I decide to play along for the moment. These are my parents, and I will talk to them as soon as this royal circus exits No. 5 MG Road.
Appa is walking towards the fireplace, and Amma is following him. I’m on my feet, too; my eyes are on Vedveer’s back.
‘Right here,’ Gauri Elena is saying to me, her eyes bright.
I’m doing everything I can to control myself and not ask the question that is maiming my insides. What is happening even?
I inhale, and my nerves are momentarily soothed by the woody scent from my right until… ‘Aadheethhaa.’ The voice is soft and full, but the phonetics drill a hole in my head.
I nod, but maybe I should’ve said ‘Ra-Tho-Ray, Ra-Tho-Ray’ and broken into a dance, Ra-Tho-Ray style.
Vedveer’s eyes are bright, and his face is relaxed.
‘Closer, please,’ the photographer is saying. How much closer? I can smell the man’s perfume, for god’s sake, and I’m sure he has inhaled more than a whiff of Jo Malone’s Jasmine.
‘Maybe, sir,’ the photographer isn’t giving up, ‘you can put your hand on maydam.’
‘May I?’ Vedveer asks, before putting an arm around my shoulder. His voice is deep and distinct.
His fingers press gently on my forearms, and his breath fans my cheeks. I’m encased in a 6 ft something frame. My smile pops involuntarily.
I’m grateful that Lavanya had wittingly pushed me to wearmy nude stilettoes. Wear flats, she told me! Vedveer towers over me, and I need the three inches my footwear lends me.
We pose for three photos, each more awkwardly staged than the last. The photographer and his assistant direct us like we’re on the cover of theRoyal Couplesannual. Thankfully, the parents, Gauri Elena in particular, get distracted after the first snap and stop micromanaging our elbows.
My eyes are on Vedveer, and he nods, just the slightest tilt of his head, before I link my hand through his.
‘It’s okay, it’s just a photograph,’ he says when we are done. His voice is soft, and his tone is kind.
‘Thank you,’ I exhale. His warm breath strokes the top of my ear, and his gaze is on my hair.
I turn to join Amma on the sofa when I hear the senior Rathore speak.
‘The palace will release this picture with a two-line announcement that Ahadheethaa and Veer are to wed.’
Wed? My eyes widen in horror, and my face breaks into a violent smile. F@#king wed?
Had I not been blown away by what I had just heard, I might’ve strangled the man for the way he pronounced my name. He just bettered his son. No exchanging parents, thank you! These folks are equally problematic.
My eyes meet Vedveer’s square. I’m silently pleading.You don’t want this; please say so, say something, anything…
Vedveer’s lips twitch. I look away.
There’s something about those eyes; he is trying to tell me something. A couple of minutes pass when my eyes find his again. They are differently coloured. The right is grey, and the left is green. That is the mesmerizing part.
‘I think we should hold the announcement for a bit,’ Vedveer says, turning to his father.
My smile is less violent as I look into my empty cup, which Ipick up only to keep my hands busy. Yuvraj has saved the day, but tomorrow, we will need to come up with concrete blueprints.
TittleTattle
Gupshup Column
Ranibaghs in Bengaluru (Calling Tech Support!)
Curious so-and-so,
Soooo, the BBJ 787 carrying the Rathore insignia landed in Bengaluru today. Only for a moment, TT wondered why they were in the IT capital. For tech support, obviously. What else does one do there?
