Scorpio Superstar (Written in the Stars Book 1)

by Sundari Venkatraman

  Ranjini looked up at him. “Not really. But I would like to get to know Chandru before I wed Chandrakanth, the star.” Her words were firm as she attained clarity, despite her clamouring heart. She couldn’t help noticing the way his expression turned soft every time she called him by her version of his name.

  Chandrakanth went to sit in his chair with a small sigh. “Listen. You live in Kotagiri and I am in Chennai. I also travel a lot. Do you really think we’re going to find time to get to know each other, especially with the paparazzi breathing down our necks? Now, it would be different if we were married.”

  Steamroller! That’s what he was. But he didn’t know her. She was anything but a pushover. She shrugged. “We can talk on phone or make video calls. We can...”

  “I won’t be able to touch you or hold you in my arms.”

  Ranjini felt a sudden urge to fan herself, her mind throwing up pictures of her in his arms, his hands touching her at the most inappropriate places. She shut her eyes once again, worried of what he would see in them. Oh yes, his intense gaze was all seeing indeed.

  She opened her eyes in a hurry when she felt him trace a finger on the back of her hand that was lying on the table between them. Incendiary! That’s what his touch was. Who was she fooling? She wanted to belong to him, body, mind and soul. And she didn’t really care whether she knew him or not. “Chandru, I...”

  “Do you know what you do to me, every time you say my name?” His voice was gravelly as he placed a tight lid on his raging hormones.

  She shook her head slowly, her eyes mesmerised by the expression on his face, as if he wanted to eat her up whole.

  “Marry me Ranjini. I can’t live without you.”

  Ranjini nodded her head slowly. She suddenly couldn’t imagine her life without him either by now.

  There was a mild look of surprise on Chandrakanth’s face before he threw back his head and laughed triumphantly. Holding the small hand that he had been caressing, he vowed intensely, “I promise you that you’ll never live to regret it.”

  Brilliant colour rushed into Ranjini’s face as it finally hit her as to what she had agreed to. Was she probably as mad as he was? “I hope you don’t live to regret it,” she told him, challenge in her voice.

  “No way. I don’t want to live without you.”

  It wasn’t a declaration of undying love, maybe. But the words, with that passionate vehemence in his brown gaze, made Ranjini shiver in anticipation of a future with him.

  Ranjini really didn’t know or care what they had for lunch as they talked softly to each other. It was a good thing that the tables were far apart and nobody could hear their conversation. And again, the hotel being a 5-star, the guests were too decent to be nosy, though she had noticed a few people look their way when Chandrakanth went on his knee. She didn’t know anything about his private life.

  It was more than a couple of hours before they were done with lunch as they got to know some more about each other.

  “I think we should get married immediately. Let’s go meet your parents.” Chandrakanth got up after paying the bill.

  “You mean like now?” Ranjini got up too.

  “Yeah. Do you have a reason to postpone the inevitable?” He held her elbow in his hand as they walked out of the restaurant.

  “What’s the rush?”

  “I thought you wanted to get to know me.” He stopped in his tracks to look down at her. “And, I lust you,” he declared passionately, his gravelly voice uttering those words that played on her heart strings. Colour flared in her cheeks as, unable to meet the fervour in his eyes, Ranjini switched her gaze to the level of his shoulder, not really knowing what to say in reply.

  He raised a hand to pat her cheek, his fingers lingering against the softness. “Have I rendered you speechless?” he asked, laughter in his voice.

  That put her back up, exactly as he had expected. She looked back into his eyes, declaring, “I lust you too.”

  Chandrakanth threw back his head and laughed for a second time in the same number of hours. Oh yes, life promised to be full of fun with Ranjini, just as he had expected it to be.

  It was almost five in the evening when they reached Ranjini’s home. Her parents and Varshini were sitting in the living room, having tea. “Hello, welcome again,” said Sethuraman with great enthusiasm when he set eyes on Chandrakanth. He had liked the young man on first sight, that morning. He had been so well-mannered, despite his superstar status.

  “Hello uncle, aunty. Hey Varshini!” CK waved to the three of them, sitting on an adjacent sofa.

  “I’ll go get tea,” declared Ranjini, much to the surprise of her family members. Ranjini was all thumbs in the kitchen and Parvathi found it difficult to even get her elder daughter to help pour tea into cups. But right now, Ranjini only wanted to escape as she knew why Chandrakanth was home.

  Feeling his eyes on her just before she stepped out of the living room, Ranjini turned around to look at her fiancé. He raised a dark eyebrow at her and nodded to the sofa beside him, indicating that she should go and sit with him. She gave a small shake of her head before poking her tongue at him, turning abruptly and walking into the kitchen. Her heart beat hard as she lifted the thermos flask in which her mother stored piping hot and spicy tea by the gallons. Placing two mugs on a tray, Ranjini poured the tea, her hands trembling slightly. It wasn’t as if she was scared of what her parents might say. But she had met the man only yesterday. Yes, it did feel like she had known him for a long time since she had been creating the content for his website since two years. She already knew that he had completed his graduation before doing his Masters of Fine Arts at the New York Film Academy. But that was all information that was fed to the public, without many details about his personal life. Okay, he had told her briefly about his life, but she wondered if that was enough.

