Trouble Has a New Name

by Adite Banerjie

  Rayna winked at her, ‘Shush! You don’t want your maasi to know, do you?’

  Milee stuck her tongue out and whispered dramatically, ‘My maasi has been giving me so much grief. She won’t even let me meet Chris. One would think I’m some kind of a virginal seventeenth-century bride.’

  ‘Virginal? And you? Ha!’ Rayna laughed. ‘But sneaking out at midnight to snog your groom is so romantic.’

  Milee blushed prettily. ‘Shut up, you! Now, what’s up between you and Sid? Has he proposed yet? Have you guys moved in? Tell, tell, tell!’

  Rayna’s fraction of a second hesitation put Milee’s antenna up. Her large brown eyes grew round in alarm. ‘Ray, what’s the matter?’

  Rayna struggled to find the right words. She had always shared everything with Milee, but today she hesitated to talk about her break-up. This was the most important event in Milee’s life and she didn’t want to say anything that would ruin the celebratory mood. ‘Oh, we had a fight. Sid promised to come with me for your wedding but took off at the last minute for some stupid commercial shoot in Bangalore. And we had a massive row.’

  Milee’s face turned serious. ‘Are you sure it’s only a lovers’ tiff?’

  Rayna hugged her friend. ‘You’re such a suspicious little thing! Believe me, that’s exactly what happened. Don’t get me wrong. I’m still mad as hell and, given half a chance, I would probably slit his throat.’

  The heartfelt emotion in her statement got through to Milee and she giggled. ‘Yeah, right! More like you would melt in his arms. Anyway, that’s a big relief.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  Milee wrung her hands. ‘Actually, I have done something that I shouldn’t have.’

  Rayna tried not to sound too anxious. ‘Come on Milee—out with it.’

  ‘Ah, well, you know how annoying Radhika can be. Well, she was going on and on about how you had messed up your life by making the wrong career choice, blah-blah… How you would never find an eligible guy to marry you.’

  Rayna rolled her eyes. Radhika was their old schoolmate and a huge pain in the butt—always passing judgement on everyone else. ‘And…?’

  Milee gulped. ‘I got so ticked off, I told her you were not only on the top of your career but you were seeing this wonderful guy…’ Her voice trailed off as she tried to gauge Rayna’s reaction.

  Rayna’s eyebrows arched skywards. ‘Is that it?’

  Milee looked guilty as hell and took Rayna’s arm. ‘I know I shouldn’t have, but I told her you and Sid were engaged.’

  Oh, dear, what a mess! Though she meant well, Milee’s old habit of jumping to her defence had often ended up making things more difficult. Radhika, who took great pleasure in being the town megaphone, would have gone public with the news. She would bet the last rupee in her savings account that Robi Da and Sudha Bhabhi too had heard about it.

  Milee squeezed her arm. ‘Please don’t be mad at me, Rayna… It’s not as if you and Sid are in Splitsville, even if you have argued.’

  Rayna embraced her friend, trying to hide the dismay she felt. ‘Of course I’m not mad. Don’t worry—it will be fine.’

  Milee hugged her back in relief. ‘Oh, thank God!’

  RBIL #4: Trouble always comes neatly wrapped in large-size packs.

  While Sid’s betrayal claimed top billing, there were more than enough items on her ‘worry list.’ She was so not looking forward to meeting her frenemies from Agra now, and besides she needed to sort out the issue of her accommodation.

  ‘Hey, Milee, why don’t I crash out with you? It would be like our sleepovers at your home in Agra.’

  ‘Oh, Rayna, I wish! But, you know, this place is quite crazy. We have had some last-minute guests turn up. I’m already sharing my room with two cousins.’

  Rayna racked her brain to come up with an alternative suggestion but failed.

  ‘Wait a minute. There’s one free twin bed but…’

  ‘That’s fine with me.’ Rayna pounced at the offer. ‘I don’t mind sharing the room.’

  Milee paused for a second. ‘You’ll have to share it with Agra Aunty.’

  Exasperation battled with dismay as Rayna asked, ‘She is here?’

  Milee made a face. ‘She arrives today. My mother insisted on inviting her.’

  ‘Robi Da and Sudha Bhabhi also?’

