Mission Love

Eight

Recap: He agreed?!

"So, when are we doing this?" he asked, staring right at me.

I blinked, unsure I'd heard him correctly.
"What?"

"The meeting. When's it happening?" he repeated, a small, amused smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"You're... actually going to do this?" I asked, struggling to mask my surprise.

Was he serious? Did the universe just bend in my favour?

"Well, it's not like you gave me much of a choice," he shrugged. "Besides, how bad could it be? I'm good with parents."

My jaw practically dropped.
"You're serious?"

"Look, Aisha," he said, leaning in slightly, his tone turning sincere,
"I get it. You were under pressure, and you panicked. It happens. So, if pretending to be your boyfriend for a day gets you out of trouble, I'm in."

He shrugged, making my day with his bright smile. Relief washed over me, but it was quickly followed by a fresh wave of anxiety.

"But... won't this complicate things? I mean, we'll have to act like a couple, and what if they see through it?"
I blabbered. My brain raced through the possibilities, each one worse than the last.

What if he thought I was completely insane for even asking?

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," Naveen replied calmly.
"For now, let's just focus on getting through this meeting. We can figure out the rest later."

I dared to look up at him, surprised by his reaction.
"So... you're not mad?"

"Mad? No," he said, still smiling. "Confused? Definitely. But hey, it's not the end of the world. We'll figure it out. Don't stress; focus on your work. Okay?"

I slowly nodded, still in disbelief that Naveen had agreed so easily.

As he walked away, I felt a little lighter, as if maybe-just maybe-everything would work out after all.

I sighed, leaning back in my chair and staring at the ceiling.

Naveen, the guy who's always so put-together and serious, is actually willing to pretend to be my boyfriend?

I must be losing my mind.
Maybe I accidentally slipped into an alternate universe where the hottest guy is my partner in crime.

I won't screw this up.

I'll never let him find out that I really like him!

______

The afternoon sun streamed through the office windows, turning my desk into a spotlight for all the files that seemed to multiply like rabbits.

Each yawn felt like my brain was trying to escape the endless monotony, and the more I stared at my computer screen, the more it glared back at me, as if daring me to come up with a fresh idea.

I spun my pen in my fingers, hoping it might somehow stir up some inspiration, but instead, it only made my tear-blurred vision worse.

Naveen was off doing whatever mysterious marketing tasks kept him busy-probably dazzling clients with that perfect smile of his-while the management department felt like it was one step away from becoming a ghost town. The silence was so thick you could practically scoop it up and serve it in a bowl.

"Hey, intern!"

The sharp voice pierced through the quiet, jolting me out of my daze. Of course.

That's what's missing-
Serena's constant need to remind everyone she existed.