The car ride was smooth. Akansha sat in the back seat, arms crossed and shooting glances at the driver. "I swear, your voice sounds so familiar," she mumbled, narrowing her eyes at the figure behind the wheel.
The driver, still wearing oversized sunglasses, a fake moustache, and a ridiculously deep voice, cleared their throat and replied, "Ma'am, please enjoy the ride. There's no need for suspicion."
Akansha huffed, leaning back. "Weirdest Uber driver ever."
Little did she know, her 'Uber driver' was internally dying. Sneha was gripping the steering wheel so hard to suppress her laughter that her knuckles turned white. Back at the mall, Komal and Siddarth were probably rolling on the floor. This was too good.
Finally, the car arrived at Sevilla, one of the most romantic fine-dining spots in New Delhi. The venue looked like something out of a movie—fairy lights twinkled in the canopy above, flickering candles illuminated the white-draped tables, and a soft breeze carried the scent of fresh flowers and delicious food. The ambience was enchanting, intimate, and perfect for what was about to happen.
Akansha stepped out of the car, still in awe of the place. "Okay, maybe Aarav does know how to plan a date," she thought.
Sneha, still in her ridiculous disguise, gave a stiff nod and muttered, "Yes, yes. Very romantic. Now, go."
Akansha turned to glare at her. "You sound like you're reading from a script."
"NO TALKING, MA'AM. LEAVE NOW," Sneha barked before zooming off with a screech that made Akansha jump. "What the hell—"
But before she could finish, a handsomely dressed Aarav emerged from inside, wearing a classic black suit paired with a dark navy dress shirt, no tie, looking effortlessly dashing. His eyes lit up when he saw her.
"Wow… you look… breathtaking," he murmured, his gaze softening as he took her in.
Akansha, who was already fuming from the suspicious driver, blinked at him. "You clean up nice, too."
Aarav chuckled. "Come on, let's go inside."
...
Meanwhile, just a few tables away, six heavily disguised figures sat, pretending to be completely normal customers.
Shumaila was wearing a floppy sunhat, oversized glasses, and a shawl wrapped around her like an old lady.
Hamza, A fake beard, a ridiculous fedora, and reading a menu upside-down.
Komal had on a wig that was three shades lighter than her real hair and wore massive hoop earrings.
Siddarth, looking suspicious as hell with a hoodie, shades, and a fake newspaper that had holes cut out for his eyes.
Sneha, Fresh from her Uber driver disguise, now dons a trench coat and a completely unnecessary French beret.
Rudra, A literal fake moustache that was peeling off because he kept sipping his drink.
They were the worst spies in history.
"Why do we look like a bunch of criminals?" Hamza hissed.
"Shh! This is called blending in," Sneha whispered back.
Siddarth peeked over his newspaper. "I think we're doing the opposite of blending in. That waiter has been looking at us for five minutes straight."
Shumaila rolled her eyes. "Shut up and just watch. The moment is coming."
Aarav and Akansha had settled into their table, enjoying the candlelit dinner. They talked about everything, their internships, college, and funny childhood stories. Aarav made sure Akansha was smiling throughout. But even as the dinner progressed, she couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off.
It wasn't until she caught a glimpse of a certain floppy sunhat at a nearby table that something nagged at her.
She paused, her eyes narrowing slightly, but before she could think too deeply about it, Aarav reached for her hand, bringing her attention back to him.
"Hey, are you with me?" he asked softly.
Akansha turned back to him, nodding. "Yeah, sorry. Got distracted."
Aarav smiled and squeezed her hand. "Good, because I have something important to say."
After dinner, a soft tune began playing from the speakers. A beautiful, slow melody filled the air as couples got up for a dance.
Aarav stood up and extended his hand. "Dance with me?"
Akansha hesitated. "I don't really—"
"You don't have to be perfect," Aarav reassured her. "Just follow my lead."
And so, she did.
As they swayed gently under the warm glow of the lights, Aarav took a deep breath. The moment had come.
"Akansha…" he murmured, pulling back slightly to meet her eyes. "I've liked you for so long. And this past year, I've fallen for you even more. You are everything I never knew I needed, and I don't want to spend another day pretending I don't feel this way."
Akansha's breath hitched.
Aarav got down on one knee, pulling out a silver promise ring with a small diamond in the centre.
"Will you be my girlfriend?"
For the first time, Akansha was speechless. Her heart pounded. The sincerity in his eyes, the effort he put into this—her throat tightened.
With teary eyes, she nodded. "Yes."
Aarav grinned, sliding the ring onto her finger.
And that's when the worst spies in the world erupted in cheers.
"YES! FINALLY!" Sneha screamed, yanking off her wig.
"WE DID IT!" Komal clapped.
"Bro, I was SO tired of waiting for this!" Rudra cheered.
Akansha's jaw dropped as all six disguised figures pulled off their disguises, revealing their grinning faces.
"WHAT THE HELL!! GUYS?!" she yelled.
Aarav sheepishly back-hugged her. "They might have helped me. Just a little."
Akansha turned to glare at the girls. "You planned this from the start, didn't you?!"
Shumaila smirked. "Of course we did. We can't let you two dumbasses stay in the almost-there zone forever."
Akansha sighed, defeated, but then smiled. "I swear, you all are too much."
"Yes, we are. Now, GROUP HUG!" Komal shouted.
And with that, the night ended in chaos, laughter, and love.