Trouble Has a New Name (12 page)

She wanted to scream in frustration but managed to stay calm. ‘So, what happened? You just woke up this morning and decided you’d had enough of me?’

He dragged her into his arms. His hard lean thighs pressed against hers and the heat of his arousal branded her skin. He raised his hand and cupped the back of her head while his lips caught hers in a bruising kiss. She clung to him, not wanting to let go. He dragged his mouth away and rasped savagely, ‘See what you do to me? Do you think I can ever have enough of you? Not a hope in hell.’

Wrenching away from her, he ran his hands through his hair. ‘I shared a part of me that I have always kept hidden. Remember what you said about me? That I would rather not commit to a relationship in case something goes wrong? Believe me, every time I have made a personal commitment, everything just goes down the chute. When it comes to relationships I’m a complete failure. A big zero. Whoever has relied on me, I have let them down…time and again.’ He paused for a beat, giving her time to absorb it all. ‘It’s best if we go our separate ways now, without the bitterness, the regrets.’

‘How can you be sure things won’t work out unless you’re willing to take a chance?’ The words were out before she could stop herself.

He gave a low laugh that made her shudder at the
self-contempt she heard in his voice. ‘Some kink in my DNA! You will be better off without me.’

She sat in stunned silence. She’d got her answer. No matter how he phrased it, the truth was he did not want her in his life. There was nothing more to it. She braced herself against the hurt rumbling through her at his rejection. Along with the pain, her anger too resurfaced. ‘Speak for yourself, Mr Hotshot Hotelier. Don’t you dare tell me who or what’s good or bad for me. I don’t give anyone the right to decide that!’

She got up to leave—she needed to get away with her dignity intact. Her palms were clenched tight and the diamond bit into her soft flesh. Only the thought of Agra Aunty’s expression should she appear without it persuaded her not to throw it back in his face right now. ‘Oh, and once I’m back in Mumbai, I’ll send your ring back. Have a safe trip!’

‘Goodbye, Rayna. Have a good life.’

The reception was a fitting finale to the week-long wedding celebrations. A huge luxurious tent had been erected with twinkling lamps, glittering chandeliers and floating fragrant candles in earthen urns. The beach floor was carpeted with Indian durries and the stage was set for an evening of live entertainment. Soft music played as the guests—dressed in their designer Ritu Kumar, Jimmy Choo shoes, Armani and Guccis—enjoyed delicious canapés and the best wines. The party got into top gear when Karisma made a grand entry—seated atop a howdah on a bedecked elephant—and performed to a medley of popular Bollywood hits that had everyone lustily cheering for more.

The revelry grated on Rayna’s raw nerves. How she
wished she were a million miles away—far away from everything that reminded her of Neel. All through the night his rejection of her had played in her mind like a song on an unending loop. His goodbye had been final—he hadn’t even held out the hope of friendship. Not even a polite let’s-stay-in-touch or a call-me-when-you’re-in-Mumbai. She had tossed, turned and teetered between self-pity and self-loathing.

At dawn, she’d heard his bedroom door open and the sharp tattoo of his steps on the smooth marble corridor. She’d squeezed her eyes shut, battling the urge to leap out of bed, throw her dignity away and beg him to stay. She’d pressed her clenched fists against her flaming cheeks and waited. The seconds had passed excruciatingly slowly and she’d released her breath as his footsteps faded away. Only then had the tears burst forth, drowning her in a torrent of emotions.

‘Rayna,
beta
, are you all right?’

Rayna stiffened as Agra Aunty peered at her with a worried expression.

She gave her a quick smile and nodded. ‘That was quite a performance by Karisma, wasn’t it?’

Agra Aunty waved her plump arm dismissively and her thick gold bangles jingled. ‘Oh, yes—the typical
chammak-challo
act. But what’s wrong with you? You look like you have seen a ghost!’

For once she couldn’t muster up her usual angst against her hated enemy. All she wanted to do was bury her face in her palms and sob her heart out. She swiped away the tear that slid down her cheek before Agra Aunty spied it.

‘Something’s troubling you.’ Agra Aunty’s sincere concern took Rayna by surprise. ‘I know you don’t have
any reason to consider me your friend. Rayna, I sincerely regret some of the things I have done and said to you in the past. In my defence, I can only say that my own insecurities made me behave the way I did. It’s no excuse—but that’s the truth.’

