Hello Friends! I hope I have not kept you waiting for long.

This is a continuation of the previous chapter.

While Purvi was celebrating the proposal, poor Shreya was wishing her a painful death.

Daya: Um, Shreya...

Shreya knew exactly what Daya wanted to talk about, so she pretended to be lost in a file, and spoke without looking him in the eye.

Shreya: Yes sir...

Daya: You... you saw what Purvi did?

Shreya: Hmm...

Daya: Maybe... you should...

Shreya: (interrupting) I should go to the washroom!

She left in a hurry, before Daya could talk about how she should learn a few things from her friend.

Daya heaved a sigh of disappointment, and looked on at Sachin with the most envious eyes imaginable.

Daya: (thinking) Just look at Sachin! He was the one who fell for Purvi, yet she proposed him. In my case though, Shreya fell first, and yet I am the one who has to propose.

Poor Daya was almost on the verge of tears!

Meanwhile...

Purvi burst into a suppressed laughter as she saw Shreya rush out of the office.

Purvi: It worked!

Sachin: You know what? I would have loved you even more if you weren't a sadist.

Purvi: I know. And I don't intend to change. By the way, I am suddenly feeling a bit extra sadistic.

She said the last part with an unmistakable glint of mischief in her eyes that Sachin could not ignore.

Sachin: Y... you... don't mean...

Purvi: I was thinking about going for shopping.

Sachin tried to answer that with as calm and matter-of-fact a voice as he could manage.

Sachin: Sure. I don't have a problem with that. It's not like I want to watch over your shoulders wherever you go just because I'm your boyfriend now. I believe in equal rights for women.

Purvi: You do? Oh, but I don't believe in equal rights for men, which is why you're coming with me.

Sachin: But...

Sachin's protest fell on deaf ears as Purvi announced...

Purvi: We'll have dinner at the mall.

It was futile to argue. Sachin knew that really well.

After work hours, Sachvi left for the mall.

Sachin, who had only ever been to the mall for investigations, had no idea about its layout, or its procedures. To make things worse for him, he had heard enough horror stories involving women and malls, that if he penned each one down, he would go down in history as the most prolific author known to mankind!

Sachin: Where do I park the car?

This was the first time he had felt the need. Other times he had been to the mall, the car had simply screeched to a halt outside the main entrance, and he had barged in with his badge or gun drawn.

Purvi: There. The parking is underground, and there's the entrance.

Sachin: Okay.

A few minutes later...

Sachin: Didn't think I'd find a place so easily. Let's go.

Purvi: (facepalm) Actually, I didn't think Inspector Sachin could not tell apart the driveway from the parking!

Sachin: What?!

~honk~ ~honk~

Purvi: MOVE! What are you waiting for?!

Sachin stepped on the accelerator, and asked...

Sachin: Where now? The parking appears full.

Purvi: Go down one more floor.

Sachin: Okay.

As he prepared to descend into the blind curve which led to the lower floor, a fast moving car whizzed by, not more than an inch from the driver's side.

Sachin screeched to a halt.

Sachin: (dazed) What was that?!

Purvi: (calm voice) The exit from the lower floors is blocked due to repair works, so the entrance doubles up as an exit.

Sachin: (incredulous) And you planned to tell me this AFTER I exited the world?!

Purvi: Calm down, darling. Right now, it's your rear-view mirror that needs a funeral.

Sachin: What?!

Sachin had not noticed that the rear-view mirror on the driver's side was smashed as a result of the near-miss (well, it was now a near-hit, by the way).

Sachin: (under his breath) At this rate, very soon I'll need a funeral.

Purvi: What?!

Sachin: Nothing. Now get down and help me lower the car into the pyre – I mean parking.

She did as asked, and Sachvi AND the car ended up where they should have, in one-piece. With the exception of the mirror, of course.

Sachvi took the lift to the ground floor.

Purvi: Darling, have you ever done weight-lifting before?

Sachin: (proudly) Yes. I was the champion weight-lifter in the police academy.

Soon, Sachin realized where that was headed, but it was too late.

Purvi: Good. Now put it to some good use.

Sachin: I... I mean... I was not such a good weight-lifter after all. There were folks who were better than me.

Purvi: So sad none of them fell for me. Which is why YOU have to do the needful.

Sachin shook his head.

Purvi: We start with the menswear section. My eyes could really do with NOT staring at orange and green for the rest of my life.

