Page 42 of The Fake Dating War

“Relax, Patel. I’m obviously here for my own reasons, but they have nothing to do with ruining your week. Humiliating you is the furthest thing from my mind.”

“So,whyare you here?”

I smirk. “None of your business.”

“You have to tell me!”

“I don’t.” I consider her slowly. “But you have my word. As much as it pains me, I’ll pretend to be your adoring boyfriend for the rest of the week.” My smirk widens. “Willyoube able to handle that?”

She throws her hands into the air. “My family has already met you, so it’s not like I can switch you out for anyone else now!”

I crane my head, glancing around.

“What are you doing?”

“Hm. Can’t seem to find the line of men interested in taking my place”

She storms into the bathroom. I shrug off my jacket and unbutton the cuffs of my shirt, rolling them up. I need that shower, and I’m about to demand Patel come out of the bathroom, but then she’s back. Her hands seem wiped of the drawings she’d gotten done on them. Shame.

She starts cleaning the handle of my luggage with a wet cloth.

Getting up, I tell her, “I can do that.”

She doesn’t stop, but goes down on her haunches to wipe the hard surface. “You don’t want this to stain your clothes.”

“Let me?—”

She rolls the luggage away from my reach and keeps going.

Having her touch my stuff is disconcerting. It’s—intimate. There’s a twinge in my chest (and farther down). Intrusive thoughts threaten. I am too aware of the bed behind us, so I force myself to think if it wasn’t for the whale, Tarun, I wouldn’t be standing here.

Patel finishes with her cleaning. “I don’t even have time or energy to figure out why you are here, but for this fake-relationship to work, we need to get our story straight. If we don’t, no one is going to believe us. I thought the plan was to meet up here and strategize, but then you had to waltz into the middle of the ladies’ party, which, by the way, thanks for that! You know I hate not being prepared.”

“My fault was it?”

“Whose else would it be? I gave you clear instructions!”

“You know, I figured your family would be insufferable since you’re going through all this trouble to lie, but they seem nice. Makes a person wonder.”

My judgement isn’t subtle. I hate people lying when they don’t have to, especially to the people they claim to care about. My father did it so well.

Patel looks like she’s about to slap me. “Sorry, Mr.Perfect, but I’m not interested in your opinions aboutmyfamily. For the record, if I didn’t need you, I wouldn’t have picked you.”

“Oh, are we still pretending you had options?”

“I’m leaving this conversation!”

“Great. I’ve been wondering how to kick you out.”

She turns to go, but then stops herself. “Stay here. Don’t leave the room.”

“Should I bark? Can you give me a heel, boy?”

Not acknowledging my words, she barrels on. “My family will be relentless. Prepare yourself. We need to be natural. You have to know stuff about me. Little details. How did we meet? What’s my middle name? What do you like about me?”

“You look good in purple.”What?Where didthatcome from?

Her eyes widen.

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