I was really bored with all the studying I have been doing for my exams so decided to start writing this. Its been over 2 years since I wrote something so I am kinda rusty. Constructive criticism is always welcome.
I have my exams from the 16th to the 26th but I'll try to update atleast once a week.
Summary: Armaan Malik is the new actor on the big screen, a few movies old but immensely popular. He is touted to be the next Shah Rukh Khan. For his next role he is being sent to do a short training course for 6 weeks.
Enjoy!!!!
Chapter 1: welcome to exile
"Armaan! Armaan!" the paparazzi shout as I make my way to airport security. I kept my sunglasses on and my head up. I hated the paps, they always knew where to find me somehow. "Where are you headed?" the paps asked'like I would tell them.
Idiots
"Out of the country" I lied with my superior acting skills. I was grateful they rushed me through security. Apparently having a dozen or so photographers incessantly snapping away at me is disruptive to the other travelers.
No shit.
It's disruptive for me as well, but no one gives a shit about that. Why? Because I'm movie star Armaan Malik, and my face is considered public property. I make my way to the first class lounge and find a nice dark corner to enjoy my beer in. I'm not there very long when I hear my boarding call.
Indian Airlines Flight 6782 Service to Delhi is now boarding first class passengers. All first class ticket holders please proceed to the gate." A voice said over the PA. I put my hat back on to hide my trademark hair and put on my disguise glasses for good measure. The less people recognize me, the better. Whenever I fly, I tell my assistant to buy out the seat next to me as well. That way I don't get stuck next to some giddy fan, or vapid s**t that fawns all over my image. That is one of the perks of being a star; you can get away with shit like that. Yes my image makes me a shit load of money, but I am not my image and sometimes, just sometimes I wish the public would figure that out. If they did, my life wouldn't be hounded by paps trying to get another picture that would reinforce my "bad boy" image.
I stow my carryon in the overhead compartment and take my seat. I pull put my iPod and put in the ear buds, making sure anyone who looks at me can see them. Hopefully, they'll leave me alone. It works and I get to sleep for the two and a half hour flight to Delhi, my home for the next month. In 6 weeks, I'm starting principle photography on my next movie. The plot is that I'm a crime scene investigator that discovers some police detectives are planting evidence for the mob. My research for this role has been arranged by the studio. The story takes place in Delhi, so after consulting with the Delhi crime lab, the producers thought it wise that I get my training in Delhi; something to do with the fact that it's not always raining at this point of the year in Delhi unlike Mumbai and therefore things are done differently. In the movie, I'm supposed to be one of the more experienced Forensic scientists, so I'm being paired with some guy who is a legend in the forensic community. I'm grateful for it; I don't like any project that I work on to look like shit, but in particular this one. I may not like the endless bullshit in the industry, but I love acting, and my family 'which is why I put up with all the shit in the first place.
I get off the plane, no one having recognized me during the flight. I don't have any luggage as my things were being shipped to a condo that the studio rented for the month. I step out of the airport and there isn't a single photographer in sight. A huge smile graces my face when I think of the month of freedom I have before me. I hail a cab and give him the address to the condo.
When I walk in the door, I'm pleased to see it's fairly high up in the tower. That way, paps can't get pictures unless they rent a chopper. That's if they find out I'm here to begin with. It has floor to ceiling windows so I don't feel like I'm shut in, and it has quite the view of Delhi. The place is furnished with everything I need, with the exception of a basketball court obviously. I'm going to miss my basket ball but it's only for a month so I'll survive. I get my personal items put away and call my sister.
"Hey Armaan, how was your flight?" her bubbly personality comes over the phone.
"Hey Muskaan. It was good, no one recognized me. You should see the place they put me up in. They said it was close to the crime lab so I thought it was going to be crappy, but it's actually really nice. I'll have to thank Mr. Chopra for it."
"Yeah, why couldn't you have trained here again?" she pouted. Muskaan wasn't thrilled that I'd be gone for a month and she was working on a period film and couldn't get away to come visit me. Muskaan is a costume designer that is very in demand.
"I don't know. All they said was that crime scenes in a sunny area are processed differently than on the coast and being that the story takes place in Delhi, I had to train here." I told her for the tenth time.
"I know but I miss you. I do have some good news though." She said clearly happy about it.
"What's that?"
"I got a new job!" she squeaked.
"Muskaan, you practically have people throwing jobs at you. You always have a new job." I teased her.
