Love Bi the Way

by Bhaavna Arora

  ‘We all have scars, Zara, but you’re just perfect,’ Shaurya said, an intense gaze on her.

  Zara was glowing in the attention being bestowed on her. She could see that Shaurya was steering the conversation to more personal areas now. And in Rihana’s absence, he had more time with her than ever.

  ‘You left early after dinner last night. I take it that you are quite the introvert?’ Shaurya asked.

  ‘I just felt out of place. Rihana is the kind of person who can gel with any kind of people, just about anywhere. I usually take my time and this whole “royal” and “hukum” culture is so not what I am used to.’

  Shaurya laughed out loud. He had a nice laugh—natural and easy-going, warm and contagious.

  ‘You know, the best thing to do when you feel out of place is to make others feel out of place. That way, they will leave, and you can have the space all to yourself again,’ Shaurya said, making them both laugh.

  Shaurya was now watching Zara intensely. ‘Your whole face lights up when you laugh, Zara.’

  ‘Come on, Shaurya! Is that your best line? I’m sure a prince can do much better than that. By the way, I noticed that no one addresses you as “Your Highness”. You are the prince, so I assumed you would be called that.’

  ‘I don’t believe in traditions, and this is the only one that I’ve been able to escape till now.’

  ‘“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Why do you want to break tradition?’

  ‘If you ever want to help the economy of India, the government must start putting a tax on stupidity. And I’ll support it wholeheartedly.’ Zara shook her head in amusement and Shaurya continued, ‘The whole Maharani–Maharaja culture is long extinct. The British don’t rule over us any more, Zara. We follow democracy, which gives equality to one and all. Following this culture is actually like following the times when kids used to go to school on elephants or when dodo birds weren’t extinct.’

  ‘You’re a rebel!’ Zara stated, sounding impressed.

  ‘I’m a revolutionary.’ Shaurya smiled and tried to change the topic. ‘Anyway, it’s the finals of the Rajput Polo Trophy tomorrow and I insist you come.’

  ‘That’s what I stayed back for.’

  ‘For the polo match?’ Shaurya was flirting, and Zara blushed.

  Zara was intelligent and more than sensitive, but unlike Rihana, she had never been in the company of too many men. For a change, she was enjoying herself. The prince had impeccable manners, came clean with his thoughts and words, plus his attention was overwhelming.

  Their conversation was interrupted by Zara’s mobile ringing. ‘It’s Rihana.’ Zara picked up the call expectantly.

  ‘I have reached safely, Zara. Tiger doesn’t seem to be in good shape. His vet, Dr Bhardwaj, is on vacation, so I’m taking him to another vet,’ said Rihana, sounding tense.

  ‘Is there anyone to help you? I told you so many times I’d come with you, but have you ever listened to me?’

  ‘What could you have done, my love? Called the vet back from the vacation, or treat him yourself? Don’t be silly! Plus I’ve called Zubair. He knows a vet who can see him at this time. I’ll speak to you later, okay?’

  ‘All right, and you take good care of yourself and Tiger. I’ll be waiting for your call; let me know what the vet says.’ She said goodbye and hung up.

  ‘What happened? Everything okay?’ Shaurya questioned.

  ‘Tiger isn’t well. Rihana is taking him to the doctor,’ Zara said, frowning.

  ‘Do you need any help in Delhi? I can have some vet come over and see Tiger at home,’ Shaurya said with genuine intent.

  ‘Rihana will manage. She never shows it, but I know she loves Tiger way too much to compromise with her efforts. She will never let anything happen to him.’

  ‘How are you so confident?’

  ‘When you receive love, the only thing that you can give back is more love. Tiger doesn’t even eat without Rihana. He is such a one-woman dog! The only male who is sticking to her . . . probably the only male she is allowing to stick to her,’ she said, chuckling.

  ‘But Rihana is quite an enterprising girl, and so are you. You girls must be plagued by suitors all the time,’ Shaurya teased, trying to find out more about Zara’s relationships.

  ‘Being enterprising doesn’t get you good men, Shaurya,’ said Zara with a straight face.

  ‘So Zara has a story behind those scars?’

