Chapter 27
Kartik
“What the fuck?” were the first words I heard as I woke up. I was still sleepy. I opened my eyes to find my arm around Samaira’s waist and her back to me, our legs tangled. She was still asleep, thank god for that.
Then I heard the same words chanting in my room, I followed the sound and found my dear best friend standing there with the most horrified expression on his face.
I was sure if she woke up, she would rush out of here and that was the last thing I wanted to happen.
I very carefully tried to remove myself from her, and as I did so she stirred a bit and turned towards me fully.
She looked adorable as she slept. I might have been staring too long because the next thing I knew Aarush was pulling me, I put a hand on his mouth so that annoying fucker would shut up and not wake her up.
I then dragged him out of my room, closing the door behind me. Reaching the living room, Aarush just pointed to my room with a shaky hand indicating it was not what he was expecting and didn’t know what to say. I sighed and rubbed my hands over my face.
“You better explain what the fuck happened?” Aarush said sternly almost shouting.
“SShhhhh….Nothing of that sort happened, she had a bad night and then we just fell asleep, and I woke up to your voice and lower your goddamn voice, the last thing I need is for her to wake up see you, panic, and bolt out of here” I whispered shouted.
“And what the hell are you doing here…” I paused to check the time. It was 10 am. “... at 10 in the morning?!” I was annoyed.
“You weren’t answering your phone, it said it was switched off, I panicked.” He said pouting.
I’m gonna kill him, giving him a key to my house felt like a huge mistake.
“Stop pouting for God Sake, I am your best friend, not your girlfriend, while I appreciate your concern I would very much like to wake up to my fiancée than YOU!” I said in a hushed tone.
Aarush narrowed his eyes at me, shaking his head, “I have too much on my plate to even deal with this right now, but Samarth and Tanya are getting married tonight.” He said almost sadly.
“And you’re telling me this because?!” I replied, I no longer cared about them, I no longer cared that she had cheated on me with my cousin brother, it hurt, yes, but it didn’t matter anymore, I was with a wonderful girl who made me extremely happy.
Aarush was not probably expecting me to reply this way because he looked taken aback in a good way. That’s when realization sunk into him.
“You’re in love with her” It wasn’t a question, it was a statement. I shrugged, I didn’t want to say it out loud to anyone but her first.
“Have you told her?” He asked gently, almost understanding my position, which was extremely weird because Aarush didn’t understand feelings. He thought he could just brush them off and it would be okay. It would be an apocalypse for Aarush to feel his feelings.
I shook my head at him, “No I haven’t, I will soon” I said.
He curtly nodded his head. He proceeded to then just walk out of the house but not before he reached the door and said, “Don’t you lose her, she’s the best thing that happened to you recently and I have not seen you smile this much in a long time, tell her soon.”
That's all he said before he walked out of my home. As soon as the door shut behind him I took a deep breath thinking of all the ways I could woo Samaira. I had an idea to start the day. I grabbed my keys and rushed out. I wanted to be back before Samaria woke up.
It took me 30 minutes to get back home, I entered my house hoping she was still asleep, which she was.
I checked. She was fast asleep, so I went back to the kitchen and started preparing some breakfast. I made some vanilla pancakes that I knew she liked.
I had also gone to Starbucks and got her favorite frappuccino and some black coffee for me.
It was around 11 a.m. when Samaira walked out of my room, wearing just my shirt, as she had worn it last night. I didn’t realize I had been blatantly gawking at her until she walked in front of me.
"Good morning, but now can I have my breakfast if you're done checking me out?" she said with a smug grin.
I scoffed, "I wasn't checking you out."
She took the plate I passed to her and started to eat. As soon as a piece of pancake entered her mouth, she moaned in pleasure, her delight evident. It surprised me because I wasn't exactly a master chef.
"Oh my, this is so good, Kartik," she finally said, her face breaking into one of those beautiful smiles that always accompanied her enjoyment of good food. At least I knew the compliment was genuine.
I couldn't help but wonder how she would react if she found out how we had woken up. She probably would have freaked out and run away at the first opportunity. I placed a cup of coffee in front of her as she devoured her breakfast. Her surprise was clear when she glanced at me.
"You got me coffee?" she asked.
"Yes," I confirmed, knowing where this was headed.
"You got me a coffee? My kind of coffee?" she asked, still a bit suspicious.
"Yes," I sighed, unable to hide my smile.
"You got me a coffee? My kind of coffee? Which is equivalent to a frappuccino?" She questioned for the third time, narrowing her eyes.
"Yes," I conceded, giving up on the argument that a frappuccino wasn't technically coffee.
"Ah-ha! So you admit my coffee is a type of coffee!" she exclaimed, jumping from her seat, her smile wide.
I couldn't help but laugh, nodding my head in defeat.
She rushed toward me and tackled me into a hug, and I hugged her back tightly, cherishing the moment.
I had no idea when I would get to hold her close like this again.
It felt like a celebratory moment, even if it was just about conceding that a frappuccino was a type of coffee.
I secretly wished I could hear about it for the rest of my life.
I needed to tell her about my cousin’s upcoming wedding.
I hadn't made up my mind yet about whether I wanted to go or whether I wanted to bring her along.
While getting her coffee, my mom called me regarding the wedding.
She suggested that it might be a good idea for Samaira to come, and my parents could meet her there. It wasn't a bad suggestion.
She finally pulled back from our hug, a lingering smile on her face.
I gently brushed a strand of hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear.
Her expression seemed a mix of happiness and apprehension as if she was afraid I might hurt her intentionally, which I would never do.
My thumb grazed her cheek, and she leaned into my touch, sighing softly.
As our faces drew closer, and our eyes locked, the desire to kiss her grew stronger.
But I didn't want to complicate things or make her think I wanted anything other than a future with her.
So, I settled for a tender kiss on her forehead.
When I pulled back, she appeared surprised, her eyes reflecting some newfound realization.
I was about to tell her right then that I loved her and wanted to turn this pretend relationship into a real one.
However, before the words left my lips, my phone started buzzing with texts from my dad.
He had a habit of texting in short sentences, and I reluctantly pulled away from her.
She seemed to understand, and she rose on her toes to plant a quick peck on my cheek before grabbing her coffee and heading back to my bedroom.
I could definitely get used to moments like these.
I checked my phone and saw that my dad wanted both Samaira and me to attend the wedding to help save face.
He believed it would prove that I was over Tanya, which was true.
I had nothing to hide, and I realized there was no reason to hide.
In fact, if anyone had to hide, it should be Tanya, as she was the one who had cheated on me.
My dad had a valid point, and it seemed like Samaira and I were indeed attending the wedding together.