Bhumi's POV!

I reached back at my apartment around midnight. Arohi and Bani were chewing their nails in anxiety, probably wondering whether I would make it back or not.

How could they even doubt that? Has Bhumi Basu ever failed on a mission?

"Hey girls," I waved at them and threw the shirt onto Arohi's face, who so badly wanted this particular shirt.

"Where the hell were you, Bhumi?" Bani asked anxiously.

"Oh, come on, Baniie. You people sent me over there for this dare, and now you are asking me where I was?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at them.

"It's midnight, Basu. You left around nine in the evening. What took you three damn hours?" Arohi asked, tossing the shirt onto the couch as if it were nothing.

How dare she? I glared at her, and she ignored it.

"How could you just toss that shirt away, Arohi? It is the result of my hard work. Do you have any idea what I went through to get my hands on it?" I glared at her, and Arohi shrugged casually.

"Okay, now tell me what took you so long? We were worried, Bhumi," Bani asked in a worried tone.

"Uh oh. I got caught by Mr. Mehrotra," I said as I plopped myself onto the couch. They both looked at me in horror.

"What? How?? How did you even escape from there?" Arohi asked as she sat next to me.

And I explained everything that happened there. Every single thing, without skipping anything out.

Well, it was quite dramatic, and now when I think about the whole drama, I feel like laughing.

"OMG!! He really introduced you as his girlfriend?" Bani said after a dramatic pause.

"Well, yes," I said, taking a gulp of water from the bottle on the tea table.

"Why the hell did you give him my phone number, Bhumi?" Arohi shrieked, and I rolled my eyes.

That's the only thing she heard out of all that I said.

"Of course, Arohi, you have a crush on him. You have, ever since Daksh Mehrotra got married. Remember? That's why I gave him your number. So that I could set you up with him. Now tell me, aren't I the smartest?" I said, acting all excited.

"What the hell, Bhumi?" She cried in terror.

"Oh, relax, girl. I gave him your old number, which you are not using anymore," I said, and she sighed in relief.

"His family liked you?" Arohi asked curiously.

"Of course, yes. Well, it's not really their fault, though. I am too good to be disliked, aren't I?" I asked with a cheeky smile, and they rolled their eyes.

"How humble you are, Bhumi," Arohi said sarcastically.

"I am born humble," I retorted with an innocent smile.

"What if he finds you, Bhumi?" Bani asked in worry.

"Oh, come on, Baniie. Take a chill pill. I gave him all the fake details. Fake name, fake number, fake address. So he won't find me. Relax. And guess what?? He has better things to do," I said, desperately hoping so.

"Let's hope so, Bhumi. If he finds you, then you are dead," Bani said.

By now, you people might have gotten an idea about the three of us.

Bani is the sensible one among us. The mature one.

Arohi is the dramatic one.

And, obviously, I am the crazy weirdo.

The three of us have not known each other for long. We met a year ago when I first came to Mumbai.

Arohi and Bani are also not native Mumbains. They had come here for their gap year, just like me.

Since the three of us have no one to call ours, we took to each other pretty quickly.

Arohi was more like me. She always has a smile on her face, no matter what. But that doesn't mean her life is perfect. It is far from that.

Bani is quite silent when compared to the two of us.

The two of them know everything about me. Okay! Not everything. I do have some secrets that no one in this world knows.

And Arohi was also pretty open with us from the beginning.

But Bani is a closed book. She rarely shares her worries. And we didn't want to pry. We know that she will open up to us when she is ready.

And we are okay to wait.

"I am hell tired after today's epic war, girls. So, let me go have my much-needed beauty sleep. Good night, darlings." I said, blowing a kiss to both of them and went straight to my bed, after petting a sleeping Milo, hoping for a better tomorrow.

Oh, I didn't introduce Milo to you people right?

Milo is my puppy.

A cute little puppy.

Milo is handicapped. I found him on the road one night. He was hit by a car and left to die on the road.

I just couldn't leave him there.

I took him to the nearest vet and got him treated. But one of his forelegs is permanently damaged. He walks with a limp.

But he has warmed up to us now. He prefers to stay inside the orchard though.

Oh! Did I mention the Orchard? That's the name of the apartment we are staying in.

Cute name, isn't it?

Anyway, as I was saying, that's how Milo came to live with us. And now he is a very important part of my life.

Enough talking for the day. I am very sleepy, and it is time for bed.

Aryamann's POV

I had been trying to contact Bhumi Gupta for about half an hour now.

I told her to be here by sharp ten in the morning. And it is already half past eleven.

I am pissed off now. Her phone is still switched off.

Couldn't she put her phone to charge? It has been dead since last night. How could this girl be so irresponsible?

"So, technically you are planning a fake wedding? Am I right?" Daksh asked.

Yeah! Daksh and Gaurav are here. As per their demand, I had phoned them last night, as soon as Bhumi left. As I don't hide anything from them.

And here they are, bright and bushy in the morning, all set to see how things are going to work out.

"Not fake. It's going to be real. But temporary. For, let's say, a year. Give or take," I said casually.

"As in a contract wedding?" Gaurav asked for more confirmation.

