Jaane Doh Naa
CHAPTER TEN
As White as Black
Nina
Rathore was not a woman to mess with; leading the fashion industry for a few
years now, she was nothing less than a celebrity, who graced the cover of every
magazine, highlighted every event and more importantly dictated the terms of
almost every fashion show in Pune. However, what distinguished her from the
rest of the grey designers was not her popularity, but her attitude, which had
a knack of being conceited most of the time.
Nevertheless,
that did not mean the woman lacked taste. Her much talked of party that evening
was exquisitely organized, with silk draps as white as the moon hanging in the
sky, flowers twinkling with fairy lights and a cuisine more magnificent than
the city has seen in years. The hostess herself was spotted in splendid dress
of pearl, welcoming her guests with pride. It was truly a sight to behold.
While
people gushed about the famed designer and her brilliant style, enjoying not
only the attention they were given on the red carpet, but also the superficial
compliments passed along the night, a certain young man was caught brooding
near the bar. While he easily blended into the dimmed room, he was far from
being secluded.
Anyone
and everyone passing by did not hesitate to take a second look, admiring his
well fitted black suit, perfectly combed hair and the most striking of all,
eyes as dark as the night itself. Girls giggled upon the sight of him, women
hinted at seduction and men couldn't refrain from envy; afterall Arnav Singh
Raizada had it all.
Except
for one woman, who refused to acknowledge him. Whoever invented the phrase
'life is not perfect', got it dead-on right.
However,
Arnav wasn't the one to dwell on mistakes. He always corrected them, whether
they belonged to him or to others. And so, he wasn't to be blamed for being
isolated from the crowd, his eyes flickering consistently to the door, where he
knew she would make her entrance any minute now.
"Arnav!"
called a silky voice.
He
tore his eyes from the entrance and turned to find himself infront of the
hostess herself.
"Long
time no see?!" said Nina, slightly pouting her lips.
"Why?
Missing me?"
"You
have no idea!"
Arnav
smirked. "I'm glad to see we are on the same page Ms. Rathore."
"Nina," she corrected. And then leaned
forward to give a peck on each of Arnav's cheeks.
"Should
I consider myself lucky that I am being personally
welcomed by the great Nina Rathore then?"
Nina
didn't miss the sarcasm in his voice. "On the contrary Arnav, I should consider myself lucky that you
finally decided to pay me a visit. I hear you are in Pune nowadays!"
"I
am not surprised you heard that."
"And
can I know reason behind Pune's sudden luck?"
Arnav
raised an eyebrow. "Are you telling me you don't know why I am here?"
Nina
pressed her lips in answer.
"And
you say I am tight-lipped!"
"Oh
alright," she said, with a small roll of her eyes. "I hear you are being
gracious on a failing business. I have to say Arnav, your standards have really
dropped."
"And
I am sorry to say you haven't changed one bit," he replied nonchalantly. "Just
as jealous as ever."
Nina
shrugged. "My offer is still up you know."
"And
ditch the contract I have right now? I don't think so."
"I
fail to understand why you are giving so much importance to such a small deal! AK's Seams of Style are the most amateur
designers I have ever seen!"
"I
guess that's why Vogue recently started printing their designs on the front
cover."
Nina's
face hardened. "They are just going through a phase right now, but-"
"You
think so?" he interrupted. "I was under the impression that you are going through a phase right now.
Drops in sales, negative reviews… If I didn't know better, I would say you are
desperate for business right now."
Arnav
could tell that this was not the turn Nina expected the conversation to take.
He had the satisfaction of watching the little colour left on her face drain as
she narrowed her eyes. "Look," she said, her tone hard. "You have no idea what a lazy, unprofessional
designer Ayesha Kapoor-"
"Then
why don't want we find out?" he said, cutting her off once again. "She will be
here in a few minutes."
"I
didn't invite her."
"But
I did; As my guest."
"What?!"
Arnav
couldn't help but grin at the horrified look on Nina's face. While he had a
very healthy relationship with her in the past, that is professionally speaking,
he also experienced an infuriation only he could explain. She was in every
sense, a pretentious snob.
"You
have no idea what you are dealing with," Nina informed him, after recovering
from the sudden revelation. "Ayesha Kapoor is a cheat."
"I
don't see why you should be worried about that."
Nina
was surprised at Arnav's indifference and as suddenly as the confusion came, it
left leaving a trail of realization. "Ohh! I get it. You like her. You like Ayesha Kapoor!"
Arnav
snorted at her conclusion. "For a designer, you sure don't use your head a lot."
