by Saranya Rai
Her favourite person dropped into the empty beach chair next to her with a loud groan.
‘It’s your twenty-first, what are you doing sitting here by yourself so far from the party? Your fondness for “sitting down” is about forty years too early.’
Mini couldn’t quite summon the energy to respond to her brother’s jibes in kind. A warm lethargy weighed her down and the music was just far enough away to be a pleasant thrum in the background.
‘Leave me alone, bhaiya. You’re not allowed to pick on me today.’
‘Considering I flew in from Hyderabad, and drove you to Madh Island just for one weekend, I think I’m allowed to say whatever I want.’
Mini smiled, shaking her head against the rough canvas of the beach chair. ‘So much natak. What was the point of all those stupid denials over email?’
‘That is how a surprise works, Mini baby. Is age dulling your intelligence already?’
Reaching down with her free hand, Mini scooped up some sand and threw it in the general direction of her brother’s beach chair. Most of it missed him and she could make out his silhouette shaking with laughter in the semi-darkness.
‘Your aim is just as bad as it always was, I’m glad to see. Some things never change.’
‘Bhaiya, it’s literally been a month since you left for Hyderabad. Did you think I would become a completely new person in the meantime?’
She couldn’t see his face clearly, but Vicky seemed to become strangely sober almost immediately.
‘Of course not. You’re right, it hasn’t been that long. It just feels that way sometimes.’
Curious as she was, something told Mini to tread carefully.
‘Is it the film? Is Sudarshana Samarth as bad as her reputation? Is it proving to be harder than you’d expected?’
‘Not really. I mean, Sudarshana is . . . worse. I don’t know how the rumours about her rep could be understatements, and they really are. She’s this impossible taskmaster, but also, such a thrill to work with.’
‘What’s wrong, then?’
Vicky was quiet for so long, Mini was certain he was just going to evade her question and she didn’t want to press the issue. Closing her eyes, she let her mind wander, lulled by the distant crash of the surf and muffled laughter from the party drifting their way in snatches.
‘I have this weird . . . thing with Kritika and I don’t know what to make of it.’
Mini’s eyes snapped open immediately, and she turned towards her brother.
‘What kind of thing?’
Vicky sighed loudly. ‘That’s just it. I don’t know what kind of thing. I lied to you and Jay about not being into Kritika, okay. I . . . just . . . How could I not be? She’s so hot! And funny! And really warm, and friendly, and nice! There’s just something about her—I can’t explain it.’
It was Mini’s turn to sigh. ‘So, what’s the problem? She’s not into you?’
‘That’s just it! I could’ve sworn she is into me! I mean, every time I’d flirt with her, test the waters a little, she’d respond! And we definitely have chemistry! We hang out together in between shots a fair bit and I’m almost positive that I’m not imagining her interest. You know I’m not the kind to.’
‘Okay . . .’
‘Anyway, last Tuesday, I asked her to hang out with me on a morning that we both had off. I didn’t even frame it like a date or anything! Okay, I’d been hoping to eventually ask her out, but it was super innocuous that day. And she flipped! I think she was actually mad at me. I’ve never seen her like that. She froze and just said she doesn’t think it’s a great idea for us to date. I didn’t know how to respond to that, so I . . . left.’
‘But you can’t let go?’
‘Yeah. It’s driving me insane, trying to figure out where I went wrong. Did I misread her interest? I could’ve sworn I had not. But then we spend so much time together on set, I just wanted to see her outside, y’know? It’s not like it was a marriage proposal!’
Mini chewed on her bottom lip, trying to find the best way to frame her question.
‘Is it possible . . . that she has never been interested in you as more than a friend . . . and she got mad because . . . she saw your offer to hang out as coming from just another guy who can’t be friends without wanting to get into her pants? Given that she’s Kritika Vadukut, I think she probably sees a lot of that?’
Vicky shook his head vigorously. ‘I don’t know how to explain it to you, Min. That’s not what our equation is like. And what’s worse, she’s been completely closed off since that conversation. She won’t talk to me. I can’t even figure out why she’s mad.’
