The Dating Charade ✔️

Chapter-4

Shivaay stared at Annika as she looked at him with blazing eyes, mouth set into a firm, tight line as she waited for him to apologize. He had to admit, it made her look hot. All strong and fiery and demanding. Unknowingly, his mouth formed into a small smile. Annika noticed this and frowned.

"What are you smiling at?" She asked him, narrowing her eyes. Shivaay quickly regained his composure, mumbled a 'nothing', and went and sat on the lumpy piece of furniture she called a  couch. He made sure before sitting that no glue was spilled there like last time, and Annika had to suppress a giggle at that.

Settling himself down, Shivaay took deep breaths to calm down his nerves. He knew he was being stupid and irrational, but he couldn't help it. After all, Shivaay Singh Oberoi had never apologized to anyone about his behavior before. He marveled at how the girl he had once looked down upon would be the first one to receive this privilege. Looking up at her, who was staring down at him skeptically, he gestured for her to sit down. Annika thought about it for a moment, before flopping down beside him. Shivaay tried not to stare at her legs as she crossed them.

Clearing his throat, SHivaay started, all the while avoiding eye contact with her.

"Okay, so, I, uh, wanted to apologize. For what I said today."

From his peripheral vision, he could make out Annika rolling her eyes.

"I'm listening," She said, getting impatient by the minute. She just wanted to get over with this and go back to bed. 

"Yeah, so, I- I'm s-sorry." Shivaay somehow managed to stutter out. He sighed out in relief as he finally said it, and Annika couldn't help but find him cute. But she wasn't going to let him off so easily now, could she?

"And..?" She urged him on.

"And what?" He asked, furrowing his brows in confusion.

Annika rolled her eyes once again, frustrated by this infuriating baggad billa. 

"And, aren't you going to, well, explain your  behavior?"

Shivaay had been planning to explain, of course. But seeing her had send all his logical reasoning on holiday. Deciding to sort everything out for once and for all, he turned towards her and looked into her beautiful hazel orbs.

Taking her hands tenderly in his own, he could feel her sharp intake of breath, and smirked inwardly. Rubbing the back of her palm with his thumbs, he started again.

"Well, first of all, I'm really sorry about the 'low-class' thing. I really didn't mean it, Annika. I mean, you're probably the classiest girl I know," Annika blushed at that, "because I no longer think that people should be  judged by their name and lineage. And we all know that when it comes to personality and hard work, you're the most khidkitod girl ever." Annika let out a laugh at that, despite herself, making Shivaay smile.

"So the only reason I had said that to Om was because I knew this was something the media would bring up. And we'll deal with it when we get there, okay?" He asked her, and she nodded with a genuine smile.

"Coming to the payment thing, I'm sorry once again for saying that. It's just that... I don't want you to work for anyone else!" he blurted out, and regretted it as she looked at him with a scowl.

"And why is that, may I ask?"

What would he say, that he was insanely possessive about her?

"Woh, actually...yeah! I wanted you to work for Oberoi Industries, exclusively." Shivaay mentally patted himself for coming up with that excuse, and it wasn't entirely untrue. He did want her to work for him, only.

Annika scrunched her nose in confusion.

"Oberoi Industries? And what would I possibly do there?"

"Be our event manager, of course. We needed one anyway, and you're the best one I know."

Annika was flattered by that, she had to admit, but she couldn't accept his offer. She didn't want to be around him any more than necessary, and neither did she want any more favors from him.

"I'm flattered, Billuji, but I can't work for you. I'm sorry."

Shivaay frowned at that.

"And why is that?" He asked, getting pissed by her blatant decline.

"Because, I've already accepted someone else's offer. And I have joined too." This was true too; just today, she had gotten the offer of organizing an upcoming party by a rich business tycoon, and had accepted it.

"Whose offer?" He asked angrily, not being able to handle the fact that she had been whisked away already.

"Rohit Malhotra," She voiced out. Shivaay raised his eyebrows at that.

"The businessman, Rohit Malhotra?" Annika nodded. 

"Well, you can't work for him. Go and decline his offer first thing in the morning, tomorrow."

Annika took away her hands from him at that, and stood up abruptly. Shivaay felt the loss of the warmth of her skin, and stood up too.

"Who the hell are you to order me like that?"

"Your boyfr-" Shivaay controlled himself in time, and took a deep breath to calm himself down.

"Look, Annika," he said, his voice soft in order to persuade her, " You can't be working for some other businessman, who happens to be my rival, while you're my pretend girlfriend. The media would go crazy at that!"

Annika rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time that night. 

"My entire world doesn't revolve around being your 'pretend girlfriend', Billuji." She said, her voice full of bitterness. "So please, stay away from every aspect of my life that doesn't concern you."

They were both silent for a minute, lost in their own thoughts. Shivaay wanted to fight back, come up with more excuses, but didn't want to hurt her anymore. So he decided to just relent, and let her do whatever she wanted. He would be there to protect her if anything went wrong.

"Fine," he finally said, breaking the silence. Annika was surprised at his answer, but not displeased. 

"Anyway, I better get going now," he continued, moving towards the door. Annika nodded, and followed him. Reaching the door, Shivaay turned back to her one last time.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" He asked her hopefully.

"Yeah, I'll come by in the afternoon. Jhanvi aunty wants to prep me some more."

Shivaay nodded, trying to not let the happiness show on his face. "Cool, we'll need to discuss our further plans as well."

He was about to leave, when something registered in his mind, and he turned back with a smirk.

"Oh, and by the way, you look really cute in this nightwear." Then with a devilish wink, he left, leaving behind a blushing and gaping Annika.