Black Suits You

by Novoneel Chakraborty

This could mean only one thing. Tina was alive.

  29

  ‘So it was a lie,’ Anaysha said.

  ‘That bitch never went anywhere. She simply tricked us all this while,’ Kiyan said. Anaysha felt good hearing him abuse her. He added, ‘In fact, I doubt Kashti is even Tina’s sister.’

  ‘What makes you doubt that?’

  ‘Tina never told me about any younger sister.’

  ‘But how well did you know Tina?’

  Kiyan stole a glance at Anaysha and said, ‘Not that well, but still.’

  ‘Hmm. The kind of smartness that Kashti has shown till now means it doesn’t really make sense to try to make peace with her. There’s no point in trying to dig up information, especially after this hitting thing.’

  ‘Yeah. I think so too.’

  ‘It’s not you who has to call it a truce with her. It has to be me who should.’

  ‘You?’

  ‘I’ll approach her, sympathizing with her over the video, lie to her that you too hit me when we were in a relationship and then try to dig up what we need.’

  ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘What option do we have, Kiyan?’

  Kiyan was quiet.

  ‘Or we can directly go to the police and register a complaint. But if she shows the Goa video, you will be . . .’

  ‘Fucked. I know,’ Kiyan said.

  Neither spoke. Kiyan glanced at Anaysha. She seemed lost.

  ‘Are you thinking about something?’

  Anaysha nodded and said, ‘All the possible permutations of the situation we are in. We have to be a step ahead of Kashti now or this mess will soon be out of our control.’

  ‘Hmm.’

  ‘Can we meet Natasha? I think I have something in mind and will need her help,’ Anaysha said.

  ‘Sure,’ Kiyan said and called up Natasha immediately. She didn’t agree to come up to Anaysha’s flat.

  ‘I’m not involving myself in anything personal. I hope you understand that, Kiyan. I’m okay if you guys want to meet me in Farzi Café at Cyber Hub,’ Natasha said.

  Farzi Café was where the three met an hour and a half later.

  ‘Natasha, this is Anaysha, my girlfriend,’ Kiyan said, introducing the two ladies.

  ‘Then who is Kashti?’ Natasha asked.

  Kiyan told her what had happened since the New Delhi event.

  ‘Jesus, I thought you wrote erotic thrillers. You are living in one at the moment.’

  Kiyan didn’t know how to react.

  ‘Natasha, I’ll extract the truth from Kashti. But I need you to arrange a press conference. We will have to clarify the allegation that Kashti has levelled at Kiyan in social media. He isn’t a molester or an abuser. Else . . .’ Anaysha knew the rest would be understood.

  ‘Else Kiyan’s career is over as an author. Nobody gives a fuck how well one writes if he is someone who abuses his girlfriend in real life,’ Natasha completed.

  ‘Exactly,’ Kiyan joined in.

  ‘Okay, I will arrange the press conference. But tell me a day earlier,’ Natasha said.

  ‘Sure thing,’ Anaysha said. Natasha took her leave.

  Anaysha told Kiyan to be at his flat while she went to Tina’s house to speak to Kashti.

  ‘I’ll never forget what you are doing for me, Anu. Never,’ he said and hugged her tightly again.

  You better not, Kiyan, she thought but kept quiet.

  ‘Call me if there’s any threat. I don’t trust the bitch,’ Kiyan said.

  ‘Nor do I. I’ll call you when I reach her flat. Be on the call throughout. If you hear anything untoward, just rush in.’

  ‘That’s a better idea. In fact, let me accompany you. I won’t enter the premises.’

  ‘Okay.’

  Together, they went to Tina’s place from Cyber Hub. Kiyan didn’t enter the complex. Anaysha went to Tina’s floor and called Kiyan. He accepted the call and pressed the mute button. Anaysha took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. The door was opened by Kashti.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ she said, pressing an ice bag to her left cheek, which was slightly swollen.

  ‘We need to talk, Kashti.’ Anaysha said, trying hard to sound confident.

  30

  Kashti left the door ajar and went in. It was signal enough for Anaysha to enter. She noticed Kashti’s face had bruise marks. They reminded Anaysha of the marks Kiyan’s aggression in bed had left on her.

