A/N Hi Guys, it's taken me longer than I expected to update this chapter, but for that I lay the blame squarely on AD, which left me too tired to write. Thank you for your patience and for your warm encouragement, which have spurred me on to complete this chapter.
Happy reading!
Chapter 2
The call came just as Kabir and Ananya left the restaurant, a premium Spanish eatery that had recently opened its doors in Khan Market, to bid adieu to their guest. The guest, Debabrata Basu, was the head of a rival news channel, whom Kabir had invited to lunch in order to turn up the heat on Kirit, from whom nothing had been heard since last night's announcement.
Basu, a foodie, had been more than happy to accept the invite and combine business with pleasure. His palate salivated at the prospect of an acquaintance with fine cuisine, while his journalist's nose twitched in anticipation of satisfying his curiosity about the reason for the double dismissal. Plus if Kabir and Ananya were looking for a job, then Basu could do worse than recruiting two top-notch reporters onto his team.
In the event, Basu had had to console himself with a fine meal, superb wine - Basu had drunk almost the entire bottle under Kabir's attentive hand that refilled his glass as soon as the wine receded south of the equator, while he and Ananya nursed their first and only glasses right until the end - and sparkling conversation that always seemed to skirt around the edges of the real reason for the duo's untimely exit from KKN.
So that by the time he was half-way through his sea-food paella, Basu was no clearer about what unprofessional conduct Kabir and Ananya had indulged in that had so attracted Khalid's ire. Although going by the lingering eye-contact and the warm banter between the two, he could no doubt hazard a guess.
And having arrived at this conclusion, Basu abandoned the search for the reason and settled down to the enjoyment of a splendid lunch and scintillating company. Between sips of wine, he made his hosts a half-hearted job offer, which they thankfully declined, thus saving Basu the trouble of leading them to that very destination through the subordinate roles he had in mind in case they showed any inclination to accept. Because, after all, which news editor would want to set himself up to lose his chair by recruiting an editor of Kabir's calibre.
By the time he'd licked the last bits of Creme Brulee off his spoon and regretfully declined another bottle of wine, Basu had forgotten his original reason for the meeting, focusing now almost exclusively on committing the oddly tongue-twisting name of the wine to his memory for a future visit. He'd almost got the name right when Kabir's foghorn bellow startled him into forgetfulness.
Wha...?"
Basu's almost non-existent eyebrows soared towards his receding hairline and his mouth dropped open giving his cherubic face a remarkable resemblance to a startled goldfish.
"I said, thank you for the offer, Basu. I knew you'd understand the worth - it seems like a lot of money, but then with access to news like we've got you know you're in clover for a while. As I said, a couple of others have shown interest too, so...let me know asap if you can raise it, okay? You've got my number..."
Basu was still trying to fight his way out of the fog to figure out if he'd been drunk enough to make Kabir a job offer, or was it an offer for some news, and what figure had he offered - damn that wine - when he found his hand firmly shaken, his portly form helped out of his seat, and escorted into his waiting car.
Kabir's smiling face as he waved goodbye and an oddly distorted "I knew you'd be interested..." would haunt his dreams and make him shudder at the very mention of wine for the next few days.
xxx
Kabir had barely waved Basu off when his phone rang.
"Yes?"
His hand gripped Ananya's in warning as he concentrated on the call.
"Kirit! This is a surprise..."
Although the look he turned on Ananya was anything but surprised.
"You've heard, have you?... What can I say?...You know how it is...Sometimes it's in the best interests of both to break it off. Then either the channel will recognise our worth or we'll recognize the channel's...And are we? Not yet, Kirit, not yet...let's just say that there has been no reason to reconsider our departure..."
Kabir's dimple flashed suddenly and deepened, but Ananya could see that it did not quite melt the ice in his eyes.
"Tonight?...I don't know Kirit, Srinivasan wanted to meet up for dinner...hmmm...if you say so... rare books did you say?...that rare?...a day...alright, alright...but only two...yes of course she'd love to come...see you tonight."
Kabir ended the call and turned to Ananya with a smile that matched the cold glitter in his eyes.
"The hunt has begun, Miss Kashyap, although who's to say who's the hunter and who's the hunted. He wants us. I've allowed him to persuade us to visit him in his 'farmhouse' for a couple of nights. Apparently he's had a consignment of rare books - and he knows I can't resist that temptation. So..."
Kabir reached for the passenger-side door of his car, realising with surprise that the hand he extended still held Ananya's in its clasp. But now his fingers were threaded in between hers, while his thumb absently stroked the soft web of flesh between her digits. How had that happened? He disentangled his hand and stole a look at her from under his lashes.
And received a knowing smile for his pains. Her smugness always made him smile. Like when she'd got the evidence against the tennis selector. There was something irresistible about her little triumphs, something pure and childlike about the openness of her joy that blazed incandescent bathing all around her in its glow. An infectious joy that lightened his darkness, cleansed his soiled memories, soothed his wounds, and made him lighter and happier than he'd been, and craving to be washed clean by her innocence. There was no way he could prevent the corners of his mouth from kicking up or his eyes from smiling into hers as he held the door open for her. For a few breaths their gazes held and deepened, then heated. But then an irate honk intruded and Ananya's lashes fell.
