by Saranya Rai
‘Please, I hate teen patti, you can put the cards away.’
Vicky gasped. ‘Hate teen patti, our national Diwali sport? North India’s, anyway.’
Kriti started setting up the board and counters. ‘I have never played teen patti on Diwali. It’s absolutely not a thing in my family.’
Vicky tutted, clearing away the near-empty box and dropping it on the floor next to the table. ‘We’re less than a month away from Diwali and you have much to learn. However, since this is our first date, I’ll cut you some slack and play Snakes and Ladders. I pick the yellow counter.’
‘Of course, you do. I pick the red.’
Kriti played first, a conservative four, and Vicky held his hand out for the die.
‘Do you play poker? Or no gambling at all?’
‘It’s not an aversion to gambling, exactly. I just don’t get it. Meher once tried to explain the rules of Texas Hold ’em to me and gave up after the fifteenth minute. She’s phenomenal at card games. You should see her shuffle. It’s like magic.’
‘How are you so uncool, Kriti? Everyone around you knows how to play poker. What do you do in casinos?’
Kriti rolled her eyes. ‘I don’t really hang out in casinos, okay? My life isn’t Ocean’s Eleven. And if I go, I play the slot machine.’
‘You’re missing out on one huge benefit of knowing how to play poker.’
‘And what is that?’ Kriti made a noise of exasperation in her throat as her counter was swallowed by a spotted green snake before it had gone thirty places.
‘Strip poker.’ Vicky waggled his eyebrows suggestively and Kriti laughed a little uncomfortably.
‘Real loss, that.’
Her worst fears were proving correct. While she was wildly attracted to Vicky, she was hyper-aware of herself and couldn’t find that easy equation they’d always shared as friends. Maybe that rec room incident had been a one-off thing. Vicky was soon going to realize this date was a bust and she wasn’t nearly as much fun as a date.
Vicky crowed in celebration as the longest ladder on the board led his counter into the eighties.
‘I suddenly remembered why I haven’t played this game in so long,’ Kriti muttered in disgust. ‘It’s an absolutely ridiculous game that depends far too much on luck.’
‘You’re right, it is a lot like gambling. Do you think strip Snakes and Ladders is a thing?’
Kriti picked up one of the extra counters and threw it at Vicky, hitting him in the chest. ‘It’s a children’s game, you sicko. I do not need that image in my head.’
‘You’re no fun,’ Vicky grumbled as the devastating ninety-ninth-place snake swallowed his counter, returning him to the fifties.
Kriti sat back in her chair, a tight smile fixed in place, burying the jab of hurt. Of course, he didn’t mean anything by that. It was just an expression.
Vicky was about to play again, when he looked up at her and paused.
‘What’s wrong?’
‘Nothing,’ Kriti shook her head, ‘it’s your turn.’
‘Don’t lie to me, Kriti, I can see clear as day something’s bothering you. What is it?’
Kriti shrugged. ‘I don’t know what to tell you. Everything’s fine. Roll the die, na.’
‘Did you know you have trouble making eye contact when you lie? It’s really interesting because you don’t have this problem while acting in front of a camera.’
‘For heaven’s sake, Vicky, it’s all good!’ Kriti finally exploded. ‘I’m just nervous, okay! I haven’t been on an official date in a long time and I don’t know if I remember how to do this right!’
Vicky stared, completely baffled. ‘Are you serious? We spend so much time together. That’s how I know I like being with you. This is no different.’
‘Yes, it is! This is a date! Those were just . . . We were just hanging out. Like friends. There was no romantic angle.’
To Kriti’s annoyance, Vicky was beginning to look slightly amused. ‘Achha, so the romantic angle is bothering you.’ With a flick, he folded the board, scattering the counters and die. ‘Okay, no distractions. You have my full focus. The romantic angle is on the table. Talk to me.’
Kriti jumped up, glaring, nostrils flared. ‘This isn’t funny. I’m going to order dinner. Put the game back.’
Before she’d taken two steps towards the phone, Vicky was out of his chair and she was in his arms. She wasn’t entirely sure how it had happened, but her back was flush against his chest and his arms were locked around hers, over her stomach. Pushing her hair to one side, his nose brushed against her ear, warm breath washing over the side of her neck and making her shiver.