  Milee shook her head. ‘They declined…made some excuse about a long delayed holiday to Europe.’

  Rayna muttered, ‘More likely they backed out because they knew I would be here.’

  ‘I’m really sorry, Ray.’

  Rayna felt like a heel for making such a fuss when Milee had her umpteen relatives to worry about. ‘Hey, no issues. I will be fine sharing with Neel. Promise.’

  Milee sighed. ‘I knew you would understand.’ Then added, tongue firmly in cheek, ‘You know what, this is the perfect opportunity to get your revenge on Sid for ditching you. Maybe you could indulge in a little wedding fling with Neel? He’s so H-O-T!’

  Rayna nearly choked at that, grabbed a pillow and flung it at Milee, who ducked out of the way, howling with laughter.

  Her curiosity, though, was piqued. ‘How come you know Neel so well, huh?’

  Milee rolled her eyes. ‘Now, now! Don’t jump to conclusions. Neel Arora is Chris’s business partner and co-promoter of this resort.’

  Rayna’s jaw dropped. Her mind played back all the stupid remarks she had made about him being fired and she cringed with embarrassment. Gosh, she had a serious case of foot-in-mouth disease. She would sink through the floor the next time she saw him! To make matters worse, she would now have to share a villa with him. This situation was only getting knottier by the minute.

  Why on earth did she go all jelly-kneed when the hot, hot hotelier was anywhere in the vicinity? She was a professional model, for God’s sake! She was used to working with attractive men, but none of them got her in such a tizzy.

  Luckily for Rayna, Milee’s maasi needed to discuss some critical wedding-related details with her and she made good her escape. She needed to go for a run to clear the cobwebs in her brain.

  Her thoughts were still on Neel when Maya, the wedding planner, stopped her. ‘I have planned something really fun and exciting for the sangeet,’ said Maya. ‘We’ll talk about it when we all meet for cocktails at the poolside this evening. But remember not to discuss this with Milee. It’s meant to be a surprise.’

  The whole wedding machinery was being cranked up. Having been at several such high-society nuptials, Rayna knew that the sangeet would be the highlight of the celebrations. Sangeet, or literally music, with all its fun, frolic and laughter, was a great occasion for the groom and bride’s friends and family to get to know each other. But, as marriages got more lavish, the spontaneity of the ritual had been lost. The modern version was a highly choreographed event that was usually filmed and then splashed all over the Internet. Wedding planners’ careers were often made or broken on whether or not the sangeet they had organised for their celebrity clients had gone viral.

  As she crossed the lobby of the hotel and headed towards the beach, she noticed a group of guests making their way to the reception desk. Her eyes instantly picked out Neel, dressed in a cream-coloured silk kurta and khakis. He was chatting with some Westerners carrying a bunch of what looked like cinematography equipment. The logos of LLC—the TV channel—confirmed her suspicions. Well, her friend’s wedding promised to be splashier than most.

  Right behind her a couple whispered to each other and laughed. Rayna stopped dead in her tracks as recognition mixed with horror and anger rippled through her. It was Sid, her ex of five days, who seemed to have found himself a new girlfriend with a speed that would put Casanova to shame. She couldn’t believe her eyes—Sid, who’d wanted her to move in with him not so long ago, was now with some other woman! Stuck to his side, like a tick on a dog, was Karisma Mehta, Bollywood’s newest and hottest item girl, whose Sexy Sharmilee number for the latest blockbuster had set celluloid scree
ns on fire.

  It took all her willpower not to march up to Sid and spew the venom that bubbled inside her. The casual manner in which he had cut her off from his life made her feel cheap and used. Soon her rage against Sid turned to self-recrimination; she’d actually believed he was the right man for her! Had she been so overwhelmed by his gesture of recommending her for a few assignments that she had shut her eyes to his faults? A man who could switch his affections so easily and quickly—she was disgusted at her own lack of judgement.

  Rayna turned on her heel and headed off in the opposite direction, intent only on putting as much distance as possible between her and the deceitful man. What she needed desperately was an escape from her torturous thoughts.

  Unmindful of where she was going, she collided against a hard muscular chest. Her breath whooshed as the spicy notes of a male-scented perfume enveloped her, leaving her in no doubt of the identity of the person she’d crashed into. Neel.