Rayna was stunned. For the first time, she saw Agra Aunty in a new light and was overcome with sympathy for her plight. It couldn’t have been easy for her, as an unmarried elderly woman, to depend on the benevolence of her niece and her husband. More than anything else, it would have eroded her self-esteem. It was as if Rayna had peeked into her lonely world and her loud, brash behaviour began to take on a different meaning. A twinge of remorse at her own self-obsession made her want to reach out to her. They had had their differences but suddenly Rayna felt as if they had crossed a bridge, leaving behind their old animosities and petty disputes. When she saw Agra Aunty’s lips quiver with emotion she squeezed her palm and gave her a heartfelt smile.

Agra Aunty nodded in acceptance. ‘Thank you!’

The fireworks display came as a welcome distraction and for the next few minutes they watched spellbound as a thousand brilliant starbursts lit up the night sky in a frenzy of colours. The final flourish was a laser love note from the groom to his bride—Milee I Will Love You For Ever Chris—which zigzagged across the dark cloudless sky in a flash of multicoloured laser strobes. Spontaneous applause rent the night air and Rayna wondered if she had missed the chance to find her own for ever love.

I love you, Neel!
The scream reverberated inside her and she almost gasped aloud. How could that be? When
did that happen? The irony was that she should be hit by the realisation after he had already rejected her. Clearly, her sense of timing sucked. Big time.

‘Hello there… All alone?’ Karisma’s shrill voice pierced through Rayna’s benumbed senses. ‘You do have a knack of driving away your lovers, don’t you?’

Rayna realised she no longer cared about Karisma’s pathetic attempts at making mischief. She had other things to worry about—more specifically, how she was going to deal with her unrequited love for Neel!

‘I think you had better watch what you’re saying, young lady.’ Agra Aunty drew up her considerable girth for a showdown with the Bollywood diva.

Rayna was both amazed and amused that her arch-enemy had morphed into her champion.
Wow!
And she was all ready to take up cudgels with Karisma.
Super Wow!

‘Neel is my niece’s fiancé and you’d better remember that.’

Karisma had a nasty smirk on her face which completely ruined her diva-like features. ‘Oh, yeah! That’s one story you shouldn’t believe, Auntyji. If you want to know the truth, ask Rayna.’

Rayna couldn’t help but chuckle as Agra Aunty rose dramatically from her chair to face off with Karisma. ‘Let me give you a bit of advice,
beta.
You should not poke your nose into other people’s affairs.’

Rayna’s face split into a huge grin as an offended Karisma walked off in a huff.

‘She’s one meddlesome mischief-maker!’ Agra Aunty huffed.

But Rayna was no longer worried about Karisma. In
fact, she no longer wanted to hide behind the lies any more. ‘Aunty…I have something to tell you.’

Agra Aunty gave her a shrewd look.

Taking a deep calming breath, she said, ‘The truth is Neel and I are not really engaged. We never were. I just wanted to save face after my break-up with Sid…’

Agra Aunty put her arm around her shoulder. ‘I know.’

‘But how?’ Rayna searched Agra Aunty’s face for some hint of censure or disapproval but found none.

‘I wasn’t born yesterday—’ she laughed ‘—I knew right at the moment when you announced it during the Truth or Dare game. Of course, I had no idea about what’s-his-name—’

‘Sid,’ Rayna said.

‘Yes…but I guessed the engagement announcement was nothing but pretence.’ She paused before adding, ‘I’m also certain you have fallen in love with your “fake” fiancé.’

Rayna couldn’t hold it back any more. ‘Aunty, I do really love him but he doesn’t love me…’

Agra Aunty gave her a hug. ‘Now, enough of this moping around. Come on, let’s sample some of the delicious
rezzala
the chef has prepared.’