‘Hasn’t that affected your work?’
‘Not particularly. She’s good at what she does. Very rarely does anything external affect her. As long as we’ve worked together, it’s just been that Neogi film, otherwise—oh fuck.’
‘What about the Neogi film? Kritika’s doing an Abhimanyu Neogi film? That’s pretty cool!’
‘Yeah, about that. That’s a secret. I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone. So, same goes for you. This isn’t news yet, and Kritika wants it kept quiet.’
‘Wait . . . you two are close enough for her to tell you about a film that is meant to be a secret?’
‘Yes! I spoke to her right after she received the news from her manager, and she just told me! I didn’t even have to push for it. I just . . . You have to see us together, Mini. I can’t explain it to you.’
‘Okay, this does indicate that she thinks of you as a close friend, at least. It’s not unreasonable to expect that she’d talk to you about whatever was bothering her.’
‘Yeah . . .’
Vicky sounded so wistful that all of Mini’s previous contentment in the evening faded. She knew a thing or two about unrequited feelings, after all. As though on cue, Jahan, who had been part of Vicky’s surprise, left the cosy bubble of lanterns and music, and drifted over to them. ‘Bhai-behen sitting together morosely, while there’s a party on three feet away? I’m having FOMO just looking at the two of you.’
‘Shut up, Jay. I was spending some quality time with my sister. She’s twenty-one already. Soon, we’ll be marrying her off and she will become paraya dhan.’ Vicky ended on a loud sniffle and pretended to wipe a tear away.
‘You guys SUCK.’
Laughing, Jahan grabbed the empty beer bottle out of her hand, dropping it on to the sand, and pulled her to her feet. ‘Come dance with me, Mini. Let this asshole sit here and brood.’
Mini let Jahan pull her back into the little circle of light and laughter, her heart lighter than it had been a minute ago.
7
The day was drawing to a close, but neither Heer nor Ranjha seemed quite ready to get up and herd the cows home. Ranjha sat under the shade of a mango tree with sprawling branches, Heer cradled against his chest. He played idly with the silken strands of her unbound hair, flute lying completely forgotten to the side, for once.
‘You know . . . my parents have been hinting at looking for an eligible alliance for me for some time now.’
‘And?’
‘And I thought it may be of interest to you that they seem to have found someone. His name is Saida Khera. He lives some distance from here. His family is wealthy—they own many acres of land and a whole shed of cattle.’
‘Perhaps you’d better marry this Khera and his land and cows.’
He yelped at a sharp pinch to his arm.
‘It would serve you right if I did. At least, he’d value me.’
His chest rumbled with gentle laughter under her cheek.
‘I don’t value you, Heer?’
‘Do you?’
‘I value these moments with you in my arms. I value the feel of your hair falling around us and the petal-softness of your skin.’ He traced a finger along the curve of her breast. ‘I value the way you listen to me play the flute and the stories you share with me. I value the freshly churned butter you sneak me with my food. I value the way you lean int
o me when you’re tired.’
Heer raised her head to press a gentle kiss to his lips. ‘Khera has nothing on you. Don’t worry, I’m going to refuse this match the moment they try to talk me into it. And then you can bring your suit to my father.’
‘Do you think your father will agree to hand over his precious daughter to a penniless, low-born cowherd in his own employ?’
‘My father loves me. He has never refused me anything I want yet.’
~
Kriti may have drawn a clear line in the sand for Vicky, but the truth of the matter was that she missed him. She missed his ridiculous jokes and infectious laughter. She missed the easy camaraderie and even the warmth of his presence when he would flirt with her. Perhaps it all came easily to him but Kriti appreciated a truly friendly face in her cutthroat workplace. She also felt guilty about the way she’d spoken to him almost a week ago now. He’d caught her at a bad time, when her anxiety had been off the charts, but that wasn’t an excuse to speak to a friend like that.
