Written in the Stars

by Divya Anand

  ‘I had to come directly from work and didn’t have time to change,’ I explained politely. ‘All of you are looking so nice!’

  ‘Yes, this is a Sabya,’ she said, as she twirled to show off her saree. It may have been a branded saree but unfortunately for her, it was a shade of brownish-green that looked like Chak had thrown up all over her.

  ‘And I loaned her my favourite set,’ Vasantha Athai jumped in, ready to show off her extensive jewellery collection. She gestured to the glittering diamond earrings and necklace that Janaki was displaying. At the right angle, the jewellery covering both of them could effectively blind someone.

  ‘Sitara never cares about how she looks,’ said Janaki. ‘You remember how you spilt paint all over my favourite dress?’

  I took a deep breath, trying to channel my adult self, but the five-year-old within me won. I burst out, ‘as if you didn’t get your revenge by decapitating my Ken doll. Which wasn’t an accident, unlike the dress . . . ’

  ‘Oh, you never knew how to look after your things. Don’t you remember how you fell into the fountain at the amusement park?’ she butted in as a red flush rose up her neck. ‘You were naked on the ride home!’

  ‘And what about the time when you ate too much cake and threw up on yourself?’ I gave back as good as I got. ‘My room hasn’t smelled the same ever since!’

  ‘What about . . . ’ she began, but stopped when Athai pinched her arm.

  ‘Abhimanyu was just telling us about himself before you two rudely interrupted him with this childish argument,’ Athai said, shooting me a look as though the entire argument was my fault and her daughter was an innocent bystander.

  ‘Yes, quite an impressive young man,’ said Ambi Mama. ‘And so nice of you to bring Sitara. She’s always alone at family functions, since she refuses to settle down.’ I realized that Mama was as inappropriate as ever, not bothered that he was sharing unwanted information with my colleague!

  ‘Speaking of settling down, did you see Arjun’s proposal?’ Athai said, as I struggled to keep my face neutral. The three of them launched into a full blow-by-blow, as though they were recapping the highlights of a cricket match that Abhimanyu had missed. I wondered how I could gracefully leave and also extricate Abhimanyu who had now heard way too much about my personal life.

  ‘I think Amma is calling me . . . ’ I began as Janaki smoothly cut in with a wicked smile.

  ‘Did you watch the proposal,’ she said, her tone dripping with fake concern. ‘Must’ve been so difficult to see that, no?’

  ‘Oh, Arjun and I were old news,’ I said feigning nonchalance. I readjusted my neckline. ‘Besides, you know I hate cricket so I didn’t watch it.’

  ‘Of course, of course,’ she snickered.

  ‘Sitara, Inaya is calling you,’ Abhimanyu broke into the conversation.

  ‘No, she’s over there reading,’ Ambi Mama said, effectively cutting off our exit route.

  ‘Subtlety really isn’t your forte, is it?’ Abhimanyu twinkled at the group as he held my elbow and steered me away from them.

  They stared at him in shock.

  I burst into laughter.

  ‘I don’t think anyone has ever insulted them that subtly before,’ I gasped. ‘Thank you!’

  ‘I don’t know what came over me,’ he said, blushing a deep, dark red. ‘But they were attacking you, and you didn’t deserve that!’

  ‘You were brilliant,’ I insisted even as he scrunched up his face and said, ‘Should I go back and apologize?’

  ‘No way,’ I insisted. ‘You did something I always wished I could do, except I’d never be able to get away with it. You’re never going to see them again, so say what you like.’

  ‘So, about this Arjun . . . ’ he began, looking quite stricken. ‘I won’t mention it to anyone at work.’ He ran his hand through his hair uncomfortably. Somehow, that just made him look cuter than ever.

  ‘Thank you,’ I said. ‘We broke up a while ago, but he’s been back in the news. He’s the one who proposed during the India-England match. But I’ve moved on now. Except my nosy family doesn’t quite get that concept!’

  ‘As long as you’re sure you’re okay,’ he said, staring intently at me.

  ‘I’m more than okay,’ I replied, smiling at him. And for the first time in all these years, I finally meant it.

  At that, he smiled. His entire face lit up and I watched that deep dimple show up on his cheek. It gave me goosebumps. This smile only came out at certain times, and almost never in the office. It never failed to take my breath away.

