Chapter 11

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Vihaan's Pov:

10 days later...

As I glanced at my phone screen, seeing Anchal's name flashing across it, a surge of nerves fluttered in my stomach. She was the woman I couldn't get out of my mind, and the mere thought of asking her out for dinner had circled my thoughts endlessly. She texted me asking to meet for lunch, my heart started racing with excitement. This was the perfect opportunity to ask her out for dinner! But I needed a good excuse. I quickly typed back, "Let me check my schedule." Then, without wasting a moment, I turned to Kabir, my trusty secretary, and said, "Kabir, cancel my lunch meeting. I have something important to attend to."

Kabir looked at me wide-eyed, clearly taken aback by my sudden decision. "But Vihaan sir, you have a meeting with the HR department in half an hour. Are you sure you want to cancel your lunch for this?"

I nodded firmly, trying to hide my nerves. "Yes, Kabir. Reschedule the HR meeting for later."

Kabir hesitated for a moment, but then nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. "Alright, sir. I'll take care of it right away."

As Kabir hurried off to make the necessary arrangements, I couldn't help but feel a surge of anticipation. This lunch with Anchal could be the start of something special. And if all went well, maybe I wouldn't need excuses anymore to ask her out for dinner.

As soon as I cleared my schedule, I quickly texted Anchal that I was free for lunch and asked where we should meet. She promptly replied with the location of a restaurant that was midway for both of us and suggested meeting up in the next 30 minutes. I replied with a simple "Sure" and then rushed to get ready.

In the bathroom, I checked my reflection, making sure I looked presentable, and fixed my hair. Satisfied with my appearance, I left for the restaurant, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness.

Once I arrived, I confidently entered the restaurant and approached the hostess, asking for a reservation under Anchal Kapoor. The hostess, a young woman with a flirtatious smile, batted her eyelashes at me and said, "Oh, Anchal Kapoor? She's already here. Right this way, sir." I followed her, trying to maintain my composure despite her obvious attempts at flirting. As she led me to Anchal's table, I couldn't help but feel a surge of anticipation at the prospect of spending time with her.

As I sat down, Anchal glanced up from her phone and quickly set it aside. She then looked at the hostess, giving her a forced smile and thanking her in a sickly sweet tone. I couldn't help but chuckle at her reaction, causing the hostess to blush and scurry away, clearly embarrassed for getting caught trying to flirt. Anchal turned to me and said, "Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice."

I smiled at her and replied, "No issues. I would meet with you whenever and wherever you want me to meet," though in my mind, I wanted to add "forever" to that statement.

Anchal then mentioned that Aadhya Di and Yash Jiju wanted to plan a joint bachelor/bachelorette party, and since Yash Bhai had mentioned I was his best man, she thought we could get together and plan it out. My heart sank at her words. I had thought Anchal had asked me out for lunch because she wanted to spend time with me, but it seemed like it was just about the party.

Trying to hide my disappointment, I replied, "Oh, I had completely forgotten about the bachelor trip. Sure, we can plan it out together."

Anchal nodded, seemingly oblivious to my inner turmoil, and started discussing possible ideas for the party. I forced myself to focus on the conversation, pushing aside my own feelings for the sake of our friendship. But deep down, I couldn't shake off the disappointment of realizing that our lunch wasn't a date after all.

Anchal smiled and said, "We are going on a girls' trip first, and then we can do the joint trip, what say?"

I replied, "Yea, sure. I was also thinking we could do a boys' trip and then the joint trip."

"Cool," Anchal responded, "where are you guys planning to go on the boys' trip?"

Before I could answer, she added, "Please don't say Vegas because I'm sure Di will skin you alive if you take Jiju to Vegas for your trip."

I chuckled and replied, "Well, now I have to search for a new place. What about you guys? Where are you planning to go?"

Anchal replied with a mischievous wink, "Either Hawaii or Italy, as Aadhya Di loves beaches and Italian food, and I love Italian men."

I couldn't help but laugh at her antics and said, "The boys will go to Spain, like in the movie Zindagi Na Milegi Doobara."

Anchal laughed along with me and said, "Good. So where should we go as a whole group?"

"If you guys go to Italy, then we could go to some European country," I suggested.

"Great," Anchal replied, "we could go to Greece or Monaco, as I have homes in both places. It will be easier to navigate."

I was shell-shocked by her revelation, and Anchal chuckled, telling me to close my mouth to avoid attracting flies.

"How do you have a house in both Greece and Monaco?" I finally managed to ask.

Anchal explained, "Well, Greece is my all-time favorite country to visit, and Monaco because I'm a huge F1 fan."

I was still shocked and couldn't form a sentence, so Anchal continued, "My house in Greece can accommodate up to 15 people, but my Monaco house can fit only 8 people. We could use Jay's house in Monaco, which will also fit approximately 8 people. We live in two different apartment complexes, but it's like beside each other, so it's fine."

As Anchal went on about the logistics of the trip, I couldn't help but admire her. When she finished talking, she looked at me expectantly for an answer. Caught up in my thoughts, I didn't respond, so she prompted me again, "Vihaan, how many people are coming on the trip?"

Shaking myself out of my reverie, I replied, "I don't know. We will have to ask Yash Bhai."

Hey guys! I'm back with another update. Hope you are enjoying the story so far.

Remember to show some love with votes, shares, and your wonderful comments. Let me know how you like it. Thank you for reading this.

Love,

ARAK xoxo

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