by Mahi Jay
As the movie premiere was to be their first public appearance together as a couple, Nina took extra pains to look her best. She made an appointment with a salon to get her hair and make-up done before the event. The cast and crew had agreed to gather for a drink at the hotel before heading to the venue together. Aadith had left her just then to join them downstairs. Now all she had to do was slip into the intricately worked Sabyasachi anarkali she’d laid out earlier on the bed. She did and it fitted her perfectly, making her look willowy and ethereal.
It seemed as if the entire room were staring at her as she entered it. Aadith made his way towards her and held his arm out for her. Nina’s heart skipped a beat at how dark and dangerously attractive he looked in his evening clothes. He easily stood out in a roomful of men.
‘You look beautiful tonight,’ he said, looking at her as if he wanted to devour her.
‘Thank you, and you look fantastic yourself,’ she said, returning his compliment.
Aadith picked up a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and handed it to her as they made their rounds. Nina loved meeting new people, and watching Aadith with the people he worked with gave her a glimpse of him that she hadn’t seen before. The attention he commanded didn’t seem to be due to any starry airs he put on, but more because of his personality. They flocked around him to bask in his approval.
‘He’s got a way about him, doesn’t he?’ said a sultry voice behind her. Nina turned around to see Aadith’s gorgeous co-star Tanisha appraising her from head to toe.
‘That he does!’ agreed Nina.
‘Can I give you some relationship advice?’ she asked and didn’t wait for Nina’s reply. ‘Don’t be a naive ingénue and try to hold him too close. You’ll last much longer if you turn a blind eye to his affairs. I refused to, which is why he threw me over for you. Frankly I think he settled for you when he really wanted to marry me!’
Nina almost staggered under her venomous onslaught, but something in her statement rang false. Nina knew without a doubt that Aadith would never have offered marriage to the other girl.
So she held her head high, deliberately flashed her ring in an off hand manner and said, ‘The operative word being “settled”. At least he wants to settle down with me, while you must have just fitted admirably for a good romp in bed.’
Tanisha’s face turned red with anger, but she wasn’t done yet. ‘You’re just a novelty for him. The shy, retiring girl from his hometown. I bet he’ll grow weary of you within weeks,’ she continued tenaciously.
Nina felt a pang at the other girl’s words. She knew it was true. Their engagement was a farce, hanging on by the thread of desire. But she knew even that came with a shelf life. She wasn’t going to let Tanisha know that and gloat, she decided.
‘No doubt you’ll be waiting around, eager to warm his sheets, then. But he is always going to come home to me at the end of the day. Want to bet on that?’ asked Nina, signalling for Aadith with a nod of her head.
Aadith, who had been watching Nina since the time she’d entered the room, quickly stepped away from the group of people he’d been absently talking to. He’d been biding his time until he could join her. He’d only reluctantly left her on her own and had felt a misgiving as he’d seen Tanisha making her way towards Nina. He knew her to be a mischief maker.
As he neared the girls he could literally feel the tension in the air. He curved an arm around Nina’s waist and planted a soft kiss against her temple. ‘Did you miss me?’ he asked warmly.
Nina smiled sexily, batted her lashes at him coquettishly and replied, ‘What do you think?’ Aadith felt laughter bubbling up inside him. Nina would never have deigned to act so coyly with him unless it was for the benefit of someone. So he played along with her.
‘I hope so. I certainly couldn’t wait to get back to you,’ he declared, looking into her eyes dreamily and continuing with his besotted lover act.
Nina could see the anger and hurt in Tanisha’s eyes and felt sorry for a moment. Maybe she’d actually cared for Aadith, thought Nina. But the vicious attack on her was definitely uncalled for. She was not one to take things lying down.
‘We’ll meet you back at the screening,’ he said to Tanisha as he excused Nina and himself away from her. Tanisha bestowed a sugary smile in his direction.
At Nina’s continued silence Aadith queried sardonically, ‘Are you going to let me in on your catfight? Is she all right?’
