Enchanted pen

“ONE HOUR”

ANAYA

I think I get why people get so panicked over a time bomb. That is dumb reference but I couldn’t think of anything else because the time is ticking with an impossible task to do on the way.

One moment is “come on Anaya you can do this.” And the next moment, “ugh! How can I do this?”

One hour.

Sixty minutes. Three thousand six hundred seconds.

An unreasonable amount of time to explain an engagement.

Especially a fake one.

I changed outfits twice.

Not because I cared what Veer thought.

Because I was already having a bad day.

Important distinction.

The third outfit survived.

Cream silk shirt.

Dark trousers.

Gold hoops.

A watch I wore when I wanted to feel more organised than I actually was.

None of it helped.

The drive felt shorter than it should have.

Which was unfortunate.

Because I was running out of excuses.

The members club sat exactly where it always had.

Quiet.

Expensive.

The kind of place that charged extra for water and called it an experience.

I stepped inside.

The café overlooked a stretch of green that looked too perfect to be natural.

People sat behind laptops.

Conducted business meetings.

Pretended not to eavesdrop.

A very South Delhi ecosystem.

And there he was.

Already seated.

Of course he was.

Veer Malhotra looked like the kind of man who arrived ten minutes early just to judge people who didn’t.

White shirt.

Dark watch.

Sleeves folded once.

Coffee in front of him.

Expression unreadable.

Annoying.

——

VEER

She was seven minutes late.

Not enough to complain about.

Just enough to notice.

The cream shirt was new.

Or maybe I had never seen her stand still long enough before.

Low ponytail. Subtle expression, hazel eyes and just the right amount of jewellery.

She looked composed from a distance.

Less convincing up close.

Interesting.

She stopped beside the table.

ANAYA

“You gave me one hour?”

VEER

“You used seven minutes.”

ANAYA

I stared at him.

VEER

“Sit.”

ANAYA

Not a request.

Naturally.

I sat anyway.

A waiter appeared immediately.

I ordered coffee.

The strong kind.

The kind people ordered before making regrettable decisions.

Considering the week I was having—

appropriate.

——

VEER

She looked tired.

Not physically.

Strategically.

Like she’d spent the morning fighting problems she’d created herself.

Mess from inside and elegant on the outside. Classic Anaya. Tough but soft.

ANAYA

“I panicked.”

VEER

“I noticed.”

ANAYA

“That wasn’t helpful.”

VEER

“It wasn’t meant to be.”

ANAYA

I hated him a little.

Not enough to leave.

Just enough to be irritated. He looked so calm I hated that. Maybe. Kinda. 

How is it possible that he always has his shit together? I mean mean enough to be good looking but you can’t be good at everything. My mind went like give me a break.

“Look, I know this sounds insane.”

“It does.”

“Can you stop agreeing with every insult I say about myself?”

“No.”

Of course not.

I took a sip of coffee.

Burned my tongue.

A fitting punishment.

——

VEER

“This wasn’t a small lie.”

ANAYA

“I know.”

VEER

“Your mother posted it.”

ANAYA

“I know.”

VEER

“People believe it.”

ANAYA

“I know.”

VEER

“Apparently my mother believes it.”

ANAYA

I winced.

Fair.

Very fair.

——

ANAYA

“Okay. I made a mistake.”

VEER

“A historic one.”

ANAYA

“A mistake.”

VEER

“A large mistake.”

ANAYA

I pointed at him.

VEER

“You pointed at me last time too.”

ANAYA

I froze.

“What?”

A pause.

Tiny.

Almost invisible.

VEER

“Nothing.”

ANAYA

No.

Not nothing.

That sounded specific.

Too specific.

“We’ve met three times.”

“Four.”

I blinked.

“Four?”

He took another sip of coffee.

Calm.

Unbothered.

Suspicious.

“Interesting that you remember.”

“I remember things.”

That wasn’t an answer.

And somehow that bothered me more.

——

VEER

The problem with Anaya Kapoor was that she asked questions she genuinely wanted answers to.

Most people asked them politely.

She asked them like a challenge.

ANAYA

“I’ll fix it.”

VEER

“How?”

ANAYA

“I’ll tell everyone it didn’t work out.”

VEER

Silence.

ANAYA

“What?”

VEER

“You got engaged on Sunday.”

ANAYA

“Technically.”

VEER

“Today is Tuesday.”

ANAYA

I frowned.

He wasn’t wrong.

Unfortunately.

VEER

“So in forty-eight hours you’ve met, fallen in love, gotten engaged and broken up?”

ANAYA

When he said it like that—

It sounded slightly ridiculous.

VEER

“Slightly?”

ANAYA

“Very.”

——

ANAYA

I leaned back.

Defeated.

For the first time all morning.

Maybe for the first time all week.

“Fine.”

VEER

“Fine?”

ANAYA

“I don’t know.”

VEER

“That’s new.”

ANAYA

“Can you be serious for one minute?”

VEER

“I am serious.”

That was the problem.

He looked serious when he was being sarcastic.

And sarcastic when he was being serious.

It should’ve been illegal.

ANAYA

“I’ll handle it myself.”

I stood.

Grabbed my bag.

Prepared to leave.

Prepared to fail.

Prepared for all of it.

I took exactly one step.

Then stopped.

Not because I wanted to.

His hand closed around my wrist.

Firm.

Certain.

Before I could protest, he pulled me back into the chair. And pulled me closer.

The movement was quick enough to surprise me.

Slow enough to make me aware of it.

The sudden closeness caught me off guard.

Which was irritating.

Mostly because I noticed it.

His gaze held mine for a second too long.

Calm.

Steady.

Dangerous.

And for the first time all morning—

I forgot what I was about to say.

VEER

“Sit down.”

——

VEER

She looked surprised.

Good.

For once—

so was I.

I hadn’t planned on stopping her.

That was the problem.

The baby hair falling across her forehead wasn’t helping.

Neither was the fact that she refused to look away.

Interesting.

ANAYA

That confidence should’ve annoyed me more than it did.

VEER

“You’ve already involved both families.”

ANAYA

“I noticed.”

VEER

“People are talking.”

ANAYA

“Unfortunately.”

The corner of his mouth twitched.

Not quite a smile.

Not quite anything.

Just enough to be irritating.

VEER

“My mother has already started planning things.”

ANAYA

I stared.

“What things?”

VEER

“You don’t want to know.”

That was probably true.

A pause settled between us.

Not uncomfortable.

Just…

considering.

The members’ club continued around us.

Conversations.

Coffee cups.

Business meetings.

Normal lives.

Meanwhile—

I was discussing a fake engagement with a man who looked entirely too comfortable in this situation.

VEER

“If we’re doing this little Miss troublemaker…”

ANAYA

I blinked.

VEER

“We do it properly.”

His grip loosened.

Then disappeared entirely.

As though he hadn’t just turned my entire week upside down.

Silence.

ANAYA

“…What?”

I was still processing that moment.

And suddenly it felt less like I had created a mess.

And more like I had fallen into one.

VEER

“You heard me.”

ANAYA

No.

No, I definitely heard him.

That was the problem.

Because somehow—

against all logic—

Veer Malhotra had just agreed.

END.