  He took a step towards me. Almost reflexively, I took a step back.

  ‘Inaya is busy with her book,’ I blurted as my stomach churned and I wondered what was going on with me. ‘You can leave, if you want to.’

  He looked back at Athai and Janaki who were staring at us and gossiping in hushed tones. ‘I know it’s your father’s birthday, but nothing stops you from leaving either,’ he said softly.

  It was the most insane idea I’d ever heard. And not something I would ever entertain.

  ‘It’s time for cake,’ Sahana broke into my thoughts. She caught my arm in an iron grip as though she’d sensed I was considering leaving. She dragged me to the dining room where everything was set up for the cake cutting.

  Appa cut his cake and we all sang for him.

  ‘Speech,’ someone yelled.

  ‘Thank you all for coming,’ he said. ‘I’m especially thankful to Sahana for putting this together. And to Sitara for showing up,’ he said.

  I looked up from my mouthful of cake. Wow. He wouldn’t let a single opportunity get by when it came to making fun of me.

  ‘The offer to leave is still open,’ Abhimanyu whispered.

  ‘No . . . ’ I trailed off as we both walked to one side. My mother came up behind us.

  ‘Sitara, when do you find out about that promotion?’ she asked.

  ‘It’ll take a while, Amma,’ I explained. ‘First, there’s a project I have to complete and then we’ll see.’

  ‘OK, good,’ she said. ‘So you were working late today because of the project?’

  ‘Yes,’ I said. ‘I told you this when we met for lunch . . . ’

  ‘Work is all you ever talk about,’ she said dismissively. ‘You need to be settled too,’ she continued as she stared meaningfully at Sahana, who was standing with Ram and the two kids looking like a picture-perfect happy family from a toothpaste commercial.

  ‘Amma,’ I began, but she wasn’t listening to me any more. Her friend was gesturing to her, so she walked away, having delivered her lecture.

  ‘I’m going to step out and start the car,’ Abhimanyu broke into my thoughts. ‘I’ll be there for five minutes. You’re welcome to join me if you want to leave.’

  I watched him walk out and wrestled with my conscience. On the one hand, Sahana would kill me if I left before dinner. But on the other hand, everyone here was obsessed with my single status. Normally, I would hang out with Inaya but she seemed lost in her book. Just as I was mentally convincing myself to stay, Ambi Mama began making his way in my direction.

  The thought of a second conversation with him in one evening did it for me.

  I ran out.

  16

  Pluto Is about to Wake

  ‘Sitara!’

  ‘Drive as fast as you can,’ I said to Abhimanyu who was putting the car into gear. Sahana was outside the house yelling at the top of her voice.

  ‘You cannot possibly leave right now!’

  ‘Sorry, Sahana,’ I said, waving at her as we drove by. ‘I’m sorry we’re missing dinner, but I have to leave because I’m feeling sick.’ Before she could say anything else, we left her standing outside the gate with her hands on her hips. She was shaking her head with that mix of disappointment and frustration I was used to seeing from my family.

  ‘I’m sorry you had to go through that,’ I said to Abhimanyu. After this evening, I didn’t think I could call him a ‘colleague’ any
more. He had been regaled by my family’s quirks in full colour. And, he now knew all about my past. To his credit, he didn’t seem fazed by either.

  ‘Well, it was way more entertaining than television,’ he laughed.

  ‘Oh my family can beat any TV show when it comes to entertainment,’ I said.

  ‘So, what’s the next song?’ he asked.

  I busied myself with setting up the car’s Bluetooth. Soon, we went back to blasting his cycling songs and singing out loud. Even though traffic was moving at a snail’s pace, we were not bothered because we were having so much fun.

  Suddenly, my stomach growled. I pretended to clear my throat and sang the chorus of ‘Chaiyya Chaiyya’ even louder, hoping that the beats would divert attention from the fact that my stomach sounded like an angry bear.

  ‘Hey, there’s this new Italian restaurant that has just opened by your house. Let’s grab dinner before I drop you,’ Abhimanyu said.

  ‘Oh, no! You don’t have to do that,’ I said, completely embarrassed that he felt the need to stop my demon stomach from growling so loudly.

