Disguised Intentions

by Manasi Joshi

  “Missing your best friend?” said a voice.

  It was Natasha. The last thing Ishani needed was to hear Natasha’s voice.

  “Go away Natasha. I am not in a mood to talk.” said Ishani grimly.

  “Did you fight with her? Is that why she went away? Or did she fight with Raghav? Or was she so upset that only you were featured in the headlines and not her? Does she just pretend to be friends with you? Are you such a bad friend that she left?” snickered Natasha

  That was too much for Ishani.

  “Get lost Natasha! Leave me alone!” yelled Ishani at the top of her voice. Natasha laughed.

  Everyone stopped talking. The room inside went silent. People stared at Ishani and Natasha. Ishani decided she had had too much of all of them. She stormed out of the room. Raghav followed her.

  Ishani went straight on the road and started walking. She didn’t know where she was going.

  “Ishani! Ishani wait! Wait for me. Calm down. Stop! We’ll find Priya soon, don’t worry!” yelled Raghav. He tried to catch up with her but she was already lost in the crowd.

  “This is the worst day ever!” said Raghav loudly to himself running his hand through his hair.

  Ishani walked through the streets of Mumbai. There were horns honking, taxis zooming past her, vendors yelling to sell their stuff but all this appeared to be blurring in front of her eyes. She didn’t know where she was going and why. She was too numbed to think straight.

  Suddenly there was a huge truck coming in front of her. She was standing in the middle of a road. Ishani froze as she saw the truck. Perhaps she was going to die now, she thought.

  “Ishani watch out!” It was Kabir. He quickly pulled Ishani from the street and pushed her on the footpath.

  “Ishani? Ishani??” Are you alright? Look at me” said Kabir. He shook her by holding her by her shoulders.

  Ishani finally came out of her daze. She saw Kabir in front of her. She came back to reality. Suddenly her world came crashing down. She couldn’t control her tears. First she lost Ayaan, then her parents now she wouldn’t be able to bear it if she lost her best friend. Kabir held her in an embrace. She sobbed onto his shirt.

  It seemed like an eternity till Ishani calmed down and stopped crying. She removed herself from Kabir’s embrace.

  Okay this is awkward, I was crying on my boss’s son’s shoulder for like forever. She thought to herself. She was feeling too embarrassed to even look at him.

  CHAPTER 10: WORRIED.

  “I’m sorry.” Ishani muttered red in face.

  “It’s okay Ishani. I understand. You needn’t be embarrassed. I know it’s not easy when a friend goes missing.” said Kabir. “Besides, your pent up tension needed an outlet.”

  “I guess you are right. How come you are here though?” asked Ishani feeling a bit better with his words and finally managing to look at him.

  “I was just about to get out of my car and enter C.T.I Dad said some employee of his was missing and asked me to come over and take a look at the situation. I saw you storming off and Raghav telling something about finding Priya. That’s when I decided to follow you. I know Priya happens to be your friend and you looked upset.” Said Kabir completely in a matter-of-fact tone.

  “Oh, I see.” said Ishani. “You talk so much!” she added.

  “I know” he smiled. “Come, I’ll drop you back home” They headed towards his car. Ishani was feeling better since Kabir arrived. Weird, she thought.

  Ishani checked her phone. She saw Raghav and Ayaan’s missed calls. She called Raghav.

  “Ishani, my god, where are you? Are you okay?” asked a concerned Raghav as soon as he picked up the phone.

  “I’m fine Raghav. I am just heading back home. Sorry I walked out like that. I wasn’t thinking clearly. Any update on Priya?” asked Ishani.

  “That’s okay Ishani, just take care of yourself; I can’t have you disappearing too. We need to find Priya together. No new update as such. The police are done with their primary investigation. 24 hours are over and we can now file a missing report. I am at the police station with Priya’s parents. We are trying to get these policemen to file an F.I.R “said Raghav

  “Well let me know if you need my help. I’ll be there. Do keep me updated.” Ishani said.

  “Sure. Bye.” said Raghav ending the call.