  ‘What do you want?’ Kashti said, sitting on the couch.

  ‘I saw the video on your page.’

  ‘It’s our page. Kiyan’s and mine,’ she said. Anaysha sat down opposite her, careful with her phone. The call was still connected.

  ‘Yes. That’s the page. And I’m not surprised,’ Anaysha said and noticed Kashti give her a glance that told her she was seeing Anaysha in a different light.

  ‘What do you mean?’ she asked, holding the ice bag slightly away from her.

  ‘Kiyan did it to me as well. So I understand your position.’

  ‘You are here to tell me you understand my position? That’s it?’

  ‘I’m here to tell you I’m with you if you need any help.’

  Kashti kept pressing the ice pack to her face and looking at Anaysha as if studying her.

  ‘What if I tell you I don’t need your help?’

  Anaysha weighed her question for a few seconds before replying, ‘Then I shall wish you all the best.’ She stood up.

  ‘I’m thinking of suing Kiyan for violence and forced sex,’ Kashti said. Anaysha clenched her jaw. She knew Kiyan must have heard it too.

  ‘What for?’

  ‘I have this burning desire to become an author.’

  Anaysha frowned and said, ‘So?’

  ‘So, you don’t get published unless you have a profile that is saleable. After suing Kiyan, I will be the girl who was the victim at the age of seventeen. That sounds like a million-copy deal, right?’

  The evil smile on Kashti’s face scared Anaysha.

  ‘You must be wondering why I’m sharing my plan with you. That’s because even if you know about it, you won’t be able to do anything to stop it. Even if you and Kiyan are in this together, the damage has been done. The video is on the verge of going viral.’

  ‘What I want to know is, are you really doing all this because of what you just told me or is there something else to it? Something that involves your sister.’

  ‘Don’t you bring my sister into all of this.’ Kashti stood up. Her aggressive stance told Anaysha there was indeed more to the story.

  ‘Let me know if I can be of any help,’ Anaysha said, knowing she had to part on friendly terms. She took her leave. Once she was out, she spoke on her phone. Kiyan was still on the call.

  ‘Did you hear it?’

  ‘Yes,’ Kiyan said and added, ‘I was right. She was after me for a reason. What a game she played only to get published. Unbelievable! Kashti’s link with Tina may or may not have anything to do with this.’

  ‘But the visions?’ Anaysha asked.

  ‘I’m sure she is alive.’

  ‘I think so too.’

  There was no response from Kiyan.

  ‘Hello? You there?’ Anaysha said.

  ‘What will we do if Kashti sues me? Fuck, then I’m gone, Anu.’

  ‘No, you are not. As long as I’m here, you can’t be gone,’ Anaysha said.

  Kiyan disconnected the call. Anaysha joined him on the street.

  ‘We have to do something soon. In fact, very soon. I have an important meeting at office now. Let me join you right after.’

  They went to Cyber Hub, where Anaysha went to office while Kiyan went back to the flat. He had the loose page of the manuscript that had been slipped into the newspaper. He kept staring at it. Kashti had done all this to become an author. How silly and dangerous at the same time, he wondered. Kiyan stared at the page in his hand without really reading it. He suddenly frowned. There was a tiny symbol at the bottom of the page that had caugh
t his attention. And it was a symbol he had seen somewhere. He immediately Googled ‘Blogspot’ on his phone. The symbol matched. This meant the printout had been taken from a page of a blog, with other elements carefully removed. Somehow, maybe, the tiny symbol had escaped the person who had taken the printout and kept it in the newspaper. Kiyan started Googling certain words and phrases from the manuscript page. No relevant search results showed up. As a last try, he Googled a phrase from the manuscript and Kashti’s name together. On the third page of the search result, he got a link to a blog titled A Girl’s Diary. The blog had the entire contents of the manuscript, written as multiple posts. There were no followers except one, by the name of Butterflylife. He went through the blog frantically. Every post was signed off as ‘Kashti’. So it was Kashti’s blog, Kiyan concluded. The last post had been a fortnight ago. It was a verse,

  I come to your bedroom wearing a story,

  You strip me bare, seeking sense.

  I tease you with my naked thoughts,

  And we make love, intense.

