Chapter 7

6. Fire To The Rain

Later that evening, at Shruti's Beauty Salon, Kirti was quiet and subdued and diligently threaded the eyebrows of a young girl.

She wished her work hour would end so that she could return to the peace and quiet of her home. Shruti was continuously chatting up her own customer while heating the wax and then spreading it on the arms of a middle-aged woman. 

Two women were sitting on the settee, waiting for their turn. A haircut and a facial.

The song was still playing on Kirti's phone and strangely instead of making her acutely aware of the churning of her stomach, the pricking of her heart, the song soothed her. The singer knew exactly what she was feeling and gave words to all of her pain.

Teasing the last tiny unwanted hair out of its follicle, Kirti then nipped the thread with her teeth, 'Done,' she said and moved away.

The girl checked herself in the mirror. As usual, she found some faults when in Kirti's opinion, her work was perfect. She was forced to pick up the thread once again.

Once the customer was satisfied only then she did the payment. Kirti then invited the other customer, the one who had been waiting for a haircut. Facial and waxing was Shruti's forte while she was in charge of haircuts, coloring, and threading. It felt good when a customer would come and ask, Kirti Di nahi hai? Main unhi se karwati hoon. 

At least in some aspect of her life, she was indispensable.

The new customer  while adjusting in her seat asked, 'Tum dono mein se kisi ka break up hua kya?'

'Sorry?'

'You've been playing the same song since I arrived. That's a breakup song, isn't it?'

Wow. So now she couldn't even listen to a song without rousing people's curiosity. 

Kirti's eyes met Shruti's and a look passed between the two.

'The only affairs that I have Ma'am, it's in my head and with fictional characters. So there's no question of break-ups ever!' She replied.

'That's the best way to do it,' commented the other lady who was skimming the magazine pages. Kirti looked up to meet the wise, old eyes of the woman. The woman smiled at her which Kirti returned before returning to her task.

'Mayank says he's visiting tomorrow,' Shruti informed her.

'He's shooting is over?'  

'Seems so'

'Wasn't it going to take another week?'

'No idea. He tells you things and not me. Anyway, he said it's long we sat together. This Sunday, what say?'

The mention of Sunday brought back Sana's invitation to her mind.

'Let's make it Saturday,' she said.

'Your place?'

'My place!' Kirti agreed. It was always her place. She wasn't in a position to leave her grandmother alone for long hours. Being away for work was okay but staying away for other reasons made her feel guilty.

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'But you said it's was a two-week-long shoot, then why?' Kirti asked.

Shruti, Mayank, and Kirti were all assembled in the terrace room of her house while Kirti's grandmother was resting in her own room after a hearty meal, a meal that had been prepared by Mayank. Apart from being a good actor, he was also an excellent cook.

'My role was cut short, that's why!' Mayank replied. 

'What? But why?!!!' Kirti was genuinely surprised. This was his first big break as the main lead. He had been so happy. All of them had been so excited, her Dadi especially. She loved the guy to bits.

'The CVs were concerned that the TRPs weren't taking off. So they roped in a more familiar and popular face.'

'And what happens to you?' Shruti asked.

'So I am on my way to meet Heer. My to-be father-in-law has messed with my car's brakes. So on the way, my car falls off the cliff.'

'And you die?'

'And I die!'

He shrugged to act cool but there was a distinct sadness to his tone and Kirti put her hand on his to comfort him.

'But Virmaan and Heer's pairing was so popular on the internet! There are so many VMs of you two. Internet is crazy about you two.' Kirti reasoned. She was visibly perturbed by the news. She might not have been a religious follower of  'Kabhi Na Kabhi'  and her knowledge about the show was limited to Virmaan and Heer's clips which she kept searching on YT just to revel in her friend's acting but she knew that his show was way better than other crappy dramas.

'Apparently, netizen's craze doesn't translate into TRPs'

'Bitter truth!' Shruti remarked.

Kirti picked up her phone and went to her YT history for a video mix which she thought was extremely aesthetic and beautiful.

