Page 6 of Always? Forever.
“Wait, you read a romance book?
“It’s not a big deal, but in that book, the main characters get fake married”
He looks at me expectantly as if I get what he is trying to say when on the other hand I have no idea what he means. I read a few romance novels as well but I will die before I admit that to anyone.
“Hold on, so you mean I find some girl…get fake married to her” I ask him with confusion.
He nods quite eagerly and goes on further
“So look, you find a girl, you ask her to fake marry you for whatever period, give her something she wants in return and when you have the company under you, you and the fake wife get divorced, simple.”
He explains as if that’s the most normal thing in the universe and I am an alien.
"I'll be hiring someone and paying them to be my wife!" I exclaimed, the absurdity of the idea dawning on me.
Aarush grinned, clearly amused. "Yes, now you're getting it!"
"Are you insane?!" I couldn't help but exclaim in disbelief.
He rolled his eyes, unfazed by my reaction, as I shook my head. "How else then? You'll find someone to fall for in 19 days," he said with mock sarcasm.
I groaned, feeling increasingly frustrated by the conversation. It seemed pointless. I should just go home and join a dating app with the sole purpose of finding someone to marry.
We both left the bar; Aarush lived in East Village, and I resided in Soho. I dropped Aarush off along the way.
Upon reaching my empty apartment, the loneliness washed over me. I longed for someone to come home to.
Sighing, I got ready for bed, but Aarush's ridiculous fake marriage idea continued to nag at me.
Chapter 5
Samaira
Around 30 minutes later, I reached my apartment building. As I climbed up the stairs to my floor, I heard someone muttering in frustration in the hallway of the 2nd floor. My instincts told me to keep moving and head home, but curiosity got the better of me.
"God damn it!" the voice rang out again.
I couldn't resist and asked, "Is everything okay?"
A genuinely handsome guy turned around, holding a pair of keys. My heart skipped a beat, and I had to admit, he was good-looking. Yet, not quite as good-looking as that jerk I couldn't get out of my mind. Ugh, why was I even thinking about him?
"Oh, was I that loud? Geez, sorry. My door won't open for some reason," he explained, looking sheepish.
Hesitatingly, I approached him, noting that he was attempting to unlock his apartment door with his car keys. Suppressing a laugh, I concluded he must have had a rough day and proceeded with caution to avoid offending him.
"Um, I think those are your car keys," I offered with a small smile as he stared at his hand in disbelief, groaning.
"Of course," he muttered under his breath, then turned toward me, flashing a dazzling smile.
"Hi, I'm Aarush," he introduced himself, extending his hand.
"Samaira," I replied as I shook his hand.
"I haven't seen you in this building, Samaira. Did you just move in?" he asked with a smile that could make any girl weak in the knees. Good heavens, he was charming. I couldn't help but chuckle.
"Kind of I guess, I've been living here for the past one month," I replied, which seemed to surprise him.
"That's odd. I can't believe I haven't noticed such a beautiful lady," he remarked with a wink.
