Daisy shook her head and turned away, pulling her hands from his. “No. No, I can’t— I just can’t, Arvil,” she breathed, squeezing shut her stinging eyes. “We’re done. Okay? No more pretending. No more faking it. We’re just done.”
Arvil looked at her like he was seeing her for the first time. Did she really mean that? Was she truly… ah, that meant Gavril’s threat was over. She didn’t need him anymore, did she?
“Do you mean that?” He asked softly, hoping she’d say no.
Daisy sighed, tearing a hand through her hair and staring toward the kitchen. Anything to avoid meeting his eyes… But she had to for this, so she dragged them back to him, trying not to let her pain show in them.
“Yes,” she whispered. No…
Arvil wanted to say no. He wanted to plead to her to change her mind. He didn’t want to cancel the engagement. He really didn’t want to. But she wanted it. He couldn’t change her mind.
“Okay,” he finally said, noticing the slight pain in her eyes. If she didn’t want to do this… then why was she? What did he do to make her react that way? “No more pretending, then. I suppose I’ll take the ring back, unless you want to keep it?”
Daisy opened her mouth to say something, then closed it as she looked down at her hand. She really didn’t want to give it back, but it would just be a painful reminded of what she almost had… Even if that was fake. The friendship she had grown to have with him was real enough, right? It was real. It had to be real.
She let out a slow breath, cursing herself when it shook, and pulled off the ring. She stared at it for a moment before holding it out to him, willing her hand not to shake.
Arvil stared at her, her shaking hand, and sighed. He gently closed her hand into a fist and pushed it to her.
“Keep it,” he murmured, not removing his hand from hers. “Can I ask a question?”
“No. Take it, please,” Daisy whispered, shaking her head and steadying her hand. She looked down at their hands before turning her gaze up to him. “What?”
“Never mind,” Arvil shook his head, picking up the ring and looking at it. “I got my answer. Goodbye, Daisy. If you ever need me… I’ll always be available.”
Daisy nodded and wrapped her arms around herself. “Goodbye, Arvil,” she murmured, dropping her eyes again.
Arvil turned his back on her and shook his head, walking off to his car. He quickly brought the engine to life before driving off. When he was a good distance away from her apartment, he parked his car, punched the steering wheel and growled in frustration.
What was he doing? How stupid was he to wanting to ask that question? It wasn’t real. None of it was.
Daisy watched him walk down the hallway until he disappeared through a door, and then she shut her door quietly. Once it was closed and locked, she rested her forehead against it, then turned around to slide down it. She buried her face in her knees, which she had pulled up to her chest. Then she hanged her head back against the door. Hard.
“Such an idiot… Such an idiot!” she cried, feeling tears spill over her cheeks.
[TIME SKIP: A MONTH]
The entire month was absolute torture. The news of their breakup had spread throughout the entire company, and Arvil didn’t even need to pretend to be unhappy. He was unhappy. He missed her stupid laugh. He missed the dumb sparkle in her eyes, the way she snorted slightly whenever she laughed, or the way her nose scrunched whenever she encountered something she disliked. He missed her rose-vanilla scent. He missed her.
His employees were careful of his ill temper. They let him dwell into the bad side of the breakup, though they were relieved he didn’t let it affect his performance. If anything, he’d gotten a lot more… concentrated. Anything to get his mind off of Daisy, he did it. Even if it meant spending his nights working. Anything to keep himself busy.
Daisy didn’t handle it quite as well as Arvil did. While he distracted himself with his work, she drowned her sorrows in chocolate, caramel-fudge ice cream, and Netflix. That lasted about a week before she got in trouble at work. After that, she focused more on her writing. And caramel-fudge ice cream.
A couple of weeks after the breakup, her parents started talking to her about marriage. Again. With Gavril, of all people. It hurt to even think about it, but what could she do? She couldn’t fake an engagement again, nor after she had seen how that worked for her the last time. So she just let it slide, and she would do so until she was pressed to do something about it. For now, though, she was safe.
“Sir?” Arvil looked up to meet Noah’s. The assistant set a glass of mango milkshake and a box of fried chicken on his table, which his boss ignored. “Your father wishes to have a word with you.”