"Well go on, ask me what job I got." She whined.
"Ok Muski, what job did you get."
"Prevalence of Evidence"
"NO WAY!" I yelled back.
"Yep, Dad got it approved today. We get to work on your next film together!" she squealed out loud. This was going to be an awesome project. My father, Billy Malik was directing. My good friend Rahul Mehra and my brother Atul were playing the lead bad guys. My mother Ananya was in charge of set design; which is how my parents met in the first place; and my brother's wife Anjali was playing my love interest in the film. Her role was that of a new lab analyst that I'm supposed to mentor and fall in love with. She and I get attacked by Rahul and Atul half way through the script and spends the rest of the time in the hospital. There's only one semi kissing scene, which I already cleared with Atul. Were all professionals as we've been in the business for years, so it shouldn't be weird at all. Anji and I don't get along the best, but it's not like we hate each other either. "That's great! Looks like the whole family is going to be working on this one together.
"Can I make a request?"
"Yes Mister Malik" she snickers.
"For the shower scene, could you make the pants I have to wear not ride so low on my hips. Whenever they put me in something that shows my "V", I always feel like they're about to fall off." I asked politely. I really hated the feel of those pants.
"I'll see what I can do but you know how it goes" she replied. I did know how it went. I was a sex symbol and as such, it was expected that I look the part.
"So, what are you going to do tonight?" she asked happily.
"I brought some scripts with me I need to read but other than that, I don't really know. I'm supposed to report to the lab at nine tomorrow morning." I hadn't really made any plans. I was told the lab training was going to keep me pretty busy.
"You should go dancing. The paps aren't there to hassle you so you should go out and enjoy yourself." She chirps.
"Wanna know what Muskaan, that sounds like a really good idea." "I know, don't forget to call every day. Go out to the land of the living, I expect a full report tomorrow."
"Love you M" "Have a good night bro" she says and hangs up. I put on a black shirt and jeans. I don't have to dress up for anyone here. I get downstairs and the doorman hails a cab for me. I ask him to take me to the nearest club and he obliges.
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
So here's the new part
Chapter 2 : what the hell
The atmosphere in the club is so much more laid back than in Mumbai. The music is blaring and people are there more to feel the music pulse through them and feel the sexual charge of the atmosphere, rather than see who the biggest celebrity in the room is. It doesn't take long before I'm on my fourth shot of Patron, just watching the dance floor. No one sees me here, I'm not hunted, and I feel completely free with the music pulsing through me. Almost everyone on the dance floor is either paired up or in a group, but I see one woman dancing alone. She's wearing black skinny jeans and a long sleeved black shirt with a big neck on it. Her eyes are closed and she's sensuously running her hands up and down her body, moving at a slower, more grinding, charged rhythm than the other dancers on the floor.
It feels great to watch, and not be watched. This woman is completely lost in herself, and the music. She's so unaware of her surroundings, just moving with the music, not putting on a show for anyone. I feel like I'm watching something personal, but mind blowing at the same time. I knew something that intense couldn't be left alone on the dance floor for long, and not 30 seconds later, a couple of guys completely invade her personal space and start rubbing their hands up and down her body with her. One was in front of her while the other was behind. She pushes them away but they don't take the hint. I get up and hastily move over there to get their hands off the sensual angel, but mid way there, her moves turn from slow and grinding to quick and sharp. She punches one of them in the throat and with the same arm, thrusts her elbow into the nose of the other guy. They both stumble back and before they even hit the ground, she's back to dancing.
"Are you alright?" I ask as I approach her. She just smiles without opening her eyes.
"Yes, thank you for asking." she says sweetly. Her voice is like ringing bells.
Shit. . She is the sexiest thing I've ever seen or heard. I can see her nose scrunching up minutely and repeatedly, almost like she's trying to keep a ferocious animal caged.
"Are you going to stay there all night?" she asks with her eyes still closed.
If I could, I would.
"Only if it's alright with you" I say slowly.
"Yes" she whispers, barely audible through clenched teeth. Oh God.
