by MV Kasi
"That's enough, Ma—" Srishti's father began coldly.
"Sidhu..." Ananya placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him.
Taking a deep breath, "Ma, we would like to speak with our daughter alone. So please give us some privacy," he told her firmly.
Sniffing in disdain, the older woman left the room, muttering, "Still spoiling her rotten."
Closing the door shut, behind his mother, Sidhu sat next to his daughter.
"Srishti, I'm sorry about your grandmother's behavior," he said softly, ruffling her hair like he did since she was little.
"I'm fine, Papa. It's grandma. I'm used to it by now, and I don't let any of her observations affect me in anyway," she said.
"I know," he said, sighing.
Srishti's grandmother's constant criticism of her and preaching about a woman's role in a society was why Sidhu had moved away to live separately rather than in a joint family.
"Papa, are you seriously contemplating an arranged match for me with the Bugati's son?"
"There is no pressure Srishti. We just thought you and Rana might have a lot in common since you are both of the same age, come from similar family backgrounds and you were good friends before."
"Yes. Until Rana changed schools, you both spent a lot of time playing with each other in school and during our social gatherings," her mother chimed in.
"We weren't playing, Ma. He was always bugging me along with Abhijeet and Abhinav so I beat him up a few times."
Her father snorted out a laugh and quickly changed it to a cough at his wife's glare.
"That was almost fifteen years ago, Srishti. Both of you have grown up since then. We already told you that there is absolutely no pressure on you. Just meet Rana casually, and let us know what do you think of him. That's all," said her mother.
Srishti sighed heavily. "Well, since I'm here for the day, already, I guess there is no harm in meeting an old...friend," she said, even though the word she was thinking of in her mind was...nemesis.
Her mother smiled. "That's great!"
Her parents stayed for a while catching up on what their only daughter was doing. Although she visited them often and spoke to them a few times a week.
Just when they were about to leave, her mother paused.
"Should I ask Sapna and Priya to help you find a dress if you don't have one already?"
"Ma, I'm at least half a foot taller than them. I'll just order something online and have it delivered here, in a few hours."
"Good. Let me know if you need anything," her mother offered, smiling.
"I will Ma. I will," she promised, looking at the excitement in her mother's face.
When Srishti shut the door close again and resumed working on her laptop, there was one thought that ran through her mind.
If he was as obnoxious as he was when they were children, Rana was going to get his ass kicked once again that evening.
CHAPTER 3
Rana was having a tough time keeping up with multiple conversations directed towards him. All at the same time.
And they were mostly about the exalted Shah Princess.
The princess's father and his brother called her a genius maverick.
"You should see some of the things she has designed in the last five years. She's very innovative and thinks outside the box."
Her cousin's, who were also Rana's childhood friends, hailed her as a misunderstood innocent, who had been wronged by a selfish fiancé who had strung her along.
"Her ex-fiancé was a moron who was always passive aggressive with her. She was definitely out of his league and he knew that. He also knew that he was pretty useless without his father's money. But she didn't notice that he was an ass because she was so used to him. We are so glad it's over now."
The women in the Shah family called her a beautiful, sensible woman. One of them even dared to pass a comment saying that his and the princess's reunion would result in amazing genes.
"Ahh. Imagine having children with your looks and with her brain."
"Oops, we didn't mean that you don't have an impressive brain. We are sure you do."
"Thanks," he said drily.
"No, seriously, we do. We know you finished medical school and all. But our Srishti...she is something else."
Shit. The princess was well-loved by her family. He was going to disappoint a lot of people tonight by rejecting her.
Rahul had an amused smile on his face and taking cues, he discreetly dialed on his phone.
When Rana's phone rang, he made a show of asking everyone to excuse him, and left the conversation midway on the pretext of answering an important call.
He kept walking until he reached a quiet corner in the Shah's huge well-kept garden.
"Well?" Rahul's voice called out from behind him. "Impressed enough by your future wife? I'm totally awed," he said.
"Shut up."
Rahul laughed. "No, seriously. She sounds pretty cool, Rana."
"With all the compliments she receives from her family, saying that she's the best, she probably must have a big head. God, she must be one of those kinds who yak endlessly about themselves." Rana shuddered, thinking of the painfully long evening ahead where he was expected to converse with her.
"Oh come on. How can the great Rana be scared of one small woman?" Rahul smirked. "Even if that small woman beat you up several times," he remarked.
"She wasn't small compared to me," Rana growled. "And the she-devil always jumped on my back, surprising me with her sneak attack."
Rahul threw back his head and laughed. "It's okay. You are definitely too tall for her to ambush you now. "
Rana snorted. "God. Will this evening end already," he muttered.
"A couple more hours, I guess. Let's join back everyone. But have to admit, when the Shah's aren't talking about Srishti, they are quite interesting."
The Shah's had an impressive empire of jewellery stores all over the city and also in the neighboring states. They were also quite active in the construction business and owned a good chunk of real estate everywhere.
Srishti's grandmother had dangled that carrot in front of his nose as though he should be tempted with the money and overlook her granddaughter's personality.
