Sharmin stared at the article for a long time.

Eshanya Singhania's pretty smile flashed back at her, with Yashasvi's picture on her right.

The headlines infuriated her.

"This can't happen! This cannot happen!"

"Oh, but it did." Tanvi crossed her legs, a wicked smile spreading across her lips.

"No! No no no no no! No!" she yelled so loudly and so brazenly that she caught the attention of everyone in the cafe.

"Isn't that Sharmin Bhatt?"

"Yes! Oh my god, she's still an attention seeker."

"Is that why she dated Prithvi and pretended to be friends with Eshanya? For effect?"

"Poor Eshanya. She deserved a better best-friend. Not a witch."

Tanvi snickered upon hearing people gossiping, while Sharmin turned red with embarrassment and anger.

"So? How does it feel to hear people talking so sweetly about you?"

Sharmin was trembling with fury now.

"Look Sharmin..." Tanvi began, the smile on her face vanishing, and she leaned closer to her as her voice lowered. "Esha is my best friend, and if you try anything this time, I will make sure that your career as an influencer, which is already in a doldrums, will be completely ruined. You will never be spoken about, let alone seen. So if you don't want that, you better maintain social distance from both Yashasvi and Esha."

"She hated him!" Sharmin finally found her tongue, still red.

"The key word is hated, darling. It's past tense. He is down bad for her. He loves her, adores her, and wouldn't spare any other girl a glance the same way." She lied calmly.

"It can't be. He...he hated her too."

" God, you're so dense. Didn't I say that was the past? What will you take to understand that?"

" She can't date him! She can't!"

Tanvi arched a brow at her.
" Why not?"

" Because...because I love him!"

" Aw, do you? Too bad. They're already dating, and down bad for each other."

" You don't get it! I love him! She never looked at guys I liked! She cannot do this to me!"

Tanvi scoffed out a chuckle, well aware that the girl who sat before her was blatantly lying.
" That's rich coming from you Sharmin. Especially after the stunt you pulled last year."

" Tanvi I love him! Tell her, and she'll break up! She...she won't do this to me! She won't!"

" Oh she won't? That's what she thought as well, till you went out with the guy you knew she liked. And too bad, I'm not telling her. She's happy with him, and you will not ruin their happiness. If you even try, I swear to God, I will ruin you. And I mean my words, you've known that about me now. I don't just say things, I act them out. So you don't want me to do that, do you? Focus on your career Sharmin, talk to your Dad, get help, fix it. But don't you dare glance Eshanya or Yashasvi's way again. I think I made myself clear. I gotta go now." She stood up, grabbed her bad and walked out of the café.

A black Mercedes stood outside the café, patiently waiting.

She got in and his head shot up.

" Did I keep you waiting too long?" Her wide eyes innocently peeked at him, an absolute contrast to what she was a while ago with Sharmin.

Abhishek clicked his tongue in denial as he grinned at her.

" Nope! Let's go? Yasha and Eshanya are waiting."

" Is there anyone else with them?"

" Yup! Shubi and Sara Bhabhi."

Tanvi nodded.

•••°°°•••

Sara Tendulkar was divine.

And Eshanya was already fawning over her.

" She is so pretty!" She told Tanvi in a low voice as Sara walked over to the balcony to receive a call.

" I know!" Tanvi mouthed, nodding vigorously.

" Uh..Bhai?" Tanvi began as she turned towards Shubman who was engaged in a conversation with Yashasvi.

" Huh..you mean me? You can call me Shubman. Abhay calls me the same! And well since you're his...uh..his friend, you can call me Shubman!"

Tanvi let out an awkward chuckle.
" How...how did you two fall in love? I mean...what's your story?"

Eshanya nodded eagerly.

" I want to know too! How did you start dating? Were you friends or something? Like a soft romance?"

" Friends?" Yashasvi snorted.
" He hated her. Well, he claimed to.".

Shubman scratched his nape in embarrassment.

" I was a fool and a jerk."

" Yes you were." Abhay snorted.