Four months later…

N
EEL KEYED OPEN
the door of his fifteenth-floor apartment in Cuffe Parade, Mumbai. The flickering images from the muted large-screen TV were reflected in the bay windows that opened out to the Arabian Sea. A lone lamp glowed in the otherwise dark living room. It was well past midnight. Tension sprang like a coiled snake in the pit of his stomach. He rushed inside, trying not to hit the panic button. Meera lay curled up on the sofa. She was supposed to be in bed. Where was the live-in nurse-cum-companion he had hired? He reached her side and gently touched her forehead. Her eyes flew open and a small smile curved her mouth. Relief washed over him and he sat down next to her. Ever since he had brought Meera to Mumbai he had been on tenterhooks, expecting the worst. Dr Banerjee had cautioned him to keep a lookout for the smallest signs of change in Meera’s behaviour—and to inform him as soon as there was any hint of deterioration. But, touch wood, with every passing day she had taken another baby step away from her depression-darkened days.

‘I was waiting for you,
Bhaiyya
!’

‘Shouldn’t you be in bed? And where is Deepti?’

Meera giggled. ‘Oh, I sent her off. What’s the time?’

‘It’s almost twelve-thirty, and high time you went to sleep, young lady.’

‘Oh, no.’ She grabbed the remote and switched channels till she found the one she was looking for. ‘We’ll miss the show… Look,
Bhaiyya
, isn’t this your resort?’

He stared at the large wall-mounted screen and right there was Rayna, looking like a goddess as she talked about Indian wedding rituals against the backdrop of Nirvana on the Beach. His eyes greedily took in the sight of her and the ache in his heart became unbearable.

It had been a little over four months since he had bid Rayna goodbye and resolved to erase his memories of her. With Meera teetering between moments of sanity and complete lunacy, he had been riven by guilt and remorse. For weeks he had kept a strict vigil, refusing to leave the clinic. He’d slept on a lumpy sofa in the doctor’s waiting room at night and paced the corridors by day. He was determined to bring his sister back from the brink. He was convinced that his presence would get through to her at some subconscious level. Like a ghost he’d haunted her room—sitting by her side for as long as the doctors would allow him to. For whatever it was worth, he’d decided not to leave the clinic until her condition improved.

The days turned into weeks and he had all but left the running of his business to Shiva and his team. Twice a day, he would take a break from his vigil and go to a café located near the clinic, quaff copious amounts of coffee and furiously work on his laptop. Through those long, lonely days and nights he often thought of Rayna and struggled to stop himself from reaching out to her.

Finally his patience and Dr Banerjee’s unrelenting care began to pay off. As Meera started to respond to the treatment, Neel urged his mother to visit her brother’s family in the US. It had been a stressful period for his mother too and, at his insistence, she had reluctantly agreed to go for a short holiday.

Meera’s recovery had been slow but extremely gratifying. The best part was that she no longer turned away from him. It was a fragile connection and Neel was careful not to overwhelm her with his concern. His reward lay in the fleeting warmth of her gaze or the tremulous smile that hovered on her lips when he greeted her in the morning. He knew he couldn’t rush the bonding process and he was more than grateful for every little scrap of emotional reciprocity.

After months of patient observation, Meera was finally ready to be discharged. Neel’s plan was to shift his mother and sister to his Mumbai apartment, where they could make a fresh start. Once Meera had settled in—with the help of Deepti, her round-the-clock carer—Neel once again took over the reins of his business. He made sure that whenever his sister needed him he was there for her. It had taken him a while to organise his business affairs so that he or Shiva was always just a phone call away but he still worried too much.

‘
Bhaiyya
, what’s wrong—?’

He smiled at her and stifled a yawn. ‘Nothing, sweetie. Just very tired. I need to hit the sack and you should too.’

‘OK. I’ve recorded the programme. We’ll see it tomorrow?’

He gave her a jaunty salute. ‘Of course!’

After Meera had gone off to her bedroom Neel
grabbed the TV remote. He watched the programme like a hungry man feasting his eyes on a sumptuous banquet from a distance. Every time Rayna appeared on the screen, he replayed it over and over again. He was transported back to the island and he relived every precious moment he’d shared with her. His mind went into overdrive until the restlessness in his soul became too much to bear. Throwing aside the remote, he stormed onto the balcony and inhaled the sea-scented air.

‘Rayna!’

Her name left his lips in an anguished whisper and disappeared into the night. He looked down at the lights of the buzzing metropolis and wished for the zillionth time that Rayna was with him. He could no longer deny what his heart knew—he might be able to exist without her but he was like a man condemned to living the rest of his life strapped to a ventilator.