So, it was a bit of a relief when Vicky approached her during pack-up, the Monday after he’d returned from his impromptu trip to Mumbai and asked to talk. She’d assented and now felt five different kinds of foolish as she approached the private poolside on a rooftop of the Jahanara. It needed a special key that the front desk gave out on request and could guarantee a modicum of privacy in their otherwise impossibly public lives.
You are so fucking stupid, Kriti. Why did you even agree to this meeting? What could he possibly have to say to you that you couldn’t have a quick chat about in between shots?
Muttering under her breath, Kritika swiped into the pool area and stopped short. He was already there.
In a pair of navy board shorts that were slightly worse for wear and a plain white cotton tee, Vicky Behl sat by the pool, feet dangling in the fluorescent-lit water. The light reflecting off the water lit up his angular features in an unusually sombre expression. As the breeze tousled his hair, Kriti felt her heart flutter.
It was too late to run away. He’d already seen her and waved to her. Kriti hitched up her pyjamas to her knees and sat down next to him. She was careful to sit a good foot away from him, nervousness twisting her stomach into knots. The pool water was artificially heated and her aching feet sighed with relief as she dipped her toes in and flexed a few times.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, and Kriti could slowly feel her nervousness leach away, replaced by bone-deep exhaustion.
‘Thank you for coming to talk to me, Kritika. I know you’re tired; I won’t take much of your time.’
Kriti smiled wistfully at his formality. She missed the playful Vicky who would never have dreamt of saying something so . . . Father David–like. And it was her fault he sat so stiffly by her side, fidgeting with the strap of his Fitbit.
‘So, what did you want to talk about?’
‘I just wanted to apologize, to be honest. I think I’ve crossed a line somewhere, and . . . I’m not sure where exactly, but I wanted to say sorry. I’m hoping we can still be friends?’
Kriti sighed. This was more honesty than she’d bargained for, perhaps.
‘I . . . would like to stay friends too. And a little bit of an apology is due on my part, also. I’m sorry for . . . being rude. While I wasn’t lying about wanting to keep my professional and personal lives separate, I was unnecessarily harsh.’
‘Hey, I’m sorry I made you uncomfortable in the first place.’
Kriti laughed a little. ‘I think that’s enough apologizing and counter-apologizing for one session, don’t you?’
‘I guess.’ A rueful grin lit up his features and Kriti breathed more easily. ‘So, how was the weekend? Sudarshana and Arun get into any more fights than usual?’ he asked.
‘Oh yeah, there was a major clash on Saturday over setting up a shot of Heer moping in her sasuraal.’
‘Yeah?’
‘Almost didn’t finish the scene that day. It was actually Ipshita who brought it to Sudarshana’s notice. The way Arun wanted to set up the shot wouldn’t maintain continuity with where Heer is shown to be sitting in the previous scene.’
‘Ouch. Was Ipshita right, though?’
‘Afraid so. And Arun doesn’t enjoy being wrong any more than Sudarshana does.’
‘Who enjoys being wrong, Kritika?’
‘Kriti.’
‘Excuse me?’
‘Call me Kriti, not Kritika. That’s what all my friends call me.’
‘Ooooh I’m in the clique now!’
She leant back on her palms, shaking her head in disbelief.
‘How does your sister put up with you? It was her birthday that you’d taken off for, wasn’t it?’
‘Yep. She turned twenty-one. Kind of a big day. Wouldn’t miss it for the world.’
‘My belated wishes to her. What did you get her?’
‘My presence itself was a present.’
‘She didn’t beat you up?’
‘I’m joking. I got her a first-edition signed copy of Mort.’ At Kriti’s look of blank incomprehension he continued, ‘It’s one of the early Discworld books by Terry Pratchett? Mini loves it. I put an agent on it months ago and he tracked it down for me just in time.’
‘That’s a . . . really thoughtful present.’
Vicky huffed loudly.
‘You needn’t sound so surprised. I’m a thoughtful person.’
Kriti couldn’t help laughing again.
