“But since we can’t find you both partners out of nowhere at such short notice, the two of you should totally fake date each other,” added Isha, with a devilish grin.
CHAPTER 10
MEHER
“No!” Samrat and I yelled out in unison, staring at each other in horror.
“He is the last man on earth I’d ever date. Not even then,” I said angrily.
“Likewise,” snapped Samrat.
I glared at him with all the hatred I could summon within me, almost wanting to shove him off the terrace. How dare he say such a thing?
“Good!” I bit out.
“Great!” he shot back.
“So it’s settled,” said Shivina with gentle insistence. “Since the two of you are mature adults who value the work you do, and not angry toddlers incapable of looking at the bigger picture, you both agree to do this. Right?”
Damn it, when she put it that way, I did feel like a toddler throwing a tantrum. But…
“Well,hestarted it,” I blurted out, and then bit my lip in embarrassment.
“Way not to sound like a toddler,” drawled Samrat. “Shivina, that does sound like a good plan. Or it would have if the other party in this scenario wasn’t a treacherous, fickle woman who shall not be named.”
I drew myself up to my full height and turned to Shivina as calmly as I could.
“Babe, do me a favour, and lend me that gorgeous Durga sword you used on the Goels. I need to slay a demon. I swear I’ll have it professionally cleaned afterwards,” I requested politely.
My friends tried to hide their smiles at what they thought was a joke, but I was dead serious. One way or another, I was going to murder Samrat Singh Deora tonight. I didn’t care if I went to jail afterwards.
“Fine, I know where it’s kept. I’ll take it myself,” I said, heading indoors.
“No!” They all screamed, and someone tackled me to the ground.
A hard, powerful body covered mine, and I froze at the familiar smell that enveloped me. I glared up into Samrat’s eyes, but before I could speak, he covered my mouth with one hand and leaned forward to whisper into my ear.
“Donotmake a scene here, you little idiot. Do you want to get us both ostracised from society?”
In response, I brought his hand even closer to my mouth and bit down hard. He yelped in shock and drew his hand away hastily.
“Get off me, you oaf, before I knee you in the balls,” I hissed.
“Guys, great way to not make a scene. Rolling around on the floor like horny cats…good job,” said Shivina sarcastically, while Isha and Diya kept a lookout for the other guests. Luckily, this terrace was in Ranvijay and Shivina’s private wing, which waswhy we’d had it to ourselves for so long. But that could change any minute, and we’d be in a lot of trouble if Samrat did not get off me immediately.
He leapt off me and held out a hand to help me up. Obviously, I ignored it and got up on my own steam and brushed off my clothes without looking at him.
“I’m sorry, but she was about to do something very stupid. How would it look if she chased me around your palace with a sword? We’d never be invited anywhere ever again. And her luxury safari idea would end up being just a really great concept.”
“First of all, you worry about your own situation, army boy. I will make a success of my business, no matter what. And secondly, if I got my hands on a sword, I wouldn’t have to chase you around at all. I’d have you filleted and laid out like a tray of sushi before you knew what hit you,” I growled.
“Ewww! Don’t ruin my favourite food in the world, Meher,” complained Isha.
“Are we done with the toddler tantrums?” demanded Ranvijay. “You guys seem to forget that we live in a world of high-definition phone cameras, and all it will take is one viral video to put paid to all your dreams.”
“Fine,” I said huffily, crossing my arms over my chest and sulking.
“Meher, I know it seems wild, but this is actually the quickest way to get what both of you need right now. Promise me you’ll think about it. And you too, Samrat,” said Shivina.
