Was this an opportunity or a misfortune?
My car halted in front of the Balaji Party Hall - Mumbai. I scanned myself quickly to check if I looked suitable for the occasion.
“You look beautiful, didi…” My driverji praised through the rearview mirror. I was wearing a backless baby pink floral gown which ended at my ankles. I tried not to expose much of myself; that was something I didn’t feel very comfortable with. My hair had been curled and left open which helped me cover my back. My mom had insisted on this dress, or else I would’ve gone for the silver tea-length gown; simple and easy to hide my aura in. After a lot of trial and error, I had observed that silver was the first color that glimmered, followed by orange and red, till it made a combination of SilAngEd.
My lips curved into a smile at his mundane comment; he wouldn’t dare to object anything related to me. Driverji and I had a different and special bond. We understood each other's problems through each other’s perspective, and gave advice according to that. We would often stop at the pani puri stall to relish some spicy and mouth-watering pani puris, and always end up gulping down a whole bottle of water amidst our laughs at our antics!
Eventually, I did get my way at something; makeup! I avoided as much as possible, just a bit of eyeliner and a lipgloss. I was satisfied with how I looked today.
I heaved a breath as I opened the door, my white pencil heels touching the red carpet that led to the main entrance of the hall. I had to practice walking on these unstable heels, though these award shows had given me some experience.
“Roshni….not bad huh? On time...6:00 sharp!” Vishal greeted me with something I didn’t expect. Neither did he compliment on what I was wearing, nor did he ask how I was. The only thing he cared about was….punctuality?!
“How could I dare to be late….Shahenshah! After all, how could I, a mere minister’s daughter, anger the ruler of Hindustan?!” I answered in pure sarcasm.
“Roshni….” He approached for a teddy-bear hug, “You look gorgeous, as always!” He said, and I smiled a pleased one as I hugged him back.
“You don’t look bad yourself, Vishal.” I admitted. He was wearing a grey tuxedo and had his hair set; making him look quite different.
“Kya hum yogya lag rahe hain iss party ke liye?” He asked, flaunting my Ancient Hindi accent.
“Hmm...uttam…..ati uttam.” I approved with a hint of laughter.
“Hey Roshni!” I turned around to find the ever so cheerful Yash Karia a.k.a Chakrapani Mishra.
“Not acceptable Yash!” Vishal shook his head as he continued, “It’s a reunion party, and I think we should use our on-screen names to address each other. If you hadn’t paid attention to the message circulated amongst all of you, let me remind you all that the theme of…”
“Gustaakhi maaf ho Shahenshah!” We all spoke in unison, laughing at our own antics. This is what I missed the most; the togetherness. I smiled at seeing my family rejoice at our reunion.
“Khama Ghani!” a known voice greeted with great enthusiasm that made me clasp my hands. I slowly lifted my eyelids and hesitantly turned around to find the nightmare of my life. “The ONE and ONLY KUNWAR PRATAP SINGH!” I muttered to myself in hysteria. Before anyone could react, another figure revealed herself through the buzzing sound of her anklets. A single spotlight shined on her as she smoothly wrapped her arm around his; making everyone cheer for the ‘best couple’ in this whole universe. She observed everyone as if she was the queen of some kingdom. Her eyes scanned my outfit as I rolled my eyes at her. Her attire was simply mind-boggling! Horrific! Why on Earth would Jannat Zubair Rahmani wear a bright red ‘sari’! That too in a western themed party... was she insane?! The most bizarre part was her selection of jewelry. I think she took Vishal’s message about addressing everyone by their reel names too literally. She actually chose to wear Marwar’s traditional jewelry along with her shimmering red sari! I shook my head in disappointment; her dressing sense would never improve! She was looking like a middle-aged woman standing with a…...decently dressed boy. Faisal Khan looked formal in his black three-piece tuxedo. My heart sank at his styled up hair; my harsh words didn’t affect him at all! His suit emphasized on his well-built body; clearly defining his recently grown muscles. I caught a faint sight of a tattoo near his wrist but soon reassured myself that it was merely just an illusion. That reminded me of my recently imprinted design on my wrist, and I checked to see if it remained hidden. I had tried to cover my Ro.Dee tattoo by wearing a bunch of colorful bracelets.
“Hey….Rosh…” His whisper sent shivers down my back. The proximity between us was too close; I was too busy hiding ‘myself’ to notice him approach towards me and greet me by whispering in my ear.
It seemed very indifferent; my annoyance to his actions….and his apologies that followed shortly after. Only that he lost the right to apologize….I took a huge breath to calm myself down.
“Can’t believe I’ll be having to deal with you tonight!” I snorted, gritting my teeth.
“After so long…” He added with a smirk. I grew suspicious; Faisal was behaving as if nothing had ever happened between us! I had expected a lot more tension...but he seemed so nonchalant! He extended his arm in a formal handshake as I imitated him. His hand was cold and stiff, yet there was this uneasiness between us.
“So...where is your favorite co-star?” I asked, hinting towards Jannat. His eyes moved frantically in search of her, till he finally found Jannat Zubair Rahmani.
“There she is….doesn’t she look gorgeous?” Faisal asked rhetorically, expecting no response from me. Since he was tantalizing me with such authority, I had to be callous towards him, and return the favor. I gave a sly smirk before responding, “Very pretty...probably the prettiest girl in town! You don’t look bad either, Faisal…” His oblivious eyes met my impassive ones; he was surprised to hear his praises from my mouth. “But you fall behind my best buddy, Vishal!” I finished in victory. His face fell as I sensed anger in his eyes. Before he could walk off, Vishal hugged him with one of his light-hearted smiles.
“Itne gussa ho ke kahan chale Mewar ke Shehzade?”
“Hey Vishal! How have you been?” His expression changed to a friendlier one. Why did he always have to behave coldly with me? I looked for a distraction in this freezing party hall.
“I’m good...okay listen, we don’t have- actually you both don’t have much time left.” He announced, grabbing my attention. I walked towards Vishal to catch Faisal’s reaction to my presence. Why did he have to be such a pessimist?
“Vishal, can you please elaborate?” I asked in confusion.
“Okay, remember when we met at your house yesterday?’ He began and I could feel Faisal’s suspicious glare at me.
“And I had to leave in a rush?”
“Yeah...I remember…”
“Actually, I got a message from the director of BKVPMP, and he requested something.” He explained sheepishly. I could foreshadow something very awkward which would involve Faisal and me.
“He wanted you both to dance tonight...together….”
It took us a minute to process what he said as our eyes widened in disbelief.
“What?!” Faisal and I spoke in unison.
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