However,
she laughed at his comment. "No, no," she said, shaking her head a little. "I
hit bullseye with this one. You love
her."
"Like
I said," he replied with a shrug. "Get your facts right. Ayesha is not the one
I love."
And
with that he walked away having no desire to discuss his life story with the
woman who cared more about making the front page of the newspaper everyday,
than the good of her own company.
* * *
"Stop
that!" Ayesha scolded when Khushi tried pulling her dress down for the
umpteenth time that evening. "Your dress is fine!"
"Its
too short!" Khushi complained, eyeing the mass of reporters crowding the
entrance to the venue. The two girls just arrived, courtesy to Arnav's trusted
driver, and Khushi was already having second thoughts about coming. "And look
at all the media people. They are going to go nuts today!"
Ayesha
smirked. "And that's why we are here," she said confidently. "Its showtime."
And
without a second glance, she walked towards the iron gates her head held high.
Hai Devi Mayyia, Khushi said
looking up into the empty skies. Help me!
Taking
a deep breath she trailed behind Ayesha, where she was quickly engulfed in
bright flashes of light and deafening shouts of reporters, asking endless
questions about their unexpected appearance.
"How
do you feel about attenting the event Ms. Kapoor?" a man asked.
Another
voice interrupted him. "Who designed your outfit today?"
"What
do you have to say about AK's Seams of
Style being rated as the number one boutique in Pune today?"
"And
how would you describe your relationship with Nina Rathore?"
Ayesha
laughed. "Oh," she said choosing to answer the last question first. "Nina and
me go way back!"
That
seemed to cause a mumur through the crowd; It was a well known fact that the
two were rivals.
"So,
would you say you both are not competitors then?" asked a female reporter.
"Of
course not," Ayesha answered, flinging back her now straightened hair dramatically.
"Business is business and friendship is… well, I think you know."
"What
about Arnav Singh Raizada?"
Ayesha's
smile hardened in the slightest. "What about him?"
"How
do you feel working with him? Are you okay with the fact that Mr. Raizada and
Ms. Rathore have been partners for almost three years now?"
"Well,
doesn't the fact that we decided to work together say it all?" Ayesha replied
with a shrug.
However,
the answer didn't appear satisfactory, for the reporter turned to the silent
figure of Khushi and asked, "What do you think? Is Mr. Raizada a good partner?"
Khushi
stared at the expectant crowd in front of her. She didn't need to look at
Ayesha, to see her nod encouragingly towards her. She took a deep breath and
said in a clear tone, "I think Mr. Raizada is an excellent partner. AR Designs
haven't failed in a contract so far, so I can assure you that the upcoming
fashion show will be the best Pune has ever seen."
"No
more questions!" Ayesha said as soon as Khushi finished. And without paying any
heed to the yells of protest that followed, she turned and walked inside, where
the booming music filled her ears.
Khushi
heaved a sigh of relief as she finally entered the shade of the party.
"That
wasn't so bad now, was it?" Ayesha asked with a grin.
"No,"
Khushi admitted, looking for a waiter to ask for some water. "But I would never
do that again. I think I am better off in the designing room, while you take
care of the other stuff."
"Why
are you so scared of publicity?"
"As
if you don't know!" However, when Ayesha remained puzzled, she lowered her
voice and said, "because I don't want anyone finding out about t-the marriage."
"So
what if they do? It was a mistake and its over. End of story!"
"No
its not!" Khushi objected. "Do you think the fact that Arnav Singh Raizada had
a six month contract marriage is going to die down that easily? It will be all
over India and within no time, my entire family will be here, trying to get me
to go back home!"
"They
are not your family!"
Khushi
ignored that. "Think about it," she said. "Its bad enough that the Laad
Governor is trying to ask for forgiveness. Imagine what would it be like if the
whole family was with him!"
"Yeah
well," Ayesha muttered. "No point. Despite staying away from the headlines, he
still found you."
"After
two years. Give me some credit okay?"
Ayesha
couldn't help but grin. "Speaking of which, where is he? After all that talk
about being punctual, I figured he would be on time!"
"I
am not complaining," Khushi said, rolling her eyes. "Less time with him, means
more time for us to be happy."
"He
could have atleast picked us up, instead of sending his driver! Didn't you
notice the security guard giving us weird looks when we showed him the
invitation card?"
Khushi
didn't answer for her eyes were suddenly drawn to the back of the room where
she saw the man in question, silently leaning against the polished counter of
the bar. She squinted trying to catch his expression, but the darkened room
made it almost impossible to see his face. But she knew it was him.
