Page 14 of Always? Forever.
"Enjoy," he said with a fake smile as he handed me the receipt. But before I could take it, Kartik placed the money in his hand and, with a broad smile, said, "Keep the change." That seemed to be the final straw for Hriday, who clenched his jaw so tightly that I was surprised it didn't break some of his teeth.
Hriday opened his mouth to say something more but Kartik quickly guided me towards our table, and I followed him, still dumbfounded by the whole exchange. I never expected to run intohim.Last I had known, he was working as a social media manager. Me, Aria, him and a few other of our mutual friends had graduated from the same college. I hadn't heard from him in a long time. Although there were no lingering feelings, I wasn't prepared to see him.
As we settled down, Kartik finally began to speak.
"So, here's the thing," he said, leaning in, "I need a fake wife..."
Kartik
As I began to speak, Samaira's eyes widened in surprise. But before she could say anything, and especially before she could decline, I rushed to explain.
"I need a fake wife for six months," I blurted out, "to secure my inheritance from my grandmother. She's adamant that I have to be 'settled' in life, meaning married to the love of my life.Now, I've only got nine daysto find someone who won't fall in love with me. Honestly, I'm not the settling-down type, and you seem perfect for this because, well, I think you kinda hate me, and that's perfect because you'll never fall for me, right?"
I said all of this in a single breath, anxiously awaiting her response. Samaira sat there, speechless, and my worry grew with each passing moment.
"Please say something," I pleaded, adding quickly, "I mean, I did just help you back there."
"It's just six months," I added, then couldn't help but tease, "Seriously? Is the sight of my face that repulsive?"
"No, you're quite pretty to look at," she replied hesitantly.
I couldn't help but smirk. "You think I'm pretty? Was that a compliment?"
She rolled her eyes at my antics. Taking a deep breath, she finally spoke, "Fine. But If you want to ask me out on a date, just ask me out on a date. There's no need to orchestrate a whole fake marriage just because you're too afraid to admit what you want," she responded straightforwardly.
It was my turn to roll my eyes. As if I needed a convoluted plan to ask a woman out. But hey, "fine" was definitely better than a "no." I couldn't help but smile, but my relief was short-lived when she raised a finger, signaling that she had conditions.
"But I have some conditions," she stated, and I nodded, wary but not surprised. I knew she wouldn't agree without setting some terms.
"First, when I say I want coffee, I genuinely mean coffee. That act, up there was cute because you helped without knowing the situation, but when I say coffee, I mean coffee. Hot Cocoa is strictly reserved for situations of mental breakdowns and cold weather." she emphasized, clearly not joking about her coffee preferences.
"Two, I don't want to hide this from my best friend. We share the same brain cell, and if I am even agreeing to this means she has the braincell. And three I'm not getting physical with you."
I listened carefully to each condition, realizing that she was setting clear boundaries and expectations for our arrangement, which was actually great as it zeroed the chances of any intimacy.
She paused, seemingly waiting for my response, probably expecting some protest. Fair enough. I chose not to reply immediately, letting her continue. The prospect of getting physical in this fake arrangement was definitely something I wanted to avoid, so her condition seemed quite reasonable.
Four,my parents can't know it's fake," she added after a moment, and I nodded in agreement. "Hell, no one apart from uscan know it's fake—only you, me, and my friend Aarush will know...and as you said your best friend too" I added.
Excitement surged through me at the prospect that she might say yes to this incredibly bizarre and crazy idea. She rolled her eyes at my enthusiasm and then mentioned, "My best friend will know too. I can't lie to her."
I recalled meeting someone the day before. "The one I met yesterday?"
"Yes" she clarified, taking a deep breath. I nodded in understanding. Then, she asked if I had any conditions.
"Just one," I replied, and she urged me to continue.
I leaned in with a cocky smile and said, "Promise me one thing."
Her expression turned bewildered as she asked, "What?"
“Don’t fall in love with me” I say with a cocky smile.
She initially gave me a bored look, but then her expression transformed into a smile that sent a shiver down my spine. She crocked her finger gesturing to lean in, so I did. But before I could say anything, she playfully commented, "I'm not the one you should be worried about; it's you," and she winked. Yes, she actually winked. As if I would fall head over heels for her. Don't get me wrong; she was gorgeous, had an appealing personality (at least so far today), and could certainly dish it out when required.
I cleared my throat, attempting to regain control of the situation. "So, are you saying yes?"
"You want to be married to me, you'll have to ask nicely," she replied after a brief pause.