  ‘We all do. My parents got me married to a homosexual man.’ Zara kept quiet after that. She realized she had spoken more than she had intended to. But at the same time, she felt absolutely comfortable speaking to this relative stranger about it. That was the first time that Zara had ever spoken normally about her past.

  After dinner, Zara didn’t want to converse any further with Shaurya, for fear of revealing too much. But in Shaurya’s case, whatever Zara had revealed to him had only made her more intriguing to him.

  Zara retired to her room, leaving Shaurya with the golden hope of meeting her the next day for the polo match. She was in her room, alone. With the nagging feeling at the back of her mind that Rihana was not a shout away, she felt slightly weird. She was staying in a strange place—rather, a strange palace—with complete strangers, but there was a comfort in that unfamiliarity. She felt she was ready to take all that the place had to give.

  Despite the strangeness of it all, she slept well. And it showed the next morning when she stepped out in a white floral dress, looking as fresh as a daisy. She was, without doubt, moving into uncharted territory here. But she felt more in control than she had in ages.

  As she was approaching the stands, her phone buzzed, flashing Rihana’s name.

  ‘Mademoiselle, you seem very busy. You haven’t called even once to check on me and Tiger.’

  ‘Someone sounds jealous,’ Zara countered.

  ‘Yes, I am,’ Rihana admitted with a smile.

  ‘Jealous over me or over Prince Charming?’ asked Zara.

  There was a pause and Rihana wondered at the depth of the question. There had been plenty of men in her life, but none of them had given any meaning to it. And then there was Zara, whose absence was painful, like the soul was missing in her paintings. Her insecurities had nothing to do with Zara—yet, she increasingly felt it had everything to do with her. She couldn’t remember when she had felt this way the last time—maybe with Habib.

  ‘How is Tiger?’ Zara asked, breaking the silence.

  ‘Oh Tiger? He has started eating. You know what, he is a bigger drama queen than you are.’

  ‘Why don’t you give him some shots of Johnnie? He may get better. Like I did with wine,’ said Zara, chuckling.

  ‘Not bad! Someone is clearly in good company and in a good mood too. I guess the polo match is slated for today. Aren’t you going to watch your prince play?

  ‘First of all, he isn’t my prince! Second, I’m almost there,’ Zara said, trying to hide the smile creeping into her words.

  ‘Oh great! Enjoy the day and what follows, and I will see you the day after tomorrow.’

  ‘Yes, please ask Kanhaiya to pick me up. See you!’

  Rihana didn’t push Zara to talk about Shaurya; she was well aware it was too soon. She understood perfectly well how people are afraid to express their fears and desires. For Zara, Shaurya was a desire she feared. Moreover, since she wasn’t around, she wanted Zara to not stress over anything that could come in the way of her happiness and mental well-being.

  Shaurya saw Zara approaching him and beamed. He wasn’t too explicit in his expressions, but whatever he did let slip was intense enough for Zara to understand.

  ‘So that’s your horse? I presume you like horses,’ Zara said, rubbing the horse’s neck.

  ‘Yes, that’s mine, and you guessed right that I like horses. I love them, in fact.’

  ‘Really?’ Zara exclaimed.

  ‘Yes! They give me a sense of strength and power. Have you ever ridden a horse?’

  ‘No, I’m
still trying to take control of the reins of my life,’ Zara admitted.

  ‘Sometimes, when you want to escape your fears and insecurities, all that you have to do is ride your horse.’ The rider and polo player in Shaurya was speaking now.

  ‘What fears and insecurities do you have? You are the prince.’

  ‘Princes are human too, Zara,’ Shaurya said, giving her his best babe-in-the-woods look.

  ‘Riding is not only to escape your fears and insecurities but also to ride your passions and desires,’ said Shaurya, smiling.

  ‘Passions and desires,’ Zara repeated softly.

  ‘Yes, they are the navigation system that will keep pulling you towards the life you want.’

  Both of them looked at each other long enough to convey the feelings that were still bubbling up.

  Meanwhile, the Maharani came by to wish her son good luck for the polo game, when she saw Zara there.

  ‘How are you Zara? And how is your dog?’ the Maharani inquired.