  Kabir was driving the car. There was soft music playing in the background. Ishani turned her head to look at him. If it wasn’t for him, she wouldn’t be alive today.

  “What are you thinking?” he asked as catching her looking at him.

  “Nothing really; I’m just thinking how grateful I am toward you. You saved my life today. Thank you.” said Ishani.

  “Anytime” he replied dismissing her thank you. He began singing softly.

  “You sing so well.” said Ishani.

  “Thanks. Always loved singing” he said, beaming at her. “In fact if I didn’t love politics as much as I do, I would have been a singer. Not that my father would have supported me even then.”

  The mere mention of his father’s name darkened his expression.

  “Mr Basu is one of the most amazing people I know.” Ishani said.

  “Well aren’t you his loyal little employee” said Kabir “I admire my father. He’s nice to a lot of people. He is nice to me too most of the times. It’s just sometimes that he acts all weird and raises his voice and tells me to stay away from him because I don’t listen to him. At times he keeps himself locked up in his study for hours together. It’s strange really.”

  “Hmmm. I see. Every parent has some quirky habit. My father had the habit of adding pepper to milk and drinking it. Can you even imagine that? Isn’t that much stranger?” said Ishani.

  Kabir laughed. “Now that’s something” he laughed again. “By the way why do you say ‘had’ doesn’t he have that habit anymore?”

  Ishani took a deep breath. “My parents died in a bomb blast four years ago; the one that happened here. So did my uncle and aunt. Me and my cousin lost our parents. My cousin shifted to Canada after that. She’s settled there with her husband.” Said Ishani trying to be as calm as she could and hiding her grief.

  Kabir slowed down the car. “I’m really sorry to hear this Ishani. It must have been tough.”

  Ishani nodded and said nothing. Kabir had said the same words which Ayaan did. It brought her back to Ayaan’s thoughts. She wondered why Ayaan had called her. She had forgotten to call him.

  “There we are. Be safe Ishani and take care of yourself. Call me if you need anything.” said Kabir as he stopped his car in front of her building.

  “Thanks Kabir. For everything.” replied Ishani getting out of the car and waving to him.

  He smiled and drove off.

  Ishani dialled Ayaan’s number.

  He picked up in two rings “Ishani where the hell have you been?” Ayaan hissed “I’ve been calling you since such a long time.”

  “I’m sorry” said Ishani. She briefly told him what happened at C.T.I

  “Hmm. Don’t worry the police will hopefully find her soon enough. When are you deciding to come to work?” he asked cautiously

  “I might as well come to work every day. Whenever I feel I am needed somewhere I’ll leave. Is that fine by you?” asked Ishani.

  “Yes. That sounds good. “He replied

  “Okay then. I’m just entering my apartment. I need rest. I’ll speak to you later Mr Arora.” said Ishani.

  “Of course. Bye. See you.” He said and ended the call.

  Ishani yawned. She switched on the television to watch some news. She was stunned when she saw what was being telecasted in the news.

  “Noted company C.T.I’s employee goes missing; reason unknown. Missing employee Miss Priya Shah was last supposed to meet noted colleague and friend the famous graphic designer Ishani Kirloskar for a movie but didn’t show up. Take a look at her photo. CEO Mr Sudhir Basu has confirmed the news in a press statement today evening.”


  Ishani took in all of this. Now there would be hoards of media people whom she would have to face tomorrow. She shook her head with disbelief. This seriously was a bad day. So much to worry about, she thought.

  CHAPTER 11: AYAAN.

  Ayaan Arora looked at himself in the mirror. Exhausted but not bad he thought to himself. He was getting ready for a business party which he was hosting at his bungalow that night. It was 11 pm in the night and the guests had already arrived and were enjoying themselves.

  He however, had no interest whatsoever in attending the party. It was a solely formal party for business purposes. He had to keep useful people around him happy.

  He took a cigarette and was about to light it when he remembered Ishani’s voice in his head “Ayaan, you shouldn’t smoke. Not good for you. If you want to be a successful businessman you should quit habits which will lead to you getting addicted to them” He remembered her cute face when she used to tick him off for it, six years back. He threw the cigarette in the dustbin.