‘No more games. You’re right, I’ve been ignoring the romantic angle.’ He settled his chin in the crook of her neck, kissing the delicate skin of her throat. The friction from his beard was a delicious contrast to the soft touch of his lips and Kriti was undone. She relaxed against him, arching her back to give him better access.
‘I’m not sure this is exactly what I had in mind, but I also can’t remember what I was specifically nervous about.’
‘Oh, Kriti, let me remind you how there is nothing to be nervous about.’
Turning her around as fluidly as he’d caught her, Vicky combed his fingers through her hair, nails scraping gently against her scalp, until he could cup the back of her head. Kriti shivered in delight, closing her eyes.
‘If you do that long enough, I’ll fall asleep.’
‘I think I have a few ways of keeping you awake.’ Dragging his lips along her jaw, he nudged her mouth, coaxing her to open up, and kissing her deeply the moment she obliged.
Kriti grabbed the back of his T-shirt, pressing closer. The rec room had definitely not been a one-off. Kissing Vicky was intoxicating. He tasted mildly of spearmint gum, which he seemed to have thoughtfully been chewing before their date. The sweep of his tongue against hers sent pleasant arcs of electricity through her nerves.
Desperate to feel more of him, Kriti pushed against his chest and he stumbled back, sitting heavily on the bed.
‘I’m both sad and relieved to see you’re not always as smooth as Ranjha.’
Vicky swiped his thumb against the side of his mouth to rub off some of her shiny pink lip tint. ‘Ranjha gets twenty takes. I only need one.’
Kriti’s mouth curled into a smirk as she tried to calm her racing pulse. ‘Big words, haan.’
Vicky held out a hand and Kriti took it, no longer self-conscious. She loved the way Vicky looked at her, like he couldn’t help himself. Bracing her hands on his broad shoulders, she placed a knee on each side of his hips, straddling him comfortably. His levity morphed into something hungrier and he stroked the sides of her bare thighs, hands settling at her waist. His fingers found the hem of her blouse and dipped under it, branding her skin.
Kriti was busy with explorations of her own, running her hands up and down his back, studying each ripple of muscle under her touch. ‘So . . . I guess we’re postponing dinner?’
‘Looks like it.’ With a distracted mutter, he pulled her mouth back to his. Her breathing threatened to spiral out of control again as his hands climbed her sides, coming to a teasing stop at the edge of her bra. His thumbs felt along the underwire of her deep purple, satin-ribbon-edged lingerie. Kriti broke away from him, panting for breath, and when she opened her eyes, Vicky’s were staring straight into hers, dark with intent.
Finally, he moved his knuckles farther up the sides of her breasts, rubbing his thumbs against the tightly straining tips. With a sharp exhalation, Kriti dug her fingers into his shoulders.
‘You’re right, this romantic angle is exactly what I should’ve brought up earlier,’ Kriti managed to choke out.
He didn’t respond, leisurely moving to toy with the clasp of her bra.
‘Get on with it!’ Impatient, Kriti begged him, rocking her hips into the hard pressure against her thigh.
Vicky groaned, although he made no attempt to stop her. ‘I want to get my one take
right. Slow down, Kriti.’
‘If you go any slower, I’ll combust,’ Kriti assured him.
As he made to strip her blouse off, Kriti stopped him. Cocking an eyebrow, she shook her head. ‘You first.’
Grinning, eyes feverish with heat, he obliged.
~
Excerpt from the blind items section, Star Glitz, 12 October 2017:
Among the stale, garishly coloured offerings of Bollywood today, do you ever long for the gloriously tragic romances of yore? The tortured Guru Dutt looking for his salvation in the fresh-faced Waheeda Rehman? All you hopeless romantics out there are going to want to sit tight for this titbit. I hear from a reliable little bird in the Industry that the Grand Romance is not dead. A broodingly handsome silver fox, known for his fondness for depressingly noir cinema and single malts, has recently met his unlikely match in one of our most high-profile leading ladies. While our director works on his next offering, our heroine is busy filming her next with one of our most favourite scandalous leading men. Don’t be fooled by the distance, however. What started out as an acquaintance at a posh film festival in a sleepy seaside town has rapidly blossomed into romantic interest. And where the heart leads, the money is sure to follow. Rumour has it that our crisis-stricken auteur has thrown caution to the winds and given his lady love the leading role in his next untitled production. Talk about a gamble! This screen goddess and her sun-kissed legs have a reputation for setting the cash registers ringing, but we are not quite sure if she has the acting chops her new role will require (on screen, we mean, of course!). Only time will tell whether this association brings in the cash and the critical acclaim alike, or it turns out to be another damp squib for this unlucky-in-love lady.
