by P. G. Van
Fake Boyfriend
By
P.G. Van
© 2019 P.G. Van
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Epilogue
Chapter 1
“Ma, I’m not kidding. There is smoke coming out of the engine.” Tara shook her head, looking at her car.
“Sitara, don’t start the drama again,” her mother growled. “You’ve been spending way too much time working.”
“I’m not kidding, Ma. You know I will never break a promise. I don’t want to go to the party, but you know why I am going.”
“Fine. Stay where you are, and I will send someone to take you to the party.” Her mother sounded worried.
“Ma, I’m fine, and I will find a way to get there,” Tara said, looking up and down the empty single-lane road.
“Tara, please be careful, baby. I’d rather you stay in the car until someone comes to get you. I will ask Chetan to pick you up.” Her mom’s suggestion made her cringe.
“No. Ma, let me see if I can get a cab or a bus. If not, I will call you back.” Chetan was the guy she wanted to avoid seeing at the party. She had been unlucky in avoiding him all these years since he is also her mother’s best friend’s son.
“Be careful.”
“Love you, Ma. Don’t expect me any time before Sunday. The party is supposed to go on all weekend according to the beautiful bride.” Tara smiled as she ended the call and opened the app to look for a rideshare or cab. She let out a laugh when she got a response from a driver who was only a few minutes away. “Unbelievable!”
She took her purse and backpack from her car and leaned against it as she watched her screen, following the progress of her ride. She could not believe she found a ride but prepared herself to be in either a very old car or a commercial truck because there was no image of the vehicle, just a license plate number.
Tara looked up from her screen when she realized her ride should come into her view momentarily. She squinted her eyes when she saw a yellow vehicle drive toward her. She smiled, relieved it was a passenger vehicle, and she would not be riding in a milk truck or in the back of a truck to the farmhouse where the pre-wedding party was taking place.
She sent a text to her mother telling her she found a ride, and she would call her when she arrived at the farmhouse. She checked her car door to confirm the car was locked before looking up at the approaching vehicle.
She gasped when she caught sight of the bull on the logo on the car door. It was evident the car was designed to be recognized immediately.
A yellow Lamborghini.
She stood staring at the car as it came to a stop in front of her. She looked at the shocked expression on her face in the reflection of the car window in front of her. She looked up when she heard the door open, and a tall man dressed in casual clothes stepped out of the vehicle.
The man looked at her, his eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses, reminding her of her muse for the current script she had been working on for months.
“Sitara?” She nodded, and he smiled, making something twitch inside. “I’m Nitesh.”
Chapter 2
“Are you my ride?” Tara asked, recovering from the surprise of a luxury car being her potential transportation.
“I guess I am.” He shrugged, walking over to her side. “What happened to your car?”
“I… I don’t know…”
“Pop the hood for me, please.” He walked over to her car.
“It’s okay. I only need a ride. I will have someone come tow it to the shop.” Tara still kept wondering why a man who owned a Lamborghini was picking up passengers for cash the rideshare app would pay.
He walked around the car and bent to look underneath it. “You are leaking coolant, and that’s why your engine heated up.”
“Oh, I did hear something hit the front of the car on my way here.”
“Where are you headed, Sitara?” he asked, walking back to her.
“Tara… I go by Tara. I need to go to Raavi Farms.” She looked at him as he opened the passenger door of his fancy car.
“That’s not far from where I am going.” He smiled, looking at her as she settled into the almost ground-level seat.
She looked around the fancy car, and before she realized it, her thought was voiced, “You drive a Lamborghini and do rideshare?”
He looked at her and let out a chuckle. “I was wondering if you were going to say something about that.”
“Sorry, I couldn’t help it.” She felt stupid for being so blunt with a stranger and someone who was helping to get her to her destination.
He nodded as the engine roared to life, and he steered the car down the narrow, muddy road. “I had heard a lot about this particular app. This one focuses on rideshares in rural areas unlike the other apps used in the major cities. I just wanted to try it, so I registered, and you are my first client.”
“Oh, okay.”
“Would you say this app would make it big even if it is outside the metro area?”
“Yes, I think so. What would make it more interesting and fun in a way is if I could ride a truck or tractor but not a Lamborghini.” She laughed.
“Interesting…” he drawled, the end of his mouth twitching up surfacing a dimple that she had not noticed before.
“Yes, I do, and I also like the fact that I don’t have to pay double because it’s outside the coverage area.” She smiled, watching the route he was taking on her phone, since she was riding with a stranger.
“Why are you headed to a farm at this time?” he asked.
“Oh, I have to attend a party this evening and tomorrow evening as well.”
He let out what sounded like a chuckle. “You sound super excited about the party you have to attend.”
She was surprised he picked up on a subtle detail. “I don’t like attending such social events, but I’m going for my best friend who is about to be married.”
