Published on 26th August 2024.
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♡⁠ Everyone wants a love that shines
But such a treasure's hard to find ♡

- A K R I T I -

I watched Mr Oberoi's car drive away. My heart was still racing from the ridiculous turn of events, and I could barely believe what Shlok had just done. Engaged?

What on earth had possessed him to say something like that?!

As soon as we were alone, I turned to Shlok. "Engaged? What the hell were you thinking?!"

"I—"

"No, seriously! What the hell is wrong with you? How could you just... say that? In front of your client!"

He had his mouth shut.

"I'm sorry." He said, "I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that. It just... slipped out."

I crossed my arms and glared at him. "Slipped out? You don't just slip out a lie like that, Shlok!"

"I know... I know. But Mr. Oberoi - he saw us fall, and it looked bad. I didn't know what else to say. I didn't want him to think you're another rumoured girlfriend of mine. You don't know but the media has done enough damage to my image, and I didn't want to lose this deal, that too when I have no fault."

"Oh..."

He sounded too genuine with this.

But...

Why did he have to drag me in this mess?

"I'm sorry," He repeated. "I'll fix it. I'll talk to him, explain that it was a misunderstanding."

"And how exactly do you plan on doing that? 'Oh, by the way, Mr. Oberoi, remember how I said we were engaged? Well, funny story... we're not.' That's not going to work, Shlok!"

I sighed heavily, feeling the weight of the situation sinking into my bones. I paced back and forth, trying to process the chaos we'd just been thrown into. "You know we're in a massive mess, right?"

"Yeah," He nodded, his tone sober. "I know."

My back throbbed with a dull ache from the fall, and I reached behind me to rub the sore spot. The pain was sharp, reminding me of the absurdity of it all. "God, I can't believe this," I muttered.

"Hey." Shlok said softly, trying to get my attention. "Sit down, Akriti."

I waved him off, feeling more irritated than anything. "Sitting down isn't going to change the fact that we're stuck in this blunder."

"I know," He said, sounding more earnest this time. "But listen... I need your help."

I stopped pacing and turned to face him. "With what exactly?"

"I need you to pretend to be my fiancée," He said. "Just for a few days, until the deal is finalized. After that, we can 'break up,' and I'll say things didn't work out."

Was he for real?

I blinked at him in disbelief. "You can't be serious."

"I am." He insisted. "I really need you on this, Akriti."

I could feel the weight of his request pressing down on me. "No, Shlok. This is crazy. You can't just ask me to pretend to be your fiancée."

"Please." He pleaded. "I wouldn't ask if I wasn't desperate. This deal is huge. And besides..." He added, his voice softening even further, "We're friends, right? Can't you help me out, just this once?"

I couldn't believe Shlok would put me in this position. I thought we were friends, but this... this is too much. Then again, how could I let him down when he's so desperate?

But what kind of friend does this to someone?

I was frustrated, but his plea was hard to ignore. He was asking for a lot, and the situation was so messy already. But the way he looked at me, the way he asked — it was hard to just say no.

Moreover we were related by work and I knew how easily people in this field could get things to their ego. What if Shlok did the same too if I don't help him? He doesn't look like that.

I can't afford to let this mess distract me. Adit needs me, my parents depend on me, and here I am, tangled in someone else's problem.

How did I let myself get dragged into this mess?

Shlok's mess should be the least of my concerns, but I can't shake the guilt of saying no, not when he's counting on me.

I took a deep breath and nodded. "Fine. I'll do it."

Logically, this was a disaster waiting to happen. I should've walked away, let Shlok handle his own problems. But every time I think about it, I can't ignore the way he looked at me — so desperate, so sure that I'm the only one who can help him. It's foolish, but here I am, stuck between wanting to run and feeling like I have to stay.

His face lit up with relief, and I rolled my eyes. "But only for a few days." I added firmly. "And after this you owe me big time."

"Absolutely." He agreed, smiling gratefully. "Thank you so much, Akriti."