~
The insistent buzzing of her phone woke Kriti from a delicious dream involving Vicky and her feather-soft hotel bed, a full hour before her alarm was set to go off. It was her private line that only a handful of people had access to, in case of emergencies, and Kriti bounced out of the bed, groggy and disoriented, but with her heart racing.
A glance at the screen told her it was Samiya, which was only mildly reassuring. Stifling a yawn, Kriti answered the phone and crept back under the fluffy duvet still warm from her body heat. The sheets still held traces of Vicky’s cologne and she smiled into her pillow.
‘Have you seen the article that went online late last night? Physical copies are out for distribution as we speak.’
‘Sam, I literally just woke up. I have no idea what you’re talking about. What article?’
Samiya was blunt and to-the-point as always. ‘A blind item was published in the latest issue of Star Glitz not only announcing that you have been cast as the lead in Neogi’s next film, but also that you began an affair with Neogi after meeting him in Goa and that’s what got you the role.’
That woke Kriti up completely. ‘What? How did they even get all that info? How could they possibly know that I met Abhimanyu at the Goa Film Festival or that I’m signing his next? And where the fuck did this affair nonsense come from?’
‘That bloodsucker Bhaskar Joshi. He’s responsible. He’s got an ear to every door we whisper behind, and enough money and influence to bribe his way through those doors if necessary.’
Kriti drew the covers over her head, hiding in the cosy darkness. ‘Let me guess, fan clubs and other gossip pages on the Internet are running wild with it. This is the last thing I need.’
‘Yeah, and the gossip isn’t the worst of it.’
‘What could be worse?’
‘Neogi. Unfortunately, it was his office that discovered this bit of news before we did. I don’t know if Neogi reads Star Glitz first thing in the morning while pooping or whether one of his lackeys pointed it out, but he’s apoplectic. He called me ten minutes before I called you and gave me an earful about how if he can trace this gossip to us even vaguely, he’s going to reconsider the contract. Thank God I told our legal team to hold on to the paperwork for another week or two to make sure we are all okay with the finer points.’
Kriti squeezed her eyes shut. ‘So, basically, there is no contract at the moment?’
‘Simplistically, yeah.’
‘And Neogi is threatening to rescind the offer if he feels like it.’
‘I mean . . . his production house is going to have something to say about that, but those are his words. I swear my five-year-old nephew doesn’t throw tantrums like this.’
‘Samiya, what are we going to do?’
Sensing Kriti’s distress, Samiya softened her tone. ‘We do nothing. This is one of those cases where attempting to address this in any way may turn it into a hydra. These unfounded rumours are bad enough. I don’t need people to speculate over any official statement at the moment. I’ll tell PR to feed as much gossip as they can about anything they can get their hands on, to our most trusted contacts, and that is going to bury this news in a week. A blind item is only so reliable.’
‘But if everything goes according to plan, there will be an announcement about my role in Neogi’s new film. What are we going to do then?’
‘Kriti, when we’re ready to make an announcement like that, your interests will be protected by the contract, and we’ll put our entire team on ensuring that the whole thing appears as an exciting project and nothing more. Our job at the moment is to draw press and public attention away from this and negotiate with Neogi. That’s all. You don’t have to do a thing except focus on Ranjha Ranjha. I only called you to brief you. Obviously, you are going to feign surprise and casually dismiss everything in case someone asks you.’
‘This project is jinxed or what? I didn’t have half as much trouble landing Ranjha Ranjha, and Sudarshana is as picky as they come.’
Samiya snorted loudly. ‘Neogi should be thrilled to be paired up with you. He’s not anywhere in your league. If you ask me, he’s just using this as an excuse to establish his authority. This is a power move. He’s probably insecure about your profile being so much bigger than his.’