  Ranjini sighed. Had she done the right thing in agreeing to marry Chandrakanth?

  “Ranjini!” Sethuraman called out.

  “Coming daddy.” Ranjini walked into the sitting room with the tray in her hands.

  “Sit down Ranju. CK sir has something to tell us. Only, he wants you to be present he says.” Sethuraman looked deeply into his daughter’s dark eyes, not missing the colour in her cheeks. And then there was a father’s instinct that had sensed that there was another man in his girl’s life.

  Ranjini placed the tea tray on the centre table with a clatter before turning to glare at Chandrakanth. Why the hell hadn’t he broken the news to them when she had lingered in the kitchen?

  And now he had the audacity to give her a wicked smile before addressing her parents. “Uncle, aunty, I have asked Ranjini to marry me and she has agreed.”

  Ranjini’s parents looked at Chandrakanth and her in surprise while Varshini squealed in joy, jumping to her feet. It looked like only Ranjini was shocked by his bald statement. Was that any way to inform the bride’s parents of her impending wedding?

  “I knew something was on when you came today morning. This is so awesome. Congrats Ranju, CK.” Varshini pulled them out from their chairs and hugged them both.

  “This is a surprise, though wonderful. What do you think?” Parvathi looked first at Ranjini and then at Chandrakanth before turning to her husband and asking the question.

  “Why the sudden decision?” Sethuraman looked deeply into Chandrakanth’s eyes. The man was good looking and had an excellent reputation. But still, he was a famous star. What kind of a husband would he make for Ranjini? She wasn’t housewife material and was passionate about her career. And Sethuraman had always indulged his children’s whims.

  Chandrakanth walked up to Sethuraman before suddenly going down on both his knees in front of him, placing his hands on the armrests of the sofa. “I knew Ranjini was the woman for me the moment I laid my eyes on her. So I didn’t really see the point in waiting before proposing marriage.”

  Ranjini looked at Chandrakanth with a dazed expression on her face, much to Varshini’s amusement. He
seemed adept at going on his knees at the drop of a hat.

  Sethuraman was impressed despite himself. He got up with a jerk, placing his hands on CK’s shoulders and pulling him up to his feet. “I’ll be proud and happy to have you for my son-in-law.”

  Parvathi smiled broadly, her eyes damp with tears of joy, as she nodded at her husband, in total agreement with him.

  “So when do you think we should have the wedding? Do you want it in Chennai? You don’t have parents. Any other elders that we need to speak to? Parvathi...”

  Chandrakanth laughed softly. “Sorry to interrupt uncle. I was thinking of getting married immediately, right here in Kotagiri. Maybe a grand reception can be planned later in Chennai. What do you say? I know my periamma won’t approve. She will want to arrange the grandest of weddings over three days. And I also know for a fact that I don’t want to be a party to it.” Chandrakanth grimaced. “And I have back-to-back shooting schedules for the next eight months. If we go looking for suitable dates, the wedding will get postponed endlessly.”

  Varshini clapped her hands. “This gets more romantic by the second.” Her words earned her a high-five from her future brother-in-law.

  In the meanwhile, Ranjini had decided to allow things to happen to her. She had been right in thinking that Chandrakanth was a steamroller. He wouldn’t let anything stand in his path. Oh yeah, his birthday fell on November 3. He was obviously a Scorpio through and through. Her time would come, Ranjini told herself smugly. She wasn’t a Pisces for nothing. She would enfold him neatly in her net. With a secretive smile, she sat back on the sofa, sipping from her mug of tea, not uttering so much as a word.

  Sethuraman was logic personified and couldn’t help but see Chandrakanth’s side of things. “I suppose you’re right. Let me consult our family shastrigal for a muhurtham tomorrow itself. Wednesday is supposed to be perfect for all good things.”

  “But what about a new sari and jewellery and other stuff? Won’t our relatives be upset? I...” Parvathi’s mind boggled.

  “We can go shopping right now.” Ranjini felt a mad urge to giggle when she heard Chandrakanth’s words.

  “And we’ll invite everyone to the reception at Chennai. We can organise a whole limousine bus to take them there.” Sethuraman rubbed his hands in glee. He wasn’t one to squander his hard-earned money on a lavish wedding ceremony. He would rather gift away half his savings to his eldest born.

  In the end, the family priest said that Thursday was better suited for the wedding and recommended that 11 am to 1 pm was a perfect muhurtham. He was also free on that day to conduct the wedding. Sethuraman advised the women to go shopping with the superstar while he stayed back home to phone the few close relatives who lived locally, to invite them to the wedding since it was going to be held only the day after tomorrow.

  Chandrakanth picked up Ranjini and took her out to lunch the next day too, and they continued with the conversation from the earlier day, Ranjini dying to know more about the man she was going to marry.

  “You know that I have no parents. They both died in an accident when I was seventeen. I was in a hostel and just continued with my education. My mother’s elder sister, Maragadham periamma, lives with me and runs my home like clockwork. Will you be okay if she continues to stay with us? Or we can always shift to a different house, if you’d prefer that.” Chandrakanth gave her a choice.

