Chapter 1
The Red Carpet, parties, photographers following her everywhere she goes, having her name in the headlines of the newspaper daily. This is the life she lived now.
Everyone has their own versions of why Khushi Kumari Gupta was such a big star today. Some say she bribed the producer, some say that she slept with the director to get a role. Though she was the daughter of a stuntman, she made herself stand out of that mob and she is a big name in the industry today.
After auditioning day and night, slowly as her work started to gain notice, she was offered quite a lot of lead roles. And now at the age of just 24 she has done countless films, and a lot of crucial roles and has given 32 blockbuster movies to the film industry as the main heroine in the last 5 years. Even she didn't remember any life of hers outside the sets. Lights, Camera, and Action was the start of her life and no doubt it has got to be her end.
One of the greatest directors from the industry approached her and she couldn't deny. It was a huge break for her career. But destiny played this cruel game. He is the male lead with who she never wanted to work with again.
She still remembered her first debut with Arnav Singh Raizada. He was a newcomer too. It was the most beautiful time of their lives, at least of Khushi's life. Neither of them could deny the growing attraction between them, the attraction that had spiked up ever since they started shooting. It was all going amazing for Khushi. Her first movie as a lead actress was a blockbuster. She was dating the new national crush, as they called him. She was more than happy. She was living the life she always wanted. But there is a bad norm about good times, it passes very quickly. The success party of their first film, 'Secretly Yours' spoilt everything.
He had decided to drop her home after the party and had helped her till her bedroom.
"I shouldn't have drunk that last shot." Khushi had plopped herself on the bed and sighed.
The room had spun and she had felt nausea wanting to resurface. Arnav had sat next to her and brushed the hair from her face, cupping her cheek in his palm.
"I need to leave." He had whispered. They had been sitting close to one another, the air thick with their harsh breathing. Sweat had dampened her brow and whether it was the alcohol or not, she had leaned in to kiss his cheek but he had turned his face just as her lips descended and their lips had brushed instead.
What happened from there would become nothing but a blur for Khushi, she could hardly remember a thing when she woke but her state of undress told her exactly what her memories couldn't.
I so wished I wasn't over drunk that night. Only if I had controlled my desires, she thought.
It wasn't the party that spoilt everything, it was she, herself.
Khushi stretched and turned on the bed, she was turning into an insomniac. The last few days had been anything but pleasant for her, she could not get him out of her mind, she knew she did the right thing by telling him off but the fact that working with him after 4 long years left her a little unsettled and promised to bring in chaos.
She reached the set and walked towards the director and producer who seemed to be having a conversation.
She came to a stop beside ASR staring at the director and producer just as he was.
"You know I'm going to make you regret what you did, right?" he said still looking at them
"Give it all you got. It won't be anything I haven't been through before." she replied as she realised he was talking about the slap she had given him on the last day of shoot.
Khushi turned her head to stare in his direction as he turned to stare at her in return.
"You haven't seen what I can do Khushi Kumari Gupta."
"I had seen, even experienced, everything you could do." She let out a sarcastic laugh. "I promise you, this will be nothing new tome Arnav Singh Raizada."
She noticed him getting angry with every word escaping her mouth. Then suddenly he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close. Her chest crashed into his as she gasped. She was reminded of all their close moments from the past, so it would've surprised her if he weren't reminded of anything at all. After all, their bodies hadn't had that much contact in years.
She stared up at him, with quivering lips. He stared down into her eyes as she stared up into his. His anger filled face disappeared. His grip on her waist went weak and he stepped back. She looked at the ground particularly nowhere and the next moment she watched him entering his vanity van and shutting the door behind him with a thud.
'I was a fool to believe that he loved me when we were in a relationship', she thought.
Every time he said that she was beautiful, she was nothing but an idiot to feel shy. If only she knew why he left her.
"Khushi." She heard a familiar voice and came back to the real world.
"Rehaan!" She squealed in happiness. "How are you?" She asked as she hugged him.
"Superb." He said with his evergreen smile as he embraced her in a warm hug.
They sat on chairs. Rehaan was one of Khushi's favorite costars and Arnav's best friend. He was doing a cameo in their film and she was really very excited.
"You're comfortable right?" He asked.
"Yeah, I am. Why do you ask?"
"Because you guys are working together after so long. See, I know your relationship was never public but some of us close friends knew very well how madly in love you two were. God knows what went wrong." He sighed.
No one except her and Arnav knew about the real reason for their breakup. Actually, she was not sure if she knew it clearly. She didn't share with anyone what he did to her or what he said to her. The ex-girlfriend's side of her didn't want anyone to think low of him.
"We are professionals, Rehaan. It's my work." She said trying not to sound annoyed.
"Ma'am, Script." They heard her manager and decided to end the conversation there.
She read the script. The next scene had to be a romantic scene between Kabir and Antara. She looked around to see people running here and there for the preparations. Just then she saw Arnav coming out of his vanity. With sunglasses on and script in his hands.
"Hey!" he chirped as soon as he saw Rehaan.
Rehaan hugged him. They were chit-chatting something inaudibly when the director said that the shot was ready.
It was good at the start but soon a strange distraction took over Khushi. Doing romantic scenes was normal and any day's work for her but she didn't know why she was nervous about it. Maybe because she was going to romance Arnav after a long time. A very long time. She could no longer concentrate.
"Khushi, that was nice, but make the emotions more fluent. Let's take another shot," the director said.
"Nice is not a good word." He whispered into her ears. "Concentrate, Khushi."
"Action!"
She looked into his eyes as the scene demanded it. They stared at each other and straight to the eyes. There were a lot of questions in his eyes which needed answers while she
had pain in hers.
"I Love You," he said with tears in his eyes.
She felt the pain and intensity of it and raised her hand above to touch his right cheek.
"You should say that often," she said.
He had happy tears in his eyes. Both of them looked at each other for some more time and then hugged each other with all the intensity. Khushi was now almost crying while Arnav comforted her as he patted her head lovingly.
"Cut!"
And the trance in which she had lost herself was broken. She shook into reality and saw the clamoring audience around them. She broke the embrace disheartened to look at him again as if to check whether he was just doing the job or was really giving away the feelings. For a moment, she thought it was all real. She looked at him with painful scrutinizing eyes but just then the director came running to them. He congratulated both of them for the great shot and all she could wonder about was,
What the hell just happened?
To be continued...
Love,
Shiri❤
Edited by ShiriFictionPen - 3 years ago
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