"Yeah the Shahs are interesting. But that damn woman is like a huge pink elephant, and everyone is compelled to talk about her tonight."
"Well, come one man! Someone called her beautiful. So she's definitely not going to look like a pink elephant," Rahul teased.
Rana sighed, looking towards the sprawling house where there was plenty of bustling activity with live music, and the uniformed waiters scrambling around to serve food to the guests. He could see the party entertainers were gearing up on the stage to start the birthday celebrations.
Amongst all the activity, his eyes fell on an unusually tall woman who had just walked out of the house. He couldn't see her face, since she had left her hair in a way that covered most of her profile.
She was walking slowly towards the party with her back facing him.
"Is that her?" Rahul whistled softly. "Wow dude. At least, looks wise she appears to be quite impressive."
Rahul was right. The woman did have an elegant and a sexy back.
Even before he finished having that thought, she almost tripped clumsily and was rescued by a couple standing right behind her.
Rana frowned, wondering if what he thought before—about her family filling her head with their unwarranted praises was true.
Rahul laughed. "Hey cheer up dude. So what if she doesn't know how to walk. After the wedding you can teach her how to do so," he teased.
"Oh, shut up."
Rahul laughed some more. "Let's go. She's headed towards the party. You can't avoid the inevitable, my brother," he said.
Just as they were about to join back the party, Rana was surrounded by children and their parents, wanting his autograph.
Even though he had been acting in mostly the mainstream movies as an antagonist, in his last
movie, he had played the role of a superhero who rescued children. After that movie was released and became successful, he was amazed that his fan base had exploded overnight to include children of all ages.
Smiling back at the little eager faces surrounding him, he knelt down to their level, and began signing autographs while conversing with them.
CHAPTER 4
Srishti gasped breathlessly and almost tripped on the damn two-piece gown she was wearing.
It had been a while since she last wore any fancy gowns. And since she had ordered it from an online boutique only a couple of hours ago, she had absolutely no time to get it altered.
Even though she was on the taller side at five feet nine inches, the gown was too long. It was clearly meant for a six-foot model. A model who would also be insanely thin.
And unfortunately for Srishti, she was on the bustier side and had been neglecting her abs workout for a while. So her assets were crushed under the tight top, almost cutting off the air supply.
And to add to the misery, she had also deliberately chosen to wear three-inch heels to look even taller.
It was a juvenile action on her part, but she wanted to intimidate Rana.
She had distinctly recalled how when they were both thirteen, the top of his head had barely reached her shoulders. Because by then, she had already grown to her full height. She had also been the tallest girl in the class, towering over most guys. She had loved looking down at her bullies and intimidating them with her height. And even now, she sometimes adopted the same look in the corporate world.
God, I hope I don't bump into any of my business colleagues in my dolled-up clumsy stage.
"This is ridiculous," she muttered as she stepped on her gown for the hundredth time.
"Talking to yourself, Tee?" a familiar voice asked from behind in amusement.
Srishti turned around rapidly and almost fell on her face. Luckily, her uncle reached out an arm to steady her.
She greeted her mother's brother and his wife with an embarrassing smile. "Hey guys."
"Wow, you look stunning, Srishti," her uncle's wife, Mahi remarked.
"Thanks. Ma must have already updated you with why I'm dressed this way."
"Well, yeah. It's absolutely perfect. You'll knock that guy off his feet when he sees you. He won't know what's hit him," her aunt smiled.
Srishti hoped she did knock Rana off his feet. But not in the sense her aunt meant.
She wanted to knock him down and chase him out running.
"Let's see. I'm hoping for the best," Srishti commented with a serene smile.
Her uncle's eyes narrowed. "Srishti—" he warned, since he knew her quite well and had seen her on a regular basis while she grew up.
Before she could say something, a couple of women came running towards her.
"Srishti! He's here. Rana is here!" They squealed and held her arms to drag her away.
Sapna and Priya were her cousin's wives. And they were also the only friends she had managed to remain closely in touch with. Whenever she had a rare free weekend, she spent a majority of the time with her family.
"Girls, slow down. I can't keep up with you in these heels."
They came to a screeching halt and gazed at a crowd surrounding something or someone.
"Oh god. Look at the crowd already!" Sapna told her in excitement.
"You'll be the most envied girl, Srishti. Wow, Rana Bugati, the sexy, dangerous villain. Who would've have thought he'd agree to an arranged match like us lesser mortals," Priya said with a dreamy sigh.
"God, why does everyone speak of him as though he is—" Srishti broke off with a frown. "Wait. What do you mean by a dangerous villain?" she asked.
Both Sapna and Priya stared at her with identical shocked expressions. If Srishti wasn't intrigued by their comment, she would have burst out laughing.
"Oh my god, Srishti. It's Rana. He is THE Rana," Priya got out as though that was supposed to explain everything.
Srishti continued to frown. "The Rana? What do you mean? He refers to himself as The Rana? Kind of like The Hulk? What kind of an idiot does that? And what does he do for a living again?"
Priya and Sapna gasped.
"You don't know what he does?" Sapna asked.