'Here, look Mayank,' she passed on her phone to him.

'You have so many fans! Just read the comments,' she said trying to uplift his mood.

Mayank scrolled down the comment section, a smile blooming on his face. He had a dimple like Shahrukh Khan that Kirti thought was beautiful. The man was really beautiful. No wonder girls were his fan. And he did intense scenes so well! She remembered feeling combusted when he had pushed Heer against the wall and had gazed into her eyes.  For a moment, she had forgotten it was her friend Mayank. All she had remembered was Virmaan Singh Rathore.

'What next now?'

'The same cycle. Audition, rejection and if luck and God are in favor, then maybe selection.'

'Please, next time don't take the role of a toxic lover. You just pushed a girl into a pool. How disgusting! And what's with this bruising her wrists.' Shruti was now playing 'All scenes of Heerman'

'That's sexual tension, Shruti! Virmaan Singh Rathore is attracted to Heer Walia, the daughter of his enemy. He is unable to digest his feelings so he's ill-treating her.'

'Bullshit! He's abusing her and she's taking all that shit! Oh my God, he left her stranded in the middle of a road and she gets into his car another time? What a moron! You are such an asshole!'

'Heyy! That's my character, not me. And can't you see the girls are loving the push and pull. That's what sells.' Mayank defended himself.

'Vir is so sexxxyy, mahn!!! I want him in my life. Has he done any other serial?' Kirti read aloud one comment.

'You are in demand, Mayank. I bet you will get new work soon.'

'I hope so.'

'So you are going to the get-together tomorrow?' Mayank had now turned to her.

'I guess so.'

'Don't go,' he said.

'I have to. For Tejas' sake.'

Mayank's face twisted in distaste but he didn't say a word. He wasn't a fan of Tejas. Well, neither was Tejas, his. They both disliked each other and the reason clearly escaped Kirti.

'To hell with Tejas!' Shruti thundered. 'Don't you think you should for a change think about yourself? Protect your heart, maybe? Will you be able to see Sana and Tejas together?'

'I will have to start somewhere. I have to get over him. Have to move on.'

'You are so casual about it, how? How can you so easily accept the pain?' Mayank asked.

'How can I? Well, I'm used to it maybe. I would've been confused and unable to contain my happiness had he accepted my feelings and returned them. This is something I have been an ace at, Mayank. Misery, disappointments have been my friend since forever.'

'Right, after a point of time, you kind of start expecting only bad things. You think you deserve the sorrows, the disappointments.'

'Guess what's the worst thing than seeing Sana and Tejas together. Meeting those rich brats! I feel so small in front of them.'

'Bullshit!' Shruti said.

'It is not bullshit, Shruti but my sad reality.'

'Kirti,' Mayank put his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him. His brown eyes directed at her, she felt the full intensity of his gaze. He had a day-old beard and his hair combed away from his face, she felt as if Virmaan Rathore was gazing down at her.

'Kirti,' Mayank started, 'You are no dirty worm as you keep calling yourself, understand? You work two jobs.'

'No fancy jobs, those are.'

'A job is a job. You take care of your grandmother. You've financed your younger brother's education. You're a hero.'

'Repeat to yourself, You are a hero.'

'Well, you are a hero,' she said.

He made an act of being angry, and she said, 'Fine. I am a hero.'

'That's like my girl. Go there and slay it like a boss, okay?'

'Okay. You have blackheads growing on your nose,' she said.

'Really?' Jumping off the bed, he went to check his reflection in the mirror that hung on the wall. 'Shit. Yes, ' he said and then came to lay on Shruti's lap. She pushed him off but he brought back his head to lay on her lap. She let him.

'Scrub my nose'

'I won't! Tell Kirti to do it.'

'No, you do it.'

They got into a childish argument leaving Kirti to fret over the impending get-together.

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Getting down the car, she looked at the farmhouse that spread over acres of land and felt diminished in front of it.