  ‘Come on, it’ll give me some time to hear some more embarrassing stories,’ he joked. ‘Or, I can share a few of mine so we’re even?’

  I tried to refuse out of politeness, but he insisted. I gave in. After all, I had missed dinner and I didn’t have anything else planned. Besides, I had promised to treat him to dinner in exchange for the ride.

  ‘How can anyone like pesto?’ I said, wrinkling my nose.

  ‘I love pesto!’

  ‘It’s green,’ I said, making a face. ‘Nothing green tastes good! You must be one of those horrible people who like pineapple on pizza.’ Or maybe this was a result of his health kick. Green food. I shuddered at the thought of it.

  ‘I’m not. Pineapple on pizza is blasphemy. However, I think you’re the weirdo who eats cold pizza taken directly out of the fridge the next morning!’

  ‘Guilty,’ I laughed. ‘It tastes much better, you know.’ And while I wouldn’t admit it, I was too lazy to spend the few seconds microwaving food when I was hungry.

  I took a sip of water.

  ‘OK! Favourite movie?’

  ‘Ratatouille,’ he said without missing a beat. ‘I rewatched it last night, that’s why I felt like ordering it today . . . ’

  ‘You expect me to believe your favourite movie is an animation? Seriously?’

  ‘Why not? I love animated movies, especially the old 2D ones. I even considered becoming an animator, but it didn’t pay enough.’

  ‘You’re kidding! I love animated movies too! Who’s your favourite Disney prince?’ I asked cheekily, expecting him to say he hadn’t watched the princess-y ones.

  ‘Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid. He can sing and he loves dogs. Also, he doesn’t care that Ariel can’t talk, he accepts her for who she is,’ he said, with a smile that rivalled Eric’s swoon-worthy one.

  My mouth was hanging open in shock.

  He laughed.

  ‘I have two sisters,’ he explained. ‘I have seen every princess movie multiple times. I know all about Barbie’s extended family as well as the plots of The Baby-Sitters Club and the Sweet Valley High series.’

  ‘So you’re used to this reaction when you subtly throw out trivia on these topics,’ I said.

  ‘Haha, your turn. Who’s your favourite prince?’ he asked.

  ‘Well, not really a prince,’ I said, as the server placed our food on the table. ‘But my favourite is Peter Pan.’

  ‘That means you know why Peter Pan flies all the time,’ he said, taking a bite of his ratatouille. I racked my brains but couldn’t think of a reason. I wondered if he would notice if I sneakily pulled out my phone and tried googling the answer.

  ‘Give up?’ he challenged, as he picked up a piece of garlic bread.

  ‘Fine!’

  ‘Peter Pan flies all the time because he Neverlands,’ he announced, looking extremely pleased with himself.

  I glared at him. ‘Clearly, you stayed in Neverland mentally! Have you been telling this joke since you were ten?’

  ‘You’re just mad you didn’t get it,’ he said. ‘It’s obvious you hate to lose.’

  ‘Who told you that?’ I asked indignantly.

  ‘It’s evident from the way you’ve been trying to push your project forward. Also, a little birdie told me how you were so focused on winning the team Quidditch race at the office picnic that you tripped someone with your broom.’

  Oh God. I wondered who told him that story. Possibly someone from the admin and HR posse while trying to hit on him. They were always the source of all gossip.

  ‘Inaya also told me some entertaining stories,’ he said, as though he could read my mind. ‘Something about a lemon and spoon race . . . ’

  ‘I didn’t trip anyone,’ I defended myself hotly. ‘It was an accident. She just happened to be in the way of my broom. Not all of us are super coordinated athletes who cycle every day!’

  He stopped laughing abruptly. I’d hit a nerve yet again.

  What is it with him and cycling, I wondered.

  ‘It’s not my finest moment,’ he said softly. Yet again, I’d said that out loud by accident. I started to say he didn’t have to confide in me, but for some reason, he decided to speak.

  ‘I used to be in a cycling group when I was in Delhi,’ he said. ‘We went on trips to nearby places . . . ’

  ‘Do you miss it?’ I asked.

  ‘Actually, no. That’s where I met my fiancée.’

