Mission Love

Sixteen

Recap: Naveen confessed?!

My mind went blank, every pre-planned comeback vanishing like smoke. The whole 'cool and nonchalant' act? Shattered. Utterly.

I blinked, trying to make sense of what he'd just said, but my brain kept glitching on one impossible loop:

"I like you."

Naveen looked stunned too, as though he hadn't meant to say it either. His gaze shifted, his jaw clenched, braced against whatever fallout he expected. That confession hung in the air between us, heavy and raw, and I just stared at him, blankly.

"You... like me?" I managed to slip out the words in a shaky whisper. All of a sudden? I wanted to add but refrained myself.

He nodded, barely, his voice so soft it was almost a murmur.
"Yeah, I do. S-So please don't go. Make everything stop between you and Ryan."

Wha- What?
Make things stop with Ryan?
Was he serious?

I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to speak through the disbelief.
"That's... ridiculous, it can't—"

"No... listen. We could... we could fake date, or maybe even make things real." He cut me off and started blabbering.
"Just forget Ryan and date me instead."

Huh! What the f—

"After everything that happened last night?" I asked slowly, letting each word imprint on his brain.
"Are you even serious right now?"

"Listen to me—"

"No. You listen to me." I cut him off, scowling at his weird behaviour.
"I can't do that. Do you hear me?"
I sighed out loud, massaging my temple.

Tsk! Why's he testing me right now?!

"Ryan had met my parents; they know him as my boyfriend. What am I supposed to tell them? That Ryan magically turned into someone else? It's just crazy."

"You could- maybe tell them you broke up and... and made a new boyfriend," he stammered, almost in a pleading way.

I could only stare.

Was he really expecting me to turn my life upside down after I've lied to my parents?

"Are you even listening to yourself, Naveen?" I hissed out in disbelief. "What would they think of me? I have my own reputation, for God's sake. I'm not just going to flip this whole thing around because you suddenly think—"

I cut myself off, biting down my tongue hard to silent the words before they could go any further. I tried to brush past him, but he shifted and blocked my way.

"Step away, I need to go."
I breathed out, trying to step out but he blocked the path again. Shit—

Desperation flashed in his eyes, but then it deepened into something else, something unsettling, almost possessive—a look that made me want to step back.

All of a sudden, he grabbed my arms in an almost painfully tight grip, and pulled me back.

What the f*ck!

"But think about it, Aisha," he wavered, frantically. "What if this whole fake dating thing is just a way for him to get close to your family and take advantage of them?'

The sting of his grip shot up my arm, and I winced.
"Ow! Stop it, Naveen!"

"No, you stop it!" He growled, through clenched jaws, his hold tightening even more.
"Don't go near Ryan. I like you, Aisha. I like you."