Free The Bestseller She Wrote by Ravi Subramanian Page A
Authors: Ravi Subramanian
vibrated again. Another message.
Tim had sent him an SMS from across the table. Extremely embarrassed, Aditya kept the phone down. It vibrated a few times post that, but Aditya stoically refused to look at it.
By the time the meeting ended everyone agreed that the entire staff retrenchment exercise would be completed within the next ninety days.
At 6 pm Aditya packed up his bags and was ready to leave. He looked around for Shreya. When he couldn’t find her, he sent her a message. She came hurriedly towards his cabin within a couple of minutes.
‘I was leaving, so was looking for you,’ Aditya said.
‘Leaving early today?’ Suddenly she remembered her discussion with him earlier that day. ‘Oh you have that Bollywood party, right?’
Aditya pretended to frown, even as he murmured, ‘I hate these Bollywood parties. They suck.’
‘But isn’t this one for you?’
Aditya nodded. Viacom, one of the largest film production houses, was throwing a party to celebrate the commissioning of a film based on Aditya’s third book.
‘You obviously have to look dapper and sound excited,’ Shreya added.
‘Haha! Yes. I don’t have a choice. Professional hazard,’ he commented and picked up his bag. Before leaving the room, he asked her, ‘Wanna come?’
‘Me? Would have loved to but Sunaina is coming.’
‘So?’
‘She is transiting through Mumbai. I’m to meet her at the airport. She will get upset if I don’t,’ she sighed.
‘Oh!’ Aditya nodded.
‘Had I not committed to meet her, I would have come with you.’ Shreya was feeling quite disappointed at having to turn him down; she loved these parties. ‘I will come when you have a proper book event . . . Like the EasyLib one. I am a sucker for those. But . . .’
‘But what . . .?’
‘Don’t get me wrong . . . but you are going for a Bollywood party dressed like that?’ she pointed towards his suit and said.
He looked confused.
‘Isn’t it too formal . . . ish? Don’t you need to look slightly cool for these Bollywood parties?’
‘Haha! It is fine. If they don’t like me they can throw me out,’ he laughed.
She laughed too.
They had been walking and had now reached his car. ‘Cool. See you tomorrow,’ Aditya said. He waved at her and drove off. Once he reached JW Marriott, the venue for the party, he went straight to the washroom and looked at himself in the mirror. Why did Shreya say that he didn’t look cool enough?
*
Maya was awake when he reached home that night. She was correcting some answer scripts.
‘How was the party?’
‘Awful. You know how much I hate these filmy do’s,’ he lied, to show solidarity with Maya who herself felt stifled at these parties. ‘You should have come. I wouldn’t have felt as bored.’
‘I am very happy with my world, Aditya. You know how much I hate these air kissing and backside groping parties,’ she winked at him.
He smiled and sheepishly asked her, ‘How do I look in this suit?’
‘Awesome, Mr Kapoor. I would have married you, had you come in front of me in this suit.’
‘Well the question to be answered then is whether you would have married me because of this suit, or despite it,’ said Aditya. He patted her head and walked to the bedroom to freshen up and change. On the way, he remembered something and stopped.
‘Oh by the way, Siddharth Malhotra from Midas Touch Entertainment was there. He approached me to be a judge for a reality show on TV, a dance show.’
‘Ewwww . . .’ Maya exclaimed.
‘Hahahaha!’ Aditya guffawed. ‘I knew this is how you’d react.’
‘Are you mad? Don’t be so blinded by the arclights that you make a fool of yourself. You have a huge stature in this industry. Maintain some mystique around yourself. And a reality show? Where is the synergy?’ she went back to her papers. She looked up through her reading glasses and added, ‘I hope you didn’t say
By the time the meeting ended everyone agreed that the entire staff retrenchment exercise would be completed within the next ninety days.
At 6 pm Aditya packed up his bags and was ready to leave. He looked around for Shreya. When he couldn’t find her, he sent her a message. She came hurriedly towards his cabin within a couple of minutes.
‘I was leaving, so was looking for you,’ Aditya said.
‘Leaving early today?’ Suddenly she remembered her discussion with him earlier that day. ‘Oh you have that Bollywood party, right?’
Aditya pretended to frown, even as he murmured, ‘I hate these Bollywood parties. They suck.’
‘But isn’t this one for you?’
Aditya nodded. Viacom, one of the largest film production houses, was throwing a party to celebrate the commissioning of a film based on Aditya’s third book.
‘You obviously have to look dapper and sound excited,’ Shreya added.
‘Haha! Yes. I don’t have a choice. Professional hazard,’ he commented and picked up his bag. Before leaving the room, he asked her, ‘Wanna come?’
‘Me? Would have loved to but Sunaina is coming.’
‘So?’
‘She is transiting through Mumbai. I’m to meet her at the airport. She will get upset if I don’t,’ she sighed.
‘Oh!’ Aditya nodded.
‘Had I not committed to meet her, I would have come with you.’ Shreya was feeling quite disappointed at having to turn him down; she loved these parties. ‘I will come when you have a proper book event . . . Like the EasyLib one. I am a sucker for those. But . . .’
‘But what . . .?’
‘Don’t get me wrong . . . but you are going for a Bollywood party dressed like that?’ she pointed towards his suit and said.
He looked confused.
‘Isn’t it too formal . . . ish? Don’t you need to look slightly cool for these Bollywood parties?’
‘Haha! It is fine. If they don’t like me they can throw me out,’ he laughed.
She laughed too.
They had been walking and had now reached his car. ‘Cool. See you tomorrow,’ Aditya said. He waved at her and drove off. Once he reached JW Marriott, the venue for the party, he went straight to the washroom and looked at himself in the mirror. Why did Shreya say that he didn’t look cool enough?
*
Maya was awake when he reached home that night. She was correcting some answer scripts.
‘How was the party?’
‘Awful. You know how much I hate these filmy do’s,’ he lied, to show solidarity with Maya who herself felt stifled at these parties. ‘You should have come. I wouldn’t have felt as bored.’
‘I am very happy with my world, Aditya. You know how much I hate these air kissing and backside groping parties,’ she winked at him.
He smiled and sheepishly asked her, ‘How do I look in this suit?’
‘Awesome, Mr Kapoor. I would have married you, had you come in front of me in this suit.’
‘Well the question to be answered then is whether you would have married me because of this suit, or despite it,’ said Aditya. He patted her head and walked to the bedroom to freshen up and change. On the way, he remembered something and stopped.
‘Oh by the way, Siddharth Malhotra from Midas Touch Entertainment was there. He approached me to be a judge for a reality show on TV, a dance show.’
‘Ewwww . . .’ Maya exclaimed.
‘Hahahaha!’ Aditya guffawed. ‘I knew this is how you’d react.’
‘Are you mad? Don’t be so blinded by the arclights that you make a fool of yourself. You have a huge stature in this industry. Maintain some mystique around yourself. And a reality show? Where is the synergy?’ she went back to her papers. She looked up through her reading glasses and added, ‘I hope you didn’t say
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