Nina turned to glare at him. ‘You’re worried about her? She’s got the devil’s own tongue and temper.’
‘Well, I know you can hold your own. Besides, your fragile looks are very deceptive, I’m sure she underestimated you.’
Nina felt a warmth steal through her at his words. ‘I’m not so sure if that’s a compliment.’
‘Trust me, it is. I know you’re much stronger than you let on. You would make an excellent film star’s wife.’
Nina shook her head sadly. ‘No. I won’t. Since what we really have is nothing more than a fake engagement, it was easy to brush her off. But a real fiancée of yours would probably be riddled with insecurities.’
Aadith felt a surge of displeasure at her words. What she stated was true, they did have a fake engagement, but didn’t they have a bit more than that? They were friends, for one. And lovers too. Didn’t that count for anything? he wondered.
‘Insecurities …? Why would you say that? I would never cheat on my fiancée. After the pain my mother put my father through I could never do that to someone I cared about.’
‘Since you are never going to have a real fiancée, that point is moot,’ she declared, hoping against hope that he would deny her statement.
‘Right. No strings attached—there are much fewer complications that way!’ he said more as a reminder to himself than to her.
For some reason she couldn’t shake off the melancholy feeling his words invoked. Aadith simply glanced at his watch and remarked that it was time to leave for the screening.
With Dubai boasting a substantial number of people of Indian origin, Bollywood movies and stars were welcomed there with delight. The venue was teeming with fans eager to catch a glimpse of their idols. Nina turned pale as she spied the crowds. She’d put off thinking about it in the hope that nerves wouldn’t hit her if she ignored it. But faced with the prospect of being in the middle of the crowd, it was daunting. Her fingers trembled as she pushed a lock of hair behind her ears.
Aadith noted her apprehension and caught her hands in his. His eyes locked with hers as he said, ‘Nina, do you see the velvet ropes cordoning off the crowds? No one is going to step beyond them. I won’t let anything happen to you. I’m not going to let your hands go, OK? Do you trust me to keep you safe?’
At her hesitant nod, he continued, ‘Then all you have to do is keep your eyes on me. I’ll do the rest.’
The warmth of his hands seeped into her cold fingers and steadied her. They stepped out of the limousine to thunderous cheers of reception.
‘There is only you and me! Now repeat it to me with a smile,’ he commanded.
As she looked into his silvery eyes and repeated the words, it felt sort of true. She concentrated on putting one foot before the other and looked at only his face. By then they’d reached the end of the walk and all they had to do was pose for pictures.
Aadith held her close to his side and said, ‘You were wonderful. I’m proud of you.’
Nina felt giddy with relief and pleasure. She knew it was nothing more than a mere walk up the red carpet, but his words made her feel as if she’d scaled a mountain. More likely a mountain of fear, she thought wryly.
She wanted to hug him close and thank him for his support, but she settled for looking up adoringly into his eyes. And for a minute it seemed to them both as if they really were the only two people there. The press lapped it up happily.
Soon it was time for Aadith to pose for pictures with his co-star, director and the rest. Nina hated to see him with his arms around Tanisha but
Aadith managed to keep it fairly simple and formal, so she didn’t feel sidelined in the least.
They were soon seated inside the theatre waiting for the movie to start when Aadith leaned in and whispered in her ear, ‘I’m going to quiz you on the plot later, so don’t you dare fall asleep.’
Nina knew it had stung him when she’d confessed to never having watched a movie of his. But she’d had her reasons. She hadn’t been able to scrounge up the courage to watch him with another woman. Even when she’d professed to hate him. She knew this movie was going to test her!
She’d seen his songs and dances on the television, but watching him turn in a solid performance as a passionate lover willing to sacrifice his life for love was truly a revelation for her. Another reason she’d avoided movies was because having interacted with most actors as her clients she hadn’t been able to look at them afterwards as only characters in the plot.
Not so with Aadith; it seemed to her as if he’d lived the character. She could almost feel the pain, the betrayal, the passion and love he conveyed. It was a riveting performance that held her attention tightly.
