MehRya FF: Discovering the Magic Chapter28 pg148 (10/12) - Page 60

Chapter #16

Nehal was even more enthusiastically going through Mehek's closet than she was, pulling out multiple items at a time for contemplation.

"Di, I can't believe how many cute things you've picked up in America. They're totally different from what you normally wear, but just perfect for you at the same time: if that even makes any sense."

"I get it Nehal," Mehek answered, enjoying her younger sister's exuberance. "But your emptying my wardrobe of everything I own isn't going to help me any in making a final choice."

"Right, we will just focus on the perfect Date Night outfit."

Mehek closed her eyes in exasperation. "It's not a date, Nehal. I don't know how many times I have to explain that we're merely..."

Nehal threw her hands up dramatically. "Sure DI; whatever. I'm not Chachi, that you have to justify your decision to, but just to keep you happy, let's pick out your next ISC outfit' then," Nehal replied using air quotes as she spoke. "I guess it would be too much to ask if you knew what Shaurya was planning on wearing for the next taping, huh Di? It would be so cute if the two of you were coordinating on the day!"

Mehek lowered her head, a sound of dismay emanating from her throat. Nehal had a one-track mind, that there was no escape from, but at least...

"I came as soon as I could. Have you decided what you are wearing on your date, Mehek?"

Ok things had probably become worse.

"It's not a date, Sonal, it's Di's ISC outfit'" Nehal countered sarcastically to their neighbor and friend.

"Hmm, whatever. What do you have in blue that will have the man salivating at the sight of you, Mehek?"

"Why blue, Sonal?"

"Well Nehal, the reason it took me so long to get here was that I've been checking last season's episodes, and based on the rotation of the suits he wears, Shaurya may be of a mind to wear a blue one for the next taping of ISC. Either that or black, but I would really bank on blue. So Mehek should definitely lean towards something with blue in it I think."

"Or a colour that coordinates with it really well," Nehal added.

"Exactly they will look so cute together if they match!"

Hey Bhagwan, what had she gotten herself into?

**********

The previous day...

"A date, you're joking, right?"

"Does the word scare you Mehek? Don't let it. Thik hai, let's instead just call it two coworkers grabbing a quick meal after work. Is that more acceptable? Or do you have a reason why even this would be objectionable?"

Because she remembered all their chats, Mehek immediately recognized the words he had spoken: her very own to him.

"Bolo, Ms. Sharma, a simple no strings attached dinner isn't all that frightening, is it?"

"Yes, for a million reasons Shaurya it is: the majority having to do with my reputation being associated with you. Appearing on the show is one thing, but anything more, has the potential of being totally disastrous. But to tell the truth that isn't the main reason."

Shaurya had frowned then, as if the thought of her refusing him had never even entered his mind, let alone that she would have multiple reasons to.

"Frankly, I'm surprised that you would even consider asking another woman out now-a-days," she bridled him.

He had raised one eyebrow at her statement, and watched the flush that had come to her cheeks in reaction to his fixed study.

"What I mean, is: well I heard that there was possibly someone in your life now, someone who may object to..."

He lowered his coffee mug and placed it on the table. "Aacha, have you been talking to Bhai about me Mehek Sharma? How very intriguing."

She didn't deny the fact, and he had continued.

"In this case, she wouldn't object. In fact, because it is you, she would probably look at it as a much-needed atonement," Shaurya answered. "So, that unblocks the way for me, now tell me, is a pre-clearance needed in your case as well, Mehek Sharma," he taunted.

"He's unreasonably, one can say irrationally jealous actually, if you really want to know," Mehek stated.

She had called his bluff evidently, and Shaurya had proceeded more cautiously with his retort, after she had come back with evidence that she too had someone in her life now. "I see. In that case, perhaps the idea is not such a good one after all. I wouldn't want to cause you any trouble, Mehek."

She answered him with a smile. "But he isn't completely unredeemable, so I think it will be okay. As you say there should be nothing wrong with two associates sharing a meal. Straight after the shoot, a post work dinner: nothing more, nothing less. I won't even bother changing my clothes, just so you don't get any ideas that I am making any effort for you. Anyway, knowing how pretentiously overpriced your restaurant probably is, your invite is probably the only time I will be able to enjoy eating there."