Srishti was exasperated. "Well, I don't. If I did, I wouldn't ask you girls. I haven't seen or met him since I was thirteen."
"Your parents didn't mention to you what their possible son-in-law did for a living?" Priya asked, shaking her head in disbelief.
"He's not going to be their son-in— Never mind. No, they didn't tell me what he does. And I didn't ask, either. I guess, they were probably hoping I'd find out the relevant information myself." If there was any. Most second generation guys of rich parents led the life of idle-rich. They depended on the fixed incomes of their parents' investments.
"He's a movie star!" Sapna shouted in excitement.
"A very famous movie star!" Priya shouted, equally excitedly.
"Look at all the woman, men and even children surrounding him. Women want him and men want to be like him. And the children love him. He's simply amazing. Even though Abhijeet and Abhinav have been good friends with him for a long time, they can't deny he's so charismatic and an amazing actor," Sapna gushed.
Priya looked dreamy. "And a hunk. That square jaw, short dark hair, and oh-god, those powerful shoulders. If I didn't love Abhijeet like I do..."
"Great. That's what that pretentious peacock I remember from before needed to stroke his ego," Srishti muttered, remembering how he had always behaved like he was the god's gift to the female population. And even at thirteen, the girls in their school had paid him enough attention to warrant that behavior from him.
If he hadn't called her fat, ugly or a crybaby while he bullied her endlessly, she would have agreed with them.
Srishti saw her mother approaching them. And looking at Sapna's and Priya's excited faces, her mother smiled.
"Ah, I see you girls told her a little about Rana."
"You didn't tell me he was an actor, Ma," Srishti frowned.
Her mother shrugged. "He's quite good at what he does, Srishti. Do you have anything against acting or actors?" she asked.
"Well, no. But I didn't know he'd come with an attached crowd surrounding him. I thought this was a low key meeting."
"It is. I did ask you to treat it like a casual meet between old friends. No one outside our family or Rana's family knows that anything could come out of this meeting."
"Aunty, let her meet him first. Hurry up, Srishti." Sapna began pulling Srishti closer to the crowd. "Abhinav is going to kill me for abandoning him with the guests at our son's birthday party. But I have got to see your first meeting with Rana after so many years. Oh god, my stomach is fluttering like it did when I first met Abhinav."
Srishti shook her head, emitting a small laugh. "Calm down, Sapna, There's not going to be any fluttering involved."
They halted once again when they came across a familiar looking woman who was smiling at them. "Hi Srishti, how are you?"
"I'm good, Aunty. How are you?" Srishti greeted the woman, finally recognizing her as Rana's mother. Srishti recalled seeing her several times during her childhood. And she also recalled how she thought Rana was on the petite side because he had inherited his mother's genes.
"I'm doing great, Srishti. I've heard really good things about you from Ananya. Hopefully, we can catch up sometime during the evening."
"Yes, of course," Srishti smiled politely, feeling a little guilty about her plan to scare the away the nice woman's son.
"But first, come meet Rana. He's very eager to meet you," said Mrs. Bugati, placing an arm on her.
As soon as they approached the crowd, it parted magically like it was the red sea. And at the end, Srishti saw a man, kneeling down with his back facing her. He was signing autographs and giving high-fives to the children.
Srishti frowned at the sight of his broad shoulders.
Crap. He must have had
one hell of a growth spurt.
"Rana," his mother called out to him.
He twisted around to face his mother, and then, Srishti's eyes clashed with his. Her stomach not only fluttered like crazy, but she also emitted a breathless gasp.
Oh. My. God!
"Wow. I wish I had recorded your reaction just now. But I've got to leave now. I'm going to make you tell me everything after the party," Sapna whispered from somewhere close. But Srishti's focus was entirely on the man in front of her.
Soon, there was an announcement on the microphone, asking all the children and their parents to return to their seating to begin the party games. Even while the children and their parents cleared out around him, Srishti and Rana maintained the eye contact.
Holding onto her gaze, he slowly stood up, and then came closer, until he stood only a couple of feet in front of her.
And since he was at least half a foot taller than her, she had to crane her neck to look at him.
She was so overwhelmed with her reaction to him that, he had her stuttering.
Literally.
"Ra...Ra...Ra—" she couldn't get the name out.
And of course Mr. Movie Star didn't miss any of it. He smirked, and then extended his large hand.
"It's R-a-n-a, Rana," he told her slowly, like she was slow in her mind.
That snapped her out of her shock. And she narrowed her eyes at him, and watched his smirk turn into a grin.
CHAPTER 5
Holy shit! Srishti Shah sure had changed a lot in the last fifteen years.
Rana was both stunned and amused.
"Srishti, do you remember Rana? You both went to the same school until you were thirteen," his mother gently reminded her.
Based on the history between them, Rana was quite sure; Srishti would never forget their school days together.
"Oh yes, I remember him quite clearly," Srishti said, continuing to watch him with narrowed eyes, probably recalling the incidents where he had bullied her in a misguided attempt to get her attention.
Her eyes held an obvious challenge in them and he returned it with amusement in his.