Sachin: But... but they're my favourite colours.

Purvi: And blue is mine. So that's what you'll be wearing. Understood?

Sachin: Do I have a choice?

Purvi: No.

A few minutes later...

Sachin: But this shirt is too loose for me.

Purvi: I know. You don't need to flaunt those rippling muscles any more. I know you have them, and I'm the only one who's supposed to know you have them.

She dumped another pile of clothes on him as she finished her sentence.

Then came the trial. Ostensibly of clothes, but actually of Sachin's patience!

Purvi emerged in a blue salwaar.

Purvi: How's this?

Sachin: Very nice. You look very beautiful in this.

Purvi: (cross) You're lying.

Sachin: What?! Why would I?

Purvi: Because your favourite colours are green and orange. I wore blue just to test if you'll tell the truth.

Sachin: But darling, you really look good in blue.

Sachin tried to reason.

Purvi: It's futile arguing with you. (to the salesgirl) I'll take the green and orange ones.

The salesgirl was not one bit surprised, probably because, as Sachin thought, she too had tortured some man in the same manner. Poor Sachin, of course, stood there stupefied.

By this time, of course, Sachin's hands were bearing the weight of ten shirts, five pairs of trousers, and three salwaars already. The three became five as Purvi dumped the orange and green ones on him, and vanished into the trial room.

At the billing counter, the clerk promptly removed the magnetic tags from the clothes, and then declared...

Clerk: This orange salwaar does not have a price tag.

Sachin: So? Don't you know the price?

Clerk: No. I'll have to hunt down another salwaar of the same make and price, and then use the barcode on that price tag to prepare your bill.

Sachin: How long will that take?

Clerk: Considering the size of the store... half an hour.

Sachin: What?!

Sachin was really hungry now, after three hours of shopping.

Sachin: So leave that one out, and prepare the bill.

Purvi: NO! That's the best one of the lot. We can't leave that. Go look for the price tag.

The clerk vanished behind the counter, ignoring Sachin's protests. Even he knew who was in command.

Sachin: (angrily) But we're getting late.

Purvi: Please... (puppy eyes)

Sachin: (reduced anger) But...

Purvi: Pretty pleeease... (puppy eyes) (pouting)

Sachin: Okay, okay. I yield. You're incorrigible. (thinking) If it's not tigress teeth, it's puppy eyes. Does she ever behave like a human?

The clerk returned, as promised, after half an hour, with another similar salwaar in tow.

Just when Sachin thought his ordeal was over, Purvi declared...

Purvi: Now, we need some bedsheets and curtains.

Sachin: But darling, I'm hungry.

Purvi: Pleease... (puppy eyes)

Half an hour later, Sachin had two heavy bags hanging from either side of his muscular frame. But the weight didn't hurt, not at all. In fact his arms were more than happy to get some workout. It was his stomach that complained – and loudly so. He could actually hear that.

Sachin: Darling, I'm hungry.

He was almost in tears by now.

Purvi: Sale! 50% off! I have to go there!

Sachin: What?!

Purvi: Ladies accessories. I could do with a proper purse. And Shreya wouldn't mind receiving a gift from someone apart from Daya sir for once, so I'll give her one as well. That place is too crowded. Stay here while I check it out.

Sachin: But...

Purvi had already vanished into the crowd.

Fifteen minutes later, Sachin tried calling her, but his phone threw a tantrum, and refused to contact the tower. (Actually, it was the tower throwing a tantrum, but it really did not matter to Sachin.)

A while later, Purvi emerged from the crowd, empty handed.

Purvi: A bunch of factory seconds – rejects, if you will – that those fools thought they could thrust on me. Lets go.

A hungry Sachin muttered some inaudible curses at the salesmen before realizing...

Sachin: Let's go? Darling I'm hungry...

Purvi: Oops! Almost forgot that someone here eats too much. Let's have dinner.

Sachin: I eat too much?! You're the one who eats too less. You're anorexic by my standards!

Sachvi treated themselves to a sumptuous dinner, and Sachin ate like one who hadn't been fed once since birth.

More work awaited him, of course. He had to carry those humongous bags down to the parking. But he had not a care in the world, now that his stomach had stopped cursing him.

I know, I know. I'm late. I'm too late. But session has started, and it will now be difficult for me to frequently update. I'll try to keep them coming, but please don't get your hopes up.