Hues Of Dusk

Chapter 52. Ready for the date

You know what's difficult than spying? It is spying in the rain. The rain which was adamant on hitting me from every angle and would get heavier everytime I cursed it. To be honest, I loved rains but my love was turning into hatred and I didn't want to lose my target.

For the past two days, I had been keeping a tab on Mahek's daily activities instead of studying for my upcoming exams. I was so hellbent on solving her case that I even ignored the possibility of flunking. I was wasted for good.

I adjusted my umbrella and turned around when Mahek looked in my direction. Luckily, she didn't suspect anything and went back to talking with the guy with her. They were walking hand in hand, through the busy market and Mahek was laughing at everything he said.

Didn't she get tired of fooling around with random guys? She had such a loving boyfriend and here she was, openly cheating on him.

I was recording everything with my phone which I had kept inside a book and only the camera was peaking out.

I kept checking the camera angle while handling the umbrella simultaneously. It was so hard to keep track of her. She was jumping around like a rabbit and was dragging her partner to all the expensive shops. But I was really amazed at the amount of energy she had.

I stopped the recording when Mahek and her 'date' went inside a five-star hotel. I waited for few minutes before I also got in and took a seat, few tables away from the couple.

The hotel was a three-storey building. The ground floor was adorned with tables and chairs for the customers while the second and third floor consisted of rooms to stay. The decorations were kept to minimum and cool colours like blue and lighter shades of purple were used all around the interior.

I stopped admiring the place and ordered a bowl of soup for myself so that I didn't seem suspicious. I observed the couple from where I sat as I waited for my meal to cool down.

This time, I avoided dressing in all black since it attracted more attention, unlike I had thought and I didn't want to look like a terrorist in public places. But for safety measures, I was wearing a mask which hid half of my face while a woolen cap covered my forehead and only my eyes were visible.

No one suspected my attire because the weather was chilly and a lot of people were covered in warm clothes. So, I easily blended in without much trouble.

Mahek was talking to her 'boyfriend' like he was the only person who could make her smile and tried to act all adorable. I had put my phone in a vertical position with the support of a napkin holder on my table and started recording again.

Jahnvi was right. My cellphone wasn't the best piece of technology but its camera quality was great.

Mahek's date lasted for about an hour and the guy left after paying the bill. I thought she would also leave but another guy in an expensive suit entered the hotel and she waved at him. It was her second date of the day.

But, this time they didn't just chit-chat over a cup of coffee. The new guy went to the reception and took a bunch of keys from the short haired receptionist. Mahek joined him and laced her right arm with his left one. They both gave each other a knowing look and then went past me, upstairs, to the suite rooms.

I managed to catch up few fragments of their conversation and just like Jagdeep had said, Mahek was using an alias this time also. Preeti.

I finished my soup and stopped the recording. After I paid my bill, I left the premise and retraced my steps back home. It was pretty late when I announced my presence to mom and dad. I was lying to them because if they got a whiff about what I was upto these days, I would be grounded for life.