This Love

CHAPTER 4

The engagement cake shopping is successfully the most entertaining amongst all other engagement related shoppings.

Initially only Inaya and Rishi had planned to visit the baker house to test the flavours and give the order but we three had to just tag along. Payal and Thomas couldn't join because of Nina's vaccination day. Hehe more cake for me.

Rian acted like we didn't even talk yesterday. Good for me. But my chest felt a little heavy when he just walked past without acknowledging me when I tried to not ignore him. Whatever.

"You have cake on your jumpsuit." Inaya says laughing as she wipes off some cream from her own face.

"So which flavor, guys? This is the eighth cake we're finishing in the name of tasting." Rishi says pretty annoyed.

"I like the chocolate one." I say cheerily.

"You always like the chocolate one." Neil says knowingly.

Of course. Because I don't remember the count of cafes we have gone to just to see which one had the best chocolate milkshake. More like I dragged him along but yeah. I was just crazy like that.

"Who all up for chocolate, then?" Rishi asks like a school teacher taking count for the number of children who'd be there for the class tour.

To my surprise, everyone raises their hand. I stuff my mouth with some of the left mint chocolate cake. Doesn't taste as good as pure chocolate, but it's good.

Rishi and Inaya goes off to order the cake for the day as well as pay for whatever we had today. That's gonna be a big bill.

At the end of the table, Rian sits casually with a spoon circling the chocolate cake in his ceramic plate, his eyes glued to the phone. I walk over to him automatically. I had decided not to talk to him! What's happening to me?

"Being grumpy doesn't suit you, Rian." I say taking a seat near him, eyeing him as well as the last chocolate cake piece on his plate.

"If you want the cake, just take it." He says his eye still glued to his phone.

"Why are you avoiding me?" I ask poking him in the muscles, but the electrifying sensation made me stop abruptly.

He switches off his phone and keeps it on the table.

"Well you clearly want me to. Don't you?" He asks with raised eyebrows.

I take a deep breath.

"The deal is on." I say in defeat.

I don't know why I agreed to it. But I also know why I agreed to it. It's because deep inside I know that I may still have feelings for him. How much ever I want to step on it, bury it, it keeps resurfacing every time I see his face, everytime his eyes meet mine and every time he utters my name. I know it will happen in the future as well. Being with him, even if it's fake, is torture. But not being with him is also another form of torture. So I pick the torture which has him in it.

"But." I say and his smug dissolves into interest.

"But?" He echoes my statement in question.

"This doesn't change the fact that I don't like you."

He doesn't respond.

"And. No kissing. No sex. Nothing intimate. Because I don't want to-" I start but he interrupts me.

"Yeah you don't want him thinking that you're actually dating me." He nods in understanding.

But what I actually wanted to say was that I don't want to fall in love with you any more. But his version is better of course.