"The first day was okay, nothing special yet," Anmay replied while unlocking the door.

"Sometimes, you have to look for the special things," Mrigank replied with a serious face, making Anmay burst into laughter.

"Here, drink some water first. Then, we'll start working and head to the market," Mrigank said, handing over a water bottle from the fridge.

"Alright. I'll also ask mom if she needs anything from the market," Mrigank said, pulling out his phone from his pocket.

Just then, Anmay's phone rang.

"Hello, son! How are you? How was your first day at college?" Anmay's mom's voice came from the other end.

"It was okay, mom. It's just the first day. It will take time to get the hang of things," Anmay replied with a smile.

"Yes, it takes a little time to adjust to a new environment," his mom said, laughing lightly.

"Yes, indeed. So, when are you coming back?" Anmay asked.

"I was planning to come back soon, but your aunt is in Mumbai, so I thought of meeting her too," his mom said.

"Yes, that would be nice," Anmay agreed.

"And don't worry about your meals, Mrigank's mom has taken responsibility for that," Anmay's mom added.

"Yes, Auntie is right, and mom just told me the same thing on the phone," Mrigank said, coming back from his call.

"Oh, mom, why trouble them," Anmay said, as Mrigank took the phone from his hand.

"Hello, Auntie. Don't worry about the meals, he'll be eating with us," Mrigank said, laughing.

"Absolutely, dear. With you and your mom around, I have no worries," Anmay's mom said, feeling reassured.

"Alright, mom. Now we'll hang up, so I can get him to do the work I brought him here for," Anmay said into the phone from the background.

"Let's do a bit of cleaning first. The house has been closed for a week, and I had to rush to college this morning," Anmay said, putting the phone back in his pocket.

"Okay, I'll handle the broom, and you take the mop," Mrigank said, tying a handkerchief around his face.

"Cleaning took two hours, and we didn't even realize the time," Mrigank said, removing the handkerchief.

"Yes, finally the house is dust-free," Anmay said, collapsing onto his chair in his room.

"Let's finish the market work now," Anmay suggested.

"Give me a breather first. You're on a roll," Mrigank said, closing his eyes.

"Alright, I'll make the list in the meantime," Anmay said, taking out a pen and diary from the drawer.

"Let's find something to eat first, then we'll start shopping," Mrigank said, looking around as soon as they got out of the auto at the market.

"With you, it's always eating, roaming, and talking nonsense," Anmay said while getting out of the auto.

"That's how it is with me. If you can handle it, fine; otherwise, do your own thing," Mrigank replied, waving his hand dismissively.

"Yeah, right, and because of your laziness, it took us till evening to get here," Anmay said, paying the auto driver.

"Alright then, I'm heading back," Mrigank said, pretending to get back into the auto.

"Okay, stop making faces. Look, there's a Food Bytes restaurant, let's see what they have," Anmay said, pointing with his hand.

"Yeah, it's been a while since we had some street food anyway," Mrigank agreed.

"One matar kulcha, one sev puri, one dahi bhalla, and one pav bhaji," Mrigank told the cashier at the counter.

"Alright. Your order will be at your table in 10 minutes," the cashier replied.

"I'm getting a shikanji first, only then anything else," a voice came from behind, startling Anmay.

"Oh, you two are here!" Anmay said, surprised to see Sirin and Divit standing behind him.

"Just came to get some books and bookmarks," Sirin replied in his familiar calm voice.

"Yeah, we did mention our upcoming book reading meetup," Divit added.

"Alright, let's all sit together then. You two also decide what you want to eat," Mrigank suggested.

"Let's find a table to sit at; I'm tired of holding these books," Divit said, his hands full of books.

The four of them found a table and settled down, starting a conversation.

"You two bought a lot of books; it looks like you're opening a bookstore, not a book reading club," Mrigank said, surprised at the number of books.

"Yeah, we have no choice. We can't gather knowledge by wandering around like you," Sirin said, laughing.

"Thank goodness for your book club; at least you get out of the house a bit. Otherwise, it's just home to college and college to home for you," Mrigank said, rolling his eyes.

"I'm never going to be like you, who doesn't enjoy either college or home," Sirin retorted, narrowing his eyes.

"Alright, let's save this verbal wrestling for tomorrow. And Mrigank, weren't you exhausted just now? How did you get the energy to argue?" Anmay said, gesturing with his hands to calm them down.

"Sir, your order," the waiter said, placing the tray on the table.

"This is what I was missing," Anmay said, taking the first bite.

"Yeah, but some people don't even want to step out," Mrigank teased again.

"And you don't want to stay in," Sirin was about to say when Anmay quickly interrupted him.

"You switched sides again," Mrigank complained.

"I just stated the truth. If it bothers you, what can we do about it, right, Sirin?" Anmay said, looking at Sirin for agreement.

Sirin nodded, his eyes fixed on Anmay. Anmay's cheerful and playful nature was more than just a facade. Amidst the laughter and jokes, Sirin found himself quietly observing Anmay. There was a simplicity in Anmay's smile that put everyone at ease, and his deep eyes were filled with confidence.

Suddenly realizing this, Sirin quickly looked away, feeling a bit embarrassed, and focused back on his food.

"So, we're going to get some stuff, what about you two?" Mrigank asked Sirin.

"We've got our books, so we'll head home," Sirin replied.

"We'll join you for a round in the market. It's been a while since we came here, and you went straight to the bookstore," Divit said, looking affectionately at Sirin.

"Alright then," Sirin agreed softly.

"Let's get started then," Mrigank said, standing up.