  Ranjini shook her head, a look of mild shock on her face. “Of course not. She’s your aunt. If she’s living with you, then it won’t be fair to uproot her from your life.”

  “Thanks.” He smiled. “And then there’s the battalion of servants—two gardeners, a head cook and assistant, four other servants, a day watchman and a night watchman. And oh yes, there’s Ludo too.”

  Ranjini’s mouth opened wide as he listed the number of people who worked for him. “How big is your home? And where do you live?”

  “During the week, I live in my bungalow at Mahalingapuram in Nungambakkam. If you’re familiar with Chennai,” he paused to look at her, enquiry on his face and continued when she nodded, “that’s right in the centre of the city. Then I spend most weekends at my beach house on ECR Road. That place remains empty expect for a couple who maintain the place. I like to spend time alone.”

  “You haven’t told me how big your house is. Will I have space to set up my office there?” Ranjini asked him, excitement creeping into her slowly and steadily.

  Chandrakanth smiled. “My periamma lives downstairs, in one of the three guest bedrooms. Then there’s the living room that includes a dining area along with a kitchen. This comprises the ground floor. The first floor will be ours—only for you and me. It has a living area and four rooms, all with attached bathrooms. I have only converted two into bedrooms. The other two rooms are empty of furniture. You can convert either of those into your office. You can knock them together in case you want a bigger space. I leave that to you.”

  Her eyes wide with astonishment, Ranjini asked, “You live in a palace or something?”

  Chandrakanth grinned. “Not a palace. But yeah, the place is huge.”

  “Now I know what everyone’s going to say: that I am marrying you for your property.” Ranjini was only half joking. Yeah, she knew he was a superstar. And yes, he was an excellent actor who had won the Best Actor award consistently over the past five years. But she had never really given a thought about how rich he must be. Her mind couldn’t truly wrap around the magnitude of it.

  “I don’t really care what everyone thinks. I, for one, know how tough it was to make you agree to marry me. So...” he shrugged, a smile on his face, “are you really worried?”

  Ranjini grinned at him, shaking her head. “It’s not your wealth that exactly excites me, you know.” She gave him a wink.

  Ruddy colour ran up Chandrakanth’s face as he looked at her, even as his finger traced the lines on her palm, making her pulse beat erratic.

  “Are you sure about this?” Ranjini asked Chandrakanth the evening before the wedding, her head against his shoulder as they sat in her living room.

  “More than anything else in my life.” He got up to press his lips to her silky cheek before taking his leave. “Can’t wait for tomorrow, when you’ll become mine.”

  Ranjini nodded, her dark gaze glowing. He was so confident that she would become his. But would he become hers? Only time would tell.

  They were married in a simple and beautiful ceremony, the melody of the nadhaswaram playing from Varshini’s tab adding to the atmosphere at Chandrakanth’s house in Kotagiri, with a handful of guests comprising mostly of Ranjini’s family, her two best friends and some relatives who lived locally. Only Vivek attended the wedding from the superstar’s side, along with the few servants stationed there.

  6

  Sethuraman, Parvathi and Varshini left Chandrakanth’s guesthouse at 7.30 pm after an early dinner, leaving the newlywed couple to spend their wedding night in private. Vivek had already left for Chennai immediately after the wedding lunch.

  Chandrakanth took Ranjini’s slender hand in his, his thumb stroking her palm gently. He could make out that his wife was nervous. While she had put on a brave face throughout the day, he could sense it from the pulse beating rapidly and relentlessly at her throat and the way she bit her lower lip time and again.

  “Ranju.” CK switched on some soft music on an old-fashioned turntable that used to belong to his parents, before he turned to call her.

  “Hmm.” She looked at him, her eyes wide, like those of a doe caught in the headlights of a car.

  “Care to dance?” He gave her a gentle smile, throwing his arms open.

  Ranjini walked forward, her feet carrying her towards him of their own volition, giving a soft sigh as he took her left hand and placed it on his right shoulder, throwing his right arm around her waist before taking her other hand in his left and raising it above shoulder level in the classic waltzing style.

  Ranjini closed her eyes as they swung lazily to the music,
pressure and anxiety draining from her system as she placed her head on his chest. But soon, a different kind of tension kicked into her body as she felt Chandrakanth’s hard frame pressed to her soft one. She lifted her head to look up into his brooding face, her charcoal gaze locking with his molten brown one. “Chandru…”

  Without uttering a word, he bent down to press his hard lips to her soft ones and she was lost.

  Though Ranjini wasn’t a virgin, this was the first time she was experiencing a lip-lock. Yeah, the brief affair she had had with a classmate at engineering college wasn’t anything to feel excited about. It was an itch the two of them had addressed. After a few times between the sheets, they had decided to call it quits by mutual consent.

  Chandrakanth’s scorching kiss almost brought her down to her knees. He took his time exploring the cavern of her mouth, increasing the sound of her heartbeat to the level of a drum roll. Ranjini threw her arms around his neck and held on for life as her legs trembled in reaction. Mind-blowing, that was what his kiss was.