Chapter 11: The Fake Relationship Gambit
[System Notification: New Quest —The 'The Distraction Protocol ']
The air in the suite was so thick with suspicion you could have bottled it and sold it as perfume. Mrs. Khanna was currently hovering over Ananya's laptop, and since Ananya's "Tech Hub" blueprints were actually just a collection of Pinterest boards for "Dream Cafés," we were approximately thirty seconds away from a total meltdown.
I saw Ananya's hand trembling on the mouse. Her secret was hanging by a thread.
I looked at Ishaan. He looked at me. In that silent, high-speed communication only childhood friends have, we reached a desperate conclusion: We needed a bigger scandal.
"Actually, Mom," Ishaan said, his voice ringing out with a sudden, artificial brightness. "There's a reason we were so... stressed about the rooming situation. And it wasn't just about the budget."
He turned to me, and before I could process what was happening, he took my hand. His fingers interlaced with mine, his palm warm and steady against my cold, nervous skin.
"Meera and I... we didn't want to tell you like this," he continued, looking at our mothers with a gaze that was far too convincing. "But we've been seeing each other. Privately. For a few months now."
[System Notification: Heart Rate: 150 BPM | Meera's Brain: 404 Error Not Found]
My mother dropped her tiffin carrier. The aloo parathas hit the floor with a dull thud.
"You... what?" she gasped.
"It's true!" I chimed in, my voice shaking. I leaned into Ishaan, burying my face against his shoulder to hide my sheer terror. "We were worried that if we told you, you'd start planning the wedding before we even had our first official date. So we used Ananya's business trip as a... a cover to spend time together."
Ananya, catching the lifeline, immediately slammed her laptop shut. "Yes! Exactly! I've been acting as their chaperone. It's been so exhausting, honestly. I can barely focus on my multi-million dollar tech hub because these two are constantly... mooning over each other."
Mrs. Sharma and Mrs. Khanna exchanged a look of pure, unadulterated shock that slowly morphed into terrifying glee.
"My Ishaan and Meera?" Mrs. Sharma whispered, her eyes welled with tears. "I knew it! I knew the Harry Potter book theft was a sign of true love!"
The Boss Level (Literally)
Just as the mothers were about to launch into a cross-interrogation about our "relationship," my phone began to vibrate violently on the coffee table.
The caller ID flashed in bold,
aggressive letters:
MR. KHURANA (SATAN).
My actual boss. The man who thought I was currently at home in Mumbai nursing a "severe viral fever."
"Meera, darling, isn't that your phone?" Mrs. Sharma asked, peering over her spectacles.
I lunged for it, but the speakerphone—a glitchy mess on my old device—decided to activate itself as I grabbed it.
"SHARMA!" Mr. Khurana's voice boomed through the suite, loud enough to wake the dead. "I thought you were dying of the flu! Why am I seeing a GPS tag for you at a luxury resort in Lonavala? And where are the blueprints for the Mehta Mall? I don't pay you to sip margaritas in the mountains while the structural integrity of a shopping center is at stake!"
The room went deathly silent.
Ishaan's grip on my hand tightened. I could feel him thinking.
"Meera?" my mother asked, her voice dropping into the 'I'm-not-angry-I'm-disappointed' register. "Who is that man? And why does he think you're sick?"
"That's..." I stammered, my mind racing. "That's... my, uh..."
"That's the pro-bono client!" Ishaan interrupted, stepping in front of me like a human shield. He took the phone from my hand, his face a mask of calm, professional authority.
"Mr. Khurana?" Ishaan said into the phone, his 'Doctor Voice' in full effect. "This is Dr. Ishaan Malhotra. I'm Meera's attending physician. I explicitly ordered her to Lonavala for... altitude therapy. Her viral fever has affected her equilibrium. If you continue to harass my patient during her recovery, I will be forced to file a formal complaint regarding workplace-induced stress."
There was a stunned silence on the other end of the line.
"Altitude therapy?" Mr. Khurana sputtered. "I've never heard of—"
"It's a New Delhi protocol. Very cutting edge," Ishaan snapped. "Now, goodbye. Do not call again until the fever breaks."
He hung up.
The Aftermath
I stared at him, my jaw practically on the floor. He had just lied to my boss, my mother, and the entire neighborhood in the span of five minutes.
"See?" Ananya added, leaning back in her chair with a smirk. "That's the kind of passion I've been dealing with. He's very protective."
Mrs. Sharma clapped her hands together. "Altitude therapy! Oh, Ishaan, you're such a brilliant doctor. And Meera, you poor thing! No wonder you've been looking so 'vintage' lately. You're sick!"
My mother walked over and felt my forehead. "Well, if you're sick and you're in love, I suppose we can stay and look after you both. I'll go tell the kitchen to prepare some khichdi."
As the mothers bustled out of the room to discuss wedding dates and "altitude therapy" diets, the three of us were left in the wreckage of our own lies.
Ishaan finally let go of my hand, but the heat where he'd held it remained. He looked at me, a slow, dangerous grin spreading across his face.
"Well, Meeru," he whispered, leaning down so only I could hear. "Since we're officially 'seeing each other' now... I expect you to act the part. No more hiding in bathtubs."
"You... you lied to my boss!" I whispered back, my heart pounding. "He's going to fire me!"
"He won't," Ishaan said, his eyes darkening with a look that was definitely not fake. "Because by the time this week is over, you're going to be so busy being my 'girlfriend' that you won't have time for Mr. Khurana anyway."
[System Notification: Relationship Status Updated — Fake Dating: UNLOCKED]
[Author's Corner]
OMG! ISHAAN IS TOO SMOOTH! 😭 He just saved her job AND claimed her as his girlfriend in one move! But wait... if they're fake dating, they have to do "couple things" in front of the moms... like DATES!