  ‘I feel rejuvenated by the surroundings and the wonderful hospitality, Your Highness. Tiger is getting better. I thank you for your concern. I will also be leaving the day after tomorrow.’ Zara wasn’t quite sure if her presence even meant anything to the Maharani, but wanted to be as courteous as she possibly could.

  ‘You can stay as long as you want, Zara. It’s a pleasure having you here. Hope your stay is comfortable,’ the Maharani said politely.

  ‘More than comfortable, Your Highness! It’s an absolute honour to be your guest.’

  Zara was being truthful. She had never had such an amazing time anywhere. The time she was spending with Shaurya was really doing her good, flooding her brain with dopamine and thus egging on the romance. Her brain was playing its part in the romance too.

  ‘Come, Zara, let’s take a seat and enjoy the game.’ The Maharani started walking towards her seat, with Zara following her.

  ‘Your friend is extremely talented,’ the Maharani said while walking with Zara.

  ‘Yes, Your Highness. Habib has trained her well,’ Zara replied.

  ‘I’ve seen Habib’s work too, but his work had restrictions of its own. Rihana’s work is completely uninhibited—nothing binds her. She is expressive and bold, as if she is painting her words with her pictures. Habib didn’t have to train her, he only recognized the talent in her.’

  The Maharani was mesmerized with Rihana’s work because she knew the value of the painting she had auctioned for the cancer hospital. More so, the way Rihana had described the painting to her and how she had refused to replicate it had told the Maharani much about Rihana—her passion and her eye for art in everything around her.

  Yes! And sometimes she paints her work with vomit too, Zara thought to herself. But the pride she felt for her friend at the Maharani praising Rihana was far more overwhelming. She merely smiled and nodded.

  ‘She is also very friendly. She has befriended all my staff and people. Both of you are lucky to have each other,’ said the Maharani, smiling, and took her seat with Zara following behind her.

  She doesn’t merely befriend men, she has a superpower to mess it up with them. Every single time, Zara thought inwardly.

  They were settled into their seats, but there was still some time for the game to begin. The Maharani began a conversation again, this time on a conventional topic that the girls usually ran away from. ‘So you girls don’t have any plans for marriage?’

  ‘Your Highness, we are just setting up our careers first. And “Not Now” is when Rihana says she’ll get married, according to her,’ said Zara with a grin.

  ‘But you girls are doing pretty well already! And let me assure you that boys your age are not doing as well. Today’s girls are talented and I feel very happy to see that. You own a company, while Rihana is an internationally acclaimed painter. What else do you want to set up in a career? There is a right age for everything.’ Zara smiled in acknowledgement, hoping the Maharani would choose to talk about something else. But the older lady paused for a moment and said, ‘Don’t get me wrong, I’m not orthodox when it comes to marriages; I’m just concerned about two beautiful talented girls.’

  Zara smiled and assured her that she had taken whatever the Maharani had said in a very positive spirit. But she wondered how marriage was a parameter for being settled. Was it that important? Zara wasn’t happy with the thought.

  ‘What about your parents? I know that Rihana’s parents are in New York,’ the Maharani said.

  ‘My parents are not as concerned about me as you are, Your Highness. They are divorced now.’ Zara usually found it more difficult to answer questions that pertained to her family than the ones regarding her, but she didn’t want to lie about her parents or her past. The Maharani’s reaction was neutral towards Zara’s confession, but her eyes expressed that she understood it well.

  She kept her hand on Zara’s and said with a smile that radiated concern, ‘This conversation with you was so refreshing, Zara. I appreciate your honesty because the culture at the palace is hard to break. If someone wants to speak the “truth”, they end up talking about the weather.’ The two women laughed, and just then a bugle was blown, indicating that the match begun.

  Both the teams fought aggressively for the ball. Zara’s eyes followed only Shaurya, while his eyes were on the ball. Zara saw him play each chukka with the same intensity and involvement—never letting up, not even for a moment. In the third chukka, Shaurya fell off the horse, and both the Maharani and Zara sprang up from their chairs, their hands on their mouths. But he hopped on to his horse again almost immediately and resumed playing.

  Shaurya’s team scored two goals, one by Shaurya and the other by Major Shergill, thereby winning the championship. The Maharani looked at her son proudly and uninhibitedly applauded, which Zara felt was a little too loud for a maharani.