Muttering
a quick excuse, Khushi darted across the room, nodding to a few familiar faces
along the way and stopped a few steps short of him, hesitating to speak.
Arnav
appeared to be relaxed, as he surveryed the room with a brightly coloured drink
in his hand. Khushi didn't know if he was continuing his ignorance towards her,
or was truly unaware of her presence. Either way, she found that the answer
didn't matter, because it neither helped nor impaired her task at hand.
"Ahem,"
she said, unnecessarily clearing her throat.
He
didn't turn.
"Mr.
Raizada?"
His
gaze finally fell upon her and what followed was something he couldn't put into
words.
Dressed
in a black dress that ended on her thighs, Khushi appeared to be glowing under
the dusky lights. As he watched her stupefied, he vaguely noticed that the
deafening music didn't reach his ears anymore and instead a new, more forceful
sound filled his soul. It was his heartbeat, thundering through his body, rampaging
his mind with the urge to pull her into his arms.
Not
noticing his silence, Khushi said, "I wanted to talk to you. Well… tell you
something actually."
She
waited for him to answer, but his face appeared dazed as his eyes bore into
hers. "Hello?!", she exclaimed, waving her hand, trying to get his attention.
Arnav
was unwillingly tugged out of his reverie. It was now his turn to clear his dry
throat.
"I
was saying," Khushi began again. "That… Th-thank you."
Her
words took a long time to sink into his ears, for he was still very much in awe
of her beauty; but when they did, a grin brighter than the stars appeared on
his handsome face.
"You are very welcome," he replied, blinking
away the yearn to feel her raven black hair softly cascading down her back.
"But for what in particular?"
"For
saving me… the other night… you know, from-"
"From
the goons," he finished, putting the cocktail he held on the counter. "But I
think what you should be saying is a
'sorry'!"
Khushi
narrowed her eyes. "Excuse me?"
"You
should have listened to me that night," he explained. "Instead of stomping off
alone. So, you could say sorry and repent for not listening to me!"
"Don't
push it," she warned. "I am just here to thank you. And it doesn't change
anything between us."
"I
wasn't expecting it too. But if you are still being adamant, can I know why you
have sudden consideration for my hard work?"
Khushi
shrugged. "I am not heartless. Neither am I egoistic to overlook that you did a
favour on me."
He
snorted. "In other words, you are not Arnav Singh Raizada."
"No,
I am not."
And
with that she turned smartly on her heels and began to walk away.
"By
the way," he called behind her. "You owe
me one!"
Khushi
smiled, but didn't turn to answer.
* * *
"And
then what happened?"
"Nothing…
she turned around and walked away. Stupid wh**e! Why can't she get it that I am
better than her?"
It
was well into the night and the party was progressing superbly, with the two
girls sitting at a table discussing the various people attending the event,
especially the woman who was the center of attention – Nina.
Khushi
sighed. "How much longer do we have to be here?"
"Are
you serious?" Ayesha asked. "This place is rocking and you want to go home? Can
you be any more boring?"
"Then
let me go na," Khushi answered, rubbing her temples in pain. "This stupid music
is giving me a headache!"
Ayesha
leaned back on her chair. "You know what I think?" she said, but then answered
it herself. "You need a boy to take your mind of things."
"Oh
please no," Khushi said, shaking her head. "Last time you tried, it blew up in
our faces!"
"Okay,
one mistake is forgiven for all. Besides, didn't we end up getting a good
client in the end?"
"Yeah,"
Khushi muttered. "And I could never be in the same room as him again!"
"As
who?" came Arnav's voice, who took a seat at the table. Having finally shaken
off a few eager people seeking business with him, he hoped to complete the task
for which he took the trouble to come.
Unfortunately,
he was out of luck once again for the girls began scouting the room, completely
ignoring his presence.
"There,"
Ayesha said suddenly. "at 12 o'clock."
Khushi
raised an eyebrow. "And…?"
"Definitely
Salman Khan!"
Khushi
seemed to hesitate for second, before looking behind her shoulder. "Not bad,"
she said, turning back to face Ayesha. "But still not a Salman Khan."
"You
are just being picky!"
"No,"
Khushi said. "I know a six-pack when I see one!"
Arnav,
on the other hand, was completely confused with conversation. "Why are you
talking abo-"
"I
think," Khushi said, cutting him off. While she definitelty thanked him for saving
her the other night, she had no intentions of letting him force a payback from
her; whether she owed it or not. "3 o'clock is way better."
Ayesha
quickly glanced to her right and said, with a smirk. "I really like. Why don't you go say 'Hi'?"
Khushi's
eyes widened. "Hell no!"