  The moment he finished reading it, Kiyan called one of his ex-colleagues who was an ethical hacker and asked him if he could dig up any information about the blog address. Kiyan told his friend it was for his own safety. The friend told him he would try and get back to him in a day.

  Anaysha joined him in her flat in the evening. She told Kiyan to call Natasha and tell her to arrange a press conference for the next morning. They couldn’t waste any more time. If Kashti sued Kiyan first, then it would be difficult to salvage his image. In response, Kiyan embraced her.

  ‘Just tell me everything will be all right,’ he said in a brittle voice.

  ‘Everything will be all right.’

  ‘I found Kashti’s blog on the Internet a few hours ago,’ Kiyan said.

  ‘She is a blogger?’ Anaysha asked, breaking the embrace.

  ‘The entire manuscript is on the blog.’

  ‘Oh! This is just what we needed. Perfect timing. Now, all we need to do is make sure the press conference goes off smoothly tomorrow. Before she takes the legal route, we ought to make our allegations. I will be with you. And I shall stand up as your ex and tell people that the video Kashti posted was made herself. That we were in a five-year-long relationship and you never ever hit me. She was after your fame. The blog with the content will be of great help.’

  Kiyan kept looking at Anaysha. She shrugged.

  ‘How will I ever repay you for this, Anu?’

  ‘You have your whole life for that,’ she said and added further, ‘Call Natasha. Tell her I shall meet her while you go to Kashti.’

  ‘Kashti?’

  ‘We will have to buy time. She shouldn’t file a case before tomorrow’s press conference. It would all look contrived otherwise.’

  ‘I agree,’ Kiyan said and called Natasha. She agreed to meet Anaysha with her marketing team. Kiyan went out, ready to head to Tina’s place but stopped when he saw Kashti’s door unlocked. Was this a signal of truce on her part? he wondered. Kiyan called her up to confirm. She took the call and answered in monosyllables.

  ‘Are you in the flat?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Okay, I’m coming.’

  ‘Okay.’

  He rang the doorbell. Kashti opened the door and went inside. For a moment, Kiyan felt bad he had hit her. Violence can’t be the answer to anything, he thought.

  He went to her and said, ‘I’m sorry, Kashti.’

  ‘I prepared dinner at Di’s place. Got some for you here. It’s in the kitchen. Warm it in the microwave before eating.’

  It was amazing how much concern she was showing for him. It was hard to believe this was the same girl who had told Anaysha that she was going to sue him, the same girl who had planned so meticulously to destroy him.

  Kashti didn’t join him for dinner. Kiyan subtly kept on eye on Kashti’s every move. He messaged Anaysha about Kashti being back in her flat.

  Kashti didn’t come out of the bedroom. He himself went to the bedroom a little after dinner. She was asleep, leaving enough space for him to lie down beside her. He didn’t want to insult her thoughtfulness. One last time. Tomorrow morning, she would receive the first blow from him. Anaysha was right. If they had the press conference first, then they could explain how he had been tricked into having sex with a minor. He typed a message on his phone to Anaysha:

  Did you meet Natasha and team?

  The response came immediately,

  Yes. All set. See you tomorrow at the press conference.

  Thanks.

  Kiyan sighed, deleted the messages and slept. He slept better than he had in a long time.

  He didn’t know what time it was when he felt someone slapping him, softly asking him to wake up. Kiyan opened his eyes and took a few seconds to understand if it was a dream or reality. Ten seconds later, he was still unsure. He looked around. There was nobody in the room except for the person who had woken him up—Tina Awasthi.

  ‘What the fuck . . . where’s Kashti?’ Kiyan shouted. Tina looked to her right. Kiyan followed her gaze and saw Anaysha lying on the floor, unconscious.

  ‘What did you do to Anaysha? Where’s Kashti?’

  ‘Anaysha’s gone. And how does it matter where Kashti is?’ Tina said. She was wearing a white semi-transparent kimono with her body visible underneath. Her hair was loose, her face had an expression of fatal intent and her eyes were burning with vengeance.

  ‘What do you mean by Anaysha’s gone?’ Kiyan muttered, looking at Anaysha’s still body. He called out to her, but there was no response.

