6. Terms and Conditions Apply

“What?” Rain said aloud, spilling her drink. 

“Ughh don't make a fuss.” Harper groaned, cleaning the table with a napkin. 

“You mean all of these things happened and you didn't feel the need to call me. What did you tell him? Have you given him a response yet?”

Harper rolled her eyes. “How am I supposed to give him a response? We're talking about marriage here… marrying him!” She downed the coke like it was alcohol and faced her friend. 

“Rain, you've been my best friend since we were kids. You know me well, I have never been in a relationship with anybody nor have I fallen in love before. Marriage has to be between two people that love each other.”

Rain leaned close, tucking her hair away from her face. “Look at me Harper. This is so fucking different. You are pretending and if your dumb brain isn't processing this, he is willing to pay you for your troubles. What's love here? You don't have to be in love, just do your job and you're out of each other's neck.”

“Not with someone like Eros. He spanked my ass yesterday because I didn't want to go home with him and my ass stung in pain all night.”

Rain burst into laughter, causing the people around to look in their direction. They were at the restaurant they usually ate out at. The weather was warm and a few fries and chicken might make the situation feel better. 

“He did what?” Rain covered her mouth, trying to hold back the laughter. 

“I know talking to you was a stupid idea.” Harper drank her coke again and leaned back on the chair. 

Rain was her childhood best friend. They lived together, did most things together and one could say they were practically sisters. Rain was taller than her, standing at 5'6”, slender body, brown eyes, pink hair in a pixie cut style and a huge sense of humor. She was outgoing, compared to Harper and didn't really have a job. 

“This is what we're going to do, Harps. You are gonna sign that contract and give it to him when you go to work or even, right now.”

“Rain…it's not that easy.” Harper sank in her chair. She was seriously considering it. The money - oh the money was too good to let slip away. She could set herself up, quit the job, leave the country and study illustration as she had always wanted to. 

“You both hate each other right?” Rain asked and Harper nodded yes. “then it's easy!”

Harper looked at her friend, her brows arched. 

“There's nothing attaching the both of you romantically. You do your part, make it believable for just one year, get your money and that's the end. You're not falling in love Harper, he's not asking you to fall in love. It's a win-win for the both of you.”

Harper was quiet. She was thinking very hard. It was true what Rain said. They weren't going to fall in love and according to the contract, falling in love was out of it. It was a breach. 

She was helping him and he was helping her. He pays her the money, she helps him secure the company. 

“Fine. I'll do it.” she said finally. 

It was simple. It was just a simple thing. 

She opened her phone and clicked on Eros’ contact. Taking a deep breath and believing there was nothing to lose, Harper dialed his number. 

“Have you decided? ” his voice cut through. 

“Yeah.” she responded. “Let's talk this evening. I'll text you the address.”

“Hmm.” 

She hung up immediately and was met with Rain's curious expression. 

“Did he say anything?”

“The call literally lasted three seconds!” Harper said and stopped up. “Let's go home.”

She would finish writing out her own terms of the agreement. If she was going to help him, then he had to agree to her terms too.

But for falling in love with him? That's never going to happen in whatever multiverse that exists. 

***

Harper paced back and forth with the envelope in her hand, rethinking her life choices. Was this the life she wanted for herself and most importantly, would there be grave repercussions? 

But at the same time, she was doing him a favor as well as he was. What was the worst that could happen?

She checked the time on her watch. It was 8:15pm. She had texted him the address and time they would meet. 

Harper pushed the glass door of the café open and found a seat by the wide glass window. The night was cool, the moon casting it's luminous glow. Soft music played from the speakers, not loud but enough to catch your ears that something was playing. 

She looked around, smiling as she rested her head on her palm. Her attention caught a young couple seating a couple seats away. The young guy had his arms wrapped around the lady as they ate their food. It was lovely. 

Harper had never gotten lucky in relationships - or maybe it was because she didn't try to. She was a strong believer in true love, in the process of falling in love. Especially the unaware parts when you don't feel butterflies but comforts. Butterflies were an exaggeration. She felt it meant it was hasty. She preferred the slow burn, slow and steady love. 

Her kind of man was someone who paid attention to the little details, someone who was attentive and real. But from what she'd seen - especially with Rain's on and off relationships - it was best to opt out till she found the one for her. 