It belonged to Sana's family. The money that would have gone into making it, with that money an entire generation of hers could live a comfortable life and die and then again be reborn and live comfortably. Make that cycle some ten times.

'You ready?' Tejas asked after parking his car.

'Hmm,' she replied, her heart though far from ready. It was somersaulting in her stomach.

As soon as she stepped inside, she was greeted by Sana who hugged and complimented her on her dress. Well, she had borrowed the dress from one of the stores that Mayank took her to. He had said the store rented dresses to actors and alike, on an hourly basis. She had rented it for twelve hours. She wished there was a courage renting store also. How convenient it would have been then.

'Kiiiiirttiiii,' a guy came to her and before she could recognize him, he had engulfed her in a hug. His scent was too strong and Kirti found herself pulling away from him.

'Navyam,' Tejas helped her identifying him.

'Oh yes, Navyam.' She said.

'Long time no see yaar,' he said and his eyes roamed on her from top to bottom.

'You're still the same,' he said, and then his eyes lingered for a second over her breasts and he joked crassly, 'Obviously you've grown in some departments.'

Unconsciously she moved towards Tejas and his hands went protectively around her waist.

'You have also not changed much Nevla Still the same tharki,' Sana put him to his place and Kirti flashed her a thankful gaze. 

'Come,' Sana said, 'I will take you to the girls.'

'Keerti,' Manisha came and hugged her and Kirti hugged her back. Manisha was one who had always treated her well.

'Kya yaar, tu toh gayab hi ho gayi thi scene se ekdum. Na facebook na Insta. Missed you gal!'

Then there was Piyush, Mehek, Aranyayani, Sagarika, Kinshuk all of whose faces Kirti had forgotten. They all looked stunning and reeked of money. Rent as costly dresses you want, but real money had a different kind of brilliance that showed on the face of the people who possessed it.

'What are you doing these days?' Mehek asked her.

'I work as a retail sales associate at Darveys.'

'Retail sales associate, yani woh jo samaan dikhati hai customer ko,' Navyam asked.

I am a hero, Kirti repeated to herself. I am a hero.

'Exactly that. I help the rich in spending their money. Conversing with headless customers like you, who others will not give the time of their day and processing their unreasonable demands, that's also a part of my job.'

'So you know, drop in the shop anytime you want. I will help get you a discount.'

She had excused herself after that. 

Slay it like a boss, Mayank had said, she was going to do exactly that.

They were too many people when she had thought it was only going to be the school friends. Apart from the school friends, Sana and Tejas had invited their college friends. Too many med and law guys around for Sana was an Orthopedic and Tejas, a corporate lawyer.

All the courage in her heart couldn't make her feel better about herself among these highly educated, sophisticated, and polished people.

She saw Sana introducing Tejas to some of her friends and saw how his arms went around her and how it kept teasing the naked skin between her top and skirt. Kirti looked away. She had thought that seeing Tejas with different women over the years would have prepared her for this but it still hurt. Hurt more so because Sana was the woman who was going to grow old with Tejas, spend a lifetime with him. 

Seeing them together, she kept her distance. But her eyes kept returning to Tejas. In this sea of unfamiliar faces, his presence made her feel at ease. 

Loitering around with a glass of juice in her hand, she was observing all that richness in the form of furniture and people around her when she heard someone take her name.

'What a surprise to see you here!'

Her back stiffened, for she knew the voice. She turned around to be towered by his height. 

'Nishit.' ....'Hi. How are you?'

'Of course, I would be here, it's Tejas party.'

She should've known he would be here. He was after all Tejas' cousin.

'But you don't do get-togethers,' he mentioned.

She shrugged.

'I am good. You?' He asked then.

'I am fine too.' 

Off white shirt, sleeves folded, brown trousers, hair cropped short like school times. A glass in his one hand, another hand tucked in his pocket.

Turning away, she started taking a great interest in looking at other people.

'Later, then,' he said.

She gave a brief nod.

Later. He had said with that same dismissive, curt tone, the greater than thou attitude, she remembered from school times. 

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