  ‘You seem to be very happy, Your Highness,’ Zara said.

  ‘Yes, I am. A mother is always a mother, Zara, even if she is a maharani. You love it when your kids perform well.’

  After the prize ceremony, the Maharani left for her other engagements. Shaurya held the trophy high above his head and cheered in delight along with his team. After the ceremony was over, he sought Zara out in the crowd and proposed dinner.

  Zara was excited, yet sceptical. Everything is moving too quickly, she thought. Though she was happy, she was also wary, as she hadn’t come to terms with the fact that Shaurya was a prince and that she was going out for dinner with him.

  ‘Having dinner with you in the palace is okay, but going out? Are you sure?’ Zara said, making her concern apparent.

  ‘I’ve never been so sure, Zara,’ Shaurya confessed, making Zara blush.

  The rebellious streak in Shaurya had caught Zara’s attention. His drop-dead gorgeous looks only complimented that. Though she was excited about the evening, she was left with a whole lot of fluttering butterflies in her stomach. She decided to call up Rihana and tell her about the evening plan.

  ‘Hey, Ri! How are you? And Tiger?’

  ‘I am good, Zara. Tiger is also fine. He just needed food, and he got that and a bonus—me! You tell me—what are you up to? How was the match?’

  ‘The match was entertaining. Shaurya’s team won; he even fell off his horse once! The Maharani and I were so scared.’

  ‘Oh, I see! So . . . has he asked you out for dinner yet, my pretty babe?’

  ‘How did you know?’ Zara realized what she had said after she had already said it. Rihana, in the meantime, laughed out loud and wished Zara the best for the evening. She even gave her a tip: ‘Wear a sexy dress and let your guard down.’

  Zara chose to wear a sari for the evening. She looked stunning, with just the right parts of her peeping out from behind the pallu. The well-fitting choli highlighted her figure in the best way. Shaurya was blown away when he met her in the common room. His eyes said it all—he was enjoying every moment with Zara, regardless of whether either of them spoke or not. Mann Singh dro
ve them to an Italian restaurant in the heart of the city.

  ‘The place looks wonderful,’ Zara said, eyeing the decor of the restaurant.

  ‘Not as wonderful as you, but I tried my best to match the beauty of the place with yours.’

  ‘Stop making me blush.’

  ‘Come on! You have to trust a serious compliment.’ Shaurya had let his defences down outside the walls of the palace, it seemed.

  When they were seated at the table reserved for them, Shaurya asked, ‘What would you like to drink?’

  ‘I’m a poor drinker. Can I skip that part?’

  ‘You’re Rihana’s best friend and you expect me to believe that you are a poor drinker?’ Shaurya’s eyes twinkled.

  ‘I know it’s surprising, but the first proper drink that I ever had was a few months ago with Rihana.’

  ‘Today, you can follow your heart and have a drink. I’ll be generous, considering you’re a poor drinker and hence a “cheap date”.’ Shaurya smiled.

  ‘Every time I follow my heart, it leads me straight to my fridge. I love eating, but drinking isn’t for me,’ Zara said.

  ‘If I follow my heart, it’ll lead me to you, Zara.’ Shaurya looked into Zara’s eyes and she didn’t know how to react. She was a mixed bag of all the emotions she was feeling at that time.

  ‘Should I order some red wine for you?’ Shaurya said hoarsely, looking like he wanted to kiss her.

  Zara was mesmerized by the way he was looking at her. She looked straight into his eyes and said, ‘You’re my first date.’

  Shaurya blinked and looked down at his hands resting on the table. ‘I can’t say that about you, Zara. I recently had a break-up. I was seeing a British woman.’

  ‘Of course, Shaurya! I hadn’t been thinking of a “virgin date” either,’ she said with a weak smile. ‘But what happened?’ Zara was curious to know all the details.

  ‘You don’t know? It was all over the papers,’ Shaurya said, with a smile that hid a defeated man behind it.

  ‘I’m afraid I don’t read the gossip columns. That’s why I know nothing of your break-up. I’d rather hear it from the horse’s mouth and be spared the media’s juicy imagination.’