  ‘It’s time to live your story, Kiyan,’ Tina said. Kiyan curled up on the bed in fear. His hands were tied with a chain to the bedpost, but he didn’t even try to fight for release.

  31

  Kiyan woke up with a start. He checked his hands. They were free.

  ‘Kashti?’ he called out with a slight quiver in his voice. There was no response.

  ‘Kashti!’ he said louder, getting out of bed and going to the drawing room. He relaxed when he saw Kashti at the dining table in her school uniform, eating cornflakes with milk.

  ‘What happened?’ she asked, with the same coldness as the previous night.

  ‘Nothing.’ Kiyan understood it had been a bad dream.

  ‘Okay. I’ll be going to Di’s place from school. See you there in the evening.’

  ‘Sure,’ he said and saw her leave for school. He was tempted to inquire about last night, about her plans to sue him, but he controlled himself. He immediately called up Anaysha. She picked up on the fourth ring.

  ‘Are you all right?’ Kiyan asked in a concerned voice.

  ‘Yes, why, what happened?’ she asked.

  It was just a nightmare, Kiyan was now sure, and said on the phone, ‘Nothing. When are we leaving?’

  ‘I have left. See you at the press event.’

  ‘When and where is it happening?’

  ‘11 a.m. At your publisher’s office, in the boardroom.’

  ‘Cool.’

  Kiyan took a long shower, got dressed and left. He was feeling happy after a long time. It was finally time to heal the wound of the last few months. He knew it wouldn’t be easy, but now he would have the upper hand and not have to live like Kashti’s pet. Even if Kashti tracked his phone now, it wouldn’t matter. Anyway, she hadn’t mentioned it in the last couple of days. He was going to his publisher’s office after all. En route to the office, Kiyan began planning how he would propose to Anaysha after this fiasco was over. He hoped she would accept because from what he could tell, she was still in love with him.

  He was entering the office building when his friend, the hacker, called him. There wasn’t much he had been able to dig up except the exact address from where the posts had been uploaded. Though Kiyan wasn’t sure how much the address would help since it would either be Kashti’s flat or Tina’s, he let his friend speak. But what he said made Kiyan falter. The posts had been uploaded from the flat he had shared w
ith Anaysha. He called Kashti. Her phone was switched off. Kiyan searched for NCR International School’s website on his phone. He found a contact number and called up the school. He inquired about a student by the name of Kashti studying in standard XII. The person on the phone told him nobody by that name studied in NCR International School.

  Kiyan reached the boardroom of his publisher’s office, confused and preoccupied. He noticed a few journalists were already present, eating breakfast or chit-chatting. Some people were setting up a camera and a projector, while Anaysha was talking to Natasha at one end of the boardroom. He walked up to them.

  ‘Hi Natasha,’ he said.

  ‘Hello Kiyan,’ she replied and excused herself, saying, ‘I’ll just see if we can start now.’ Kiyan felt like Natasha was giving him a cold shoulder, though he couldn’t understand why.

  ‘You are right on time,’ Anaysha said. ‘We are about to start. Any update on Kashti?’

  Kiyan shook his head and said, ‘Not on Kashti, but I wanted to talk to you about something.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Kashti’s blog, which I told you about last night.’

  ‘Oh!’

  ‘Can we talk someplace else?’ he caught her hand and was about to pull her away when he stopped, hearing an announcement.

  ‘Hello friends,’ It was Natasha, ‘Now that our author is here, let’s get started. Please be seated, everyone.’

  There was a sense of urgency as people took their seats. Kiyan felt a jerk and realized Anaysha had freed herself. She looked at him and smiled as she said, ‘What’s the hurry, mister bestselling author?’ Exactly the way Kashti used to say it.

  Kiyan frowned.

  There were three seats in front of the camera, above which was a screen for the projector. Natasha took the seat on the left. Anaysha took the one on the right, while the middle one was kept for Kiyan.

  ‘We will see a three-minute video first.’ Natasha said.

  ‘What’s happening, Anaysha? Which video is this?’ Kiyan asked, worried. Anaysha gestured for him to sit in the middle. When he was seated, she came close and whispered in his ears, ‘You came to me wearing a story, I stripped you bare, making sense. You teased me with your naked thoughts, and we made love, intense.’