This was terrible. This was beyond terrible. His father, who had noticed Arvil’s change in behavior, had grown worried. Unfortunately for Arvil, that meant he wanted Arvil to get married. The bad part? Arvil didn’t want to get married. He had yet to get over his crush on Daisy.
“I seriously don’t know what he’s thinking,” Arvil sighed, his face on his desk. “Does he really think encouraging me to get married to one of his friend’s daughter would make my depressed state disappear?”
“You could always ask for her help,” Noah flipped through a report. “Daisy’s. Have her marry you.”
Arvil stared at Noah as if he had grown three heads.
That evening, Daisy was sitting at her desk as she worked on an article, a pint of her favorite ice cream in her lap. She scooped a bite into her mouth and typed up another note into her laptop. As she looked over the rest of the notes, she hummed, then took down a few more.
A knock sounded and the door, and she glanced over at it curiously. She swallowed her mouthful of ice cream before calling, “Just a minute!” And then she cleaned up after herself, pulling her hair back into a ponytail.
As she stepped out of her room, she remembered a very similar situation that had happened not long ago. The thought made her pause, blink a couple of times, then shake her head and cross the room to the door. Upon opening it, though, she was greeted by the one person she thought she would never run into again.
“Arvil… What are you doing here?” she asked, curious and trying not to be rude.
Though Noah had been joking (probably), Arvil took his words rather seriously. He could ask Daisy to marry him. Not pretend to be engaged. A fake marriage, though he wanted it to be more. He didn’t think she would say yes. Of course she wouldn’t. Why get married to someone and then becoming a divorcée not long after? But he had to try. He missed her.
So Arvil found himself at her door, nervous. Their… breakup was not pleasant. She’d accused him of doing something, but hadn’t told him what. He had later found out through one of his employees. Apparently, the day his ex had decided to visit, Daisy had been there. That meant she had seen the kiss. And the fact that she had been upset about it… Arvil shook that thought away. He wanted to tell her so many times, but she didn’t want anything to do with him, so he didn’t bother clearing up the misunderstanding.
But now he was at her door, asking for her help instead of the other way around. And when she opened the door, Arvil realized just how much he had missed her. That look in her eyes, the way her groomed eyebrows quirked up smoothly, her lips—extremely kissable lips—pursed together. And her voice, however cold it may be. He had missed it. He had missed all of her.
“I need your help,” he found himself saying. “Hear me out. Please.”
Daisy crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe, making him take a step back into the hall so she could do so. She had to admit, seeing him again after all his time… It might have brought up some unwanted memories, but it also pulled up others, too. Like when she would bring him lunch. Or when she interviewed him at the cafe.
“Help you? With what…?” she asked tentatively.
Arvil took a step back, rubbing the back of his neck. Now that he was here… what was he supposed to say? He couldn’t outright ask her to marry him. She’d refuse. But he had no other option.
So Arvil closed his eyes and sighed before he looked up to meet her eyes again.
“Marry me,” he said, pausing before continuing. “I know it sounds bizarre. We… broke up just a month ago, but I need your help. I need to avoid a marriage. Or possible other marriages.”
Her jaw dropped. She shut her mouth as quickly as it had opened, but still… Marry him? What in the world?
“Arvil… Are you being serious right now?” she whispered in question, her brows drawing together as her lips pursed again.
Arvil winced slightly, already having anticipated that reaction. But she hadn’t said no. Not yet, at least.
“Please, Daisy,” he tried again. “I can’t ask anyone else. There’s no one else.”
“Like… like actually marry you? Officially? Not just— just a fake engagement?” Daisy breathed, letting out a long sigh. Maybe his would help with her Gavril situation… “Okay. I’ll marry you, then. I… need to get out of a similar situation…”
“Yes. Officially. Not just a fake engagement,” Arvil looked relieved when she said yes, but her next words made his face darken. “Garbage. Again?”
“That’s not even close, and you know it,” Daisy said with a roll of her eyes, fighting back a smile. “But… yes. Him again.”
“C’mon, Daisy, we both know he deserves that name,” Arvil said with a shrug. “Just as we both know you’re fighting off that smile.”
Daisy scoffed, but she let her smile come out a little, shaking her head at his words. “Okay… Married, then…”