SEAL THE DEAL

chapter 18

Abhishek was standing next to manisha in front of the doors to the room, leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets as he waited for vishal to text manisha her cue to enter. He could hear the tinkering of glasses and the murmurous chatter from the other side of the doors, suggesting that most of the guests had arrived. He really didn't understand why his entrance with her had to be so fancy. Like yeah, it was
his engagement party and stuff, but it still didn't make a lot of sense to him. He didn't even know why he was even questioning it because as always, he had never really had any choice in the matter anyway.

He glanced at manisha as she smoothed out her dress for the millionth time and took several deep breaths, trying to calm her nerves.

She looked ethereal. When she had stepped out in front of him earlier, his heart had skipped more than just one beat whether he'd like to admit it or not. An emerald green evening saree was hugging her figure, the crystals encrusted on the fitted bodice resembling a galaxy of sparkling stars, and he had been rendered speechless when she had twirled and asked him how she looked.

The spike in heart rate had just been the result of him appreciating her very obvious and very apparent beauty, he had convinced himself, that was all. Nothing more, nothing less. Manisha phone buzzed and she fumbled with her clutch, almost dropping it in her haste to take it out.

She opened the message from vishal, suddenly feeling anxiety seeping into her veins, "It's time to go in,"

For the next four hours, she'd have to slip on a mask in front of 97% of the guests (minus her family and best friends) and act like she and Abhishek was star-crossed lovers who couldn't get enough of each other. The two of them had rehearsed the story several times to make sure there were no loose ends; she'd met last September at a product launch party where she'd swapped phone numbers, then she'd casually met a few times before he asked Her out the following month and she'd quietly and blissfully dated until he proposed three weeks ago. And if the acting part wasn't enough, the sheer amount of people whose eyes would be trained on her like hawks was also making her feel nauseous.

Abhishek could see the nervousness clear as day on the canvas of her face as he held out his arm.
"We'll be fine," he reassured Manisha as she interlocked her arm with his, causing her to look up at him. He adjusted the emerald tie around his collar and turned to her, instinctively reaching over to sweep a strand of her hair that had moved out of place.

There was nobody else there but the two of them, which meant that the caring gesture hadn't been part of the act and that fact made the resting butterflies in her stomach flutter again.

Manisha nodded and straightened her posture, holding her head up high with pride and grace, just like she'd been raised to. With one last fleeting look of reassurance and determination exchanged between the two of Them, Abhi pushed the doors open. The lights had dimmed and a spotlight followed the two of them as they glided into the room, gasps of awe and impressed whispers echoing throughout the room. Manisha turned to Abhishek
as she made her way to the centre of the room, and he shot her the loveliest smile that instantly made her heart leap and all the anxiety fizzle out; it was small, it was sweet, but most importantly, it was sincere.

Manisha was surrounded by a full audience this time, but she just knew that smile hadn't been part of the act.

And she suddenly didn't know why she'd even found it difficult to enter the party in the first place when Abhishek would be right by your side through it all.
---

"This is ashika, this is kritika and this is riya," manisha introduced her best friends to
Abhishek.

"Hi!"
"Hello!"
"Nice to meet you!"
"Nice to meet you too," Abhishek was about to handshake politely but Manisha grabbed his wrist before he could move.

Mani:-"You're supposed to have met them before," she said softly, mindful of all of the eyes that were watching her.

Abhishek nodded, looking at her friends apologetically before she began to explain how they met each of them to him.

She known ashika since they both were about five years old because she'd been in the same class in kindergarten. Kritika had joined the two of them in middle school and riya had been a student in her second year of high school, with all of them becoming fast friends and keeping in touch even after riya's year in school had come to an
end.

Abhishek listened to her introductions intently and it warmed her heart to see him making.an effort with her friends; especially because he didn't really have to do that considering her circumstances, and also because everybody involved in the conversation was fully aware of the truth.

While Manisha was fixing her hair, she happened to catch sight of two handsome guys a little distance away. They were eagerly looking at Abhishek as if they were patiently waiting for him to join them. She recalled abhishek once mentioning his best friends and these two seemed to fit the descriptions he had provided.

Manisha lightly touched Abhishek's arm and gestured towards the boys, telling him to go and promising that they'll join them in a couple of minutes. She didn't miss the grin that took over Abhishek's face when he saw his friends and it made her smile too.

Her friends watched Abhishek walk away before they excitedly huddled around her as soon as he was out of earshot.