Rayna dashed out of the cab and hurried into the glittering lobby of the imposing Taj Mahal Hotel. She’d a full day of back-to-back meetings but she was already running late. She spotted Neha Pandit, her efficient assistant, waiting for her at the reception. If it were not for Neha, she would be totally at sea. Setting up a premium line of branded jewellery was not a cakewalk and she’d worked day and night to ensure that all the pieces were ready for the launch event while Neha had taken charge of the marketing and administration aspects.

Four months ago when she’d returned to Mumbai from the island she had been an emotional wreck. After spending sleepless nights with frequent tearful outbursts she simply couldn’t find the enthusiasm to sign up for modelling assignments. She’d wallowed in
self-pity, gorged humungous amounts of chocolate and haunted the streets in the middle of the night to get some fresh air and exercise. But, after she was shadowed once by a homeless man, sanity returned.

Try as she might, she couldn’t find a cure for her Neel obsession. So one day she dug out her sketchbook and started sketching. As the designs began to take shape she rebooted her idea of launching her own line of jewellery, O’Ray Jewels. Soon after, Neha had come on board and they’d started working on their plan of launching the brand with a big-bang charity auction. The event was tonight. Adrenaline and tension vied for supremacy.

‘Neha, do you think we will be ready for the show?’

‘We’re gonna rock it!’ came Neha’s instant reply.

Rayna’s mobile vibrated. Milee. Her heart sank. She’d been avoiding her best friend ever since her return to Mumbai. Milee would suss out her Godzilla-sized heartache within minutes! Taking a deep calming breath she took the call.

‘Hey, Milee! When did you get in?’

‘Hey, you! How dare you keep secrets from your bestest friend?’

Rayna’s heart did a sharp thud against her chest. ‘What are you talking about?’

‘The charity auction, idiot! We got your invite. Lucky I was coming into Mumbai this week or else I would have missed out on the launch. Why the secrecy until the last minute, Ray?’

‘Oh, come on, now. We only finalised the venue last week.’

‘Are you sure you’re not hiding anything from me? Why do I get the feeling you’re avoiding me?’

Rayna laughed hollowly. ‘I hope you don’t bug the hell out of Chris with all your suspicious questions!’

‘OK. Now the red flag has gone up. You’re changing the topic, Ray.’

Rayna shook her head as she tried not to give in to the urge to confide in her friend. ‘No, I’m not doing anything of the sort. Now, honey, please let me go. Got a million things to do before the show. You and Chris are coming, right?’

‘Rabid dogs wouldn’t be able to keep me away. Go, do your thing. But remember—no secrets!’

Neel walked into his office at 8:00 a.m. He’d wanted to come in earlier but he didn’t want to skip his breakfast routine with Meera. He had made it through the night without any shut-eye, but he could deal with insomnia. The real problem was he couldn’t get Rayna out of his head. Or, more importantly, his heart. He needed her in his life like the breath he drew to stay alive. But would she accept him back into her life after he had walked out of it?

He looked up as Shiva’s staccato tattoo on the door announced his arrival.

‘Good morning, Boss,’ Shiva said cheerfully.

‘Morning, Shiva. First on your agenda is to get me Rayna’s number.’

‘Rayna Dutt? You don’t have it? I sent you a text message some time back, telling you to call her whenever you were free.’

Neel sat up straight in his chair. ‘When was this? Did she call?’

Shiva’s forehead scrunched up in a frown. ‘Let me see…a week or ten days after Chris Sir’s wedding. Since
you left strict instructions not to disturb you, I texted you her number.’

That was the time when he’d been walking a tightrope emotionally. He’d shut out every thought, every feeling and was focused on getting his sister back from the brink. He had moved Shiva to Mumbai to handle the operations while Shiva’s deputy had taken over his job at Nirvana on the Beach. The messages in his inbox had piled up and he still hadn’t got around to reading them all. Why had she called him? Was she in trouble? His mind was racing and his heartbeat kept pace.

‘What did she say? Was it an emergency?’

Shiva shook his head. ‘She was quite pleasant and told me how much she’d enjoyed herself at Nirvana. She needed to return something to you—and she did mention that it wasn’t very important or urgent.’