"Yes," I said, now irritated, both because these two keep questioning me, and I am tired of crossing all the i's and t's, and also because there is no news of that crazy girl.

I threw my phone away in fury.

"Why are you so angry, Aryamann?" Daksh asked in his usual calm tone.

"I told her very clearly that she should be here by sharp ten. It is already half past eleven, and she is not here yet. And to add to it, her f**king phone is switched off," I yelled at them, taking my frustration out on them.

"Is that even her real number? I mean, did you confirm it yesterday by at least dialling her number once?" Daksh asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

"No. I mean, yes. But her phone was switched off. When I asked her, she told me her phone is dead, so she left it at her home," I said, and Gaurav started laughing, and I shot him an irritated glare.

"What?" I asked with a scowl on my face.

"She fooled you, Aryamann," he said, and I raised an eyebrow, asking him to elaborate.

"She had her phone with her yesterday, and I heard her talking to someone named Arohi on the phone. She was telling this Arohi that she will be back home soon," Gaurav said, with amusement dancing in his eyes.

He is clearly enjoying my misery.

How dare she?? How dare she lie to me?

Of course, she had her phone when I caught her in my room. She was using the torchlight of her phone while searching for my shirt.

How could I forget that? How can I be such an idiot?

"Mr. Mehrotra," Rey came inside with a grim look on his face.

I had asked him to go to the cafe where she works and get her. He stood there, simply staring at me with that grim look on his face.

"What, Rey?? Where is she??" I growled at my security team head.

"I am sorry, Mr. Mehrotra. The cafe manager said that there is no one named Bhumi Gupta working there," he said apologetically.

I just want to strangle her now. If she is anywhere near me now....

"Aryamann. A simple girl has fooled you," Gaurav said, bursting out into a loud laugh.

"Shut up, Gaurav," I said in a warning tone. I am at the end of my wits. He is trying his luck with his amusement now.

"I think her name is not Bhumi Gupta. She lied to you," Daksh said the obvious, and I nodded.

"Nope. Her name is Bhumi," Gaurav said with conviction.

"Why are you so sure about it? All the information she has given me so far is fake. So obviously, her name is also fake," I said, trying to figure out the next step.

"Don't you remember the way she introduced herself to mom and dadi? 'Bhumi', flicking her hair and all. It seemed like the usual way she introduces herself. That would only mean that her name is Bhumi. But I am pretty sure her surname is not Gupta," Gaurav said.

When did my baby brother become so sensible?

Daksh gave him an impressed look, and Gaurav shot a smug smile, and I rolled my eyes at his childish behaviour.

Gaurav tends to behave like a baby when he is with the family members.

I asked Rey to get the CCTV footage and use her picture to gather real information regarding her.

It is not that easy to escape from the devil's clutch, kitten.

You are going to pay for this.

The security guard at the main gate came in with a parcel.

"Mr. Mehrotra, there is a parcel for you," he said, extending the parcel towards me.

"Keep it there and leave," I growled. I am in no mood for small talks with anybody.

Not that I ever am.

Gaurav burst out laughing again.

What's the matter with him?? Does he have a death wish?

"What??" I snapped at him.

"I still can't believe that she made you eat those sweets, Aryamann. That too seven balls of gulab jamun. I mean, you haven't eaten that much sweet in your entire life, and she made you eat that in a heartbeat," he said, laughing, and I scowled, remembering that.

"She did it on purpose, as mom told her that I don't like sweets," I said, gritting my teeth.

Daksh opened the parcel and held my shirt in his hands.

The shirt that she took with her yesterday.

My eyes widened seeing it. That crazy girl came here again, dropped my shirt with the guard, and went away without meeting me.

Her nerves.

"Rey," I growled, making him alert.

I told him to search the entire locality. She might not have reached far.

"Why was she here in the first place??" Daksh asked in confusion.

"To steal my shirt," I said through my clenched teeth, and they both looked at me in disbelief.

"This one?" Gaurav asked, pointing at the shirt Daksh was still holding, and I nodded in agreement.

"Why in the hell would she want your shirt, Aryamann?" Daksh asked, his forehead furrowed in confusion.

"To complete some stupid dare. She claims herself to be some sort of dare queen. And as she couldn't let her reputation be affected, she sneaked into my house through the balcony door using a bloody damn ladder and entered inside the master bedroom without my permission and stole my shirt. And to add to it, she made me run around the whole mansion. Freaking weird girl," I said annoyed, recalling last night's incident.

Gaurav started laughing again, and I saw Daksh trying very hard to stifle his laughter.

I glared at them both, making them straighten in their place.

"I already like her, Aryamann," Gaurav said with an amused look, and I shot another deadly glare at him.

"In dadi's words. The dynamite couple. Finally, you met your match. Congratulations, brother dearest," Gaurav said, and I scoffed.

"In this, I agree with Gaurav. Her bravery is commendable. She dared to make a fool out of The Aryamann Mehrotra," Daksh said, completely impressed by her.

"Shut up, you two," I said angrily.

You will pay for this, kitten.

A/N

I forgot to update yesterday😌

Please do vote and comment..

Love,

SF❤️