Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter
Twenty-one
“The only conclusion was love.”
—Sheldon Cooper, The Big Bang Theory
Veer led the way to the elevator, holding the room key in one hand and Harsha’s fingers in the other. Nobody was around to watch, but he didn’t want to let go, and it seemed like she had the same thought. When they got to the second floor, Harsha took the key from him and opened the door with a beep. “Okay, here we go.”
Veer’s chest tightened. The hotel room they’d just walked into was massive, with a fully stocked bar, a fifty-inch television, a small living area, and…a king-sized bed.
“Uh, shouldn’t we have twin beds?” he asked, his voice shaky. He stuck a finger into the collar of his kurta and pulled at it.
“Neha booked the hotel room, remember?” Harsha set her camera on a side table and frowned at him. “I couldn’t have made her suspicious.”
“Right.” He looked at the bed, spacious enough to fit three well-built people, forget the two of them. He’d woken up next to women before, obviously, but he’d never had such strong feelings for any of them. This felt…different. Scary different.
Harsha sat down on the bed and sighed softly as she took her heels off. “God, that feels good,” she whispered, closing her eyes with a smile. “Heels are the cruelest invention to date.”
“Mm-hmm,” Veer said, his mind elsewhere. There was a foot’s distance between them, and they were still sitting comfortably. They could maintain that same distance while they slept tonight, in the same bed. No, not “could.” They would.
Veer would sleep on the very edge of his side of the bed, all clothes on. He’d turn away, put on a fancy hotel eye mask, and ignore the beautiful, funny, kind, perfect woman sleeping next to him.
Once they’d ordered some naans and chicken curry from room service, Veer sat back down on the bed—a respectable distance away from her, of course—and asked, “Are you feeling okay?”
She shook her head. “This wedding feels like a nightmare, and my work hasn’t even started yet. I don’t know how I’ll function the next two days.”
He wanted to put his hand on hers, but he held back. No touching tonight, he told himself, or you won’t be able to stop. “Your dad’s a character, huh?” he said instead. “I don’t understand why he’s always acting like such an—” He stopped just short of saying the word.
“Asshole?” Harsha tucked her curls behind her ear and laughed softly; the sound made goosebumps sprout along the back of Veer’s neck. “I wish I had parents who actually cared about me. Neha has Uncle Madhu and Aunt Pinky, and you have your mom…” Her words trailed off. “I shouldn’t compare my situation to yours. I’m sorry.”
Veer rubbed the back of his head, deliberating, and finally said, “I wanted to tell you this sooner, but with Sasha visiting, I didn’t want to bring up something so heavy.” He sighed. “That day, after coming back from the airport…I looked up my dad online and called him.”
“What?” She gasped and wrapped her hand around his. It felt so familiar, so easy, that Veer couldn’t bring himself to pull away.
“I hung up as soon as I heard his voice,” Veer said. “I didn’t know what to say to him, and I wasn’t ready to confront my past. And now…”
Harsha threaded her fingers through his, her eyes pained.
Veer sighed. “My whole life, I’ve hated my father. For betraying us by leaving. For not even staying in touch afterward, for never giving me that closure. But the past couple of weeks, I’ve started to wonder if…maybe I don’t need it anymore.”
“Don’t need what?” she asked.
“Closure.” Veer sighed. “Why am I chasing after a phantom when I have the best family in the world? Not even just my mom and Arjun, but my friends. And…you.”
She tucked her arm into his, her head on his shoulder, and whispered, “I’m here for you, Veer. Always. And I’m not going anywhere.”
“Me neither,” he said, kissing the top of her head, knowing it was the truth. When this deal ended, he wasn’t going to let her go. He couldn’t. Not when she meant so much to him.
A knock on the door interrupted them. The food had arrived. They dug into the meal eagerly while watching Veer’s favorite sitcom, Schitt’s Creek, laughing and grinning at each other in between bites of chicken curry and naan.
Harsha sat beside him on the bed the whole time, her thigh touching his. The heat traveling down his body and between his legs was unbearable, but try as he might, he couldn’t shift away from her. She was like a magnet, drawing him to her over and over, and he had no choice but to give in.
But he needed to summon every ounce of his self-control. They were going to be sharing a bed. He had to think rationally.
Once they finished their meal and placed their used plates outside the door, Harsha announced, “I’m gonna go brush my teeth.” She rummaged in her suitcase for her toiletry bag and headed to the bathroom.
Veer put on a faded cartoon T-shirt and sweatpants in the meantime. He wanted to shower—night showers were the best, and there would no doubt be an amazing shower system in this bathroom— but the best thing to do was go to sleep as quickly as possible and get this night, this wedding, over with.