  ‘What’s the rush, Ms Dutt?’ He grabbed her around the waist and she found herself pinned to him. His body heat seeped through her light cotton T-shirt and ignited a spark under her skin. Her mouth turned dry as she looked up into his grey twinkling eyes.

  She seethed and pushed against his chest. ‘Seems like you were in no rush to reveal your true identity, Mr Neel Arora.’

  He loosened his grip slightly but his hand stayed around her waist. A slow-burning heat began to sizzle in her blood.

  He shrugged. ‘It wasn’t intentional but you’d made up your mind and there was no reason for me to correct your misconceptions.’

  ‘That’s deception,’ she said sharply. ‘Especially when you knew everything about me.’

  He angled his head in agreement and her heart dipped as the dimple in his cheek deepened deliciously. ‘True. Must admit I did enjoy having an advantage over you.’

  She had had it up to her ears with deceitful men. ‘When exactly were you going to tell me? After you had sent me packing to sleep on the beach?’

  ‘Whoa! Whoa!’ His eyes narrowed as he looked at her intently. ‘I was seriously out of line there. Why don’t we shake hands, introduce ourselves and get to know each other over a beer?’

  The devastating smile that accompanied his excuse of an apology had already doused much of her anger and was making her warm in a very different kind of way. ‘Oh, what’s with the peace pipe all of a sudden, Mr Arora?’

  ‘Call me Neel, please. Shall we sit at the bar and discuss it?’

  Curiosity flared through her. But she didn’t want to get up close and personal with her too-hot-to-be-true villa-mate. She needed to keep her sanity intact. Getting all chummy with him did not spell smart strategy.

  ‘So, how about breaking the ice over some chilled draught beer?’ he added. ‘I can vouch for the fact that it’s truly the best you can find anywhere in the country. And of course it will be on the house.’

  ‘So generous of you, Mr A… Neel. Thanks, but no thanks!’

  Suddenly she felt a slight rumble behind her and, from the corner of her eye, saw the gargantuan figure of Agra Aunty pushing through the revolving doors of the resort. Her high-pitched voice floated across the hall as she scolded the bellboy who was helping her with her luggage.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Neel asked as he cast a quick glance to reassure himself that the attendant was coping.

  Taking a huge gulp of air, Rayna turned her attention to Neel and gave him a shaky smile. ‘Nothing. It’s quite warm out here.’

  Neel raised one eyebrow, looking at her askance. ‘Let’s go grab a drink.’

  She was glad his arm was still around her waist as he guided her towards the bar. Her legs wobbled as if they were negotiating a seismic zone. The Sid/Karisma sighting had certainly shaken the ground beneath her feet and now Agra Aunty’s appearance was like an aftershock. With the arrival of her old tormentor, all her apprehensions came rushing back.

  Neel leaned back in the comfortable lounge seat and looked at Rayna. He couldn’t keep his eyes off her. Moments ago, her beautiful kohl-lined eyes had glinted with a hint of golden fire as she had sparred with him. Something had flashed briefly in them before those lovely lashes had dropped down like a thick curtain. What had rattled her? An unsavoury memory? Apprehension? Fear? It was none of his business and yet he couldn’t resist asking, ‘What was all that about?’

  She gave him a smile but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. ‘A blast from the past.’

  ‘Hmm…for a moment I thought you would pass out.’

  She laughed shakily. ‘What did you want to discuss?’

  A pretty server in a yellow and orange blouse-sarong ensemble, with jasmine flowers in her hair, approached them for their order.

  ‘Nothing like a pitcher of chilled beer to douse unwelcome blasts from the past,’ Neel reassured her.

  ‘I’ll avoid the beer. How about something tall, cool and non-alcoholic for me, please?’

  At the server’s recommendation, she settled for a Coco Colada while Neel ordered beer.

  She took a long sip of the rich, creamy coconut drink.

  ‘First of all, I wanted to apologise for being rude,’ he said.

  She couldn’t hide her surprise as her eyes flew to his face.

  ‘I’m not trying to make excuses for my behaviour, so let’s just say we got off on the wrong foot.’

  ‘Complete with inappropriate footwear,’ she joked feebly.

  He smiled. ‘I’m sorry there has been a big mess-up with the accommodation.’