As Shiva went off to look for her contact details, Neel sank back into the swivel chair, desperately disappointed. She probably just wanted to return the ring to him. Right from the start, she’d been reluctant to accept it. And, of course, it would mean nothing to her…‘Not important’! Well, that was no surprise. After all, he had gone out of his way to stamp out whatever feelings she might have had for him on that last night at the island, hadn’t he?

The phone on his desk rang.

‘Hey, buddy!’ Chris’s warm greeting brought a smile to Neel’s face. ‘Good to have you back in action, man. I’m so glad to hear that your sister is recovering.’

‘Thanks, Chris! Meera’s health issues are still a work-in-progress but yes, she’s much better.’

‘Awesome! Would be great to catch up this evening. Are you free?’

‘You are in Mumbai?’

‘Yep. Happily ensconced in my favourite suite at the Taj.’

‘I thought you were coming in next week.’

‘Change of plan…wifey’s orders! The very minute we got the invite from Rayna, my darling wife reworked our schedules. You know Milee, don’t you? No one, not even God, would dare come between her and her best friend!’

Neel took in a sharp breath as his heart clenched in agony. Invite? What was Chris talking about? Could it be a
wedding
invitation? Just his blasted luck if Rayna had decided to get married to someone else. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Haven’t you been invited? Rayna’s launching her own line of jewellery with a big charity auction.’

Neel’s heart stuttered back into action and he exhaled on a rush.

‘What’s up, man?’ Chris continued. ‘I thought you two were an item.’

‘Hah! Nothing of the sort. Milee’s probably told you—’ A sliver of hope suddenly made his heart leap. Had Rayna not announced their break-up after all?

Milee broke into the conversation abruptly. ‘What am I supposed to know, Neel?’

‘Ah, Milee… I am very well too, thank you!’

‘Sorry for being so rude. I’m really happy that Meera is better now…but do you mind telling me what is going on between you and Rayna? Ever since the wedding Rayna has avoided me like the plague. Every time I call her she says, “Oh, Milee, I’m so busy, can’t talk now.” My bestest friend in the whole wide world who has never kept a secret from me seems to have gone all
CIA on me. And if you’re the reason for it, trust me, I’ll kill you!’

‘Whoa! Whoa! Hold your horses, will you? I was only telling your poor husband I haven’t seen Rayna for months now and I don’t have a clue about this event. You should be interrogating her, not me.’

‘You bet I will. I’m here now and all shall be disclosed.’

‘Now, that sounds ominous!’ Neel laughed.

‘Laugh away, Mr Arora,’ Milee said calmly. ‘But you’re not getting off so easily. You had better be there or else—’

He suggested, ‘You’ll kill me?’

‘Yeah, right… And, by the way, what did you mean by my “poor husband”?’ she said suspiciously.

‘OK, OK…please don’t take off again. You’re more dangerous than a drone missile!’

‘
Very funny.
7:00 p.m. Taj Land’s End. Just be there,’ she ordered.

‘They probably won’t let me in without an invite,’ Neel pointed out.

‘Figure it out on your own, Mr Arora.’

‘Aye aye, ma’am!’

Rayna was a bundle of nerves. As a model who regularly strutted the catwalks, she had lost her anxiety about public appearances long ago. The fact that two hundred plus guests had turned up at the glittering banquet hall of the Taj Land’s End for her inaugural exhibition, and many among them were about to bid for her pieces at the auction, was a whole new exciting, but extremely scary, prospect. The enthusiasm of the invitees—who ranged from top corporate honchos
to fashionistas and the Who’s Who of the cocktail circuit—had left her in no doubt that O’Ray Jewels was off to a great start. Even the unflappable Neha was all worked up about how appreciative the guests were about the collection.

‘Let’s see if they are willing to put their money where their mouth is,’ Rayna had cautioned Neha.

Taking a deep breath, she instinctively reached for her new ‘touchstone’—Neel’s ring—that she carried in her purse, drawing strength from it. Today, of all days, she wanted him to be here—to see her take her first big step towards her career goal. She took it out from her purse and held it against her lips…the cool touch of the stone calmed her down and her mind instantly flashed to the night when he had shown her that her fears were not insurmountable. His tenderness and sensitivity had left no room for her fears—and she had willingly given him her trust. Only to have him slam the door shut on her in the end.