Chapter 5

• Gautam's POV
• " It's ok. He would not dare to do that again. But you didn't have to say all that. " she said to me.
• " No it was necessary Maurvi, he would not come near you. If he does just let me know. Did you notice that your friend was shocked and she is still looking in our direction? At least now she will not think that you have feelings for him. You just need to show some affection towards me. " I said and she nodded shyly.
• I drove to a nice and calming eating joint. I wanted to talk to her. I wanted her to be comfortable with the situation. I needed her help too.
• " Maurvi...actually I am sorry, I should have told you about it earlier but I was sure you would have refused to accept my help and you know it was the easiest solution. I could understand your situation."
• She was very quiet, but she nodded.
• " Can I tell you something? " I asked her. She looked at me and nodded.
• " First you promise me that you will listen carefully and calmly," I said looking at her.
• " Ok, I promise. Now say whatever you want to," she said to me sweetly.
• " Actually I am almost in the same situation. There is a slight misunderstanding between me and my friend exactly like in your case. One of my friends got angry with me because I was trying to talk to a beautiful girl present in a get-together. I was trying to get to know her as I liked her. He got really annoyed with me because that girl was his wife. I swear I did not know about that. He got married all of a sudden and none of us knew about his marriage. I apologised the moment he said that she was married to him, but there is an awkwardness between us till date." I looked at her and she seemed to have understood what I was saying.
• " I can't even look at them in the eyes and can't avoid them either. Whenever we meet he seems to avoid me which hurts me as well as him. Our relationship is getting affected. So my best friend suggested to me that I should introduce someone as my girlfriend to them. It would calm him and he would be assured that I am not interested in his wife. So can you please pretend to be my girlfriend in front of my friends? "
• She was about to say something when her phone started ringing. She looked at her screen. Prachi was calling her. Her eyes started shining when she saw her name. She picked up the phone.
• " Hello yes, Prachi? ...... Yes, it kind of happened..... Well, I don't know... He just popped the question and I could not say no... Of course, I never had any feelings for Naman. Prachi I don't even want to talk about him. He disgusts me. I will call you later..... Yes, I am actually with him at a food joint and our food is getting cold. Bye... I will call you in the night. " She was grinning like anything and was looking so pretty that I kept looking at her.
• She almost shrieked of delight. She smiled at me and said,
• " It worked, it actually worked. She called me herself and is asking about you and how all this happened. I didn't know what to say... But then she asked me If I ever had feelings for Naman. Now she trusts me... Thanks a lot. It worked. But there is another problem... " She was speaking like a bullet train.
• " What is the problem now? Tell me? "
• " She is asking so many questions about you and about what you said... I said I would talk to her later but she is not going to leave the topic. What would I tell her? " she looked happy and tensed at the same time.
• " Calm down... We will chalk out a story. You can tell her that. So will you help me come out of my awkward situation and pretend to be my girlfriend in front of my friends? " I asked her and she nodded.
• I smiled at that and said, " So it is final. We will help each other and feign our relationship till all the problems are solved. Right? " She smiled shyly but looked a bit hesitant.
• " So we need a story to tell our friends. So that they believe us and we need to be comfortable with each other. So what should be the next step? " I asked her.
• She thought for a few minutes and then said, " I think first of all we need to know a few things about each other... So let's start with that... I think we should ask questions. It is the fastest way to get to know someone. We must ask about basic information first. "
• " Ok, so what is your favourite colour? I asked her.
• " Very complicated question.... "
• " It is one of the most common questions, Maurvi. What is so complicated about it? "
• " Well, what do I say? I like all colours. It depends on my moods and seasons. "
• " Like really?? "
• " Yes... In summers, I like all pastel colours especially baby pink, icy blue and lemon yellow. In winters I like red, blue, black, white...."
• "Oh, God!! Let me rephrase my question, which colour you don't like much? "
• " Ok... Green. But I like some shades of it too. " I rolled my eyes at her answer. She is so cute.
• " You are awesome, cute and funny. But can you answer normally? " I was smiling like a lunatic.
• " Ok, which are your favourite colours? " She asked me.
• " Black, blue and red. My turn I will ask you first. What type of music do you like? "
• " Ghazals, soft Indian songs," she said.
• Seriously?? Very mature choice.
• " Who is your favourite singer?"
• " Jagjit Singh... I love his voice. "
• " Old songs or new songs? "
• " Old songs mainly but any kind of soft music. What about you? "
• " Both.. "
• " Where do you like to be, crowded places or somewhere calmer? "
• " It depends... " She said after thinking for a few seconds.
• " On what? "
• " On this thing that is with me. If I like that person... Then I would like any place and if I don't I would not be at ease anywhere. But generally, I would like to go to a calmer place."
• I kept looking at her... I did not know she could think so deeply.
• " How about you? "
• " Well, a crowded place. " I said
• " Favourite food? " she asked me.
• " Oh, very difficult question... I am a foodie... " I said with a smile.
• " Ok same here... " she smiled too.
• " Tell me about your friends? " She asked again.
• I have 4 very good friends. We studied together in the same school in Dehradun. Then we went our different ways to make our careers. They are Rahul, Mehul, Vikram and Sagar. I feel I am closer to Vikram and Sagar. Rahul and Mehul are married now. By mistake, I showed interest in Mehul's wife. I didn't know that they were married. We get awkward whenever we meet."
• " I understand well. I have already told you about my best friend. I have a few other friends too. "
• " Tea or coffee? " I asked her.
• " Coffee... Mom says I make the best coffee in the world and probably the worst tea. " she was giggling. She is really cute.
• "Ok so when will I have the honour to drink the best coffee? "
• " Anyday you want. " She smiled sweetly.
• " Do you believe in love at first sight?" I asked her.
• " No, I don't even believe in crush at first sight. " she smiled.
• " What does that mean now? " I was so confused about her answer.
• " Means I don't even have a crush on anyone at first sight.
• "Have you ever had a crush on anyone? "
• " Well ... Of course, I am not a robot. " She answered but I could see her blushing a bit. But why was she blushing? She said on the phone to her friend that she likes someone.
• Lucky someone.....