"Come
on!"
"Wait,"
Arnav said, finally catching on to the code between the two. "You both are checking out guys?!"
Ayesha
let out an exasperated sigh. "Yes smarty pants!" And when she caught the startled
look on his face, she continued, "Oh please! Don't tell me you never checked girls out before!"
Arnav
didn't answer.
"That's
what I thought," she said triumphantly, before turning to Khushi, who didn't
budge from her seat. "Fine! I will go
and tell Mr. 3 o'clock how good looking you think he is!"
A
look of horror crossed Khushi's face as Ayesha stood up and determindedly
walked away.
"Ayesh
wait!" she called, jumping up and following her into the crowd.
But
it was unnecessary. Far before Ayesha reached 'Mr. 3 o'clock', so to speak, a
dubious voice forced her to stop in her tracks.
"Ayesha?"
The
blood drained from Ayesha's face as she was stunned into silence. As Khushi
caught up with her, she noticed that the voice belonged to a tall, lean man,
dressed in an elegant three-piece suit of white, matching the ivory coloured room.
His face, which was previously hidden in the darkened room, was now visibly
vibrant as he cautiously took a step forward. Like Ayesha, he too appeared
bewildered.
"Nayan,"
Ayesha breathed when the silence became unbearable.
The
man – Nayan – relaxed upon finally receiving recognition. He covered the small
distance between the two and enveloped her into a hug.
"Don't
touch me," Ayesha spat, pushing him away.
"Sonu,
wh-"
But
she didn't let him finish. "Don't call
me that!"
"What's
wrong baby? We are seeing each other after two
years!"
"And
evidently you forget what happened the last time I saw you. But don't worry, I
don't mind reminding you once again."
Nayan's
eyes narrowed very faintly. "We need to talk. I'm staying in a hotel nearby;
why don't we continue this conversation there?"
"Hotel?!"
Ayesha screeched, causing many passerbys to stop and look at the commotion.
"You dirty-"
"Lets
go outside?" he interrupted noticing the curious looks they were recieveing.
Her
voice went up another octave at that. "Why? Ashamed of what you are?!"
She
seemed to hit a nerve with her retort, for Nayan's face hardened as anger
spread through his features. "Enough
Ayesha!"
"Go
to hell!" she retorted and began to walk away. Only, Nayan held her wrist,
pulling her close to him.
"We
are going to talk Sonu," he whispered harshly in her ear. There was almost a hint
of obsession in his tone. "Right now!"
"Like
hell we are!" But it was no use. No matter how hard Ayesha tried, she couldn't
peel off his fingers from their powerful grip on her.
"Let
her go!" Khushi, who was watching the entire exchange, fired. She knew enough
to know that this was a situation that Ayesha was not ready to handle.
But
Nayan wasn't the one to take orders. He slowly began to edge away to the exit, tugging
Ayesha along, when he suddenly stopped noticing an obstacle in his way.
It
was Arnav. "Let her go," he said alot more coolly than Khushi. And yet, his
posture emitted an aura of superiority that no one dared disobey.
"Don't
get into this."
"Yes,"
Arnav agreed, crossing his arms across his chest. "Don't get yourself into
this. I don't know if Nina will appreciate
the police interrupting her party on your account. It looks like she spent a
lot of money on it."
"That
is none of your business!"
Arnav
covered the distance between the two with a quick stride and said in a very dangerous
voice, "Arnav Singh Raizada doesn't like repeating himself. You let go of her
now or spend the next six months in the hospital. Its upto you."
The
threat was obvious and Nayan seemed to understand it well. He dropped Ayesha's
hand as if it was piece of hot coal and stomped away, defeated.
Ayesha
watched him disappear, her expression unreadable. She felt a warm hand on her
shoulder, trying to reassure her with a soft squeeze. But she didn't turn
around.
"Are you okay?" Khushi whispered, when the
silence between the two became agonizing.
Ayesha
sensed, for the first time ever, fear in her best friend's voice; but it was
senseless concern.
Adorning
a grin on her lips, she faced Khushi and asked in a deceptively cheery tone, "It's hot in here, don't you think?"
And
without waiting for an answer, she strode off towards the dance floor, stopping
a waiter on the way and picking up a bright blue cocktail that she drained in
one shot.
"Do
you have something real?" she asked, exchanging her empty glass for a full one.
"Like tequila? And what is with the crap music?"
"Madam,"
the waiter replied timidly. "We-"
But
she didn't let him finish. Waving her hand to signal his dismissal, she
continued walking through the crowded room, until there was no sight of her. It
was as if she ceased to exist.
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