  She shook her head. ‘I had no clue there was a problem.’

  He shrugged. ‘As I said, we messed up. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.’

  He had totally bowled her over with his disarming confession. Honestly, she didn’t know what to think. She had gone from exchanging insults to sharing a drink with Neel in the space of a few hours. And she still couldn’t figure out whether she wanted to keep him at arm’s length or accept his offer of a truce. The conflicting signals being sent out by her mind and body were making her behave like a traffic light on the blink. She’d never reacted like this to any man before. The intensity of the physical attraction she’d felt for him was being compounded several times over by his utterly charming behaviour.

  RBIL #5: Alert! Attraction on the rebound is a really, really bad idea!

  She sipped her Coco Colada in silence as he continued, ‘After all, you’re Chris’s guest and it was downright rude of me to dismiss your concerns. I’ll remove my stuff as soon as possible and you can have the villa to yourself.’

  She was stunned at the offer and she stuttered, ‘But where will you stay? All the villas have been taken up.’

  ‘Not an issue—’ he shrugged ‘—I’ll find room at the staff quarters.’

  ‘So you’re going to throw your weight around and evict some poor employee from his room?’ she challenged him.

  He laughed, setting off yet another ripple in the pit of her stomach. ‘If push comes to shove, I might use that card as well. But before you get all hot and bothered about my employees’ rights, let me assure you I don’t believe in using strong-arm tactics with my staff.’

  Before she could stop herself, she made an offer she wouldn’t have predicted in her wildest dreams. ‘Forget it. You may as well stay at the villa.’

  His grey eyes looked deep into hers and her insides turned into mush. ‘Are you sure?’

  Of course she wasn’t! Her head yelled she was being an utter fool but her body sang a totally different tune. ‘Yes. As long as…you don’t use the Jacuzzi.’

  Her heart fluttered like a trapped butterfly as she caught the twinkle in his eyes.

  ‘Any particular reason?’ he enquired innocently.

  She had a sneaky suspicion he’d caught her ogling him as he had emerged from the pool. Many of her model friends back in Mumbai would kill to share the villa with someone as drool-worthy as Neel Arora. As for her, she was way out of her depth, particularly when it came to dealing with all that g
orgeous masculinity.

  She pulled her gaze away and pretended a nonchalance she didn’t feel. ‘I’m not used to having naked men cavorting around me.’

  ‘I will keep that in mind.’ His full-on smile was devastating. ‘Though I have no reservations about half-clad, pretty young ladies, should you decide to use the Jacuzzi.’

  Gosh, Rayna, you’re flirting with him! Next, you will want, to have a holiday fling, just as Milee suggested. But would it be such a bad idea? Perhaps that was what she needed to do. A perfect slap in the face for Sid, who should have known better than to come here with his new girlfriend draped all over him!

  It was a light bulb moment. The solution to her problem was packaged in a delicious six-foot-plus frame of male perfection—Neel Arora. Maybe, just maybe, he would consider her proposition. But she couldn’t just blurt it out. She needed to keep the conversation going and pitch it at the right time.

  Nervousness rippled through her. ‘By the way, are you going to this evening’s party?’

  He grimaced. ‘Now that I have been appointed by Chris to be the chief hand-holding person for the LLC TV team, I guess I will have to attend.’

  ‘Oh, come on, it will be fun,’ she coaxed him. And as an afterthought added, ‘I would be happy to help with the TV team if you wish.’

  She didn’t miss the look of relief on Neel’s face. ‘That would be great. PR is not really my strong point.’

  Rayna’s mind raced ahead with all the possibilities. She and Neel could be a couple—at least for the duration of this wedding. It would also be the perfect way to shut up the gossipmongers. And if word went back to Robi Da and Sudha Bhabhi—as it inevitably would—that she was engaged to a hotshot hotelier, it would be the proverbial cherry on the cake. The more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea. And she needed to pitch it to him now.

  ‘Sure, no problem, but in exchange I need you to help me out a bit.’

  Now, it all depended on whether Neel would want to be a party to it. Well, she had to make sure that he did. Or else she would end up with egg on her face in front of the whole Agra gang and her deceitful ex. Her heart was knocking so hard inside her chest, she was sure he could hear it across the table.