never presented herself for this meeting. It had only seemed polite to say sorry to Ashraf for what Rahul had done…but, clearly, Ashraf did not stand on ceremony. Na —she stifled a hysterical laugh—he didn’t prefer to stand at all . Sprawled beneath Nina Manjrekar like a fur rug, he had priorities above and beyond a lost role in KK’s picture.
Oh . The tube light flickered in Priya’s brain as she wrenched away from the door and stumbled down the hall. This was why Ashraf had asked to meet at Anandaloka’s offices. Because he would be finishing up his tryst. Bile rose in her throat and she shuddered. Rahul’s stepmother was like a villainess from a serial. Overly made-up, overdressed and over-the-top. The kind of character that made Shona laugh and laugh. But applied to reality, Nina didn’t inspire so much haasi. Nahin , just looking at the woman froze the bits of Priya that weren’t already ice.
So traumatized was she that as she hastened down the hallway and away from the hideous visuals, she didn’t realize she was on a collision course. She smacked straight center into someone coming round the corner. “Oof!”
“Sorry!” Sam Khanna exclaimed, grabbing at her to keep them both upright, his narrow features lit with concern. “ Arré , Priya!”
“ Nahin , nahin , it’s okay.” Barely taller than her but solid like bricks, Sam packed quite the punch. Like her, he embodied that saying about small packages…and he’d been in a terrible state the last time she saw him, that night at China House. She’d barely paid attention, only knowing that she had to run from Rahul before he saw just how closely her determination and her hunger were wrapped. But Sam had been cursing his ex-wife up one side and down the other…something about his son. About losing his son. And that , she understood without having to pay any attention at all. “Are you okay?” she asked, before she could think better of it.
Sam didn’t so much as flinch, instead offering an easy shrug. “It is what it is, hain na ? Life happens. Sorry you had to see me that way. I’m trying to be on my best behavior lately. After…after The Raj .”
The oblique reference to the fight he and Vikram had engaged in after her item number was enough to make her squeeze his hand in empathy. Lucky for the boys, that loud, public scene had ultimately led to a happy reunion. A luxury she couldn’t allow herself. He looked at her and saw innocence—just as they all did—but Sam did not realize just how alike they were…how the court of public opinion would happily condemn them both. Her, for being a woman of loose character, for having a child without a husband, and him for being an abomination. Mumbai was not Hollywood, where a gay man could star in hit films openly and a woman could raise six children with her lover and be the most desired actress in the world.
So they lied. They kept their secrets. And she erased all traces of being Shona’s mother from her face, her body, her soul. In Kolkata, Ma and Baba helped make the illusion a reality, so thorough were their lies to their friends and neighbors. “Don’t change yourself completely, Sam. No one will recognize you. Least of all yourself.” The words were a bit too relevant, a bit too close and a bit too pompous. Priya shook her head, forcing a lighter smile to her lips. “Besides, I’m more used to naughtiness than you think.” She dropped her voice theatrically. “I even know bad words.”
He widened his eyes in faux horror. “I’m shocked, Priya- ji , shocked. I’m going to ring the Censor Board straightaway!” They shared an easy laugh, before Sam’s expression sobered. “Listen, I don’t know what happened between you and Rahul…but he gave me a chance when no one else would. He believed in me, and I believe in him. Whatever he is doing with this movie…see it through, okay?”
She couldn’t promise that. She couldn’t promise anything that had to do with Rahul.
Oh . The tube light flickered in Priya’s brain as she wrenched away from the door and stumbled down the hall. This was why Ashraf had asked to meet at Anandaloka’s offices. Because he would be finishing up his tryst. Bile rose in her throat and she shuddered. Rahul’s stepmother was like a villainess from a serial. Overly made-up, overdressed and over-the-top. The kind of character that made Shona laugh and laugh. But applied to reality, Nina didn’t inspire so much haasi. Nahin , just looking at the woman froze the bits of Priya that weren’t already ice.
So traumatized was she that as she hastened down the hallway and away from the hideous visuals, she didn’t realize she was on a collision course. She smacked straight center into someone coming round the corner. “Oof!”
“Sorry!” Sam Khanna exclaimed, grabbing at her to keep them both upright, his narrow features lit with concern. “ Arré , Priya!”
“ Nahin , nahin , it’s okay.” Barely taller than her but solid like bricks, Sam packed quite the punch. Like her, he embodied that saying about small packages…and he’d been in a terrible state the last time she saw him, that night at China House. She’d barely paid attention, only knowing that she had to run from Rahul before he saw just how closely her determination and her hunger were wrapped. But Sam had been cursing his ex-wife up one side and down the other…something about his son. About losing his son. And that , she understood without having to pay any attention at all. “Are you okay?” she asked, before she could think better of it.
Sam didn’t so much as flinch, instead offering an easy shrug. “It is what it is, hain na ? Life happens. Sorry you had to see me that way. I’m trying to be on my best behavior lately. After…after The Raj .”
The oblique reference to the fight he and Vikram had engaged in after her item number was enough to make her squeeze his hand in empathy. Lucky for the boys, that loud, public scene had ultimately led to a happy reunion. A luxury she couldn’t allow herself. He looked at her and saw innocence—just as they all did—but Sam did not realize just how alike they were…how the court of public opinion would happily condemn them both. Her, for being a woman of loose character, for having a child without a husband, and him for being an abomination. Mumbai was not Hollywood, where a gay man could star in hit films openly and a woman could raise six children with her lover and be the most desired actress in the world.
So they lied. They kept their secrets. And she erased all traces of being Shona’s mother from her face, her body, her soul. In Kolkata, Ma and Baba helped make the illusion a reality, so thorough were their lies to their friends and neighbors. “Don’t change yourself completely, Sam. No one will recognize you. Least of all yourself.” The words were a bit too relevant, a bit too close and a bit too pompous. Priya shook her head, forcing a lighter smile to her lips. “Besides, I’m more used to naughtiness than you think.” She dropped her voice theatrically. “I even know bad words.”
He widened his eyes in faux horror. “I’m shocked, Priya- ji , shocked. I’m going to ring the Censor Board straightaway!” They shared an easy laugh, before Sam’s expression sobered. “Listen, I don’t know what happened between you and Rahul…but he gave me a chance when no one else would. He believed in me, and I believe in him. Whatever he is doing with this movie…see it through, okay?”
She couldn’t promise that. She couldn’t promise anything that had to do with Rahul.
Similar Books
