‘I have never talked to anyone about it and I don’t know why I told you this. But when you talked to me last night, I thought we had something in common. We don’t have a family we can go back to, we don’t have a father we could rely on and I know it’s strange but I thought I could finally tell someone about the angst I felt all these years. I didn’t want to let you go. And trust me, you are not the first beautiful, drunk girl that I have met but you’re the only one I wanted to spend time with.’
‘Okay,’ she said with a frown.
‘I mean, yes … As in, you are the most beautiful of all of them … and the most charming one, too … When I saw you last night, I don’t know, I couldn’t move an inch. I sat there the entire night, just looking at you as you spoke, cried, balled up and slept so peacefully. I envied you. I wanted that calm. I know all this is not making sense at all, but I totally got hooked. I wished the night would last forever. I don’t know what love is, I don’t want to know what it is, and I don’t know whether it is this. All I know is that I wished you wouldn’t blow me off this morning. All I wished was that I could talk to you once. All I wanted was for you to stay with me. Deep inside, I wished it would go as it is going right now.’ He put his hand out and she put hers into his. He pulled her near and hugged her.
He slipped his hand into his pocket and put on a slow English number that Shruti didn’t recognize, but it was good enough to slow dance to, especially with her head against his shoulder.
‘Shruti, that is a dream that fades. You are a dream that I hope never will. I never wish to wake up, if it is one. I don’t know what this is, but whatever it is, I sure like it. I sure like you. And I sure like us. The first smile you gave this morning, it is still here. I remember those lips curving to give your face that glow that is still lighting up my life. I know it sounds crazy, but if I have ever felt … ever, ever felt that there is something to really live for and live by for the rest of this life, it is today. I don’t know where we go from here, I don’t know what will happen from here, but whatever happens, this day will be my most cherished one. You will be my most cherished person.’
‘But … why me?’ she asked, as she looked up from her embrace, still teary-eyed.
‘I don’t have an answer.’
He looked at her staring at him, clutched her tighter and moved his head close to her.
‘What I do know is that this has been my best New Year ever.’ He bent over and she closed her eyes. She waited to be kissed.
He looked at her face, gleaming under the moonlight. The wind made her hair fall on her face; he stroked her hair and tucked a lock behind her ear, not letting her move. He closed his eyes and moved his head closer to hers. She could feel his breath and her pulse racing. He bent down to her face, his lips touched hers.
Fireworks went off, coming through the unfinished roof off the Elan, filling up the sky in blue and red lights, while they kissed. Her lips firmly enveloped in his and his in hers, their tongues twirled each other’s around, while the embrace got stronger. Shruti hung on to him with curled toes, as Rishab slipped her shirt off her shoulder and kissed her. Her hands started working on his shirt, unbuttoning it. She lost her footing and Rishab grabbed her to bring her back from the edge.
His hands slipped in and moved up her back. She clawed, as she cringed and bit his shoulder.
She climbed onto him as his hands gripped her and slipped the shirt off her.
‘Rishab … Take this off …’ She pulled at his vest.
‘Not fair.’ He tugged at her bra.
‘Don’t even think about it,’ she threatened.
‘Try me.’ He put her on the ground, gripped her close and turned her around and rendered her naked.
‘Oh …’ she said as she turned around and hugged him, her breasts crushing against his chest, her nails clawing on his back. ‘It’s not fair,’ she said and he smirked. Within fraction of a second, she could feel his bare body against hers, the contours of his muscles rammed and pounded and glided against her body, and she felt she would pass out in ecstasy. His fingers on her skin felt like a million stars had burst inside her and she wanted it to never end. They fought. They bit. They clawed.
Fireworks lit up the sky.
31
New Year’s Eve came and went and the four of them kept lying there. The vodka had already been opened and so had the beers while they watched Indian movie and television stars dance and bring in the New Year. Since they had realized nobody was coming home, they took it on themselves to see to it that not a drop of it was wasted. They were totally sloshed by the time the clock turned 12 and were taking turns at the washroom, puking and cursing the alcohol.
