Stuff

As Ryan excused himself and headed towards the washroom, I seized the moment to make a quick call. I dialed Krystal's number, but it went straight to voicemail. Frustrated, I tried Shruti next.

"Hey Shruti, I need a bit of cash. Can you help me out?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

"No problem," she replied quickly. Within a few seconds, I received a notification that the money was transferred. I sighed with relief.

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I had been hitting the books hard recently, staying away from any social outings, but when Krystal asked me to join her for some Dussehra shopping, I couldn't resist. It had been too long since I'd seen my friends, and I needed a break. So, I quickly agreed.

As the sky darkened and dusk set in, we met at the mall and started wandering from one store to the next in search of the perfect lehenga. We explored every corner, eyes scanning rows of outfits, when something caught my attention in the mirror ahead of us. My heart skipped a beat -- Ryan. And he wasn't alone. His girlfriend was by his side.

Without thinking, I ducked behind a row of mannequins, hoping not to be seen.

Krystal, clearly confused, poked me and whispered, "What are you doing? Why are you hiding?"

I pointed toward Ryan and his girlfriend, now browsing a few shops down. "They're here too! Is this the only mall in the entire city?"

Krystal, completely unfazed, grinned. "Maybe, but this is also the only mall where you can find exactly what you're looking for without much effort." She nudged me playfully.

I tried my best to focus on Krystal and avoid even glancing in Ryan's direction. But of course, in this huge mall, he somehow managed to bump into me.

"Whoa! I didn't expect to run into you here," he said with a grin.

I forced a casual response, "Yeah, same here."

"What are you doing here?" he asked, glancing around as if he was expecting something more interesting than shopping.

I raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh, I don't know... probably helping my friend find an outfit." I motioned toward the fitting rooms. "She's trying stuff on."

Ryan nodded with a satisfied expression. "Well, I came-"

I cut him off. "You're here with your girlfriend, right?"

He raised the two skirts in his hands. "Yeah, helping her pick something too. But I'm torn. Which one do you think suits her better?"

I gave him an incredulous look. "How should I know?"

I turned to walk away, but he called after me, "Exactly! How would you know when your sisters always did your shopping and you never picked out anything for yourself?"

I whipped around, annoyed by his comment. "Oh, really?" I grabbed a beautiful skirt with a matching top from the rack nearby. "This is much better than either of those."

He didn't back down, lifting another option with a confident smile. "Nope, this one is going to look amazing on her."

We stared each other down, neither of us willing to admit the other was right. Then, I spotted Nitya walking toward us. Perfect timing. I didn't want to get caught in this mini-rivalry in front of her. I quickly shoved the clothes into Ryan's hands.

"Tell her to try both of these on and decide for yourself. Just don't mention I was here, okay?" I said, a little flustered.

Without waiting for his response, I ducked behind a row of mannequins, peeking out just long enough to see Ryan chuckling.
And suddenly I heard Krystal's voice call out from behind, "Hey! Check these out."

I turned around, and she was holding her phone, flipping through a series of lehenga pictures. "Which one do you think?" she asked, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

I scanned the options, and one caught my eye immediately -- a stunning bottle green lehenga with hints of magenta. The intricate embroidery and the elegant touch of magenta gave it a regal yet vibrant look. "That one," I said, pointing to it. "It's a little heavy, but it's gorgeous."

She smiled, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, it's beautiful, isn't it? I think I'm going for this one." She seemed pleased with the choice.