" Who was what? What did I miss?" Sara asked walking back into the room and Shubman shook his head as he patted the empty space next to him and scooted to the side, silently asking her to sit, which she did.

" Nothing. Tanvi and Eshanya here, wanted to know how we fell in love and started dating."

" Oh! So, what did you tell them?"

" Nothing yet. Yasha answered on my behalf."

Sara nodded.

" You two make quite a couple. You look perfect together!"

" Thank you! You and Yashasvi look cute together as well!"

" We...we..." Yashasvi and Eshanya exchanged frantic glances.

" I know." Sara nodded and Yashasvi turned to look at Shubman who shrugged in response.

" How did you even pull Bhabhi off Shubi?" Yashasvi changed the subject, not wanting to talk about his fake relationship with Eshanya.

" What do you mean?" He frowned.

" I mean, how did you get her to say yes to you?"

" Well...I took her out for a dinner date, confessed to her, she almost broke my heart by asking me what would I do if she didn't want to give me a chance, and then said she wanted me to woo her. So I did."

" And that worked?" Yashasvi and Abhay asked in synchrony, arching a brow.

" I mean...look at Bhabhi, she's stunning, and look at you." Yashasvi shook his head, letting out a disappointed sigh followed by a tsk and Eshanya, Tanvi and Abhay burst into laughter.

" HEY! What's wrong with me?" Shubman grumbled, offended.

Sara watched their exchange with a bemused expression marring on her face.

" Nothing Babe, absolutely nothing." She chuckled softly and everyone saw the way his expression changed within a milisecond, and a grin so wide spread across his cheeks with his dimples flashing, that everyone wondered how didn't it hurt, but then again, they breathed out chuckles, knowing it was just a man in love.

" If you say so."

" Whipped." Yashasvi and Abhishek sighed in a sync.

" I am." He nodded proudly.

" Woah! Look at him accepting it! He would never in the past!"

" I know right!"

" So Eshanya...." Sara began softly, turning towards her.
" You said you wanted to talk about something important?"

" Uh...I was wondering...if me and Jaisw- I mean Yashasvi could do a couple's ad or photoshoot for Allure?" She asked, referring to Sara's brand.

" Wait what? Why?" Yashasvi frowned.

" We need content to prove it to the media stupid!"

" Say.it.nicely. And I'm not stupid!"

" I tried explaining it to you nicely. And then, you with your colourful words perfectly got on my nerves, and very audaciously cut me off mid-sentence. Also, if you'd use your brains a little, I'd believe you not to be stupid, which you often prove you are with your actions and words."

" I think a photoshoot would be great. You two make quite a couple. The internet would go crazy."

" I....don't mean to be rude Bhabhi, but how do you know?"

" Experience." Shubman answered for her.

" Matlab?"

He shook his head, refusing to answer.
" When two opposite poles attract, the room eventually has to heat up."

" What're you even on about?" Yashasvi frowned.

" Just go with it Yasha."

" Of-course I have to. Had it not been this stupid one year contract, I'd have never done this."

" Oh hello, mujhe bhi tumhari vahiyaat shakal dekhne mein koi interest nahi hai!"

" Dekho bol kaun raha hai. Madam, agar aap bhul gayi toh yaad dilau, yeh fake dating ka suggestion aapka hi tha!"

" Toh aap mana kar dete Sir, aapne haan kyu bola?" She shot back at him with a piercing glare.

" Arey wah wah, ulta chor kotwal ko daate? Tumne hi idea di, tumne sab suggest kiya, tumne contract banaya aur ab mujhpe blame daal rahi ho?"

" Excuse me! Tum mana kar dete agar tumhe problem tha toh, maine koi zabardasti nahi ki tumpe. Mai Sharmin nahi hoon, aur haan toh tumne bola na, toh tum bhi equally responsible ho! Taali ek haath se nahi bajti!"

As they continued to bicker, Tanvi sighed with a shake of her head, while Shubman and Sara exchanged amused glances, finding a resemblance of their younger selves in them.

And they were absolutely sure, they'd have a similar ending, in their own way.