The Dating Charade ✔️

Chapter-45

I'm here much earlier than expected, eh? Started this while stuck in traffic and finished it while also writing an article on my batch trip, so please be lenient while reading!

**

As they reached her house, Shivaay followed Annika in, without any invitation on her part. Annika smiled thinking how natural it was for him these days to be with her, and come and go to her house as he pleased. Not that she was complaining, of course. In fact, the right that he showed regarding everything concerning her made her feel amazing. For example, he had currently dumped his jacket on the couch before slumping down himself, his legs perched up and crossed on the coffee table, and turned on the tv. Like this was his own home. Smiling again at the thought, Annika went and sat beside him, encircling her arms around his waist as she kept her arm on his shoulder, legs tucked underneath her. Shivaay grinned and wrapped his arm protectively around her shoulder, kissing the top of her head lightly.

"Wanna watch a movie?" Annika asked him, getting comfortable in his arms. She was a bit sleepy, but couldn't care less about the fact as long as she got to spend more time with Shivaay.

"Sure," Shivaay replied as he played with her hair absentmindedly, "What movie?"

Annika shrugged, and started surfing through the channels, before stopping at one showing Dil Dhadakne Do.

"Won't the family be expecting you back soon?" Annika asked after a while, as they were both distractedly staring at the tv screen. Shivaay looked down at her at that.

"Do you want me to leave?" He asked, playfully jutting out his lower lip, like a toddler. Annika giggled at the adorable visual that he was.

"Noo," She said, dragging out her answer, "but won't the relatives be wondering what's taking you so long? They might get wrong ideas..." She trailed off, cheeks turning a bit pink at what her words implied. Shivaay chuckled at her, and pulled her even closer.

"I don't care, love. They can think whatever they want." He rested his head on top of hers, and drowned in that concentrated, heady scent of hers. They went back to watching the movie, although both of their minds were somewhere else. While Shivaay was too busy losing his senses in her fragrance- which seemed like a sweet mixture of roses and burnt incense, with a spicy undertone- Annika's insecurities were kicking in again. Fiddling with the buttons of his shirts unconsciously, she decided to broach the topic.

"Shivaay?" She called out, since he seemed to be busy in his own world. He hummed in response.

"There are gonna be a lot of people in all the wedding functions, right? Like, rich, high-profile ones?" She asked timidly. Again, Shivaay hummed in answer.

"So a lot of rich, educated girls too, I suppose?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Shivaay said, not really understanding where she was going with this, yet.

Taking a deep breath, Annika moved her head from underneath his, making him face her.

"Shivaay, what if you end up liking one of them?"

Shivaay couldn't really comprehend what she was saying, since the idea of 'liking someone else' had never, and would never, occur to him, so he stared at her confused.

"Shivaay, answer me na?" Annika said, shaking his shoulder lightly.

"What do you mean by liking one of them, Annika?"

Sighing, Annika explained herself.

"I mean, what if you meet a pretty girl who's like, from an upper-class family, is educated, sophisticated, and smart? I mean, that's the kind of wife you'd want, right? But because the world thinks we're dating, you won't even be able to approach her-"