She decided then that she really did like the sound of his laughter, when his quiet chuckle let her know that he found her sassiness amusing. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him that when they were interrupted by one of the studio assistants.

"Excuse me, Ms. Sharma, your mobile. Rajiv Sir had taken it with him by mistake."

She patted her side before she responded. "Oh, thank you, I hadn't even realized it was missing."

She had checked the phone then, ensuring that she hadn't missed any messages, and then placed it in its holder when she saw that she hadn't.

"So, we are on then, Ms. Sharma?"

***********

"Sure, Shaurya why not? What can it hurt? After all I will be gone in a few more days anyway, this may be our only chance to meet."

Sitting next to his mother as they were being chauffeured to the studio, Shaurya rehashed Mehek's final agreement: the connotation of her words, and in particular, why they affected him so much. Whereas, he should be happy that time was moving so quickly that she would be gone, back to her own life, with the least amount of disruption to his, he instead found himself somehow adrift at the prospect of her pending departure. It was something he couldn't make sense of at all. Absently, he stared out of the car window, trying to come to grips with his nonsensical musings.

"Shaury, are you even listening to me?"

The man in question, turned from the window. "Not in the slightest, Maa. I'm sorry," he added to soften his blunt honesty.

"What's wrong, Beta?"

Her handsome son, smiled ruefully and shook his head.

"Nothing too serious, just thinking ahead to what comes next."

"Aacha, that answer can refer to a number of things. Are you sure everything is okay?"

"Absolutely, Maa. Now tell me."

"I was asking if you had advised Mehek that I would be coming today?"

Shaurya opened his mouth to speak, before closing it without uttering a word. For the life of him he couldn't recall if he had, as his priority when they last met was at first getting her to agree to have dinner with him, and then afterwards discussing the last two shows Mehek would be participating in. Before she left. He blinked hard in disbelief that his thoughts had taken him back to the same place.

"Shaury?"

He offered his parent a sheepish grin. "Um nahi, it slipped my mind. But it won't be an issue. I doubt if her fondness for you has changed, Mom."

Karuna nodded. "She's a lovely girl, Shaurya. She always was."

The mild admonishment of her words was not lost on her son, but he simply nodded in concession of the fact. He was assuredly changing, her Shaurya was, and Karuna was glad of it.

When they entered the closed set and immediately caught sight of Mehek Sharma, Karuna had taken advantage of the fact that the young lady's back was turned, and had openly stared at her and then back to her son. Her perusal of her child was even more thorough, and not without the humor that she had derived from realizing that the pair were basically two peas in a pod in their color schemes today. When she began looking around, seeking a glimpse of the remaining two judges, as she had expected him to, Shaurya spoke up.

"Maa, who are you looking for? Ms. Sharma is straight ahead."

"Yes, Shaury I see her, however I was just wondering if Rajiv and Rehka were of the same ilk, or have you and Mehek planned this blue and white trend just between the two of you only," she teased.

Shaurya rolled his eyes. "Mere coincidence," he stated. An interesting one, but a coincidence all the same, he thought to himself.

As he ushered his mother in the direction of the young woman she hoped to meet, he used the opportunity to study her closer. It seemed that opposed to the elbow-length sleeved, ethnic maxi dress: pretty enough, but of a simple design, Ms. Sharma had put more emphasis on her person today; well to her hair at least. The long straight tresses, that he had to admit had always been a good look for her, had been attended to, and today shown wavier than he had seen it before. The soft curls she had added to it had camouflaged its true length, but it still hung low on her back. If anything, the coils acted as an enticement for one to follow the undulation of the glossy mane, down past her shoulders to just above her waist where the sable luxuriousness ended. And the dress itself, on second glance, was not bad at all, the simple cut of it whittling her waist in a way he hadn't never seen before flaring out enticingly over her curves.

"Good Afternoon Ms. Sharma, I've brought a guest to meet you."