Soon afterwards, they all lay down and dozed off. It was three in the night when Saurav’s phone rang in Shruti’s bedroom.
‘What?’ Riya got up and asked sleepily.
‘I will get it.’ Saurav kissed her and got up to get the phone. He hoped it was Shruti, but it wasn’t her.
‘Yes, who is this?’ Saurav croaked.
‘Rajat Thapar.’
‘Yes, sir! Happy New Year. How can—’
‘Cut the crap, Saurav. What do you think you will do?’ Thapar was frantic. He was calm by other people’s standards, but frantic by his.
‘I don’t get it.’
Rajat had been looking at the tapes of the video he had accumulated over the last six months and he had noted something and wasn’t happy about it.
‘I don’t get it? You son of a bitch. I just went through the security tapes and I saw what you did that day. You think you can keep your job by blackmailing me through that video? Not only will I kick you out from here, I will sue you and your friends’ asses to hell. Believe me, man. I will fuck the happiness of everyone who knows you. Everyone. You think a stupid video can do something to me? Who will you show it to, Saurav? The police? What do you think they will do? You think after you show them the video, it won’t leak out in the open? What if it does? What will happen to those very sweet girls, Saurav? Would you like their blood on your hands? Would you destroy their lives? So, what did you think, asshole? You can get through to me with that bloody video? Get this, not only will I eat your jobs, I will make sure that you don’t get to anywhere in the entire damned industry.’
Saurav was sweating now. ‘I w … will … will … go to the board,’ he stammered, and wondered how twisted Thapar could be. He had never thought about doing anything with the video, let alone blackmail Thapar for personal gain. It was the last thing he would have done, but it was the first thing Thapar thought he would do.
‘Aha! Very intelligent. What do you think? They are innocent? I have the security tapes, Saurav. Everyone is fucking the shit out of each other in the car park. Oh, am I forgetting something? Your very beloved sir, Deb, is smashing some very expensive car in one of them. I believe it was Sumita’s. I am sure she is going to love it! I wonder if he now has that kind of money to pay her back for the damage he did to the car. A criminal case would do loads to his glittering career.’
‘What do you want me to do?’ Saurav asked, just wanting the conversation to be over.
‘That is more like it. Here is the deal. Give me the video and sign an affidavit of an amount that even your father won’t be able to pay, declaring that it is the only copy. Once you do that, I may give you your job.’
‘And my friends retain their jobs?’
‘Oh, no, no, no! Did I not tell you? I am calling the shots here. I can get away with not giving you anything. Remember, you cannot do anything with it.’
He was right. He couldn’t. If he tried, he would ruin the lives of two very young women. He could not possibly have done that.
Remember, you cannot do anything with it
Remember, you cannot do anything with it.
Remember, you cannot do anything with it.
Saurav kept repeating these lines in his head, which was now heavy with the guilt of costing his friends their jobs. He cursed himself for acting smart
that day and recording the video. Garima had asked him to stop but he hadn’t listened.
‘Sir …’ he said.
‘Seems like you have decided.’
‘I wasn’t … I wasn’t going to give this to the police,’ he stuttered. ‘Or the board.’
‘Good boy. You will keep your job. That is the kind of cooperation that I expect from my employees,’ Thapar said.
‘I always intended to give … give it to you,’ he said, as he fumbled with words.
‘Good for you. Good for you, Saurav.’
‘Since you are so busy …’ he said.
‘Yes?’ Thapar said.
‘I was thinking of hand-delivering it to your home. Maybe your wife?’
There was silence. After a few seconds passed, Thapar said without any hint of worry, ‘Go ahead. I … I … don’t care. She is okay with all this.’
But it was too late. He was petrified. Thapar never took so long to respond and he NEVER stammered. Saurav knew that it was the only way out and he probed in further.
‘Are you sure, Mr Thapar? This was what you said in the video. It’s very clear and audible. Oh, Chandni, you are so good, I can fuck you all day. If it weren’t for my ugly wife, I would take you home. And then you laughed, Mr Rajat Thapar.’
‘That can’t be,’ he said. ‘I couldn’t have said that. You couldn’t have recorded that.’