“Where is the excitement? It’s your best friend’s wedding?” He kept his eyes on the road.
She let out a sigh not because of what she was about to tell a stranger but the fact she was sharing so much with him. “My friend’s fiancé’s best friend is the guy I had a super crush on in high school and… I am not proud of the moment, but I yelled at the top of my voice during a family gathering that I loved him, and I would marry only him. That guy is also my mom’s best friend’s son, so it was not easy to avoid seeing him all these years.”
“Wow, true love?”
“Bullshit. I had a crush on him because he helped me find my lost dog back then. I got over him years ago.” She almost growled.
“But?”
“Well, people, especially the ones at the party that I’m dying to attend, think I’m still madly in love with him, and that’s why I don’t date anyone or am in a serious relationship that would lead to marriage.”
He smiled. “How are you still single?”
She was appalled by his blunt question, and before she could say anything, he interjected, “That’s a compliment, by the way.”
“Thank you.” She smiled, heat creeping up her cheeks making her heart fluttered in her chest.
“So, how is it that you don’t date?” His tone was casual.
She could have ignored his question or shot him down instead of responding, but she didn’t. “Partly because of my work, plus I don’t really like to go out much.”
“How
come?”
“Because of work.” She shrugged.
“What do you do for work?” She dreaded being asked that question because she was too proud to lie about what she did, but she also worried about the weird or shocked looks she gets from people, especially men.
Usually, Tara avoided responding to the question for many reasons. She wasn’t ashamed of her career, but knowing how some men had looked at her with disgust when she told them what she did and how others looked at her like she was easy, she tended to avoid talking about her career.
Her parents worried about what her potential mate would think of her work. They were always supportive of their daughter, who was a top-selling romance writer but worried about how she would be perceived in society.
Now she wondered if they would be even more worried since she accepted an offer as a scriptwriter for an up and coming production house.
A production house well known in the adult entertainment industry.
Chapter 3
“I… I am a writer.” She decided to keep the details to a minimum. Romance novels were her forte and only recently she had started working with the production house that primarily made web series targeted for adult entertainment. They were venturing into steamy romances to expand their audience.
“Interesting. What do you write?” He seemed impressed.
“Women’s fiction.” She hoped he wouldn’t ask more details.
“Is that another term for romance?” he asked, surprising her.
“Yes, it is.” She hoped for a change in the topic of conversation and asked, “What do you do for a living, and how come you are in a rural area driving a Lamborghini?”
He laughed, shaking his head. “Would you please get over the fact that I am driving this car as a rideshare participant?”
“Fine. What are you doing here?”
“I am on vacation. It’s been crazy busy at work, and I’m taking a couple of weeks off.”
She scrunched her nose. “I’m surprised you are here in this rural area for a vacation.”
“Where would you go on a vacation?”
“I really don’t care as long as I get a peaceful spot to read and write,” she blurted.
“You are one of those lucky people who loves what they do.” He smirked, his eyes on her for a second before looking away.
“What do you do that makes you seek a vacation like this?” She couldn’t help but want to know more about him.
“Nothing as interesting as what you do. I’m an investor.”
“You mean you spend other people’s money?” She let out a snort and then realized she had spoken too soon. “I am sorry, that came out wrong. I have too many people around me who claim to be investors by spending what their parents made.”
He chuckled, and the guilt melted away. “Let’s just say I spend the money I make.”
“Oh, good.”
“How come you are spending time alone? You should be with family.”
“Let’s just say I have no one to claim as a family, not anymore.”
“I… I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’m fine the way I am, and every couple of years when I get overworked, I take a break.”
For the umpteenth time in the short ride, she spoke too soon again. “If you don’t have any plans for tonight, you should go to the party with me.”
He turned to look at her for a moment before taking his eyes away. “Are you enjoying my company so much that you want me to go as your ‘plus one’ to the party?”
At that very moment, it was as if she had an epiphany. “Yes. Please, you can go as my boyfriend.”
“What?” He looked at her, surprised.
“Okay, I was kidding.” She tried to backtrack feeling awkward.
“No, you weren’t.” He mocked.
“Fine. I wasn’t kidding, and for a second, I thought you could save me from all the pitiful looks I will be getting later tonight.” She hid her face in her hands, feeling embarrassed.
“Hey, I have no plans, and if you want me to go, I’ll go.”
“As my boyfriend?” She looked at him, desperately.
“I don’t understand why you look so eager for me to go, but sure, I can be your boyfriend for tonight.” He winked, and a shiver passed through her. She dismissed it as excitement for avoiding the pity looks.
She could not wait to see the look on the faces of those who had, at one point, started all kinds of rumors about her. Crazy ones.
