A/n: Sometimes I wonder if star kids/teens read our fanfics secretly😅

***

For about a week, Ishan just drifted.

He took a handful of interviews, but it was pretty obvious pretty quickly that he didn't know how to fit in with the rest of the world. He had gotten very good at reading faces, and each person he spoke to had the same look: 'What the fuck is wrong with this guy?'

So Ishan gave up, and that's how he ended up back at his corner.

And for another week, he didn't see Shubman. He got excited at the sound of an approaching car, but it was never the right one. He lingered late, showed up early, but he was never there.

It felt like there was a hole in his chest that ached and bled.

One client even called him a dead fish and demanded his money back. There was normally a no-refund policy, but Ishan just didn't care to fight with him.

Mayank never stopped asking about Shubman. Every time he got home, it was the same.

Did Shubman stop by tonight? No.

Have you heard from him? No.

Do you know how to get in touch with him? No.

In the end, he had broken his most sacred rule and had opened his heart only to discover that Shubman was just like every other guy. As soon as the fruit was no longer forbidden and hard to get, it lost all its taste.

Ishan refused to cry over it, though. He didn't wanna let Shubman take that last bit of dignity from him.

"Ishan?" Mayank asked over another silent dinner. "I'm really worried about you."

Ishan shrugged. "When aren't you?"

Mayank gave a little frustrated huff. "No, I mean, really worried. The lease on this place is up soon, and I think... I think we should move somewhere we can afford with just my job."

Ishan's appetite was replaced by something that twisted his stomach into a tight knot. "No. I'll get my shit together. It's just a temporary drag in business."

Mayank opened his mouth to say something else, but Ishan looked like he really didn't want to hear it. He stood up from the table and grabbed his phone on his way out the door.

He believed he could do this. The fuck was wrong with me? He thought. He was good at this. Ishan could sell any man any fantasy. In fact, maybe it wasn't him at all. Ishan just needed a new corner. Needed to get some new clientele-spice things up.

So he wandered aimlessly, watching the flow of traffic and trying to get an eye for any slow-rolling cars. For a moment, he considered trying the closest strip club, but he was not really much of a dancer.

His legs got tired of walking, so he rested against a brick half-wall and pulled out his phone. There wasn't much in the news that interested him, but he didn't have anything better to do, so he idly scrolled through the headlines.

Some celebrity got a botched nose job... A historic building burned down... 30% chance of rain on Saturday...

Footsteps approach and a relieved voice says, "There you are."

... and a 100% chance of Shubman, apparently.

The emotions that stirred from that aching hole in Ishan's chest were a confusing mess of excitement and anger. He turned to look at Shubman, keeping his face neutral. "Oh, hey. Been a while." Ishan couldn't keep the bite out of his tone.

Shubman stopped short, and raised his hands in a placating gesture. "I just got back from a work trip."

Ishan arched his brow. "A work trip?"

"Yes," he replied, smiling. "I would have let you know I was going to be out of state, but I don't have your number."

"You know where I live," Ishan snapped.

Shubman paused before a lopsided grin broke out across his face. "Well, yes, but I didn't want to be a creep."

Ishan gave a frustrated sound and turned away from him. Damn, he had gotten him. Now Ishan just looked like an idiot.

Ishan did not like how exposed he was, how raw he felt. So he dug deeper into the anger, because it felt safe.

"Whatever," he said in a low voice that trembled just a bit. "Just pick a service and let's get it over with. You know the rules."

Shubman was quiet for a moment, and then Ishan felt his hand on his shoulder. "Ishan, I just-"

Ishan's whole body moved in one shuddering movement, and he stare at Shubman from a safe distance out of harm's reach. "Don't call me by my name! You don't do that with whores. You pay me, we fuck, and then you go on with your life. That's how this works."

"I..." Shubman stared at him, his eyes wandering over Ishan's face. "I don't understand what you want."

Ishan wrapped his arms around himself. "What do you think is going to happen? You treat me like a boyfriend, then you want me to act like one. Do you know how many men I've fucked? Do you think you'll be okay when someone else beats you to my corner and buys my time?"

"I thought there was something... more between us," he says with a small crack in his voice. "Something different, Ishan?"

Ishan rolled his eyes as he turned away before he broke under the softness of Shubman's voice. "So does every Tom, Dick or Harry who buys me."

With his back towards Shubman and his feet carrying him away, Ishan couldn't stave off the tears burning in his eyes.

Arms wrapped around his middle and pulled him backwards, tight against Shubman's chest. "Please, don't leave," he says. "I'm sorry."

"I'm doing this for your own good," Ishan said in a voice to hide the pain he couldn't cover with an anger he didn't feel. "Find yourself a real guy who you don't have to pay. Me, I'm not real."

Shubman held onto him tighter, but didn't reply.

Ishan sighed and closed his eyes. "I like the money and the things it can buy, and I like my freedom. I'm not going to just... give everything up, just like that."

There was a long moment of silence, filled only with the sound of Ishan's heart pounding in his ears. Then, Shubman spoke.

"What if I... have an idea?"

Ishan frowned. "What kind of an idea?"

He loosened his grip so he could turn Ishan in his arms. "I don't know how to say this. I wanted to do more research, but I'd rather say it wrong than lose you." Shubman took a deep breath, then looked at Ishan and asked with full sincerity, "Would you consider letting me fuck you in front of a webcam?"

Ishan just stared at him, his thoughts just a bunch of static.

"I've been looking into it," he continued. "I thought it might be fun. And different."

A bubble of laughter escaped. "You want us to be camwhores together?"

He scratched the back of his neck, eyes darting away. "Well, yeah."

Ishan laughed.

Ishan didn't know what else to do but collapse against him as the laughter took him under. He pushed his hands against his chest in a weak, failed attempt to shove Shubman away.

"You're the weirdest fucking guy I've ever met," Ishan said, gasping for air. He look up at Shubman, tears in his eyes not just from the laughter. "You serious about this?"

Shubman nodded without hesitation. "I've thought about it a lot. I don't want to try to change you, because I like you the way you are. But I also don't know if I could handle it if someone hurt you like that guy did. So... I thought, maybe, this might be a compromise."

There wasn't any more anger within Ishan. The ache was back, but only to emphasize how much of a salve his words were. Ishan felt some strange mix of excitement and joy that just an hour ago he thought impossible.

Ishan wiped at his eyes. "Okay." He snorted. "Why the hell not?"

A grin broke across Shubman's face and he pulled Ishan back into his arms, kissing his face with featherlight touches. "You won't regret this. I promise."

Shubman was, without a doubt, not like any other guy.

***

Next chapter will be uploaded tonight, and that will be the last one.