"I would like that very much" I reply with the same voice. How this woman has seduced me from across the room, I'll never know. I notice with a very small portion of my brain that the two nuggets from before have scurried away someplace else, which pleases me immensely. I place my hands on her hips and bring her closer to me. With her eyes still closed, a smile spreads across her face, and she puts her hands on my hips. Dancing with this woman is quite simply the hottest thing I've done with clothes on. In a club designed to spin everyone up into the human version of the National Geographic Channel, she maintains the pace she chooses, and it's anything but quick. She uses every part of her body to produce her hypnotic dance and leads me into her rhythm. She puts her hands on my shoulders and deepens her slow grind. Never in my life have I felt this connected to a person. She's pulling me in to her world where she can block out the atmosphere of the club, and she's doing it with her eyes closed.
"Can you feel that?" she asks and finally opens her eyes.
Red. Fire.
It's all I can see. With how she was moving, I'd thought she was wasted, but it's a pure lustful fire. No sparks in her that tells me she recognize me, no glazed Bollywood wasted look, just pure passion. I can't speak so I nod in response to her question. She in response moves her hands to my back. She doesn't press herself into me, but rather touches me greedily with the same intense burn that is occupying the rest of her body.
"I feel like I'm being pulled towards you. My fingers want to dig into you and my palms want to feel you. My tongue wants your neck and my teeth want your shoulder. It's strange; I've never felt this before. What are you doing to me?"
You would think living in the limelight; I knew what seduction was'I was dead wrong. This woman was fully clothed and seriously driving me crazy. She starts breathing heavier with her mouth parted slightly. I can see her lower jaw and tongue quivering. She closes her eyes, falling into her abyss once more. "I watched you while you danced you know, you're here but you're not. Where are you?" I asked since she was being honest with me, my voice dripping of desire, just as her voice is.
"Where it doesn't hurt anymore; where I can stand it when they look at me." She almost moaned; every pulse of her body, bringing her lips closer to my neck.
Want her. Want her. Want her.
My mind was being reduced to two word sentences. I knew very well what it was like to not want people to look at you, and oh how I wanted her to show me that place. "Can you show me that place?" I asked while threading my hands in her hair, needing someway to be closer to her.
Her head relaxed into my grip and her eyes met mine "Only if you're willing to take it. I can show you, but you have to want to take it." She leaned her lips up to mine'and I took them. Just like our dance, the kiss was slow and grinding, and it tasted like heaven. I got lost in a haze or lips, tongue, and breath. She broke the kiss and true to her wants, she licked my neck.
"I want the rest of it" she hissed in my ear as I wrapped my arm around her waist.
"Come home with me." I said less a question and more as a suggestion as to how she could get the rest of it, willing her with whatever persuasive methods I had at my disposal. In my lust filled haze, I could think of nothing else.
"Yes" she moaned in my ear. I took her hand, went over to the bar to settle my tab, threw a thousand rupee note at the bartender for my tab, and whatever she had on hers. I hailed a taxi outside the club and told him the address. She kept up the same dance as she had before, the music clearly in her head. I kissed her and felt myself being pulled into her strange mental zone that was capable of shutting the outside world out.
My perception of time ceased when her lips met mine so it surprised me when the cabbie told me we had arrived. I threw another hundred at him, not wanting to bother with any sort of math for a tip at the moment. It was all I could to do pull myself away from this woman to get in my door, but somehow we managed. Seeing her in the light of my home made me realize that she was even more beautiful than I had previously thought. She had on heavy eye makeup but she seemed soft'pliable. Her soft ivory skin glowed in the light.
"What's your name?" I asked around our slow kisses.
"Does it matter?" she asked in a whisper.
"It does to me" I told her honestly. Bringing home a random chick from a club was so not my style.
"Meera" she told me without stopping her assault on my neck.
"Armaan" I replied in kind.
"Armaan?" she asked.
"Yes?"
Four hours later, we were both spent. I laid with her in my arms, smelling her strawberry scented hair, drifting off to sleep.
Beep-Beep-Beep Beep-Beep-Beep Beep-Beep-Beep
The alarm on my cell phone woke me up. I scrambled to turn it off before it woke Meera up. I looked around my surroundings and found that Meera was still here, and was still beautiful. I had no idea what I was going to do with her now. I had to get ready to report to the crime lab, but I didn't want her to think I was trying to get rid of her.
"Meera" I nudged her softly. She didn't respond. "Meera" I spoke again while kissing her neck.
"Mmmmm" she grumbled still asleep, clearly tired from our late night.
"I have to get ready to go but can I see you later?" I whispered into her ear.
"Mmmmm" she grumbled again and turned away from me. I chuckled at her attempt to get more sleep.