Chapter 4
Nitesh and Tara spent the rest of the drive discussing the details of their setup as her boyfriend for the evening. He took in the excitement in her beautiful eyes wondering why a woman as interesting as her had so many insecurities. How could a bold confession as a high school girl ruin her reputation? He could not wait to spend the rest of the evening with her as her boyfriend—fake boyfriend.
When he decided to take time off, he had thought about spending time alone, strategizing, but he didn’t mind attending the party with her.
He stiffened when she suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck, nuzzling his ear and whispered, “Showtime, and I can’t wait to see the look on their faces when I show up with a handsome hunk. Sorry if this is inconvenient, but just for this evening.”
There was laughter in her voice, no longer the nervousness he had heard earlier, and he smiled as she pulled back to look into his eyes. “When a beautiful woman like you holds me so close, how is that an inconvenience?”
The intensity in his eyes made her cheeks flare, but she brushed it away with a smile. “You don’t need to flirt with me.”
“Maybe I do since you will be single after this party.” He smiled leaning in close to her, so close that her lungs were filled with his musky cologne.
She looked into his eyes questioning his intentions, and he said, “Am I allowed to kiss my girlfriend?”
She nodded, lowering her eyes as she turned her face to offer him her cheek and said, “Yes.”
She felt his warm breath on her cheek before he grazed his lips over her skin, making it tingle. “Again, I cannot believe you’re single.”
She laughed, pulling back from him, not wanting the moment to become any more intense. “You’ll probably know why after being with me this evening.”
“I can’t wait to spend the evening with you.” He smirked.
“Right, let’s go.”
Tara enjoyed every shocked expression she saw in the eyes of the folks who were attending the party that night, but she was yet to see the guy she had dreaded facing—Chetan.
As she walked by the pool with Nitesh in tow, she held her chin high, and her hips swayed with a flare they never had before. She found herself feeling so much more confident as she continued to walk.
“Tara, you made it!” She heard her friend squeal from the other side of the pool, and more eyes fell on her making her want to jump with joy. Not because she cared what they thought about her but for two other reasons—Nitesh being there was like egg on the faces of the people who felt sorry for her thinking she was heartbroken over the groom’s best friend and also to those morons who had started the rumors about her becoming a lesbian because she could not get Chetan’s love.
In your face, people. In your face!
“Tara, what a surprise?” Her best friend and the bride-to-be acknowledged.
“This is Nitesh, and Nitesh, this is my best friend, Madhuri.” Tara smiled.
“Call me Madhu.” Her best friend beamed at Nitesh and did googly eyes at Tara.
“Lively party, Madhu, and congratulations on your upcoming wedding.” Nitesh shook hands with her friend.
“So glad you could come. If you could excuse us just for a moment.” Madhu did not wait for a response from Nitesh or let Tara’s objections stop her.
Madhu pushed through the people in her path as she dragged Tara with her to the other end of the pool where it was less crowded. “Who is that?”
“He is…”
“Oh my God, is
this the same guy you were going to meet a few weeks ago?”
“Huh?” Tara had no idea what Madhu was talking about, but in her frenzy, she nodded.
“I’m so glad you met him. I am not upset with you anymore for skipping wedding saree shopping with me,” Madhu squealed, and Tara remembered the day she was on the home stretch of her story and could not afford to step away from the manuscript for shopping. She felt a pang of guilt for lying to her best friend for keeping so many secrets from her, including what she really wrote for a living.
“He is so hot… Oh my God, I mean handsome,” Madhu said, laughing.
Tara shook her head, smiling. “You can call a guy hot even if you’re getting married.”
“Look at these girls gawking at him.” Madhu laughed.
“Well… he is hot,” Tara said it almost absentmindedly, unable to avert her eyes from him, but she was bubbling with joy on the inside. “Let’s go. Looks like your fiancé found my boyfriend.”
“It’s going to be fun.” Madhu laughed, and Tara could not agree more. It felt good to be a girlfriend to a guy who made all the women at the party look at her like they wanted to be her.
Chapter 5
“Tara, your secret is out,” Karan said, winking at her as he handed Nitesh a bottle of beer.
Her heart dropped to her stomach wondering if Karan and Nitesh knew each other before, and her story was going to fall apart.
She managed to smile back and said, “You mean Nitesh?”
Karan wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “We finally get to meet your secret boyfriend.”
Tara smiled, her eyes locking with Nitesh’s eyes which were fixed on her face, even as he took a sip of his drink. “Wasn’t trying to be secretive. Nitesh travels a lot.”
“You guys, go freshen up. The event organizer should be here any minute.” Madhu walked away, dragging Karan with her.
She looked up at Nitesh, feeling awkward, especially when she could feel everyone’s eyes, hidden behind their sunglasses, on them. “I don’t know why they are all looking at you like that.”