She ordered some bubble tea while she waited for Eros. They would talk about the contract and her terms. It was a mutual agreement thing and she had no problems sticking to the rules of the contract. 

Engrossed in her phone, she didn't realize when Eros sat in front of her. He dressed different from the usual suit and tie she was used to seeing. 

Eros was specially carved, designed, built, created… Anything you would want to describ. He was tall. For Harper, he was a giant. She barely even reached his chest. His legs were long and straight that every stride felt like he was walking on clouds. He had honeybrown eyes, brown hair and a smile that would tug any woman's heart. 

And tonight, a new version of Eros Lancaster sat before Harper. He was wearing a caramel sweatshirt and his hair wasn't ‘corporately styled sweeping to the back with a few strands let loose in the front’, rather, it was full, covering his forehead. 

His expression was the same. Stoic. It was hard to tell if he smiled or expressed any other emotions. The two major emotions Harper had seen him express were indifference and blankness. It was hard to read or tell what he was thinking or what was going on through his head. 

“Here, I've added some terms.” Harper began, clearing her throat after realizing he had been staring at her for like five seconds. “I've attached them separately at the end.” she handed him envelope. 

He didn't respond and simply opened the envelope, reading its content. Harper watched his focused attention on the file, his eyes blank still. 

“No problem.” he said, folding his hands immediately. “things are going to change starting tomorrow. We can start by you moving in with me.”

“Whoa! Whoa! That's too… Fast? It's one thing that things are going to be awkward at work. I can't move in with you that fast.” Harper stammered, quickly drinking her tea. 

“My parents are coming back on Saturday. I have to make it believeable enough that we're truly in love and fit for marriage.” he explained. 

That was true. They would notice something was wrong if they came and didn't find anything ‘womanish’ belonging to his fiancé in his house. And for the few times she had met his mother, that woman suspects every darn thing. 

“Fine. But we can start by going on dates, taking pictures. They wouldn't buy it if we don't know anything about each other.”

“There's everything about me on the internet.”

“Ugh… not that kind of information. I mean erm…” Harper held her tongue. It was hard to say the word ‘couple’ especially when it was with Eros. It was no news that he was a chronic Casanova. “cou- personal information. Like things people in… you know…”

His expression shifted as if he was - amused. He called a waiter and ordered then turned his attention back to Harper. 

“Okay. What do you need to know?”

“It's going to be a reciprocated thing. I get to know about you and you get to know about me.” 

“Then who's going first?”

“Okay… We have to think of possible things they might ask to confirm our… relationship.” Harper gestured with her hands. 

“You know you gesticulate a lot.” he said suddenly catching Harper off guard. 

“Well, I do that when I'm nervous about something.”

He nodded, his eyes on her as he drank the iced tea from the cup. “So what do you have in mind?”

“What are your favorite things to do?”

“Bowling.” he answered unfazed. 

“Uhmm… What about when you want to have fun. Like at home and stuff?”

“Reading.”

Harper snorted and quickly cleared her throat. “Sorry.” she wiped her nose. “you didn't strike me as someone who read.”

“Hmm.” he pulled the straw and folded his arms back. 

“Well… your turn.”

“Have you dated anyone before?”

Harper played with her fingers and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Nah… Nope”

“You have never been in any relationship before?” he asked again. 

“Nope.” Harper replied. Not everyone was like him, who had legions of women at his beck and call. 

“What do you do for fun?” he sounded casual. 

“Dancing and baking. Baking in particular. I like to bake cookies when I'm sad so I can make them in different -” Harper stopped, avoiding her eyes. She was already rambling too much and he didn't need that information. They weren't on a date and he wasn't her boyfriend. 

“Dancing and baking. That's it.”

A thin smile formed on Eros lips and faded as quickly as it appeared. 

“Okay. I hope we work well together.” he said, offering her a handshake. 

Harper took his hand. It swallowed hers whole and it was soft, smooth. Although her butt hurt when he spanked her that day, it was surprising to find out his hands was that comforting. 

She has never shook his hands before. It was like asides his Casanova missions, he didn't like women generally. 

She could remember the first day she started working as his assistant, he didn't even acknowledge that she was standing in front of him. It was as if he never saw her but as a robot. 

As if he pictured her as a Tesla robot. Well until now though. 

“Yeah, me too.” she responded with a smile.