SEAL THE DEAL

chapter 27

Abhishek nodded, "Good,"

He had been right in assuming that a dumb like Ashish was a scaredy cat who valued
his reputation far more than going after an ex that he only dated for validation. He was
genuinely glad that he wouldn't have to worry about his toxic personality cropping up like a weed in her lives anymore.

Manisha frowned when the song ended and leaned forward in her seat in order to begin the hunt for a decent song again. A bemused smile rested on abhishek's face as she flipped between the stations at ungodly speeds, never letting a single station stay on for more than three seconds. He made a mental note to buy an AUX cable and keep it in his car so that she didn't have to fight with the radio and getting irritated about shitty songs and shittier adverts in the future.

The two of them fell quiet for the next couple of minutes, the music filling the comfortable silence as both of them temporarily returned to her own thoughts. But it had always been difficult for manisha to stay quiet for too long and this was the perfect time to talk about something she had been curious about for quite a while.

"Abhishek?"
He briefly looked at her to acknowledge the mention of his name when she didn't speak
immediately after calling him, "How did you react when your dad asked you about the whole arranged marriage thing?"

Abhishek felt the need to clarify that statement and immediately set the record straight before he said anything else, "He didn't ask me about it...he simply told me," he rectified, "And I was majorly pissed off. I didn't talk to him for two days,"

He remembered just how furious he'd been when he'd had the conversation (more like
shouting match) about it with his father for the first time. He had felt like a chess piece that was being thrown carelessly across the board and had been outraged at how stupid and unnecessary the whole arrangement was. More than anything, he had loathed the idea of getting tied down to some random girl he'd never met before; he didn't want to get stuck with
someone he didn't love and then grow to hate them. Besides, he'd had no plans of wanting to get into a serious, permanent relationship...and he had wanted the liberty to create his own life himself.

Now, he just found himself wondering where that cold, fiery and defiant Abhishek had gone...and what exactly had made him go away.

Abhi:-"What about you?"
She looked out of the window, finding peace in watching the surrounding city whizz by her,

Mani:-"I was kind of calm? I mean it was unexpected and sudden and absolutely crazy, but I didn't say anything straight away. I asked if I could meet you first,"

That fateful night when her father had put the proposal on the table felt like it was a lifetime ago when it had only been a month and a half since she met Abhishek.

Abhi:-"I couldn't believe you even did that. I thought you were insane for actually considering it,"

he grinned, recalling how he'd only initially agreed because he'd assumed that no sane girl would agree to be a trading piece in a business deal, but his hopes had been dashed when a meeting had been thrown into the mix.

Manisha raised her eyebrow and her gaze shifted back towards him, "You didn't seem too angry about it when we first met though, you know,"

She is been able to sense his hesitation, but she hadn't been aware that he had felt
so...strongly about it, especially because he'd gone along with it even when she'd given him the option to back out. And even though it was a matter of the past and she'd been reluctant at the beginning too, a part of her still strangely ached at the thought of Abhishek feeling like he'd been forced into this arrangement with her.

Abhishek smirked. If only she knew what had been going through his mind moments before he'd met her.

Abhi:-"I was about to get up and leave about three seconds before you arrived. I had also planned to lie to you about having a lover that I couldn't bear to live without. And I'd also decided that I'd pretend to be a total jerk," he supplied, turning to face her properly when the traffic light
changed to red.

Mani:-"So why weren't any of these plans executed then?" She challenged as she stared at him.
Abhi:-(Because you're the most wonderful girl I've ever met.) in mind.

Abhi:-"Because you were really nice about everything and I didn't want to be a jerk to you," Abhishek responded without missing a beat, and while it wasn't completely honest, his answer did hold more than an ounce of truth in it.
She pouted, not completely satisfied with the answer he'd given her.

Mani:-"If you'd been so annoyed by the idea, if it was so crazy to you...why didn't you say no back then?" She asked with a frown, looking down at her hands as doubt and uncertainty began nagging uncomfortably at the back of her mind.
Was he even remotely happy? Was he still mad at how unfair it was? Would Abhishek leave if he ever got the chance? If he'd been so against the arrangement, if he'd been so angry and annoyed, would he leave without even looking back? Is she is not good enough? Is is not worth it?

No. She stopped herself before her thoughts could go down that painful road again. Abhishek thought about her question. She made it hard to.

Abhi:-"I didn't want to let my dad down. Why did you say yes?" he lied and threw the ball back into Her court, looking at her intently so that he could gage herr reaction.

Manisha tried to ignore the way her heart sank a little at his answer; it was her fault anyway. She didn't know why she was stupid enough to house expectations that she knew it was not going to be fulfilled. She should've known better.

She slowly lifted her head up and met Abhishek's gaze, "Even though I didn't know what to think or what to do, I could tell that you were an amazing guy, and after meeting you...the thought of being stuck with you didn't seem too bad," she said honestly, wanting to look away and hide as soon as she said it.

She mustered up the last bit of courage and hope that she could find in herself to ask one final question, your heart pounding with anticipation, "How do you feel about it now?" Manisha asked, not even realising that she was holding her breath.

Abhishek didn't know what compelled him to take the jump; maybe it was the effect that her answer had on him, maybe it was the way she was looking at him like he was holding her whole world in his hands or maybe it was what his heart had been whispering to him all along, but he didn't hesitate even once before letting the words escape.

Abhi:-"Honestly? I...I think saying yes is one of the best things I've ever done. And I'm...so glad I did."

The traffic light turned green right at that very moment so Abhishek had to force himself to direct his gaze towards the road again; it had to be the worst timing ever though, because he missed out on the sight of the most perfect, earth-shattering smile that burst across her face.