• ADVIKA •

“If you still think that I'm those girls who read about some super-clumsy, ultra innocent and hopeless female lead waiting for a bad boy millionaire to sweep off her feet, don't wait and just fuck off.”

I had my expression as straight as it is iconic while saying these to Aarvi, who kept pestering me to read a stupid, unrealistic billionaire romance on Wattpad.

“Ugh, Advika! Who made your heart so hard? Get a life, girl! These are the trending books. Try them out for me, please!” Aarvi begged and sat on the empty leather chair next to mine as I shifted my focus back to my stack of files.

“Suicides are getting trending as well. Want to try?” I didn't shift my focus as I did last time. “Listen, Aarvi. We're here at the workplace. We're interns, not slackers.”

“Yeah, I know.” My third eye sensed her eyes rolling at me as she rolled the chair to 45 degrees, which later came to a halt with a bump on my elbow. “Hey, look.”

“What the fuck is it this time?” I groaned and tried to look up, but I didn't.

“Uh, it's your Romeo this time, Miss Juliet Capulet.” As I sensed the core meaning behind Aarvi's sarcastically professional tone, I translated them in my head and looked up at the six-foot bureau in front of my cubicle.

Translation: Your boyfriend Harsh Mathur is here to give a dose of torture.

“Hi, sweetheart.” Harsh had his iron-like grip on my cubicle as the look in his eyes did not scream romance. “Good morning.”

“Good morning, Harsh.” I had finally got the guts to greet the guy who's almost four years older than me. “What's up?”

“Ummm… Are you free this evening?”

As if this Mr Son Of My Boss would leave me alone if I tell him that tons of assignments and gazillions of books are waiting for me to be done.

“Yeah,” was all I could manage for that bare minimum boyfriend of mine. “Why?”

“Don't ask.” I wouldn't have considered it a playful statement even if he had a charming smile that could defeat Leonardo DiCaprio. “You'll know.” Letting the two-seconds-long awkward silence pass through us, he greeted, ‘’See you, sweetheart!”

As Aarvi knew he was out of earshot, she asked, “Why does he look like he's taking you out on a bookstore date?” with a “I know where you're up to” grin.

“That individual factor doesn't make him a green flag on the whole, Miss Khanna,” I sniggered and shifted my focus to the stack of files.

***

“You're right, Aarvi. He has taken me out on a bookstore date,” I muttered over the phone, walking down the Fiction section, emphasizing on the word “has”.

“See? I told you. I still believe that he's a green flag, Advika. It takes time for him to show off his emotions.” Aarvi went on her Moment Number 867 on “Harsh Is A Green Flag”.

“No green flag would care too less about their girlfriend's well-being. At least, that's what Wes Bennett didn't do to his lady love.”

“Ah, I wish you had at least a little amount of that enthusiasm on my Christian Harper. He's a Twisted man, for fuck's sake.” Not again, Aarvi.

“Oh, please fuck your beloved Christian Harper at Delulu and leave me in peace at Trululu, will—”

“Advika!” My beloved man had successfully managed to get right through my banter with my friend, which means that I have to go. “Advika, are you there or what?”

“Wait a minute, Harsh!” I shouted back and shifted my focus to Aarvi while jogging towards him at the Romance section. “Aarvi, I think I have to—”

“I understand, Advika. Call me later. Enjoy your date, sweetheart.”

I stuffed my mobile back to my sling bag as I reached Harsh.

“What is it?” I may look like an enthusiastic teacher's pet, but mentally, I was a super-depressed girl.

“Look at this.” He pointed his chin at a book he was holding, with a toothy smile that made him look like Joker.

And, I was holding the book he held previously: the olive green coloured cover with a guy holding a girl's hand was staring back at me. My eyes landed on the golden words (no, the sentence had gold as its font colour).

“A treat for all Netflix lovers.” — Nina Roy, bestselling author of Sleeping With The Enemy

You Belong With Me

A National Bestseller by Aadya Chatterjee.

Aadya Chatterjee is the IT Author of the “I Read Only Underrated Books” fanbase. People like me either don't care much about her or are too busy to invest time on her books.

But, then… How did SHE become a National Bestseller? Looks like our readers got a good taste there.

I flipped the book to the back cover to read the blurb. If I buy a book, 55% is because of the cover and 45% is because of the blurb.

Maahi Sharma, the second-generation Indo-Italian and an aspiring architect from Milan, has no other motive except winning her college football team's goalkeeper and celebrated hottie Enzo Calderno's heart.

After a multitude of failed attempts, she had no other choice, except to strike a “Fake Date” deal with Ishaan Ahuja, Maahi's number one in her shit list and Enzo's friend.

What follows is a bunch of drama, hearts tied together in strings, and cheesy moments, making Maahi reconsider her romantic choices.

Ugh, dude! I have read Better Than The Movies multiple times more than Lynn Painter had ever done. I wasn't surprised that Harsh has such an awful taste.