In the end Nina could almost forget that his partner was Tanisha and prayed for the star-crossed lovers to end up together. The final credits rolled to a roaring applause.
Nina turned to Aadith and exclaimed, ‘You’ve got me totally hooked. Now I want to watch all your movies.’
Aadith grinned from ear to ear. He’d been watching Nina the whole time, trying to decipher her expressions as she took in the movie. He loved movies and for some reason he wanted her to share his passion. Her compliment just now had rocked his world. He knew it shouldn’t matter to him what she thought of his work, but truthfully it did. He didn’t want to give it deeper thought, he just enjoyed the feeling of euphoria.
Within moments he was surrounded by well-wishers congratulating him on the movie. But his hand didn’t leave hers. He kept her by his side the whole time.
CHAPTER NINE
A SMILE CURLED on Aadith’s lips as he opened his eyes. On the rare occasion he woke up before Nina, he loved to watch her sleeping form. She slept on her side hugging a pillow, a pose that contrasted her small waist with the gentle flare of her hips.
It was easy to be with her, he thought affectionately. She was smart, funny and most importantly didn’t bore him to tears within a couple of hours. She didn’t fill silences with incessant chatter, nor did she call for his undivided attention every minute of the day.
But the more he stayed with her, the more he started to wonder when his ravenous desire for her would start to subside. Sleeping with her hadn’t done a thing to get her off his mind. He just wanted her more now and it scared the hell out of him. He decided to give himself only a week or so more to rid himself of this obsession, even if they did have to keep the pretence of the fake engagement going for a few more months yet.
He shook his head to clear his thoughts and then spooned her and slid the strap of her silk camisole top down her arms. When he brushed his lips against the side of her neck, Nina moaned. She abandoned her pillow and turned around to hug him.
Even when they didn’t make love he wanted her close at all times. He loved the feel of her satin-smooth skin against his hair-roughened body, and the scent of her drove him wild with desire. He slid his hand under her top and pressed her even closer to his hard body.
The loud crackle of fireworks and children shouting and playing out on the streets enlivened the early morning.
‘Happy Diwali,’ he wished her as he pressed a soft kiss on her forehead.
‘And to you,’ she said, kissing him back on the lips. Aadith turned it into an intimate tender kiss and deepened it. But she quickly slipped out of his arms.
‘All the kids in the apartment building are looking forward to bursting firecrackers with you so I sort of promised we’d meet them down there.’
Aadith groaned. ‘It’s way too early in the day to think about a bunch of pesky kids. Come back to bed,’ he ordered.
Since he had been busy with the movie’s promotion Nina had waited to tell him that the kids in her apartment complex had all been begging her to let them meet him. She hadn’t had the heart to refuse them, so she had promised to let them meet Aadith for Diwali.
Now, back in India, and with the movie’s release and the initial box office collection reports suggesting that it was well on its way to becoming another blockbuster, she knew he would be much more receptive towards her request.
‘I doubt they’re going to wait below for ever, so don’t be surprised if they turn up here bearing sweets!’ she warned. ‘Besides, I told them you knew the Cycle Spikes trick with fireworks, so they’re more excited about that,’ she stated, grinning happily.
‘You remembered that?’ he asked in surprise.
‘Why wouldn’t I? You had all the neighbourhood kids hanging onto your every word.’
‘But not you?’ he asked with an enquiring glance.
‘Fishing?’ taunted Nina. She relented and said, ‘Myself included, of course. Why else do you think I hung around with Daadhi so often at your place?’
He felt a curious sense of satisfaction he didn’t want to acknowledge at her words. To know that he’d turned her head back then delighted him, but there was also the nagging question of what she felt for him now. He knew she’d reluctantly agreed to their current status quo, but was it still the same? Not that he wanted it to change, he thought hastily. What they currently shared felt simple and light-hearted most times, but occasionally a feeling or thought popped up to make him wary. He didn’t want anything beyond what they shared now. Anything more would inevitably lead to pain and he had no intention of going down that road again.