The daylight was slowly fading, and the shop lights were turning on. The hustle and bustle were increasing.

"Get the list out," Mrigank said to Anmay.

"Yes, first we need some cleaning supplies," Anmay said, pulling the list from his pocket.

"Let's go to the department store across the street; we can find everything there," Divit suggested, pointing to the store.

"Sounds good," Anmay agreed, and the four of them headed towards the store.

As they entered the store, they felt the cool air inside.

"Food and grocery on the first floor, furniture and home decor on the second, clothing and fashion on the third, electronics and gadgets on the fourth," Divit read out from the sign.

"Let's do this: Divit and I will check out the third floor, and Sirin, you go with Anmay to get the items on the first and second floors," Mrigank suggested.

"Why? You came with me, so help me out," Anmay said to Sirin.

"I have no experience with shopping for household stuff, and Sirin has been managing all this alone for two years, so he knows better," Mrigank explained.

"But at least ask Sirin if he's okay with it," Anmay said, looking at Sirin.

"I don't mind," Sirin said softly, looking at Anmay.

"Okay then, call us when you're done. Come on, Divit," Mrigank said, grabbing Divit's hand and heading towards the lift lobby.

"Let's start with food and groceries," Sirin said hesitantly, and Anmay nodded in agreement.

"Grab a trolley from there; we'll need it for all the stuff," Sirin pointed towards the trolleys.

"Got it. Now, you tell me what to pick," Anmay said, laughing.

"Here, these rice packets are really good; I use them too," Sirin said, handing a packet to Anmay.

"Alright, let's put this in the trolley," Anmay said, placing the packet in the trolley.

"Take these biscuits; they are my favorite," Anmay said, handing a packet to Sirin with a smile.

"Sirin, do you cook your own food?" Anmay asked.

"No, I live in a house where the guy downstairs works, and an auntie comes to cook for him. She makes my food too. Sometimes on weekends, I try something myself," Sirin replied with a slight smile.

"Oh, so besides books, you like cooking too," Anmay said, smiling.

"Can't really say it's a hobby. Just sometimes, if I get time," Sirin said softly.

"You'll be perfect at it," Anmay said appreciatively.

"What else is on the list?" Sirin asked, feeling shy about the compliment.

"Cleaning supplies," Anmay said, looking at the list.

"There's the home cleaning shelf," Sirin pointed.

"Let's go then," Anmay said, pushing the trolley forward.

As they reached the home cleaning section, they started picking up items.

"This detergent is really good; my mom uses it too," Anmay said, picking up a packet.

Sirin smiled and said, "Then it must be good."

"Let's go to the next floor," Anmay said, heading towards the lift lobby.

Sirin nodded and followed Anmay. The lift was crowded. Anmay held Sirin's hand tightly. As the door closed, Sirin's heartbeat quickened. He glanced at Anmay, who was smiling lightly. Sirin quickly looked down.

As soon as the door opened, Anmay released Sirin's hand and pushed the trolley forward.

"Sirin, this lamp is so beautiful!" Anmay said as they exited the lift.

"Yeah, it is. If you like it, you should get it," Sirin agreed.

"We'll get it later. Let's check the bedsheets first; it's been two years since I changed the ones in my room," Anmay said, laughing.

"Alright, look over there," Sirin said, moving ahead.

"Sirin, come here. How about this color for the bedsheet?" Anmay called out to Sirin.

"You like light colors?" Sirin asked.

"Yes, dark colors hurt my eyes," Anmay replied.

"Alright, this floral print looks nice. Anything else you need?" Sirin asked.

"Just a vase. I broke mine in the rush this morning," Anmay said.

"Okay, let's go there," Sirin said. 

"You guys aren't done yet? We've already finished," Mrigank said, approaching them.

"You came for a stroll; we're actually shopping," Anmay said.

"Be quick. Mom's already called; she's waiting for dinner," Mrigank said.

"We're almost done. You go stand in line at the billing counter," Anmay said to Mrigank.

"Okay, come on then," Mrigank said, moving ahead.

"Did you get anything?" Sirin asked Divit.

"No, man! Mrigank just kept passing by everything," Divit said, sounding disappointed.

"No worries. Next time, you and I will come, and we'll look around properly," Sirin said affectionately.

"Let's head to the billing counter now, or he'll start yelling," Anmay said to both of them.

"Thanks for today, Sirin," Anmay said as they exited the store.

"Oh, no need to thank me," Sirin said with a soft smile.

"How are you guys going home?" Mrigank asked, coming closer.

"On my scooty. What about you two?" Divit replied.

"We'll take an auto," Anmay said.

"Alright. I'll go find an auto," Mrigank said

"I'll go get the scooty from the parking," Divit said, and both of them walked ahead.

"I didn't think you'd be the type to wander around like this," Anmay teased Sirin.

"I just don't like pointless wandering like Mrigank. Everyone has to go out for work," Sirin replied, looking down.

"True, so next time, let's go to a place you like," Anmay said with a smile.

"We'll see about that when the time comes," Sirin replied hesitantly.

Just then, Divit arrived with the scooty. "Come on, Sirin, let's go."

Sirin looked at Anmay as he balanced the books and got on the scooter.

"Alright. Get home safely. Bye, Divit, bye, Sirin," Anmay said, waving.

"Bye. See you tomorrow," Divit said as he started the scooty.

Meanwhile, Mrigank arrived with an auto. 

"Come on, hurry up. We left in the evening, and now it's already night," Mrigank said, putting the shopping bags in the auto.