“Harsh, I know this book is—”

He, like always, interrupted me with a nice, “This book looks great, right?” That wasn't an opinion. That was a circular for me to accept that book.

“Yeah. I was about to tell you that to you. Thank you so much for buying me this,” I replied with a… Warm smile, obviously! Am I supposed to split up with him by having a long face?

“Very good, sweetheart!”

Who said that nicknames can be romantic? It can be scary as well.

***

“So, are you telling me that this is the Indian version of that Netflix romcom-esque book?” Aarvi spilled out the million dollar-question my cerebellum had been avoiding for a long time, her eyes eyeing at the book as if it was some seaweed. And yeah, the olive green cover undoubtedly resembled seaweed.

“Yeah.” My nose scrunched at the fact that I had accepted that book from my “boyfriend”.

“Shame on your ass, Advika! I thought you had a good taste.”

“When did I say that I have one?”

Proof? My boyfriend is a red flag. My best friend is a dumbass. And me? I am the donkey carrying these useless weights.

“Fine,” Aarvi sighed like an old man breathing his last breath and added, “Are you going to read this?”

How does a dummy manage to ask brilliant questions out of the blue? Ask Aarvi Khanna— she has the best answers.

“Let me just give it a shot.” Even without looking in the mirror, I knew that I looked like a chainsmoker promising to smoke for one last time despite knowing that he will smoke again the very next day.

***

It was 2 AM. Crickets were humming in the naked night sky. Sounds of vehicle wheels screeching the bumpy road were seldom heard. Ghosts were reportedly having sex in their graveyards. Depressed people were lying on their beds, wondering why orange fruit is orange in colour. Competitive exam aspirants had almost lost their minds while trying to mug books double their weight.

And me? I flushed my sleeping cycle down the commode while discovering whether Ishaan Ahuja is a green flag.

And yes, it was all worth it.

Aarvi would definitely call me shameless if I told her that Ishaan is at the top of my “Best Book Boyfriends” List.

Wait! I guess, Ishaan will hold all the places in this list for sure.

And, no wonder why Aadya Chatterjee got recognition this time. Her writing skills are top notch that these low-class, so-called “authors” must bow down to her. All that I wished for was that this book deserved global recognition.

For the first time in fourteen months, I was glad that I had Harsh in my life. Who else could have forced me to buy this gem if not him?

Aarvi had finally woken up with a startle, seeing me sitting next to her as if I was possessed.

“Shit! You scared me, bitch,” she sighed like a baby springing to life and raised, “What is it this time?”

“Dude,” I looked back at her with a hopeless romantic grin and squealed, “Why don't men like him exist in real life?”

“It's okay, bro. At least you have Harsh.” She looked back at me as if to tell me that she will cry soon. And she did. “But, I have nobody. Why, God, why? Don't I deserve men?”

“It's okay, dude. Your situation is infinitely better than mine. It's better not to have a boyfriend than to have a guy like that douchebag Harsh,” I scowled and glanced at Page Number 336 of that book, where Ishaan runs to the airport to see Maahi for one last time. “But still, Ishaan deserves better.”

“Better, as in?”

“I don't know. But, definitely not Maahi,” I said with a sigh while I heard a feeble sound of fake-cry. I looked up, and I had zero doubts about who it could be.

“You filthy whore! You just dropped the spoiler, bitch!” Aarvi's shrill tone reached millions of decibels at the end of the sentence with a dozen of dozen slaps as complimentary gifts to me.

“Oh, stop pretending like those goody-two-shoes! You were the one to tell me that A Good Girl's Guide To Murder series ends with a cliffhanger.”

“At least, you saw that coming. But, who told me that Josh Chen won't forgive Jules for stealing the painting?”

“I was too traumatized by that, hence I needed a vent-out. You didn't tell me that you had just started Twisted Hate back then.”

“Okay, let's stop right here.” Aarvi raised her hands like an accused trying to surrender and added, “When will you give me the book?”

“When you promise me that you'll not mark Ishaan as your book boyfriend.” I crossed my arms while hugging the book.

“Fine. Give me the book. I'll swear right now,’’ she agreed, giving me a bombastic side eye and an annoyed scowl.

“Good.”

“I, Aarvi Khanna, solemnly swear from the core of my heart that Ishaan Ahuja, male protagonist of You Belong With Me by Aadya Chatterjee, will remain as a brotherly and friendly figure to me. I will never simp on him since he is currently in my best friend Advika Bansal's heart. I also assure that I will take care of Advika's wedding expenses in the future if I lay my eyes on him.”

***

Here we go with the first chapter of "invisible string". Don't go anywhere else, because I have got FIVE MORE CHAPTERS for my beloved readers.

How was the first chapter? Was it good? What do you think about Advika and Aarvi? What about Harsh? How do you think Ishaan will be?

Oh, wait! I forgot to tell you this. The next chapter will be out in Ishaan's POV.

Get ready, peeps!