**********

Mehek wasn't going to lie to herself and say that his reaction wasn't worth the drama she had to put up with Nehal and Sonal; there was unquestionably something to be said in rendering the self-assured Shaurya Khanna speechless, which she decisively had when she had turned around to greet him and his guest with a smile.

"Namaste Shaurya. Oh: Karuna Ma'am how good to see you. How are you?" She immediately bent down before Shaurya's mother and in return received the older woman's blessing, before unexpectedly being drawn into her warm embrace.

"Namaste, beta."

Releasing her, Karuna pushed her away to admire her. "You look absolutely stunning, Mehek. I would have never imagined this to be...doesn't she look gorgeous today Shaurya?"

Their eyes met briefly over his mother's shoulders; hers full of mirth and his, a bit glazed over. Mehek quickly turned back to her visitor, aware that he was still staring at her. "Oh, this old thing? It's nothing special, just something that was hanging in my closet. But thank you so much, Aunty."

***********

Had it been anyone but, Mehek Sharma, Shaurya would have been convinced that he was deliberately being enticed into making a move on her, but she was such an enigma now, he had absolutely no idea what to make of her nor the reason for what she had chosen to wear for today's shooting and assumingly for their dinner afterwards.

Across the room, he was able to stare at her to his heart's content without the danger of bringing undue attention to himself, nor of getting lost in those doe eyes of hers when she turned them on him. Not only that, but he was also able to watch the others who were following his lead and were peaking glances at Mehek this afternoon. And who could blame them, he thought.

Not a dress at all; the Bohemian printed French blue and white garment was actually a long jacket styled kurta that flared open just under her bodice, flowing down to her ankles. In a move, more daring than he would ever expect from her, she had paired the high collared v necked top with a daring pair of low rise skinny pants of the same shade of blue that patterned the coat. Complimented by the matching pair of blue strappy heels, which gave the illusion of more length to her shapely legs, her look would have been complete in anyone's eyes, but not Ms. TRP. Bypassing a ton of jewelry, save for the dangling pair of earrings, that sparkled against the inky backdrop of her hair, Mehek had offered a coup de grace to a man's senses with the rhinestone sash she had looped through her trousers. Under the harsh set lights, its twinkling immediately drew the attention to its wearer's surprisingly trim midriff in the most alluring of fashions. Whomever she had picked this tip up from was a mistress of seduction, he realized as he watched her in animated conversation with his mother. Depending on how enthusiastically she expressed herself, the semi-translucent fabric would move and teasingly offer a glimpse of those feminine curves hers. Whoever the man she had intimated that she was seeing was one lucky son-of-a-gun, Shaurya thought, as he pondered the insanity of hating a complete stranger.

*************

They were almost done.

The three lowest ranked chefs of today's assignment, stood in front of the judging panel: two more nervous than the third who was in fact, more pissed off than anything. Even though there was no chance of his elimination, the professional chef bristled at the fact that he had even placed in this position in the first place. He glared defiantly at his adjudicators.

"Chef Esha, Chef Suresh, Chef Kamal, you have been judged the least successful in completing the task given. And regrettably, that means that two of you will be leaving India's Super Cook today."

Shaurya studied all three of the contestants for a little longer, before continuing.

"Chef Suresh, your dish as you planned it, had all the components of being truly spectacular; we are all of the same mind," Shaurya said indicating his fellow judges. "Unfortunately, the fact that you were not able to complete the dish means that we will have to eliminate you tonight."

The elderly dhaba worker smiled in understanding; fairly certain of this outcome when time had gotten the best of him. He expressed his thanks to the judges and for the opportunity to even appear on the show, finishing with an invitation to his eatery anytime. It was a gracious end to the genial man's time.

If only they would have been so lucky for the next to proceed as such.

"What a load of bullshit. You are trying to tell me that this little sl*g prepared a better dish than mine? In her f**king wildest dreams, maybe. This show's a damn joke." Chef Kamal ripped off his apron, as he continued his vicious tirade.

"And your professional status does not dictate that you be the better chef in every situation. Clearly nor does it prove you a decent human being, Chef Kamal. You were out cooked today, but rather than be the bigger person and congratulate your fellow competitor, you deride your competitor in the basest of manners. You, Chef Kamal are an egotistical idiot, and you owe Chef Esha an apology."