He picked up his toothbrush, wondering if he could knock and ask her if she was done, when he heard the sound of the water running. He froze, his hand midway to the bathroom door. She was showering. And singing. And naked. She was definitely naked.
“Oh my god,” Veer whispered. Was there any way to escape this? How had he been doing this for six weeks now? How had he not realized that he wasn’t playing a character anymore?
He wasn’t faking being in love with Harsha. He was faking not being in love with her. And he couldn’t keep faking it for much longer.
He took out his phone and texted his friends. We’re sharing a bed and I’ve just realized I’m falling in love with her
Raunak is typing…
Raunak:
Permission to say “I told you so”?
Deepika is typing…
Veer:
Scratch that, I’ve already fallen in love with her
Deepika:
DO NOT complicate things by sleeping with her
Raunak:
Yeah, they’re already complicated enough
Deepika is typing…
Raunak is typing…
Deepika:
Look, just get through this weekend. Two more days and then you’ll be done with this contract
Raunak:
Agreed, you shouldn’t do anything until after the money stuff is over
The water stopped running.
Gotta go. Chat later
A few minutes later, Harsha came out, smelling like strawberries, her face pink from the hot water. She was wrapped in the hotel bathrobe that practically engulfed her. Veer had never thought he would be jealous of a bathrobe. “Bathroom’s all yours,” she said.
Veer quietly brushed his teeth, staring at his own reflection and trying to logic his way out of this situation. Maybe he wasn’t actually in love with Harsha. He was just caught up in the magic of a fake relationship, the way all those actors sometimes were while filming, and the emotions that came with finally getting closure with his dad. Plus, he hadn’t been with anyone in a few months; that must be it.
By the time he went back to the room, Harsha had already put her hair up in a messy bun and tucked herself under the heavy white blanket. What was she wearing to bed? Overalls and five sweaters, Veer hoped. He didn’t want to accidentally brush up against her in the middle of the night.
He got into bed too, avoiding her gaze and turning his back to her right away. “Good night,” he said, switching off the lights.
“Good night,” she whispered. Then she added, “Veer?”
“Hmm?”
“Have you ever thought about marriage?” she asked, her words shaky.
He exhaled softly, then turned toward her. He couldn’t really see her; his eyes hadn’t adjusted to the dark yet. But the sheets rustled from the other extreme edge of the bed. There was at least a foot’s distance between them.
“Not really.” Veer gulped. “I’ve never gotten to that point in any relationship.”
“Me neither,” Harsha admitted. She shifted a little closer to him; as his night vision returned, her bright eyes and askew hair came into focus. “But I don’t know how I’m going to find love now.”
“Why?” His voice dropped low. “You’re a catch. Anyone would want you.”
“It’s just—” She laughed and moved closer still. Half a foot’s distance. “I know this relationship is fake. But I don’t know how a real relationship is going to beat this.”
“What about your ex?” Veer asked.
“My parents made me believe I was meant to be with someone like Shashank: a rich, successful Indian guy who my family would approve of. But maybe that’s not what I want anymore.”
“What do you want, then?”
“I want…” Harsha sighed. “I don’t know yet.”
Veer nodded, forcing himself not to ponder upon the meaning behind her words. Self-control, he reminded himself. “Fair enough. Good night, then.”
“Can I ask one more question?” she said, a soft smile on her lips.
“Sure.”
“Why did you need the money so badly?”
Veer’s stomach lurched. “I’m using it to pay my brother’s tuition,” he said at last. “BII, Delhi.”
Harsha’s mouth opened in a soft O. “Oh, wow. How’s he doing there?”
“Top of his class.” He smirked. “I guess I have you to thank for that.”
Harsha’s hand, cold and small, clasped his in the dark. “That’s great. I’ll send you the final payment after the wedding. Then, well, I don’t know what then.”
“We don’t need to talk about that now,” Veer said.
“Thank you.” She let out a shuddering breath. She was crying.
Veer wound his arms around her, tight, and pressed his lips to the top of her hair. How had they gone from a foot away to pressed together in less than two minutes? How had he fallen in love with her in six short weeks? And, most importantly, why hadn’t he kissed her yet?
Because she’d paid him to pretend to be the perfect guy with the perfect job he didn’t have. Because this was all going to end after the wedding. Veer’s shoulders sank at that realization.
So he pulled her closer, letting Harsha put her head back on him. A minute passed in silence, and her chest rose and fell against his body, sleep taking over.
In that moment, Veer felt more at peace than ever in his whole life. Holding Harsha like this, for real and not for “practice”—fuck, it was better than sex.
He really was in love with her. And two days later, he would have to go back to being her favorite barista who teased her about her order, and she’d go out there and meet the real love of her life.
And that would be that.