I shook my head, still trying to process everything. "This is going to be a disaster, isn't it?"

"No." He said confidently. "We'll handle it."

I wasn't entirely convinced. I crossed my arms again, leaning back slightly as I regarded him with a skeptical look. "I don't know how you talked me into these things."

He chuckled softly. "Because you're a good person. And because you know how messed up the media can be."

I narrowed my eyes at him, but he continued before I could argue further.

"Look." He said, "You have no idea what it's like — the rumors, the headlines. Every time I step out, they twist things. I'm not saying what I did was right, but I wasn't trying to trap you in anything. I just... I panicked because of how bad things can get when the media spins their stories."

I don't know about media.

But rumours, yes.

Been there, seen everything.

I sighed again, softer this time. "Yeah."

He offered a small, hopeful smile. Despite everything, it was hard to stay angry with him. He always had a smile on his face nowadays, contrary to what I perceived him to be on the day of the meeting. I exhaled slowly, shaking my head. "So... coffee?"

He grinned as the tension eased slightly between us. "Yeah. I'll get you coffee, it's on me."

I raised an eyebrow. "Of course it is."

He laughed and stood up. "Come on, let's get out of here."

We walked into the same cafe we went to the last time, when it poured heavily. The familiar smell of coffee and warm pastries was a comforting distraction. We found a table and sat down. It was the same one we sat on the last time. Probably!

I sipped my coffee, feeling the warmth of the cup against my palms as I tried to calm my racing thoughts. "Thanks for coming with me." He said softly, breaking the silence.

I nodded but stayed quiet. My mind was still reeling, and the coffee wasn't doing much to soothe the tension I felt coiling inside me. "Shlok... why did you drag me into this? You could've figured out another way, but you chose to involve me. Why?"

He sighed, leaning back in his chair. He looked exhausted and sincere. "Because I know I could count on you, Akriti. I know this is messy, and I'm sorry for putting you in this situation, but when everything was spiraling, you were the only one I could think of."

His words softened me, but I was still uneasy. "But it doesn't change the fact that we're stuck pretending to be engaged. What if this blows up in our faces?"

He hesitated for a moment before answering. "It won't. Look, I've thought about this carefully, I promise. All we need to do is get through these few days. Oberoi will finalize the deal, and after that, we can go our separate ways again. We'll make up some story about the breakup being amicable. It won't be hard. We'll get through it."

I leaned forward, narrowing my eyes. "And what if the media catches wind of this? What if they start following us around, digging deeper? What then?"

"They won't." He said quickly, though I could sense the slight edge in his voice. "We'll be careful. I'll handle it if they do. But trust me, Akriti, this won't last long. Once the deal is done, we can both go back to our lives."

I studied his face for a moment, searching for any cracks in his confidence. I could see the stress in the tightness around his eyes, the way his jaw clenched when he talked about the media.

Despite his reassurances, there was a part of him that was clearly as unsure as I was.

I took another sip of my coffee, trying to digest everything. "I still can't believe this is happening."

He smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Me neither. But here we are."

Silence settled between us again, but this time it was less tense. We both sat, lost in our own thoughts for a while, the noise of the café around us fading into the background.

Finally, I spoke up again. "Alright, Shlok. I'll do this. But you need to promise me something."

He looked up, meeting my gaze. "Anything."

"Promise me that you won't let this get out of hand. If things start to spiral, you'll pull the plug. I won't be dragged into some media circus because of this."

"I promise." He said without hesitation. "I won't let this get out of hand."

I nodded, satisfied for now. "Okay. Let's get through this, then."

He smiled again, more genuine this time. "Thank you, Akriti. I owe you one."

"Yeah, you do." I muttered, leaning back in my chair. "And I'm going to make sure you pay up." He laughed, a sound that eased some of the tension between us.

But I couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that this was only the beginning. The weight of the lie we'd just concocted hovered over us, and I knew that pretending to be Shlok's fiancée was going to be more complicated than either of us realized.