Shaurya had been ready to take command of the situation when, in full fury, Mehek Sharma stood up and voiced everything they had all wanted to say.

"Well, don't wait for it," the indignant cook said, glaring at Mehek before storming off.

After first nodding in the direction of the security personnel to ensure the disgruntled man left peacefully, Shaurya turned his attention to the remaining contestant. "Do you need a break Chef Esha?"

The young woman, shaken and teary-eyed squared her shoulders and stood a little straighter, but declined the offer. "Nahi, I'm fine."

"Thik hai. It behooves me to advise that unfortunately Chef Kamal was not far from the truth. The decision to keep you on the show was a much discussed one. Today you have emerged the winner, however going forward I - all of us expect much more from you. A more focused preparation and better, more composed dishes from you, Chef Esha. I do, however apologize for the distress you may have experienced just now. Congratulations for remaining in the competition. You may rejoin your fellow contestants."

The young chef nodded, and was about to turn away when she suddenly reversed direction. "Chef Mehek, thank you."

Mehek sent the young woman a smile of commiseration and nodded her support.

"Oh, and by the way, I really, really like your outfit today: it's hot."

************

Mehek looked up from the message she was sending, letting her family know that the filming had taken longer, and that they could expect her later than she thought.

"All done," she asked Shaurya as he approached her.

"As much as I can for the evening. I'm expecting a fight on my hands with the post production side of things tomorrow, though."

He looked a bit tense, as if the contest had already begun, and his departure had merely brought a lull to the bout.

"Well thankfully all of this happened on a closed set and not at the live shooting."

He grunted his agreement as he looked at his watch and coming to realize exactly how long he had kept her waiting. "Shit, I really had no idea it was this late, Ms. Sharma."

"It's okay, Shaurya."

"Well thank God, I own the restaurant, at least I am guaranteed that my reservation would be honored."

"As if your name wouldn't accomplish the same thing anywhere else," Mehek replied sarcastically.

"It is probably not to my advantage to dissuade your opinion, but I am but a mere mortal, Ms. Sharma."

"Well, that admission alone has made the wait worth it, Mr. Khanna, although I wouldn't be surprised if your ploy wasn't to get me so hungry that anything at your restaurant tastes good to me."

His smile was her reward.

They had kept to their own thoughts for the most part as Shaurya's driver had traversed the still busy streets on route to White Chilies, Shaurya Khanna's latest, and as expected already lucrative venture. Logically, Mehek had researched the place, so she had a fair idea what to expect, but on arriving she realized the photos she had seen hadn't really done the place justice. She waited, staring out the window, for the chauffer to open her door, by which time Shaurya too had come around the vehicle. He exchanged words with his employee, while she took in the exterior of the popular establishment. Noticing the still full parking lot, she realized that any belief that the crowd would have thinned out by now would have been in vain. She would just have to contend with the fact there was no way getting around that they would be seen, and their association speculated on further. As if reading her mind, Shaurya came to her side. "We have a private area upstairs. My original thought was to have my staff prepare it for us, away from the crowd, but perhaps that won't do. I expect it will just add fuel to the fire about us, so I'll just get them to seat us in main dining room instead."

"Unnecessary, and more-so ill-advised. Speculation is bound to be rife just with me showing up here with you. What more damage can be done, if we choose somewhere secluded to dine? At least we will have the opportunity to do so in peace. I imagine your patrons won't give you a moments peace otherwise."

"So, you are saying no to my theory of there being safety in numbers then?"

"Something like that," Mehek answered. "Unless you are now uncomfortable at the idea, now Shaurya?" Impatiently she waited for his response. Everything he had said was correct; for self-preservation, she probably should take him up on the reprieve he was offering, but inevitably it would mean that any chance of them having the one on one conversation she hoped they would have, would be lost.

"It's getting pretty close, but I'm not completely afraid of the new you, just yet Ms. Sharma. I'll brave it out."

By then they had reached the door, which was opened by the matre-D, who had been keenly watching out for his employer and his important guest.

"Welcome to White Chilies, Ms. Sharma," Shaurya declared.

Chapter17