Saurav could tell Thapar was nervous, it was too evident in his voice.
‘N96. It might not have the best speakers or alarm. But it has a great microphone.’
‘So? What do you want, Saurav? What are you trying to say?’
‘I am trying to say that it’s time to re-negotiate. I get my job,’ he said and patted himself for the turn of events. It was insane and he couldn’t quite believe it happened.
‘I don’t care,’ Rajat said.
‘Okay, even I don’t. Seems like your kids and your wife are going to love a forty-year-old dad who can make twenty-year-old girls scream in a parking lot! I don’t think they would like you that much after that. I don’t give a fuck about your job. Do whatever. But let me tell you, after I show this to your wife, you would be paying more than our combined worth in alimony. You want that, fine with me!’
‘Saurav, do you have any idea who you are talking to?’
‘Do you know who you are talking to? I’m from Delhi, you bastard. I can you get picked up from wherever I want to and no one will know where you disappeared,’ Saurav said as his Delhi genes kicked in and he felt invincible.
‘What do you want?’ Thapar asked finally, after he saw that Saurav knew what he was doing. He backed down.
‘That is more like it. I want my job back.’
‘Done.’
‘And my friends’ jobs.’
‘Done.’
‘Super cool.’
‘The video?’ he asked meekly.
‘Now that I am not signing any affidavit or anything, you won’t ever be sure if there exists another copy or not. So, I think you would like to give that a skip.’
‘The deal rides on it, Saurav.’
‘Okay then. The deal is off. None of us was expecting to get our jobs anyway.’
‘Fine! It is a deal,’ he squeaked.
‘And just one question. Is Sumita Bhasin leaving the company?’
‘No. Why?’
‘I hope you won’t miss her, as you would have to throw her out.’
Saurav disconnected the phone at that and checked his phone. The video was there, but it was hidden. He clicked on restore. Garima had made him delete it, but he hadn’t had the heart to and had hidden it. He found the Megha pictures in the hidden folder, too. He deleted them.
He came back to the living room and slipped in next to Riya.
‘Who was it?’
‘Nobody,’ he said, as he hugged her.
‘What did nobody say?’ She kissed him as she pulled the quilt over both of them.
‘Nobody said that all of us are very smart and we deserve to be happy.’ He hugged her and they slept off.
32
The bell ran incessantly and Abhijeet was the first one to wake up. Abhijeet looked at his watch and it was six, and dragged his feet towards the door, his head felt heavy and his body tired. Till the time he opened the door and saw Shruti standing outside, he wasn’t really aware of where he was.
‘Shruti?’ he asked, puzzled. ‘Oh, Shruti, come. Where were you?’ Abhijeet asked.
‘Out,’ Shruti replied. She had thought it would be hard for her to even bear the sight of any one of them, but she was surprisingly happy and she wanted to hug Abhijeet.
‘Look we are very … sorry …’ Abhijeet said and hugged her and she couldn’t react.
‘It’s okay,’ she said and hugged him tighter and they both had tears in their eyes.
‘We were so worried! Where had you gone? And why did you resign? I mean why!’
‘There was a reason, but it is okay! I am not worried now.’
‘We were. We love you so much. I mean, we are really sorry. We had planned to make this day special for you and we waited but you didn’t turn up.’
Shruti saw the lopsided charts, read the words on them and her eyes welled up.
‘This is so sweet, this is so sweet!’
‘It’s nothing. We wish we could have done more!’
‘You don’t have to,’ she said and they hugged again.
‘I wish things hadn’t gone so bad,’ Abhijeet said.
‘Leave it, Abhijeet. I want you to meet someone,’ she said and pointed in Rishab’s direction. At this, Rishab thrust out his hand to shake Abhijeet’s. He had been standing there, witnessing the tearful reunion.
‘Rishab,’ he said.
‘Abhijeet.’
‘Heard a lot about you.’
‘I hope she didn’t bitch about me,’ Abhijeet said. ‘So? I have never heard about you. You guys are college friends?’
‘We met yesterday.’
‘What?’ Abhijeet asked. ‘Where? How? Like yesterday?’
