Rumour spread faster than WiFi

Location: Saraswati Global Academy – Main Hall
The second Rhea walked into school, she was greeted like a celebrity bride.
Students clapped. Some threw rose petals. One even played a shaadi song on portable speakers.
A glittery banner stretched across the hallway:
> “Congrats to the President & His Patni!”


(Patni = Wife)
She froze.
Then spotted Aarav Malhotra walking through the crowd, perfectly calm. As if being married to his rival wasn’t a campus-level crisis.
“Morning, Mrs. Malhotra,” he said, sipping his thermos chai with infuriating poise.
“I will use that thermos to knock sense into you,” she hissed.
“Such passionate affection,” he replied. “Classic honeymoon phase.”
Phones clicked. Students whispered. TikTokers posed in the background.
“Ugh, I can’t breathe,” she muttered, dragging him away by the arm.
“Careful,” Aarav deadpanned. “You're holding your husband's hand in public.”

---
Location: Principal Mehra’s Office – 9:07 AM
“You two… are married?” Principal Mehra asked again, blinking at the certificate displayed on his monitor.
Rhea threw up her hands. “It was an accident!”
Aarav nodded. “But technically valid under the Delhi Youth Civic Companion Act—Section 9, clause 3.”
“You memorized that?” Rhea gawked.
“Read it over breakfast,” he said.
Mehra sighed like he aged three years in one minute.
“Look,” he said, “your civic partnership is temporary—twelve months, maximum. Until then, you’re bound by school protocol to act as a united couple in official roles.”
Rhea’s jaw dropped. “You want us to fake marriage our way through this school year?!”
“Not fake,” Mehra corrected. “Just... embrace the optics.”
“Sir, I request to be temporarily declared legally unconscious.”
“Noted. Denied.”

---
Location: School Cafeteria – 12:25 PM
By lunchtime, the entire school had gone mad.
Their usual table had a hand-painted “Reserved for President & Wife” sign. Pink balloons floated above it. Someone had placed a small wedding cake replica next to the samosas.
Rhea stared at it.
“I don’t know whether to eat it or cry,” she mumbled.
Aarav poked it. “It’s spongey. Probably edible.”
Zoya slid in with a tray of fries and a grin. “You two are viral! Your booth wedding has 2.3K likes on the school site alone!”
Rhea groaned. “We’re trending for all the wrong reasons.”
“Honestly,” Zoya said, biting into a fry, “it’s kind of romantic. Like that drama where the CEO marries the intern to protect a secret company alliance?”
Rhea looked deadpan. “I am the intern in that metaphor?”
“No, babe. You're the whole plot twist.”

---
Location: Student Council Room – 4:00 PM
Finally alone.
Rhea shut the door and took a deep breath. “We need rules.”
“Rules?” Aarav repeated, raising a brow.
“Yes. A Fake Couple Pact.”
“Sounds childish.”
“It’s necessary.” She held up three fingers. “Rule One: Act normal in public. Rule Two: No flirting. Rule Three: No real feelings. Ever.”
Aarav folded his arms. “You forgot Rule Four: Don't break the first three rules.”
“…Fine. Rule Four: No catching feelings. Ever.”
They stared at each other in stubborn silence.
Then he extended his hand. “Deal.”
She hesitated… then shook it.
Their fingers brushed.
And for one brief second, everything paused.
Then Rhea yanked her hand away. “We are so doomed.”

---
Location: Girl’s Hostel Rooftop – Late Evening
The sun was setting behind the high-rise dorms. Rhea leaned on the railing in her hoodie, sipping on a cup of hostel chai.
Behind her, quiet footsteps approached.
She didn’t need to turn. “I’m still mad at you.”
Aarav stood beside her, holding his own chai. “You say that like it’s new.”
They watched the orange clouds roll past the Delhi skyline.
“My parents still don’t know,” Rhea said quietly.
“They will,” Aarav replied. “Eventually.”
“And when they do?”
He took a sip. “We’ll deal with it. One glitch at a time.”
She glanced at him. “I still think you enjoy this.”
“I enjoy watching you panic. It’s therapeutic.”
She smiled, just a little.
Then sipped her tea and whispered, “For what it’s worth… thanks. For not making it worse.”
He shrugged. “That’s what husbands are for, right?”
She stared.
He walked away.
And Rhea stood there, heart racing—because this fake marriage?
Might just become way too real.