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• ADVIKA •

“If you still think that I'm those girls who read about some super-clumsy, ultra innocent and hopeless female lead waiting for a bad boy millionaire to sweep off her feet, don't wait and just fuck off.”

I had my expression as straight as it is iconic while saying these to Aarvi, who kept pestering me to read a stupid, unrealistic billionaire romance on Wattpad.

“Ugh, Advika! Who made your heart so hard? Get a life, girl! These are the trending books. Try them out for me, please!” Aarvi begged and sat on the empty leather chair next to mine as I shifted my focus back to my stack of files.

“Suicides are getting trending as well. Want to try?” I didn't shift my focus as I did last time. “Listen, Aarvi. We're here at the workplace. We're interns, not slackers.”

“Yeah, I know.” My third eye sensed her eyes rolling at me as she rolled the chair to 45 degrees, which later came to a halt with a bump on my elbow. “Hey, look.”

“What the fuck is it this time?” I groaned and tried to look up, but I didn't.

“Uh, it's your Romeo this time, Miss Juliet Capulet.” As I sensed the core meaning behind Aarvi's sarcastically professional tone, I translated them in my head and looked up at the six-foot bureau in front of my cubicle.

Translation: Your boyfriend Harsh Mathur is here to give a dose of torture.

“Hi, sweetheart.” Harsh had his iron-like grip on my cubicle as the look in his eyes did not scream romance. “Good morning.”

“Good morning, Harsh.” I had finally got the guts to greet the guy who's almost four years older than me. “What's up?”

“Ummm… Are you free this evening?”

As if this Mr Son Of My Boss would leave me alone if I tell him that tons of assignments and gazillions of books are waiting for me to be done.

“Yeah,” was all I could manage for that bare minimum boyfriend of mine. “Why?”

“Don't ask.” I wouldn't have considered it a playful statement even if he had a charming smile that could defeat Leonardo DiCaprio. “You'll know.” Letting the two-seconds-long awkward silence pass through us, he greeted, ‘’See you, sweetheart!”

As Aarvi knew he was out of earshot, she asked, “Why does he look like he's taking you out on a bookstore date?” with a “I know where you're up to” grin.

“That individual factor doesn't make him a green flag on the whole, Miss Khanna,” I sniggered and shifted my focus to the stack of files.

***

“You're right, Aarvi. He has taken me out on a bookstore date,” I muttered over the phone, walking down the Fiction section, emphasizing on the word “has”.

“See? I told you. I still believe that he's a green flag, Advika. It takes time for him to show off his emotions.” Aarvi went on her Moment Number 867 on “Harsh Is A Green Flag”.

“No green flag would care too less about their girlfriend's well-being. At least, that's what Wes Bennett didn't do to his lady love.”

“Ah, I wish you had at least a little amount of that enthusiasm on my Christian Harper. He's a Twisted man, for fuck's sake.” Not again, Aarvi.

“Oh, please fuck your beloved Christian Harper at Delulu and leave me in peace at Trululu, will—”

“Advika!” My beloved man had successfully managed to get right through my banter with my friend, which means that I have to go. “Advika, are you there or what?”