  For the second time that night my mouth dropped open. I didn’t know he was engaged. It felt like a punch to my gut. The air whooshed out of my lungs. I wondered if the wine I was drinking was getting to me.

  ‘Ex-fiancée,’ he corrected himself. ‘We broke off the engagement. That’s why I moved. I wanted to move immediately after the break-up, but my horoscope kept indicating it wasn’t the right time. I had to wait until my move would be most fruitful.’

  I couldn’t hold back any longer.

  ‘You’re one of the smartest people I know, and yet you insist on believing in this horoscope, “right time” type stuff! Why?’

  He sighed.

  ‘Come on, it makes no sense. You stayed in a place with terrible memories all because you were waiting for the right time?’

  The wine was definitely getting to me. I was saying way more than I would otherwise.

  ‘Firstly, this entire conversation is off the record. And by that, I mean don’t share this with anyone on the team. I really don’t want to be the newest hot topic of gossip. Especially on your group chat,’ he said.

  He was well informed on what we were up to in our private groups. I wondered how he’d heard of it. None of the other bosses knew of their existence.

  ‘I’m not going to tell anyone,’ I replied. ‘After all you’ve done for me today, you’re a friend and I don’t gossip about my friends.’

  He smiled.

  ‘I didn’t believe in astrology or horoscopes and all that,’ he began, taking a deep breath. ‘A year and a half ago, I met Pooja . . . ’

  Pooja.

  I had visions of a tall, athletic looking girl, wearing stylish athleisure clothes and looking like she had stepped out of the pages of Vogue. I bet she had silky straight hair and was always perfectly made up. I tried not to roll my eyes.

  ‘It was love at first sight. Within months, we knew we wanted to be together and so we decided to get engaged. Except, my family astrologer insisted it was a bad time. He told me to wait. At the time, even a few months sounded like eternity. I refused,’ he said, a dark shadow falling over his face.

  He seemed to be struggling to get the words out.

  I reached out and held his hand, hoping to offer him some comfort. I had never seen him look so vulnerable.

  ‘Listen, you don’t have to tell me the rest of this story,’ I said.

  He took a deep breath.

  ‘No, it’s fine,’ he said, composing himself. ‘On the day
of my engagement, my grandmother passed away.’

  My heart stopped for a second. Was he carrying the burden of that guilt upon himself? I squeezed his hand and wondered if it would be terribly inappropriate to give him a hug. We were friends, but he was still a colleague.

  ‘I’m sure that was a coincidence,’ I said, opting to stay seated. I didn’t want to freak him out with any sudden moves.

  ‘I wish,’ he sniffed. ‘Weeks after that, I discovered that Pooja was cheating on me. With the guy who ran the cycling group.’

  He buried his head in his hands. I moved mine back, wondering what to do with it now. It was tingling all over.

  ‘I was so stupid. It had been happening all the while, and I just didn’t see it.’

  ‘I still think it was a coincidence,’ I began.

  ‘Maybe it was,’ he said. ‘But the timing was exactly based on what the astrologer had said. You think I would risk taking a chance after that?’

  His voice was muffled, so I reached out and held his hand again.

  ‘Abhimanyu, how can you be sure this works?’ I pressed. ‘The other day, you said you were using the AstroZone app, but this happened because you didn’t listen to your family astrologer.’

  ‘I couldn’t really go back to the family astrologer because I’d argued with him. There’s no way I could admit I was wrong. So I tried out many different things before I discovered this one works best. Whenever I’ve followed it, things have gone perfectly!’

  Of course. Even when it came to something as unscientific as astrology, he still went about identifying his preferred source in the most scientific way possible. I was about to point out the irony of what he’d said, but I didn’t want him to think I was making fun of him. I sensed it took him a lot to confide in me. And so, I did what I would do for any friend. I got up and gave him a hug.

  For a second, he was still, almost statue-like in shock. And then he hugged me back with a muffled thanks. My stomach exploded with butterflies. The blood rushed to my cheeks. Slowly, I went back to my seat, wondering if he could hear my heart pounding.

  ‘Thank you,’ he said again. ‘You’re a good friend.’

  I smiled and looked away quickly as my heart began hammering in my chest. I busied myself with taking a bite of my pasta so I didn’t have to look at him.