His eyes glittered with laughter as he threatened, ‘You duped my innocent daadhi into believing you wanted the pleasure of her company, when in actual fact you were teasing me with your shy and coy looks! The next time we visit her, I’m going to let her know about this!’
‘Don’t you dare,’ she warned. ‘Else I’ll have to tell Daadhi that you were the one who ruined her favourite blue sari trying to make Superman capes for your drama club!’
Aadith held up his hands in mock surrender. ‘I give up. You fight dirty!’
Nina chuckled and said in a pitying tone, ‘Oh, you poor boy … scared of a girl!’
‘That’s it,’ called out Aadith, and jumped out of the bed to laughingly chase her around the room until they both fell back on the bed gasping for breath.
It was a while before they dressed in new clothes and headed down to the front of the building. More than a handful of boisterous children of all ages accompanied by adults were lighting fireworks in the early morning light. Smoke, sparklers, cheerful laugher and screams lent the right festive atmosphere. Aadith’s presence there caused an initial stir, as it always did. The children clamoured for his attention beside equally excited adults. But Aadith wasn’t fazed in the least. As Nina watched him mingle with them, she marvelled at the ease with which he switched from an A-list movie star back to a small-town Pune boy without any starry airs or affectations.
‘Aww. Aren’t you a sweetheart?’ cooed Nina as her next-door neighbour’s one-year-old held her arms out to be carried by Nina. She scooped the child into her arms to plant a kiss on her rounded cheeks.
‘She looks adorable,’ commented Nina to the child’s mother, laughing as the child’s wandering hands went straight to her sparkling bindi.
‘Soon you’ll have one of your own, I guess,’ teased her neighbour, inclining her head at Aadith and winking at Nina.
Colour shot up Nina’s cheeks as she choked out, ‘We’re not even married yet!’
But she couldn’t help stealing a glance at Aadith as he chatted to the adoring bunch of kids and adults gathered around him. Before she could say more the child switched her attention to her dangling earrings and attempted to grab them. Nina laughed out loud as she let her head fall back, out of the child’s reach.
Aadith l
ooked over at the sound of Nina’s laughter and something twisted inside him at the scene that met his eyes. Nina was laughing at the antics of the cute child she held in her arms. It struck him then that she was bound to want a husband and child of her own sooner or later.
But he was no closer to ridding himself of his thirst for her now than he had been at the start of their affair. The thought of another man making her laugh or cry and sharing that delectable body of hers set a slow fire burning inside him. No, he wasn’t ready to let her go yet, nor was he ready to commit to more. Did he have a dog in the manger attitude? he wondered.
Nina’s skin prickled as she caught Aadith staring at her intensely. Wondering if he was signalling her to rescue him, she said her goodbyes and made her way towards him. She thrilled to his touch when he linked his fingers with hers firmly, as if they’d been apart for ages instead of merely minutes.
‘Ready to leave?’ he queried.
Nina’s stomach dropped as she thought of the upcoming ordeal. At her brother’s urging her parents had invited them for lunch and she didn’t have a good feeling about it. Her rare visits home had always been stilted and dreary and she didn’t think today was going to turn out to be any different. As they entered the flat Aadith shut the door behind him and hugged her from behind.
‘I’m spiriting you right to the bedroom,’ he growled.
Nina broke away from his hold and protested playfully, ‘And I know why. It’s your turn to prepare breakfast and you’re trying to get out of it. I’m not budging until you feed me.’
‘For someone so slight you seem to need constant feeding,’ he exclaimed mock grumpily as he trailed her into the kitchen.
‘You are to blame! You make me burn an awful lot of calories,’ she retorted, her eyes sparkling with laughter. Aadith grinned back.
That was one of the things he liked about her. Unlike many of the women he’d previously dated, she never tried to impress him with her cooking skills. Once she’d realised he was handy in the kitchen she’d made him take turns. She never treated him like a movie star. To her he would always be the boy next door.
