“We tell them the truth,” Akash said simply. “I won’t lie to Keya and Kabier. Not that they’d believe me if I told them that you and I suddenly fell in love and decided to get married. I don’t want our loved ones forming opinions about either of us because of this. They need to know why we’re doing it.”
“Fair,” Shauna concurred. “That’s what I want as well.”
He looked her squarely in the eyes. “But to the rest of the world, we act like we’re a real couple. Always. Once we do this, we cannot in any way show the world that we are at odds with each other.”
She nodded. “Alright.”
“And with that, we come to the final point on your list: intimacy and personal boundaries.”
Her cheeks reddened prettily, and he smiled. This was the part neither of them could treat like a business discussion, no matter how hard they tried.
She swallowed, looking away from him for a moment before meeting his eyes again. “I want separate bedrooms.”
“For how long?” Akash asked.
Her cheeks darkened even more.
“This is a contract marriage, Akash,” she finally said.
“I’m aware,” he replied. “But I want more. At least I want to try for more.”
A small breath escaped her lips. “What does that mean?”
He set the sheet down and looked at her.
“We’ve been at odds for a long time, Shauna,” he said quietly. “Too long. I want a clean slate with you. A new start. I want a chance to rewrite whatever flawed past we have and build something better.”
She immediately stiffened.
“This marriage,” he continued, “means we’ll live together. We’ll show up together. To the world, we’ll have to portray the image of a happily married couple.” He paused. “Instead of trying to fake that for years, we can at least try to make it real.”
Her mouth opened and closed, but she didn’t say a word.
“I’m not asking for promises,” he added. “Or feelings you don’t have. I’m asking for effort. For honesty. I want to give this marriage a genuine shot. I’m also not saying we jump into bedimmediately. I’m saying we enter this with a clear commitment to try to make it work.”
She shook her head.
“No,” Shauna said too quickly. “I can’t do it.”
“Why?” He rose from his chair. “Marriage is supposed to mean commitment. Not just on paper. For real. So why can’t you make a real commitment to me? Do you hate me that much?”
“Yes,” she snapped, pushing to her feet. He saw the nervous tremble in her fingers as she ran them through her hair. The way her eyes refused to meet his.
“Look at me,” he ordered.
When her dark eyes finally met his, he moved a step closer. “You’re far too sensible not to see that me inheriting all this wasn’t my fault. Isn’t that one of the reasons you agreed to this marriage? To me, that already means you don’t hate me. Because if you did, you wouldn’t be here negotiating the terms of a marriage with me.”
“No,” she said. “That’s not true.”
He tilted his head, his lips curving. “Or is it that you want to hate me because you’re afraid to feel more for me? That if you remain close to me, I’ll make you feel everything you keep running from.”
Her breath caught.
“No,” she said, but her tone lacked conviction.
“Alright, then tell me how many men you’ve been with since Singapore? Have you even gone out on a date with anyone else?”
“I’ve gone out on several dates,” she said.