  He wondered if Ishani was okay. He had made sure he knew her whereabouts. He had followed her after he came to know from one of his hunch men that she had stormed out of her office looking lost.

  He remembered how he saw Ishani cry on Kabir’s shoulder. His hands trembled with emotion at the mere thought of it. At the time when he was actually watching her cry on his shoulders that evening, he wanted to go out there, push Kabir away and take Ishani in his arms. He had to control himself and it took him a lot to do that. He came home and broke his favourite wooden chair. It was only after Ishani spoke to him on the phone that he calmed down. Till then, he was a nervous wreck.

  He wished he could go back in time. He hated himself for having broken up with Ishani. Now he had to put up with a wife whom he didn’t love but had married so that her billionaire father would help him expand his business in the United States. Swati was a mere trophy wife. He felt guilty for not loving her at times. He knew that she knew he didn’t love her. He knew Swati Arora had affairs outside. It didn’t matter to him. For him it was never a marriage in the true sense.

  He had never forgotten Ishani in all the years. Somewhere, she was always present at the back of his mind. He had come to know that her parents were dead. He wanted to reach out to her, but ended up not doing so, for he feared hurting her again. He had chided himself many a times for breaking up with her. Perhaps she would have been by his side today had he not been so impulsive. His heart felt heavy when he remembered the way she cried and begged him not to break up with her.

  When he saw her standing in front of him after all those years, he realised how much he had missed her and that he still loved her. He had never been the expressive types so even during the time they courted he hadn’t really got a chance to tell her how much he loved her. He knew Ishani thought that he didn’t care about her but it was far from true. He despised himself for hurting her and making her cry.

  He didn’t want to let her go now but he knew he was stuck in a situation which would be difficult to get out of. He just didn’t know what to do. The best he could do at the moment was help Ishani find her best friend. That was the least he could do.

  He sighed and resigned himself to go to the party.

  CHAPTER 12: COMPLICATED EMOTIONS.

  It was 9 a.m. Ishani woke up with a start. “Oh no! I’m so late. Why didn’t Pri text me today?” she said out loud.

  Realisation then hit her. It was past one week since her best friend was missing. Her stomach churned. The police had ruled out kidnaping for ransom since there was no note for money. They had dismissed the case as “just missing” even though they were under pressure of the media who had raised a hue and cry.

  Ishani was almost on the news every day. They kept pestering her for details about Priya even though she had shared quite a bit about what exactly was Priya like and some details about her friendship. Ishani thought that the media was like a double edged sword. On one had it been the most powerful tool through which they had hopes of finding Priya and on the other had she herself was too tired of all the speculation. t

  She got up and dressed hurriedly. Just as she was about to leave, her doorbell rang. She opened the door. Ayaan was standing in front of her.

  “Ayaan! What are you doing here?” exclaimed Ishani.

  “You didn’t show up in the office. You haven’t been answering my calls since morning. I got worried. I thought I’d check here.” He thundered.

  “I was sleeping. I woke up at 9 am today. I haven’t even checked my phone because I am late. I thought I’ll reach A.I.L and then speak to you” replied Ishani, a tad surprised by his concern.

  “Don’t look so surprised. I was genuinely worried.” said Ayaan as if reading her mind. “I’ m sure you must not have slept much since last week. Your body decided to give up and you overslept. I’m glad you took rest. “

  “Well…” said Ishani not knowing what to reply. He was right.

  “Come. Let’s go to the office together.” He said.

  “Are you sure? Remember how the media is wandering like a hawk above our heads?” asked Ishani.

  “I don’t care.” He snapped.

  They got out of the car. A bunch of journalists and media persons were waiting for them.

  “Mr Arora, what’s your take on the “case of the missing employee” as it is famously called? Have you ever met Miss Shah? How’s she like? Why is Miss Kirloskar with you? Are you more than colleagues? Is she your friend? Are you both having an affair? What does your wife Swati have to say? Miss Kirloskar, are you missing your best friend? ” Questions were being bombarded at them.