‘Stop it, man, that’s not even true—it depends on whom you ask. Oh God, if my parents get word of this, I’m so screwed. They’ll sulk for weeks. They’re barely over the Raunak train wreck.’
‘Kriti, I mean it when I say you’re to dismiss this news completely if anyone asks. Even your parents. I don’t want the slightest slip on our part.’
Kriti emerged from under her duvet, squinting in the sunlight pouring into her room. ‘I am going to have to tell one person.’
‘Who?’
‘Vicky Behl. I need to tell you about this before anything blows up spectacularly in my face without warning. I’m kinda possibly maybe dating Vicky.’ The line went so quiet, Kriti thought she’d lost the connection. ‘Samiya? Hello? Are you there?’
‘I’m here. I’m just . . . processing this.’
‘I know what you’re going to say, and I know exactly how badly this can backfire, but I’m giving it a shot anyway. So, I have to keep Vicky in the loop.’
‘It’s not that you’re dating Vicky. I had mildly suspected you may be more into him than you were telling me when you told him about the Neogi film. Who you’re fucking is entirely your business. It’s just that . . . it suddenly occurred to me that Neogi may not be entirely wrong about this leak linking back to us.’
A dreadful sense of foreboding filled Kriti.
‘What do you mean?’
‘I mean, now that I think about it, this whole piece seemed very personal. And it even mentioned Vicky briefly, referring to his PR problems. I’m not saying he did it on purpose, but is there any possibility Vicky was Joshi’s source?’
‘Absolutely not!’ Kriti snapped, outraged. ‘Firstly, Vicky hates Joshi and would punch him in the face before telling him something like this. Secondly, he knows exactly how important it is that this be kept quiet.’
‘It could be accidental, Kriti. I’m not saying Vicky secretly meets Joshi and hands over briefcases of information while wearing a trench coat. Just . . . ask h
im, okay?’
‘What good would that do?’
‘If he is the source, I can plug whatever the path of the leak is. I say this because Vicky isn’t exactly the soul of discretion. Even the fact that you two are together is bound to come out sooner or later.’
‘I’ll ask,’ Kriti promised, a bitter taste in her mouth. She lay back on her pillows, staring at the ceiling, exhausted all over again. Of course, it wasn’t Vicky. Was it? Surely not.
Her stomach protested in a mix of hunger and stress.
It hadn’t quite been a day since their first official date. And there was already a potentially massive storm cloud on the horizon. Was this a sign? Had she been right about Vicky all along?
With a disgusted swear, Kriti got out of bed and switched off her alarm.
~
Vicky was at the hotel gym when his phone rang and he only noted the seven missed calls on his way back to his room to shower and get ready for the day.
A concerned crease appearing between his brows, he called his sister back immediately. She answered on the first ring, just as he unlocked the door to his room.
‘Bhaiya, where were you?’
‘At the gym. What’s wrong?’
‘I messed up big time.’ The strained whisper made Vicky a lot more anxious than the missed calls had.
‘What do you mean?’
‘Have you checked any of your social media today or spoken to Kritika?’
‘Not yet, her call time was super early today. I’m going to shower and head there in a bit. Why?’
Mini took a deep, audible breath and released it.
‘Remember that thing you told me not to tell anyone about? That Abhimanyu Neogi film that Kritika is supposed to be doing? I think I told Bhaskar Joshi about it.’
‘What?’
‘It was an accident, bhaiya, I swear I didn’t mean to do it. I didn’t for a second think he’d reach the conclusions he did!’
‘Slow down, Mini, I don’t understand anything. What did you tell Joshi and why? And what did he print?’
‘I met him at that party the parents took me to, at Anjali Khanna’s. He cornered me out of nowhere and started asking about you. I freaked out. I didn’t want to say anything and he threw a barrage of questions at me. And he specifically asked me about you and Kritika. I think he was trying to get a feel for whether there’s anything going on between the two of you. And . . . I panicked. To deflect from you, I told him that Kriti has a boyfriend, as far as I knew, and that she’d met him at a film festival, and that he wasn’t an actor. Because you’d told me a little bit about Abhimanyu Neogi and his work with Kriti, that is what I drew from. But I didn’t take any names. That’s all, I swear!’