Revealing the truth

As soon as Yashi entered the restaurant, the owner, Giovanni, greeted her with a smile. "Welcome back! Is your friend joining you today?" he asked, referring to Naisargi. Yashi could see the subtle change in his expression as she shook her head, "No, just me today, Giovanni. But I promise to bring her next time."

Giovanni's face fell slightly with disappointment, but he quickly composed himself and smiled again. "Of course, of course. Well, your usual table is ready for you. Let me know if you need anything." He gestured towards the table where Dexter was already seated.

Yashi let out a deep breath before heading over to join him, her mind swirling with thoughts as she knew something was not quite right.

When Yashi took her seat at the table, Dexter made a comment about Giovanni, the restaurant owner. "Looks like Giovanni was really hoping for his crush," Dexter quipped with a smirk. "He did ask if Naisargi was joining. Giovanni seemed a bit disappointed when he knew it's just me," Yashi said with a chuckle.

"Looks like Naisargi's got a strong admirer," he said with a grin. "I can't stop feeling envious."

Yashi noticed that Dexter had already ordered the food. He gestured the waiter to bring it over, "Let's eat, I'm starving," he said, trying to lighten the mood. Dexter couldn't bear to see Yashi upset, so he thought it was best to wait until they had finished their meal. He didn't want to ruin her appetite before broaching the topic.

His mind was racing with thoughts of how to break the news to her. He knew that he couldn't keep the truth from her for much longer, and that he needed to find the right moment to tell her what he had learned. He tried to push his worries aside and focus on making light-hearted jokes and comments about Naisargi, in an attempt to keep the conversation light and easy going.

Yashi, on the other hand, was trying her best to keep her emotions in check. She knew something was off with Dexter and she could sense that he was holding something back. Despite their efforts, the weight of the situation was heavy on both their minds.

As they finished their meal, Dexter took a deep breath and turned to Yashi. "I need to tell you something," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "It's about the leak." Yashi's listened very carefully, she knew it was something Dexter has been avoiding to share. "Just tell me," she said, her voice steady. "I received a message from someone, an old college junior. She works for E-phen now, and she said that she overheard someone talking about ruining our reputation and they have several of our designs," Dexter said, letting out a sigh.

Yashi asked calmly, "Did your junior say anything else? Is there any more information?" Dexter shook his head, "No, she didn't hear anything else. She had to go before anyone suspected."

Yashi broke the silence after thinking for few minutes, "Don't worry. We'll sort this out. When the going gets tough, the tough get going." She looked collected. Despite her words, Dexter couldn't overcome the feeling of dread that was building inside of him. He knew that Yashi was right, but the thought of someone deliberately trying to sabotage their work was hard to digest.

Yashi could see the concern etched on Dexter's face, and she leaned forward with a small smile. "I've always kept some designs in my sketchbook, just in case, and it should now be of use in an emergency like this," she said, trying to sound optimistic. "They may not be perfect, but they'll do for the show." Dexter looked at her with surprise and a little relieved. He had forgotten about Yashi's sketchbook, but now that she mentioned it, he felt a glimmer of hope. "That's a great idea," he said, trying to sound more positive. "We can work on them together and make sure that the show goes on without a hitch." Yashi smiled, "Exactly. We'll make it work. Together."

As Naisargi approached the table, Dexter's expression changed. "Naisargi, what are you doing here?" he asked surprisingly. Yashi looked surprised too.

"I called Giovanni and he told me you both were here," Naisargi said, shrugging nonchalantly. "I had a feeling something was up when Yashi left and the only place that came to my mind is this one," she added.

Dexter couldn't help but make a joke, "You have even got his number."

Naisargi grinned, "Well, my sister wanted to book a reservation for her anniversary celebration and I took it."

Dexter chuckled, "Well, well. Looks like our Naisargi has some secrets of her own."

Naisargi playfully rolled her eyes, "Oh, please. Can you both tell me what on earth has happened? Acting all strange and getting on my nerves, specially you, Dexter," she said making faces at Dexter.

Yashi explained the situation to Naisargi and the three of them sat there, discussing their options and brainstorming ideas, determined to make sure the show would go on as smooth as possible.

While they were discussing the situation, Giovanni approached the table with a tray of desserts in his hand. "I noticed your conversation looked very serious unlike the usual ones," he said, placing the tray on the table. "I hope this helps to sweeten things up a bit. And please, let me know if there's anything else I can do for you, my loyal guests."

"Looks like we have got a detective," Dexter said looking at Giovanni. Giovanni feeling a little embarassed replied, "Hey, all I did was to tell the truth. I didn't know it was meant to be a secret."

"Don't blame Giovanni, he was just being honest," Naisargi defended. "I just suspected and called him, it's not his fault." Giovanni smiled widely, clearly pleased that Naisargi was speaking up on his behalf.

Yashi, who had been calmly observing the exchange noticed the way Giovanni's cheeks turned a light shade of pink as Naisargi spoke. "It's alright, Giovanni. Don't mind Dexter," she said.

Dexter and Yashi both smiled, grateful for Giovanni's kind gesture of giving them desserts, while Naisargi thanked him.

After Giovanni left, Naisargi looked at Dexter and complained, "I just suspected something was off and you both were clearly not telling me anything. Can't a girl be worried about her friends?" Dexter chuckled, "Of course, of course."

They all dug into the desserts, trying to put the troubles aside for a moment and enjoy the sweet treats.