He nods, mock serious. ‘And here I was thinking I had royal privileges.’
‘Those expired the moment I called youVed.’
His laugh this time is low and warm. ‘Call me that again, and I might just forgive you.’
Vedveer turns slowly and looks around what will be a café in time. His face is fresh, and his shirt is stiff. The vibe of a presiding deity surveying the ruins around him.
‘This place looks pretty basic,’ he says.
I nod.
‘There’s a lot of work still to be done, but the good thing isthat you have a week to go. You still have time.’
‘What are you planning to do?’ he asks, returning to his seat. ‘About today?’
I can’t leave this evening. ‘I called the office and asked them to book a room in the hotel down the road. I will definitely be here tonight, maybe for one more night till Mohit arrives.’
I lied about the hotel booking, only because I don’t want any drama. I was going to ask for a room to be booked when Vedveer arrived at my door.
‘Why do you want to stay in a hotel and risk the prying paparazzi? They’ll be shoving cameras into your face every morning at breakfast. You can stay at Ranibagh; there’s ample space.’
Ranibagh is big enough, I know.
‘Thank you! But I cannot ask my mother to chaperone me,’ I say. ‘You know how these things work.’
‘I don’t know how these things work, Aaditha. I’m not offering you a room; you can have a whole wing. There’s nothing to worry!’
I hear some noise behind me, feet shuffling, and I wonder if it is Vedveer’s army.
‘Don’t turn,’ he says softly, leaning forward, his fingers warm on my arm. ‘There’s a bunch of photographers outside.’
I feel a shiver go down my spine. The interiors of my store is a mess, we are due to open in a week, and the paps are at the door waiting to pull me down.
Vedveer is standing in front of me. The air between us is so thick, it would take a knife to slice through.
It is his bloody convoy that called out to the paps, practically begged them to come snag us.
The Rathores cannot do anything quietly. Wear a wig, dress like a homeless person, disappear into a crowd.
‘What do you say?’ he asks about me staying at his palace.
I nod. I don’t have much of a choice.
TittleTattle
Gupshup Column
Aaditha, Vedveer & the Math
Curious so-and-so,
The pieces are finally falling in place about the story we’ve all been scratching our heads over. The why and how of this cross-country romance.
On a sultry Jaipur evening in May, Aaditha Prathap arrived at her COFFEEBefore Books & Brasoutlet, and dearies, you won’t believe how bad the place looked with just about a week to go for the launch.
Aaditha was having palpitations. The work had ground to a halt, there was hardly a worker or two around, and the date for the inauguration is approaching.
In walks the suited HRH Vedveer and takes stock of the outlet. The walls may have been treated to a coat of primer, but wires were running everywhere and pipes popped out of every nook; the look was too raw for even industrial.
