I jump from my stool to hug Saket. I don’t know why but somehow I had a feeling he would follow me to Phuket. I couldn’t believe the guy who stayed up consecutive nights to talk to me for months, would say ‘investor meetings’ and cancel. I just knew it. I want to act surprised, but I’m not really that surprised.
‘Excuse me?’ says Vanita.
A big smile creeps up on my face. ‘So this is Saket,’ I point at Saket. And then I tell Saket, ‘And you, of course, you know Vanita. The coolest girl I have ever known.’
‘I like none of this,’ grumbles Vanita. ‘How is that he knows about me, and I know nothing about him? What exactly is happening here?’
Saket smiles with his movie-star looks and puts an arm around me. A sense of warmth permeates through my body. ‘She’s annoying like that, isn’t she? I’m Saket. I think I’m with her? Kind of? I’m not sure as of now. We’re trying to figure it out.’
Vanita’s looking at us, mouth agape, betrayed. ‘You guys are dating?’
Saket throws a look at me. ‘We are not strictly calling it dating, but thereabouts.’
Vanita’s eyes ice over as she looks at me and says, ‘And when were you going to tell me that? Aanchal, I’m pregnant. You can’t be giving me such shocks.’
‘You look amazing by the way,’ says Saket. ‘And congratulations.’
Vanita ignores Saket and says, ‘Why didn’t you tell me? And didn’t you tell me that you had gotten on some matrimonial sites? Then who’s he?’
‘I’m telling you now.’
‘You call him here? That’s how you tell me?’ she says and turns to look at Saket. ‘No offence.’
‘None taken. I’m on your side. But in her defence, she asked me and I refused to come and then I came to surprise her. So it’s not really Aanchal’s fault.’
Vanita continues, ‘This boy is continuously speaking, and you’re saying there’s nothing to tell me? Where did you findhim?’
‘On the matrimonial site, obviously. Where else? That’s why I was on those sites.’
‘Ohhh-kay?’ she mumbles. ‘So? Oh. Oh. Oh. You’re dating him with the intention of marrying him?’
‘That’s my line,’ says Saket.
Vanita trains her eyes on Saket. ‘What do you do for aliving?’
‘He just quit his job to work on his own start-up,’ I buttin.
‘Can we just keep this a little casual?’
‘Saket?’ grumbles Vanita. ‘Till the time you answer my questions, please take your hand away from her neck.’
Saket throws another of his trademark smiles. ‘Can I pull up a chair if this is an interview?’
‘Yes, you may,’ she orders. ‘And you can’t put your hand around her waist either.’
7.
Daksh Dey
The Ritz-Carlton, Phuket reminds me of the definition and diagrams of the biosphere from my old science books; the perfect convergence of sea, land and sky, making it most fertile for life forms. In this case, the life forms of the resort are us, squirming and throbbing. People splashing about boisterously in pools, honeymooners sipping cocktails at the beach bars and influencers waltzing in front of tripods.
‘All the tiredness is just gone,’ remarks Amruta as she slathers herself with sunscreen. ‘I feel like saying what everyone who comes to Phuket says.’
‘That we could consider moving here?’
‘The rent is low, food’s cheap, the weather’s also not bad. The trifecta of good reasons. What’s stopping us?’ she muses.
‘We can work from home, set up a nice little studio,’ I add.