For now, though, I focused on the warmth of the coffee in my hands and the temporary calm of this moment before the storm.

❀✿❀

After our exhausting conversation, I went to finish up the work for today and made my way back home. I tried to push thoughts of pretending to be his fiancée aside and focus on what mattered most for now — Adit.

When I walked through the door, the familiar, comforting smell of dinner greeted me. Mumma was busy in the kitchen, her back to me as she stirred a pot of dal, humming softly to herself.

Adit was at the dining table, surrounded by scattered sheets of paper and crayons. He was concentrating hard, his little brow furrowed in focus as he practiced his letters.

The sight of my son, so engrossed in his work, brought a small smile to my face.

"Hey, sweetheart," I said, moving towards him and placed a gentle kiss on his head. "How's the writing coming along?"

"Good, Mumma." He replied, looking up with a bright smile at me. "Dekho, 'Apple'!" (Look)

I smiled as I bent down to take a closer look at the wobbly but recognizable letter on the page. "That's great, Adit! You're doing so well." I settled beside him, reaching for another sheet of paper to help guide him through the next letter.

As I helped Adit, papa entered the room. He took a seat beside me. "Akriti."

"Hmm, Papa." I replied, looking up briefly from Adit's work.

"So, how was your day?" He asked, folding his hands together on his chest.

I hesitated for a moment, unsure of how much I should share. I didn't want to worry them with all the chaos going on with Shlok and the fake engagement. Instead, I opted for a partial truth. "Busy as always. There was a lot happening at the site today."

He nodded. "That's good. Progress is important."

Before I could say more, mumma chimed in from the kitchen, "You need to rest more, Akriti. You've been pushing yourself too hard with work. Take a short break."

I gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm fine, Ma. I love doing it. Just a lot on my plate right now."

As we continued helping Adit with his writing and chatted about daily life, my mind kept drifting back to Shlok's proposal — not the marriage kind, but his desperate plea for help.

I knew he was in a bind, but I wasn't sure I was ready to be tangled up in his problems, especially when I had enough of my own. And yet, I couldn't shake the thought that perhaps this arrangement could somehow work, at least for a short time.

"Is something bothering you?" Papa asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I looked up at him, wondering how he always seemed to sense when something was on my mind. "Just some work stress." I said, trying to keep my voice light. "Nothing I can't handle."

He studied me for a moment longer, then nodded, seemingly satisfied with my answer.

For now, I could keep the situation with Shlok to myself. But as I sat there, helping Adit with his writing and chatting with my parents, I couldn't help but wonder how long I'd be able to keep up the charade.

After dinner, I spent a bit of time with Adit. I tucked him into the bed and read him a bedtime story.

I just hoped that our plan would work out and that things wouldn't get out of hand.

Pretending to be engaged.

This could go wrong in so many ways.

What if the media catches wind of this?

What if my parents find out?

Or worse, Adit? He's too young to understand, but what if this lie ruins everything I've built to protect him?

My mind raced with thoughts about the days ahead. The fake engagement was proving to be more complicated than I had anticipated. I hoped that things would settle down soon and that we could return to normalcy.

I had to find a way to make it work - even if it meant pretending to be something I wasn't.

"Mumma, chocolates?" Adit startled me as he spoke out of nowhere. He was supposed to be asleep right now.

"No."

✿ ❀ ✿

AUROUS CHARMS ✨

How was the chapter?

More tea, continuation from last week. So, this guy, whom I liked a lot, whom I had a crush on. Apparently, turns out, my girl (bestfriend) got a crush on him too (i didn't tell her earlier that I like him). I'm sorry but we're really a gone case 😭 we really fall for anyone who does bare minimum. In this case, he talks so nicely to everyone and smiles all the time.

The talk which led us to the realisation that we both like the same guy was too funny. She was crying, I was laughing. I mean we think so alike to end up having crush on the same guy 😭🤣 i need some serious suggestion on this.

Till then, bye bye.
Love you all.
Signing off.