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The tension in the room spiked immediately as Kalyani and Geeta stood in the doorway, their eyes narrowing in unison.
Shubman could feel his heart plummet to his stomach, and Prapti wasn't faring much better. Her face paled as she exchanged a quick glance with Shubman, her mouth opening and closing, trying to find words that wouldn't make things worse.
"Kalyani," Prapti started, holding up her hands in a defensive gesture. "Before you say anything—"
"Before I say anything?" Kalyani's voice shot up a notch. "Oh, honey, I think we're past that stage! You and Mr. Shubman fucking Gill over here have some explaining to do. And I'm not talking about why you're wearing his hoodie. Spill it."
Geeta, ever the more composed one, leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed but her eyes sharp, scanning both of them.
"I had a hunch something was going on," she said coolly. "But I didn't think you'd actually manage to hide it from us for this long. Impressive. Stupid, but impressive."
Shubman gulped, feeling a bead of sweat form at his temple. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Kalyani barged into the flat, dragging Geeta with her.
"Make some room," Kalyani snapped. "We're not having this conversation in the doorway."
Prapti let out a nervous laugh, following them into the living room, where Kalyani plopped down dramatically on the couch, Geeta taking a more graceful seat beside her.
Shubman hesitated, looking to Prapti for backup, but she was still frozen in a mix of fear and disbelief.
Shubman knew it was do-or-die. There was no way out of this. He took a deep breath, walking toward the middle of the room and standing beside Prapti, who was biting her lip hard enough to draw blood.
"Okay, okay," he began slowly, holding up his hands.
"Yes. Yes, we're together. We've been seeing each other for a few months now. We didn't want to hide it from you guys, but it all just... happened so fast, and we were trying to figure things out before telling anyone."
