The Dating Charade ✔️

Chapter-28

"So you're on your own now, yeah?" 

Rohit was walking Annika down the corridor after she was done for the day, and asked the question dissappointedly. His mother had finally finished discussing with Annika everything that needed to be discussed, and Annika had declared that she would start with the preparations now. She had refused to take any help from either him or his mother anymore, much to Rohit's dismay. He wouldn't be able to see her beautiful face for hours on end anymore, and the thought was making him feel empty.

"Yep, I guess so," She said with a smile. She kept on checking her watch every couple of minutes, and he wondered if she had somewhere to go to.

"Somewhere you need to get to?" He asked, and Annika looked up from her watch in confusion.

"What?"

Rohit pointed towards her wrist with his eyes.

"You keep checking your watch. Getting late for somewhere?"

Annika hesitated a bit before shaking her head, making her unruly hair move and spread a sweet fragrance that Rohit dutifully inhaled.

"Oh no, nothing like that." She said, and Rohit mustered up some courage to ask her what he did next.

"Wanna go out for a coffee, in that case?" He asked her hopefully. Annika looked up, startled by the sudden request.

"Oh um," she started, not wanting to reject him, but not being able to say yes since she did have somewhere to get to, "Actually, I'm supposed to, um, help my brother with this project of his," she said with a gulp, feeling terrible about lying so blatantly, "so maybe some other time?" She added.

Rohit felt dejected, but shrugged it off. He desperately wanted to take her out sometime, spend some time alone away from this work environment and also from his mother's knowing gaze, and he would wait for it if he had to.

"Sure," He said with a smile, "We'll have a lot more opportunities to go out, I hope." Annika smiled at that, and nodded. They had reached outside now, and as they neared the front gate, Annika's eyes widened seeing something. Swallowing hard, she turned to Rohit, who was oblivious staring down with hands in pockets.

"Uh, Rohit, you should go now. I'll leave from here."

"Oh, it's not a problem. In fact, I can drop you home if you want?" 

He hadn't so much as finished the sentence that Annika yelled a horrified "No!" Rohit looked at her with furrowed brows, and she gave an awkward laugh.

"I mean," She said, stealing a glance towards the gate again, "I have my Champa here, you know." 

Rohit looked on in confusion.

"Champa, who's that?"

Annika then got into her speech on who Champa was, and how she couldn't leave Champa alone, while Rohit looked at her cute expressions with a smile. When she was done, he gave a soft chuckle.

"Okay fine, you can go on your Champa. But at least introduce me to her?" He asked her expectantly, and Annika mentally slapped her forehead, crying over her phooti kismat. Seeing no other way out, she bluntly denied.

"I'm sorry Rohit, maybe some other time. I'm getting late, bye!" Saying so, she practially ran out of the gate. Rohit stared after her incredulously for a while, before making his way back in. 

As soon as Annika saw he was gone, she put on a stern face and approached the black SUV standing near the gate. Entering, she came face to face with a lazily grinning Shivaay.

"Hey, babe," He greeted her casually, starting the car as she took her seat. Annika glared at him, hard.

"Don't you dare 'babe' me! What's the meaning of this?"