  Instinctively, Ayaan grasped Ishani’s hand and led her into the office building. Ishani could here pictures being clicked. She groaned inwardly. What an awful start to the day. Ayaan and her having an affair? How ridiculous. She snorted inwards. Few years back, she had dreamed of being his wife someday. That didn’t seem possible anyway and she didn’t want the media to project her as some cheap home-breaker. She decided to take control of the situation before it went out of hand.

  She stopped walking. Ayaan looked surprised. She removed her hand from his grasp. Before he could say anything, she turned to the media.

  “Hello everyone!” she said smiling a bit too brightly “I am well aware that you want your questions answered. As you all know, my best friend is missing, she is not just my best friend but also like a sister to me. To me, she is family as I lost my parents in a bomb blast four years back.”

  The crowd started muttering. Before they could ask anything, Ishani continued further.

  “I am very thankful to the media who has been of immense support and is helping me and Priya’s family in such times by making people aware of how important she is and by putting up hoardings and showing her pictures on television. However, I myself cannot be of much help to you since I am a troubled friend and am emotionally disturbed. I have already told you all whatever I had to tell. In case I get to know anything new, I will personally call all of you and update you.

  As for Mr Ayaan and myself, we are just old acquaintances nothing else. He is very much married and I am very much single. Please don’t hype and create stories about us. It will divert attention from finding Priya which should be the focus. A talented and hardworking employee of a reputed firm has gone missing and we need to find her. We need your help. This is all that I have to say. Thank you for your cooperation and for being such great listeners.” concluded Ishani. She took a deep breath and walked off leaving a stunned and silent crowd staring at her along with a dumbstruck Ayaan following her into the building.

  Ishani barged into her cabin. She went to the washroom and splashed water on her face. Well she hadn’t expected to say so much. She looked at herself in the mirror. She looked pale and withdrawn. She was proud of herself for tackling with the media. Well done girl she said to herself. She combed her hair with her hands. She shook her head at herself.

  As soon as she was out of the washroom, a pair
of hands grabbed her and pinned her to the wall. It was Ayaan.

  She looked into his eyes. They were smouldering with emotion.

  “How dare you tell them that we are just acquaintances and that there is nothing between us?” he hissed at her.

  “I just told them the truth didn’t I?” she replied back trying to keep a tab over her own emotions.

  “Why are you doing this? You know we were in a relationship for over a year. Surely you told a lie out there. ” he snapped.

  “Oh come on, don’t give me that crap. You never loved me Ayaan. I was nothing for you. I was madly in love with you. You are married to someone else now. If you loved me you wouldn’t have married someone else. You were never in touch with me after you left India. I called you, emailed you, tried to get in touch with you but to no avail. You were and still are indifferent towards me. I was broken after you left me and it took me a long time to get over it. I can’t go through the same thing again now. Just leave me alone and stop acting as if you care!” she yelled at him, tears glistening in her eyes.

  “Hey, sshhh,” said Ayaan his voice softening. He wiped away the tears running down her cheeks. He held her face in his hands and planted a soft kiss on her cheek.

  “I’m so sorry. I am really sorry. You don’t know how sorry I am for all of this. I and Swati are nothing. We just put up a show of being a husband and wife. We both are benefited by each other’s status in the society, that’s all. She has affairs outside the marriage. I don’t stop her because I know I can never love her. I really want to make up to you for all I have done. It’s not as easy as it seems Ishani.” His voice was choked with emotion. He continued to pin Ishani to the wall and looked straight in her eyes.

  Ishani looked at him trying to gauge what exactly was going on in his mind. He looked forlorn and exhausted. Her heart was beating faster as she stared into his eyes. So many questions kept coming to her mind. She knew probably Ayaan himself had no answers to them. She decided not to say anything further. Maybe he was genuinely sorry. He had revealed quite a bit about his marriage to her. She wondered how his wife Swati was like. She felt a pang of jealousy as she thought of it. She gained control over herself and freed herself from his grip.