"Alright then, how about you just sleep while I grab a shower and we'll talk when I get out." I said and she just hummed in acknowledgement. I chuckled a little more, watching her hide from the waking world. I didn't hurry through my shower, giving Meera more time to sleep, and let the warm water relieve some of the soreness acquired from our night of passion. After the shower, I shaved, brushed my teeth and got dressed in my 'make a good first impression suit'. When I returned to my bedroom, the bed was empty.
"Meera?" I called out'nothing. I checked my living room, kitchen, and everyplace else in the house.
She was gone.
Shit
The woman who had shown me the most amazing night of my life was gone. I looked for a note but found none. I even checked under the bed, hoping that perhaps it just fell from where she would have put it. Giving up wasn't something I was accustomed to but I didn't know what else to do. I took out the directions to the crime lab, put them in my pocket and left for the day. What had been a wonderful morning, had taken a drastic turn and I found myself wanting what I couldn't have.
Meera
I got to the lab where I was greeted by a mid-twenties looking woman at the front desk'who recognized me.
"Armaan Malik?" she asked me incredulously. It seems my trip into anonymous land was short lived.
"Yes but we're trying to keep that a secret" I said flashing her my "dimpled" smile.
"Oh'ummm, of course" she flustered. This was a response I was used to.
"Could you please tell" I checked the name on the information I had been given "Inspector Shashank Gupta, that I'm here to meet him?"
"Sure" she said with a little more composure. She picked up the phone. "Yeah? Ummm, Armaan Malik is here to see you." She nodded her head "Okay, I'll bring him right back." She hung up the phone and stood up. "It seems he's expecting you." She said flustered again. I hope the rest of the people here aren't as star struck as this lady is. I didn't ask her name, I just wanted to get away from her. I walked behind her, through a myriad of rooms with all sorts of technical equipment in them. As I walked by, the number of people stopping what they were doing to stare at me increased. We walked past another receptionist who also stared, so I was relieved when I got to the office door that said "Inspector Gupta". The receptionist knocked and a muffled "Come in" was heard from the other side. The lady opened the door and followed me inside. The office wasn't huge but there was enough room for a row of book shelves, a couple of chairs across from his desk, and a couch off to the side. It defiantly had a modern look to it, just like the rest of the place. There was a man at the desk who was reading something, but he looked up when the receptionist cleared her throat.
He smiled and stood up, but it was a real smile, not that of someone who was star struck. "Hello, I'm Shashank Gupta, good to meet you son." He said casually. He was a little taller than me with dark skin, and lean body. He looked like the quintessential cop. He walked over to me and offered his hand for a shake just moustache less. It wasn't fake, just normal strength.
"It's a pleasure to be here sir. I hope I won't get in your way too much, thank you for making time for this project." I said honestly.
"Oh, you won't be in my way." He smiled back. "How about I give you the tour while we wait for your mentor to get here?" He suggested, I agreed. The lab was in the same building as police headquarters so they shared a gym and locker rooms. He showed me the cafeteria, the ballistics and tool marking labs, the chemical analysis labs, the morgue, trace evidence areas'the whole place. It was much bigger than I expected. This was the lead lab for the entire north India. There were satellite offices around the state but if they couldn't handle something, it was sent here. When he spoke, it reminded me of my dad. He was very matter of fact and was a good distraction from the stares I was getting from everyone we passed. Suddenly, his phone rang. I was silent as he listened to whoever was on the phone.
"Thank you" he said and turned to me. "Time to get back to my office, she's here." He cringed when he said this.
"Alright" I followed. I wondered if it was a boss of his or something that he didn't want to run into in the hallways. We got back to his office and he motioned that I could sit on the couch off to the side.
"So Mister Malik" he started as he sat down.
"Please, call me Armaan" I asked. The last think I wanted here was formality.
"Sure, so Armaan, what do you do for a hobby?"
"Hobby?" I asked.
"Yes a hobby. What do you do when you need stress relief of some sorts."
"Well I play basket ball and the guitar. I can't go out much without getting swamped by fans, so I have more indoor hobbies than outdoor. Why do you ask?"
"Because son, you're going to need it." He said with an apologetic voice.
"Why?" I asked but was interrupted by a woman's voice in the hall.
"I don't give a shit if he's in there with someone." it yelled out and the door flew open.
Holy shit'Meera.
My angel Meera was barging in Shashank's office and storming over to him. "I got your email. What do you mean when you say I have to take some movie star on as a temporary probie?" she yelled at him. This wasn't anything like the Meera I knew. This was a hostile, vile creature.