No more was said until they'd navigated the jam of cars parked around the shops and were headed to Ananya's home.
"I'll wait until you're packed Miss Kashyap." Kabir took his eyes off the road to fix her with a look that was completely devoid of humour.
"There's no need."
He'd known she'd protest.
"Please understand Miss Kashyap." He refused to give an inch. "We can't afford to take any chances with Kirit. I don't want to leave you on your own at all if I can help it - and your mother and Armaan are away just now. He's clearly having us watched. There's no other way to explain the timing of the call. So let's just play safe for now until we nab his sorry hide. Okay?... Okay Miss Kashyap?" He repeated when there was no response forthcoming.
"Okay." There was reluctance in her voice.
"Good girl!" He smiled at her, and kept smiling until she gave up sulking to reciprocate with one of her own.
xxx
The air in her drawing room was brittle with unspoken accusations and regrets. He'd been bracing himself for that, even so he couldn't stop his smile flickering and going out. There were some memories that were indelible, that forever marked both the giver and the receiver. Like informing someone that their father was dead and breaking their heart. And the last time he'd stepped into this room he'd done just that.
A savage pang of resentment speared through him. Why him? Why should he have had to be the one to tell her the truth and destroy her hopes and happiness and their fledgling friendship. Why? Why not anyone else? Wasn't it enough - the unmitigated horse manure that life had dealt him these past few years - that he'd been burdened with this responsibility too. Why for once couldn't he just be the good guy who saved her from the villains and walked off with her into the sunset?
Instead, he'd had to leave her alone in her misery, and watch helpless, unable to console her or absorb any of her pain as she unravelled and drifted further and further away from him. His eyelids squeezed with the effort of blocking out the look on her face as she'd turned away from him that night.
"Should I pack anything formal?"
With an effort he shook himself out of his black reverie and forced his lips to stretch into a smile before slowly raising his lids.
She stood before him, the light from the window behind her limning her lush form and setting her curls on fire - as though she embodied incandescence. His breath caught.
"Beautiful," he breathed out. And then his eyes drifted to her face and the eyes now wide with puzzlement.
"Has anyone told you, Miss Kashyap, how beautiful your hair is when you don't tie it up?"
She rolled her eyes at him and opened her mouth no doubt to repeat the question, so he pre-empted her.
"And Kirit is in another league altogether as far as richness is concerned, so I don't think it matters what you pack. You'll look beautiful anyway."
Kabir watched fascinated as the colour rose in her face and her eyelashes dropped. Then she mumbled something about him being impossible and as unhelpful as usual when she needed his advice, before rushing from the room.
He couldn't have stopped the smile lighting up his face if he'd tried.
And just like that the awkwardness receded.
xxx
"Listen to me, Miss Kashyap." Kabir's voice was urgent, snagging Ananya's attention as they drove to Kirit's 'farmhouse'.
Twilight was rapidly inking the blush from the sky much like a censor's pen blacking out inflammatory words. They were finding their way aided by the GPS on Kabir's phone. Kabir had insisted on driving down despite Kirit's offer of a limousine pick-up, and when he'd refused that, of a helicopter ride. But Kabir had turned down both offers with his usual charm, insisting that he couldn't miss the opportunity of putting his newly-acquired Land Rover through its paces.
This was their getaway car if they needed it for that, Kabir had told Ananya. There was no point giving Kirit any more control over them than he would have once they entered his domain. Ananya had agreed completely. After her experience at the hands of Madhaonath she wasn't going to quibble about backup plans.
"Yes," she said now turning to face him, trying to read his expression in the glow from the dash, "I'm listening".
He pulled over to the side of the road, cut the engine, and turned to her.
"Kirit is scum," Kabir didn't bother to sugar-coat it, "the lowest of the low. He 'likes' women and is used to having his way. And god knows what other lowlife we're going to bump into in his farmhouse. I know your temper runs as hot as Delhi's summer, but please, I entreaty you Miss Kashyap, please do not lose your cool while we are his guests. You will put your life in danger, and mine too. And remember that we are completely at his mercy once we're inside. So for god's sake don't respond to provocation; don't go with your mad impulses. Let's just focus on what we need to do. Do it. And leave. Understood?"
He waited a beat and when no response was forthcoming, repeated.
"Is that understood? Miss Kashyap?"
Ananya turned to him with a saccharine sweet smile.
"See, by now the old Ananya would have told you where to get off with your lecture, because of course she knows she's on a mission and doesn't need to be told not to endanger its success uselessly. But the new un-provokeable Ananya...she's in control. See?" Ananya pointed at her smile. "She's cool, unflappable and focused and won't tell you what she thinks of your advice. So yes, it is understood that I will control my temper."
"Excellent, Miss Kashyap!" Kabir's smile could have put the hi-beam to shame. "Now that we are agreed on that point, there is one more thing - for the duration of this mission, you'll need to pretend to be my girlfriend."
Ends
A/N: So how was it guys? Please be generous with your feedback. And silent readers, it would be great to know who you are and what works for you.
Edited by tvbug2011 - 10 years ago
Members Lounge
Sports