‘No, you are, you are. I’m terrible.’ Getting up regretfully, Kriti unrolled her pyjamas. ‘I really should go to bed now. Long day tomorrow.’
Vicky continued sitting by the pool, looking up at her with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
‘Hey Kriti, you sure we’re good?’
Kriti nodded, even as she sensed some of that first-week awkwardness linger. She knew it would take time to overcome that—if they ever did. And that thought made her almost unbearably sad.
‘Goodnight, Vicky.’
‘Night, Kriti.’
Vicky watched Kriti walk away, right until she’d reached the gate to the poolside and let herself out. He waited another five minutes before pulling out his cell phone and dialling Mini.
~
Mrinalini had just gotten into bed, ready to get cosy with the latest murder mystery she’d picked up on her way home from college, when her phone rang. It was her brother. Frowning at the time displayed in the corner of the screen, she answered the call.
‘Is everything all right, bhaiya? Why are you calling so late?’
‘I did it. I spoke to Kritika. I apologized for making her uncomfortable and we’re okay now.’
‘That’s great! Did she say why she got mad that day?’
‘Not really. She just clarified that she means it about keeping her professional and personal lives separate.’
‘Okay . . . so where do you stand now, then?’
‘We’re friends. That’s okay. I guess I was wrong about reading her feelings. I can handle being friends. I now have “Kriti” privilege, which I am told she only extends to a handful.’
Mini bit her lip. Her brother obviously had it bad. A wave of annoyance directed at Kritika surged through her. She knew it was unfair, but she had no business breaking her brother’s heart like this.
‘Anyway, I figured I owe you an update since I did whine to you about this the night of your birthday. And . . . I did want to talk about it and I can’t call Jay.’
‘Bhaiya, you totally don’t owe me an explanation about this, okay? You can call me whenever you want.’
A dry burst of laughter surprised her.
‘When did we switch roles, Min? Remember when you used to come to me with stories of how amazing Aman is?’
‘Oh, for God’s sake, I was thirteen.’
‘Are you still in touch with Aman?’
‘NO! I haven’t spoken to him in years. When did this become about me?’
‘You’ll come to me if you have boy trouble, wo
n’t you, Mini Cooper?’
Mini squeezed her eyes shut, super-duper glad that her brother couldn’t see her. He’d catch her lie in a second.
‘Of course, I will. Fortunately for me, there isn’t a single crush-worthy guy in my entire batch.’
‘All right, then. I’ll let you get back to your book.’
‘Take care of yourself, okay? I mean . . . plenty of fish in the sea and all that, right?’ she said, anxious to make sure he was okay.
Another hollow laugh echoed down the line. ‘Yeah, yeah, Dadi ma. I’ll catch you later.’
Mini chewed on her lower lip, staring at the dark phone screen. She hadn’t seen her brother so cut up over a girl . . . ever. For once, Mini actually hoped there was a shred of truth to the tabloid reports about her brother being a player. He’d be far less likely to hold on to a broken heart in that case.
~
Nothing appeared to have changed on the surface, but Sudarshana could sense that her lead couple had undergone some kind of major shift in their relationship. It’s not that they were too polite to one another. It’s not that they didn’t talk or share a joke between shots. She knew what the obvious answer was; she just couldn’t put her finger on when things went sour between them. Luckily, it had not affected their work. It really was not her place to say anything. They were adults. Yet Sudarshana was concerned.
As if sensing that she was thinking about something important, Arun, of course, chose this moment to bring up their planned photo shoot. He had a knack for doing things that interrupted her and kept her on edge.
‘Have you given any thought to when you’re going to sit for me?’
Sudarshana looked up sharply from a promotional pitch sent in by a digital-content aggregator that one of the assistants had handed her that morning. Her hair was a frizzy mess, as usual, and the pair of reading glasses perched on her nose sat slightly askew. She took them off before he could straighten them, like he had the last time. He had carefully adjusted them with his long graceful fingers, managing to turn the whole thing into a rather intimate gesture.
