LIGHTS, LOVE AND WAR

Fake Dating For Real

Chapter 19: Fake Dating for Real

The meeting room buzzed with quiet energy as Paul, their producer, paced in front of Aryan and Selena, laying out his latest, borderline outrageous idea.

Paul clapped his hands together with enthusiasm. "Fake dating. That's the play. You two-public couple-until the film premiere. Trust me, the media will eat it up. This could push the movie's buzz into overdrive."

Aryan and Selena sat side by side, exchanging weary glances. They had just begun untangling the knots between them after counseling, and now Paul was asking them to twist things into something even more complicated.

"I don't think that's necessary," Selena said, her arms crossed.

"Oh, it's necessary," Paul replied with a grin, not missing a beat. "Adrian may have brought in some media attention with his arrival, but what people really want to see? You two, cozy and happy. This campaign needs a spark. A fake romance is exactly that."

Aryan leaned back, rubbing his temple. "Paul, this is insane."

"No, no, no. This is brilliant." Paul's excitement was relentless. "Do you have any idea how much buzz this will create? It's the perfect distraction from the delays we've had. People are already speculating about your off-screen chemistry-let's lean into it."

Selena sighed. "So we just... pretend to date? And that's supposed to fix everything?"

Paul beamed. "Exactly! Just a few well-timed appearances. You know, holding hands, smiling, doing a couple of cute things for the cameras. Trust me, this will work."

Aryan shot Selena a glance, one eyebrow raised. "This feels like a disaster waiting to happen."

"Probably," she agreed, her lips twitching into a reluctant smile.

Paul threw his hands up. "See? That right there-that banter? Pure gold. It's practically writing itself. Now, can I count on you two to do this?"

They both hesitated, but neither could find a good enough excuse to say no.

Aryan groaned, already regretting his decision. "Fine. But no kissing."

Paul grinned like a man who had just won the lottery. "Deal."

---

First Stop: Dinner Date for the Paparazzi

The first public outing in their "relationship" came the next evening. They were scheduled for dinner at a trendy, upscale restaurant-the kind of place swarming with paparazzi waiting for a scoop.

Aryan arrived first, standing by the entrance and shifting on his feet, feeling uncharacteristically awkward. This whole fake dating thing was going to be a nightmare.

Then Selena stepped out of the black SUV, and for a moment, Aryan forgot how to breathe.

She wore a sleek black dress that clung to her figure in ways that made his heart race. Her hair fell in soft waves over her shoulders, and when their eyes met, she gave him a small, playful smirk.

"You look..." He cleared his throat, trying not to sound too stunned. "Nice."

Selena arched an eyebrow. "Wow. Nice? Way to charm a girl, Kapoor."

He chuckled, slipping into the easy banter that seemed to come naturally with her. "I'm trying to keep things professional, remember?"

She rolled her eyes. "This is fake dating, Aryan. You can at least pretend to be impressed."

He grinned, offering his arm. "Shall we?"

She slid her hand through the crook of his arm, and they walked inside, the flash of cameras exploding behind them.

---

Once inside, they were ushered to a cozy table by the window-deliberately placed in full view of any prying eyes. The waiter poured wine, and Aryan raised his glass toward Selena.

"To fake relationships," he said with a smirk.

She clinked her glass against his, matching his grin. "And to not killing each other before the premiere."

As the evening progressed, they relaxed more than either of them had expected. They shared laughs over ridiculous stories from the set, poking fun at Paul's obsession with publicity stunts and Ravi's dramatic outbursts during filming.

Every so often, Aryan would catch Selena's gaze lingering on him a second too long. And when their hands brushed across the table, the jolt of electricity between them was impossible to ignore.

But neither of them acknowledged it. Not directly, at least.

"Are we seriously this good at pretending?" Selena asked, her voice low, as if she didn't quite believe how well the night was going.

Aryan leaned back in his chair, his eyes never leaving hers. "Maybe we're just better actors than we thought."

Selena's breath hitched, and for a moment, it felt like the air between them thickened-charged with something unspoken.

But then the waiter appeared with their check, and the moment was broken.

---

The car ride back to the hotel was quiet, but the silence between them wasn't uncomfortable. If anything, it was loaded with everything they weren't saying.

Aryan stole a glance at Selena sitting beside him, her face illuminated by the soft glow of passing streetlights. She looked calm, almost peaceful-but he knew better. He knew she felt it too.

This tension. This thing between them that neither of them had asked for but couldn't seem to escape.

"Tonight went better than I expected," Selena said softly, breaking the silence.

Aryan nodded. "Yeah. Not bad for a fake date."

She laughed lightly, and the sound sent warmth flooding through his chest.

"You know," she murmured, "we make a pretty good team when we're not fighting."

Aryan smiled, his gaze flickering to her lips for a split second before he caught himself. "Yeah. We do."

The car slowed to a stop outside the hotel, and the driver opened the door for them. Aryan stepped out first, then offered his hand to Selena.

When she placed her hand in his, he held it a second longer than necessary.

Neither of them spoke as they walked toward the entrance, but the tension between them was undeniable-thick and heavy, like a storm waiting to break.

---

They stepped into the elevator together, the quiet hum of the machinery filling the space. As the doors slid shut, Aryan felt the air shift again, and this time, there was no escaping it.

He glanced at Selena, and she looked up at him at the same moment. For a heartbeat, they were locked in each other's gaze-neither of them moving, neither of them speaking.

Selena's lips parted slightly, and Aryan's pulse quickened.

This was dangerous. They were supposed to be pretending.

But the way she looked at him made it hard to remember why this was a bad idea.

The elevator chimed, and the doors slid open, breaking the spell.

"Goodnight, Aryan," Selena whispered, her voice softer than usual.

"Goodnight, Selena," he replied, watching as she stepped out and walked down the hall without looking back.

Aryan leaned against the elevator wall, exhaling slowly.

Fake dating? Yeah, right.

Whatever this was between them-it was anything but fake.