Dated: 12th September, 2023
Word Count: 2k+
Target: 40+ votes and comments

Literally bare minimum and even that you people cannot achieve

3| The Fine Print |

Urvi:

My heartbeat almost dropped as he uttered that one sentence. Oh god, what is he going to do now? Will he get me a transfer? Or fire me because yesterday's quarrel? But that quarrel happens everyday right. Several thoughts were eating up my mind.

"And what is that point exactly?" I tried speaking without fumbling.

"Hear me out and then freak out." And I was now sure that whatever he was going to utter would be utterly shocking. I somehow nodded and he continued. "I need you to be my fake girlfriend." He dropped the bomb and my heart exploded like Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

"WHAT?" My voice came out a bit more louder than expected. "You cannot be serious Ridhit." I angrily spatted.

"I said hear me out and then freak out." He repeated and I stayed mum, anger still boiling inside me. "Inheritance in the name of the game." His one sentence made everything else clear. I knew about this rule of his company. But I had a lot of questions.

"Why me?" Was the first question.

"Coz you know I haven't met any other girl for since three years. I bring some other girl and introduce her as my girlfriend? Sus!" He explained calmly. "Beside I will not have to explain you everything, which will save a lot of energy of mine. Though handling you is twice that." He tried murmuring the last part inaudibly but failed. I narrowed my gaze at his last part but nevertheless found myself drown in the thought of the preposition he has just presented.

I too needed a boyfriend till yesterday. Uh, I mean, a fake one. This could actually sort a lot of problems. As in, the management of my fake boyfriend as well as parents and work would've tedious. Now since everything is falling at one place, this should go fine.

"This is the contract." He passed me the file and I looked at it.

"I expect you to know that I will read each clause at least twice and then proceed to next one. So you wish to waste your time watching me reading?"

"Yes." I shook my head in disbelief. I opened the file and read through every clause twice, as I said. Each clauses was perfect and had no future risk.

"I need a few ground rules to be followed." I said, keeping the contract back on table.

"And they are?"

"One, no falling in love." I said, holding my index finger out. I might be looking childish as I saw him shaking his head in disbelief, but nevertheless nodding. "Two, hugs allowed if in public, nothing more than that."

"Why would I even be interested in touching you?" He scrunched in nose sayin' so.

My nose flared. "I'll remember that." I slowly murmured inaudibly. "Three, pretendence in the key to your and my problem."

"Your problem?" He questioned, raising his eyebrows.

I ignored that question and proceeded. "Last and not the least, if anyone of us by chance falls for other, the contract immediately ends there." Love was something I was afraid of. That trust to build could take my age.

"Accepted." He agreed and I nodded. Biting my lips in reluctancy for the last time and signed the contract. Great, this just solved both of our problems.

But a part of me was still confused about where will it lead me to. It just seemed so weird, like me just thinking about having a fake boyfriend, and today universe landing me here. Right in front of the man who gets on my nerve.

"I'll see you." I exited the cabin with the other set of contract paper. I had no idea where it'd end me. I quickly fished out my phone and texted my girl, but there she was. Her unseen message.

From Avs,

TOMORROW IT IS!

I'LL MAKE YOU MEET HIM!

You there?

You don't love me *sniffs*

Oh, something else is more important than me now. Great. *inserting teary emoji*

Oh wait-

Did you get your 'fake' boyfriend?

Oh yeah you did.

You don't remember me *cries*

I literally rolled my eyes at her every text. How much dramatic can anybody get? 'Look who's sayin'.' My inner self mocked me which I ignored for now. I chose not to reply, but to directly call my dramatic baby.

"So you remember me? Great." She pounces without even bothering to listen me. Shaking my head in disbelief, I moved inside the elevator and pressed the twentieth floor.

"Oh no man! I guess wrong number." I lowered my voice sensing people staring me suddenly.

"You betray meeee." She sang and I chuckled.

"You bein' dramatic?" I moved out of the elevator and walked towards my cabin.

"I think it's contagious, you see." She replies and I glare the phone. "Where are you?"

"Well just came from twenty-fifth floor to twentieth." She mocked a laugh and I pressed my lips imagining her pissed look.

"And I'm on my way to a murder."

"Without me?"

"Oh yours, I add." And I laugh. This is how I was. Raw, happy. With her.