No. Way. Of all the people!
"Riddhima calm down." He urged her.
Riddhima? Her name is Riddhima?
"I'll calm down when you tell me what the hell I did to warrant this?" she put her hands on his desk and towered over him.
"You didn't do anything wrong" he said back looking her in the eye and speaking calmly "the production studio is paying us a lot of money for us to train him, and they asked for the best, so I'm giving them you."
Meera'I mean Riddhima, wasn't happy at this. "So let me get this straight" she seethed "some arrogant Bollywood type loser, calls you up and says they want us to babysit some spoiled loser, and teach him how to take his sunglasses on and off while standing around a fake crime scene, and your brilliant idea is to offer up me? If the loser has to be here at all, why not let Kumar or Sharma do it?"
If I hadn't seen her last night, I would absolutely despise her. As of now, I had no idea what the hell I was supposed to do. "Riddhima?" Shashank raised his eyebrows, glanced at me, and then returned his eyes to Riddhima. She glanced at me, and then looked back at Shashank.
"Who the hell is that supposed to be?" she yelled again.
Did she not remember?
"That would be Armaan Malik." He said maintaining his composure.
She looked at me again the looked back at Shashank. "Is that supposed to mean something to me?" she sneered.
"Yes Riddhima, that would be your spoiled smovie star probie." He said calmly.
Oh please no!
"Get lost both of you!" she yelled and stormed out of his office.
I wasn't sure what the hell just happened'but it wasn't good. Shashank scrubbed his hands over his face and then looked at me. "Sorry you had to hear that. She'll calm down pretty quick and then I'll take you over and she'll get you set up."
"Sir? Is there any way I could be assigned to someone else? I don't think I can learn anything from Meera." I prayed to whatever deity out there listened that I wouldn't have to put up with whatever just yelled at us for a whole month.
"How did you know her middle name is Meera?" he asked intently.
Shit, I didn't mean to say that.
"I didn't. I actually met her last night and she called herself Meera." His face grew suddenly concerned.
"You saw her yesterday? When, where?" he was eager for my answer.
"I met her last night at a club not too far from here." I answered, leaving out the part where I spent the night with his subordinate. He was thoughtful.
"I wondered where she went." He muttered more to himself. "She didn't recognize you from last night." He said more as a statement.
"No she didn't." I replied back.
"How did she look last night?" he asked. I really didn't want to tell him why she was late this morning.
"She was very relaxed, is the best way I can think to put it." I thought of how she looked on the dance floor. He nodded his head.
"Riddhima had a hard day yesterday and wouldn't let any of us go with her. I didn't hear from her until just now. Now I guess I know how she dealt with it." He said sadly.
"Dealt with what?" I asked trying to piece together how Riddhima ended up as Meera in my bed.
"It's not something we really talk about. Come on, let's go straighten this out." He said getting up from his desk. I followed him through the halls until we were just outside an office. My stomach dropped when I saw it was her office. Shashank didn't knock; he just opened the door and walked in. Riddhima was there at a desk similar to Shshank's, just smaller.
"I'm not doing it Mr.Gupta." She hissed before he even got to her desk.
"Yes you are" he retorted.
"If the lab needs money that bad, why not just dress me up like a wh**e and have me work the corner of"
"RIDDHIMA MEERA GUPTA, ENOUGH!" he yelled back and finally the tyrannical creature flinched.
Gupta? Oh shit'She is Shashank's daughter.
"Now Riddhima, I know yesterday was bad for you but you're not going to take it out on Armaan. As of now you're on half a case load. I'm having you train him because you have the most certifications and you need a break from all this" she opened her mouth to say something but he held up his hand "I know you don't think so but this will be good experience for you to see if you want to go into teaching."
Her posture deflated and she gave up her fight. "Armaan?" Shashank roused me from my staring of Riddhima "It was good to meet you son, Riddhima will take care of you from here on out. If you have any problems, come see me." He said the last part looking at Riddhima.
And then he left me there'with her.
What a nightmare.
So, is the end result realistic and worth going further in?
...............................................................................................................
so this was a pretty long part. hope you guys like it.. please review
Sagarika
part 1 - page 1
part 2- page 1
part 3- page 2
part 4- page 4
part 5- page 4
part 6 - page 6
part 7 - page 7
part 8 - part 8
part 9- page 11
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