‘No,’ I answer.
A huge crowd mills around the lobby.
‘She’ll be here,’ Navya says. ‘She may not give you the time of day, Brother, but she’ll be here. She hasn’t broken it off, remember.’
I nod, more to myself, as the car door opens. Knowing Aaditha, she may have tried to break it off; her silence is eloquent.
Anna Maria Menon, the festival director, meets us at the lobby. She’s the picture of poise, trying to steer us into the VIP room, but the gathered bodies aren’t in the mood to give.
Anna Maria talks as loudly as she can, urging people to clear the passage, but her voice doesn’t carry. A younger woman grabs the imaginary baton from Anna, tapping her shoulder. She uses the boom in her voice to maximum effect.
‘The prince and princess will be available for a limited period after the session, but now, you have to let them pass.’
Her voice forces the pack to part.
In the relative quiet of the air-conditioned lounge, the festival director tells us we cut our arrival so fine it almost gave her a heart attack.
‘Too close for comfort,’ she says. Her smile matches the crispness of her starched sari. She looks as far from a cardiac episode as the clouds are from breaking.
In the interval, my eyes dart around the room. Aaditha is somewhere around. Her perfume is in the air.
‘I know,’ Anna Maria says, ‘but I can’t help worrying. What if…’
‘What if the cattle stretch themselves across the road and aren’t in the mood to move?’ Navya says with a laugh before enveloping AnnaMaria in a hug. I had no idea they knew each other.
Navya’s eyes shift to the room.
‘Don’t worry, Robert will be here any moment,’ she says.
My eyes finally find Aaditha; she’s in blue jeans and a Breton stripe shirt. She’s deep in conversation with two people, a man and a woman. I wonder if she knows I’m in the room. She probably does, but is ignoring me.
I turn in the direction of my strong-willed fiancée.
‘Those are two top literary agents; they have been hovering around Aaditha all evening. They’re trying to get a book out of her,’ Anna Maria says.
I feel my chest swell.
‘Let them talk,’ she adds. Her hand is on the sleeve of my blazer. ‘Besides, you will have time with your fiancée after your session. I’m assuming you are staying on here in Bengaluru, Your Highness.’
I nod, but I can’t stop my feet from moving towards Aaditha. ‘I’m allowed a quick hello,’ I tell Anna Maria, who is all smiles.
Aaditha turns to face me just as I close in on her. Her smile is tight, but I can see that she’s breathing hard. Her hair is swept over her shoulder, and her eyes are heavily kohled. Her hand is opening and closing. I take it in mine and drop a kiss on her lips.
The eyes of the room are on us; I can tell by the way the place has quietened.
‘Please make time for me later in the evening?’ I’m not asking. I’m pleading.
Now that I am close enough, I can see that her eyes are fatigued.
‘Don’t you have a session just now, Your Highness?’ she asks, exhaling. I leave her hand reluctantly and walk back to Anna Maria.
‘Coffee, tea or water before you get on stage?’ she asks.
I would’ve liked a cup of the expertly harvested Oolong, not any tea, so I let it drop.
We walk on stage at exactly 6 p.m. Anna Maria’s show runs like clockwork.
It is an impressive turnout – rows and rows of people under a massive canopy. My eyes find Aaditha; she’s seated in the first row. She’s wearing her emerald ring. I want to whistle.