"So you're making me meet your man? Tom?" I came back to the point, quickly cleaning my messed table which I left yesterday in anger.

"Yeah, and I ain't asking whether you're free or not." She says and I chuckled. I reciprocated positively and she ended the call after taking a promise of showing up tomorrow on time.

My gaze fell upon the Elite's file. Panic ran across my veins at the remembrance of the deadline we've got by Mr. Harper. I hurried to my seat and clicked on that one folder for the budget plan.

But then, it'd be highly inappropriate to decided a budget without the knowledge of my not-so-sweet boss. Exhaling an irritating breath, I quickly minimised that folder and opened the presentation I was preparing for the same.

I was done half a way yesterday, before that man decided to spoil my mood.

But on the other side of the page, work is something I always enjoy doing. He accepted my interview two years ago and that brought this unexpected project and company in my life.

The best things in life happen unexpectedly. The best stories begin with "and, all of a sudden..." The best adventures were never planned as they turned out to be. I've freed myself from my parent's expectations and that turned out to be my biggest accomplishment. I met a girl whom I was very unfamiliar with. One day that girl finally grasped that unexpected things were always going going happen in life. And with that she relaxed the only control she had was how she choose to handle them, so she made the decision to survive using courage, humor and grace.

She was the queen of her own life and the choice was hers...

End:

Ridhit:

My heart ached for the allowance of one murder so that I could dig my best friend ten feet down the ground. This urge in me is controlled by my feet which is constantly tapping against the floor.

"Alex stop that smirk, my head is aching." I hissed angrily that successfully paused his stupid smirk around me.

"I'm happy for you man. You're finally on the way to become a human." He commented and I payed no shit. This man in front of me would involve in no drama unless it directly involved me or Ava, his new found love.

"Pretendence is the key to your and my problem"

The sentence suddenly rang in my ears. She had a problem? How would I even know. From past two years we had nothing but a professional relationship where we shared everything we felt about the business and Elite but our personal lives.

Yes, right. I shouldn't be interested either.

"So will you ask her to move in?" He asked and I leaned back on my chair.

"Depends. As the circumstances demand." I said, my gaze on the phone.

"Is there any other reason? Why her only?" His question succefully shifted my gaze from the phone to him.

"I said you alre..."

"Yeah yeah that she knows about the company and will understand your situation. Don't use that card on me. Spit it already." Damn the transparency he had with me.

Will it be fair on my part to say that when I thought about the same, it was only her who struck me first? My blood pumping organ immediately wandered upon the picture of her being my girlfriend and me doing all the stuffs to her. That didn't age well when my mind poked in and inserted a word fake before that relationship.

She was a risk, a mystery, and the most certain thing I've ever known.

"Honestly Alex." I sighed before erecting. "I don't know."

"This answer shows that you are on the way to destroy yourself." And a part of me screamed that, yes this was true. But another part in me was on denial mode of not accepting the things as it was.

My phone pinged with a message that managed to bring that relaxation back in me.

From Mr. Harper,

Greatly managed budget and plan. Let's meet and talk further real soon...

To Mr. Harper,

Grateful and surely..

Two good things in a day in my life equalize to something terrible coming up.

"I'm leaving." Alex said.

"Again resigning as a CEO?" I chuckled slowly.

"I remember this mock for the day when you'll fall for someone." He dryly said and walked off saying the impossible.

To Miss Tsunami,

Arrange the meet with Mr. Harper ASAP.

From Miss. Tsunami,

Okay

Message sent, acknowledged and left no rooms for me to worry further.

Okay...

I kept my phone aside and my gaze fell upon the frame laying aside.

The blurry picture of me being thrown in the air by my mom shone brighter as the rays on the sun fell upon it nonchalantly.

Sometimes all I wish for is her to be here, clapping the loudest at my every victory. Wrapping her warmth embrace around around at my every lost. Her thumbs wiping the every stain of sweat from my face and placing a chaste kiss of trust on my forehead. May be forever was meant for the memories and not for the people.

End:

He was a dark fantasy that no one wanted to see and she was a twisted fairytale he chose.

Demon seeking peace. She wasn't afraid of his demons and he did not fear her madness. They saw beyond those things that life does to a person. And underneath it all there were beautiful souls who just wants to be loved.

Now, neither she is his, nor he is hers...but ones they are, a devil will leave no stone unturned to protect his angel.