‘Nothing, really,’ Shruti said, ‘It is the usual stuff that happens when you meet someone in a club, you know. We met, we raced a jet, then we got on that jet, flew to Delhi, had lunch there and came back,’ she said sarcastically.
‘Are you drunk?’
‘No, I am not. What makes you think I am?’
‘If you don’t want to tell, it is okay!’ Abhijeet said.
‘Abhijeet, I swear, my tone may not suggest it, but this is the truth,’ she said and winked at Rishab, who smiled shyly.
‘Why are you doing this to me?’
‘We are doing nothing,’ Shruti said. She was still smiling and clutching at Rishab’s arm.
‘Rishab, what is going on here?’
‘She is not lying,’ Rishab said.
‘You raced a jet. That is what you want me to believe, Rishab?’ he asked and stopped. ‘Wait! This can’t be him. Rishab? You look familiar …’ His mouth fell open. ‘Rishab what?’
‘What as in?’ Shruti asked.
‘Surname, damn it?’ Abhijeet asked.
‘Manchanda,’ Rishab said.
‘Rishab Manchanda?’ Abhijeet asked disbelievingly. ‘The Rishab Manchanda? You’re THE Rishab Manchanda?’
‘I guess so, yes,’ he said.
‘You guys know each other?’ Shruti asked, surprised at Abhijeet’s behaviour and still acting as if she didn’t know that Rishab was actually Rishab Manchanda.
‘I know him,’ he said.
‘How?’ Shruti asked.
‘The whole country knows him, Shruti! Are you blind? Manchanda Petroleum? Manchanda Textiles? Manchanda Telecom? Are you out of your mind?’
‘What? Wait? Are you? Oh shit! You are! Are you? Oh no! You are Rishab? Manchanda? You are really?’ Shruti kept repeating things, acting surprised.
‘Now, this is embarrassing,’ Rishab conceded.
‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ Shruti asked.
‘You
didn’t ask,’ he said. ‘And I didn’t think it was important enough to tell.’
‘Oh my God! Shit, shit, shit.’ She held her head in her hands.
The commotion got the rest three of them up, who were buried in the blankets till then.
‘Abhijeet?’ Garima said groggily, eyes still closed, while Saurav and Riya were staring goggle-eyed at Rishab. ‘I had a strange dream … that Shruti was home … and Rishab Manchanda … you know him, right? That super-hot guy from Business World? He is here … strange dream, no?’
‘Garima, get up,’ Abhijeet said.
‘In a while,’ she said, as Saurav continued to stare at Rishab who shifted in his place in embarrassment. He felt like a zoo animal.
‘For a minute, please Garima, wake up.’
Garima woke up and saw Rishab and Shruti standing hand in hand and she felt her mouth drop to the floor. ‘Oh my God! What on earth is he doing here? Is he really him? Are you? What? Why?’ She threw the blanket aside and got up on her knees and opened her eyes.
‘Yes, he is Rishab Manchanda,’ Abhijeet said.
‘Saurav?’ Riya looked at Saurav.
‘Yes, Riya?’
‘Is this Rishab Manchanda? Really?’ Riya asked. She turned to Rishab who smiled, ‘I love you so much! I mean, you came on the cover of Business World and I loved your suit!’
‘Riya?’ Saurav said.
‘Yes?’
‘Shut up,’ he said, as he put his hand across her mouth painfully.
They both waved from where they were sitting. They stared and smiled stupidly at Rishab. After everyone had done his or her bit of getting surprised and staring, everyone hugged each other and looked at Rishab as if he was a lab experiment. Everyone hugged Shruti and they told her how sorry they were, tears rolled down, more apologies were exchanged and God was thanked for everything. Everyone was sorry and everyone cried their hearts out. They told each other how they would always be there for each other and how their lives were incomplete without each other. Garima and Shruti found it hard to keep the flow of tears in check. After a good half hour, things crawled back to normalcy.
‘So, what’s the story?’ Saurav asked Rishab and Shruti, who were sitting hand in hand in a corner.
Now That You're Rich: Let's fall in Love! Page 20
