Arjun's cold coffee was more ice than coffee now, but he barely noticed. His brain was too busy replaying the last ten minutes: Kiara's hand on his, her calling him "babe," and Riya's face twisting like she'd bitten into a sour imli. It had worked—Riya was jealous. So why did he feel like he was the one losing control?
Kiara leaned back in her chair, twirling a straw in her caramel latte, looking as relaxed as if she faked dates every day (which, Arjun reminded himself, she probably did). "So," she said, her voice playful, "feeling like a Bollywood hero yet? Or still stuck in 'awkward nerd' mode?"
Arjun snorted, pushing his glasses up. "I'm not sure 'hero' is in my character description. Maybe 'guy who doesn't spill coffee on himself' is the best I can aim for."
She laughed, a bright, unguarded sound that made the café feel smaller, like it was just the two of them. "Give yourself some credit, Arjun. You survived your ex's death stare. That's, like, Ranbir Kapoor-level bravery."
He grinned despite himself, but his eyes flicked to Riya's table. She was whispering to Leather Jacket Guy, her phone out, probably posting a cryptic Story about "moving on." Kiara followed his gaze, her smile turning sly. "Still thinking about her, huh? Don't worry, we've got time to make her regret dumping you."
"Time?" Arjun checked his phone: 4:45 p.m. Only 15 minutes left of his ₹2,000 "girlfriend experience." The thought made his chest tighten—not because of the money, but because Kiara would walk out of this café, and he'd be back to being plain old Arjun, the guy who bored Riya to death.
Kiara seemed to sense his mood shift. She leaned forward, her elbows on the table, and lowered her voice. "Okay, let's make these last minutes count. Rule four of fake dating: leave them wanting more. Want to take a walk outside? Nothing says 'cute couple' like strolling by the street stalls, maybe grabbing a cutting chai."
Arjun hesitated. A walk sounded… nice. Too nice. Like something real couples did, not two strangers playing pretend. But Kiara was already standing, slinging her sling bag over her shoulder. "Come on, Mr. Physics. Let's give your ex one last show."
He followed her out, the café's air-conditioned chill giving way to Mumbai's humid evening buzz. The street outside Brew & Bliss was alive with honking autos, vendors shouting "Vada pav, garam garam!" and college kids snapping selfies against the sunset. Kiara walked with an easy confidence, dodging a puddle like it was choreography. Arjun, meanwhile, nearly tripped over a loose pavement tile.
"So," Kiara said, slowing to match his pace, "why'd you and Riya break up? I mean, besides the 'not exciting' thing. You don't seem like the type to mess things up."
Arjun shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I don't know. I thought we were fine. We'd watch movies, talk about college… but she said I was too predictable. Like, I didn't surprise her enough." He kicked a pebble, feeling stupid for spilling his guts to someone he'd just met. "Guess I'm not the surprise type."
Kiara tilted her head, studying him. "Predictable's not a bad thing. It means you're reliable. Most girls would kill for that." Her voice softened, and for a split second, her confident mask slipped, revealing something real—something almost sad. But before Arjun could dwell on it, she grinned and nudged his arm. "Besides, you hired a fake girlfriend. That's pretty unpredictable."
He laughed, the tension in his chest easing. "Yeah, my bank account agrees."
They stopped at a chai stall, where Kiara ordered two cutting chais in perfect Marathi, charming the vendor into adding extra adrak. She handed Arjun a tiny glass, her fingers brushing his for the third time that day. He was starting to wonder if she did that on purpose.
"Cheers to fake love," she said, clinking her glass against his.
"Cheers," he echoed, sipping the scalding chai. It burned his tongue, but he didn't care. Standing there, with Kiara's laughter mixing with the street's chaos, felt like the closest he'd come to "exciting" in months.
That's when his phone buzzed. A WhatsApp message from Vikram: *"Bro, you still with that rent-a-gf? Riya's posting Stories about you! She's PISSED. Also, I'm at Brew & Bliss. Where u at?"*
Arjun's stomach lurched. Vikram was *here*? Before he could process, he spotted his roommate's gelled hair bobbing through the crowd, heading straight for them. Vikram, with his zero-filter mouth, was the last person Arjun needed crashing this date—fake or not.
"Uh, Kiara," he started, but she was already following his panicked gaze. Vikram waved like a hyperactive puppy, grinning as he jogged over.
"Yo, Arjun! My man!" Vikram slapped his back, then turned to Kiara, his eyes widening. "Whoa, you're the fake girlfriend? Damn, bro, you didn't tell me she was *this* hot!"
Arjun wanted to melt into the pavement. Kiara, unfazed, raised an eyebrow. "And you must be the wingman with no chill. Nice to meet you…?"
"Vikram," he said, puffing out his chest. "Arjun's guru in all things love. So, how's the date going? You making my boy look good?"
Kiara's lips twitched, like she was holding back a laugh. "Oh, he's doing fine without me. But I'm helping with the… sparkle." She winked at Arjun, who was pretty sure his face was now the color of the chai vendor's masala.
Vikram squinted at them, then smirked. "Wait a sec. You two look way too cozy for a fake date. Arjun, you falling for her already?"
"Shut up," Arjun hissed, his heart doing that annoying flip again. He glanced at Kiara, expecting her to laugh it off, but she was looking at him, her expression unreadable for the first time.
"Relax, Vikram," she said smoothly, looping her arm through Arjun's again. "It's all part of the package. Right, babe?" The word "babe" hit harder than before, and Arjun's brain short-circuited.
"Y-yeah," he stammered. "Package."
Vikram laughed, clapping his hands. "Okay, okay, I'm sold. But you guys gotta come back to the café. Riya's still there, and she's glaring at her phone like it personally insulted her. You've got her shook, Arjun!"
Kiara's eyes lit up. "Is that so? Maybe we should give her one last encore." She turned to Arjun, her smile daring. "What do you say? One more round before our time's up?"
Arjun's phone buzzed again—another Riya Story, probably. He looked at Kiara, her arm still in his, her confidence pulling him along like a Mumbai local train at full speed. He didn't know if he was ready for more "fake" anything, but he knew one thing: he wasn't ready for this to end.
"Let's do it," he said, his voice steadier than he felt.
Kiara grinned, tugging him back toward Brew & Bliss. "That's my guy. Rule five: when in doubt, double down."
As they walked, Vikram trailing behind like a loud hype man, Arjun couldn't shake the feeling that this fake date was starting to feel dangerously real.