Page 12 of Always? Forever.
She rolled her eyes. "Sis, whatever you say, but this is your best shot! You said he's your boss's son, right?"
She paused, waiting for my reluctant nod. "At least he's not a total stranger," she concluded.
She left soon after as she had a date, but not before reminding me to seriously consider her suggestion. Honestly, it did seem like my best option, and it would only be for a month or so. It would appease my parents and give me some breathing room. I knew I had to talk to Kartik about it tomorrow, but I had no idea how to broach the subject.
Chapter 9
Kartik
I reach home and change into some comfortable clothes to sleep in. As I am doing my routine I think about what Aarush said. And if I do go to see if Samaira would be good enough to be my fake wife, actually she is the perfect option. My parents would never believe it if it was someone who said yes to everything I did. Suddenly I realized I didn’t need a trophy wife, I needed someone who hated my guts. Which would in turn also eliminate the chance of actually falling in love. Yes! But now how do I contact her? Moreover, how do I convince her?
As I lie in my bed in my room, I look around it, my bedroom walls are dark blue, there’s a shelf of miniature architecture figurines, and it’s a bit messy with some of my clothes lying around. There’s also a cabinet full of toys I have been collecting since I was a kid. But somehow always something looks missing. I can’t put my finger on it but the last time my dad was here, he said one thing I often ponderupon, ‘your house, your room, and especially your heart needs just a tad bit of feminine touch, and I don’t mean it materialistically.’ I know whatit means. I just didn’t want to admit it when I was in my early 20s. I am almost 26 and it feels like I should have listened.
I check my phone for the last time before I go to sleep. I open my Instagram and contemplate on texting Samaira. I look around my room and find the need to get what Dad had said but mainly to save the company. It was the former reason that pushed me to reach out to her but I was an arrogant asshole, I wasn’t gonna admit that out loud.
It was much easier than expected to find her profile. Her bio was simple, Dream, it said. She didn’t have a lot of following. Her account was private. My thumbs did a little dance before finally clicking the send request. Now it was a waiting game. If she accepted, I had a small chance, if she didn’t, I was going to have to find some other way to convince her. I didn’t have to wait long as she accepted my request. Well, that was quick. Suffice to say, I was surprised that she accepted it.
I stalked through her profile, I was sure she was doing the same. She was really pretty. There was a specific picture that caught my eye. She had posted it recently. She was holding her heels in one hand while a bottle of champagne in another. She had captioned it as, ‘life is not a fairy tale, if you lose your shoe at midnight, you’re drunk’
I chuckled, it was a stupid Pinterest quote I had read many times before but somehow I could see her with that attitude.
I gathered up my courage and started to type a message to her. I began drafting a message to her. I needed something that would grab her attention, so I typed, 'Life might not be a fairy tale, but I do have a fairy tale-like proposal for you.' It seemed decent enough, didn't it? Well, it was probably my best shot. And with that thought, I hit 'send.'
And I cringed as soon as I sent it. Groaning I realised, I had forgotten how to talk to women. I wouldn't say I had good game when it came to women, but I did decently.
Samaira
Surprise surprise! Kartik Kapadia has sent me a request on Instagram. I don’t know what came over me but it was probably Aria’s words that rang in my mind that I accepted his request. Before anything else first things first. Stalk his profile. I hated to admit it, but he looked charming! He was the kind of guy your parents warn you to stay away from, he looked like he could break my heart into pieces and I would still love him very much. Aria’s idea spelled trouble in caps! I don’t knowwhy I was even giving it a thought but I was out of options. Just then, mid-stalking, I received a message from his highness.
'Life might not be a fairy tale, but I do have a fairy tale-like proposal for you.' I chuckled and then cringed. Boy, he did want something from me. What could it be? Maybe I could then ask him to be my fake boyfriend as a return favor thatwould give me the leverage. Yes! Hold up, he stalked me! which is why the message. I have to give it to him for at least coming up with something…I want to say decent?
I wasn't sure if that line was cringe-worthy or not. Nevertheless, "If it's not marrying my prince charming, then I don't want it!" I promptly replied. I didn't have to wait long; his response arrived instantly.
"Prince Charming? I thought you were the type to crush on Flynn Rider," he wrote.
I was pleasantly surprised; the guy definitely knew his Disney, and I had to admit, I was precisely the type of girl who had a crush on Flynn Rider.
"It's Eugene, and have you been reading my diary?" I replied, half-jokingly.
He responded with an abundance of laughing emojis, making me think he might not be entirely up to date with today's texting conventions. I chuckled to myself.
"Alright, what's up, Sugarcup? What did you want?" I texted back.
"Sugarcup?" he questioned.
"Since you certainly don't like sugar..." I responded with a playful tease.
He replied, "Lol, it should be your name, considering you drink cups full of sugar.” causing me to roll my eyes.
"Ugh, get to the point. What do you want?" I finally asked.
"Meet me for coffee, I'll tell you," he wrote, that arrogant asshole.
My phone pinged again, and it was him. "Please." Well, at least he remembered his manners. I sighed.
"What do I get in return?" I messaged.
"Anything you want and within my capabilities. I wouldn't expect anything less from you," he replied.
