Page 66 of Made in Mumbai

She snorted, as if that was funny. It was not. He meant it. But he let her believe it as she went around her apartment collecting things.

As her room began to pack up, Gautam realised all this would unravel in his space. The impulsive offer was already coming to haunt him. But just as soon he saw Maya separating ladles and spoons as she threw them into a box where they were inevitably getting mixed up again. And the ghosts of his thoughts left him. A day with her had ruined and rebuilt him. This was more than a day. What would it do to him?

12. Hungama Hai Kyu Barpa

“It’s just a matter of 3-4 days,” Maya said for the fifth time as they walked down his penthouse floor. He had gestured the security to his car in the parking lot, where Maya’s belongings were stuffed. It hadn’t looked like much in the her small apartment, but had packed up to a whopping 4 suitcases and 3 large cardboard boxes. He had had to drop his backseat to fit it all. And it was nearing evening by the time they were done.

“Ok,” he droned, for the fifth time to her as he opened the door to his house and stood to the side.

“Wow,” she entered with that incredulous expression that she most certainly carried for most things in life. This one, was just as genuine. And he wondered how she appreciated things she had seen all her life. She came from a wealthy family, had married into one he assumed was just as wealthy, considering it was an arranged marriage. Her parents’ home used to be in Walkeshwar all those years ago, a sea-facing upmarket area of South Bombay. She must have seen countless sunsets like these, better ones, because his penthouse didn’t exactly have a sea view.

The wall of windows in front of them was burning orange, the 12th floor not as high because the suburbs had a fly-zone radar. But it did offer good views of the swaying palm and coconut trees, smaller buildings and the sea-link in the distance.

“This is the living area as you can see,” he showed her, feeling like he was tearing a child away from a funfair when he took her from the window. “Here is the open kitchen. The bedrooms are this way. I use one for myself, and one to store my work files. You can take the third one,” he opened the door next to his and showed her the second master. It was almost as spacious as his, except the bathroom here didn’t have a fitted jacuzzi in the tub. He didn’t go into those details.

She deposited her bag on the sitting area and ran to the glass panels that opened onto the running deck.

“Can I open this?”

“Since when do you ask?”

Maya gave him a look over her shoulder. He smirked, crossing his arms across his chest — “Go ahead. We have mosquito repellents burning.”

She slid open the glass doors and stepped out, the wind instantly whipping her clothes until they stuck to her skin. And his heart somersaulted. That bump, it was clear as day. He had had a similar reaction last night when she had walked into his show’s backstage looking like a goddess in that dress. And then she had turned and her swollen front had made him rear back, as if shot.

He turned away, because that’s how good she looked. There was something stronger about her in this vulnerability, something that made her look like not just a fighter but a warrior. As if she was about to wage wars every day for the rest of her life now with her future that was to come. Gautam could respect that.

“I’ll see about those bags. You settle in, you have to take it easy anyway. We will see what to do for dinner…” he didn’t even pay heed to half of what he said as he hightailed it out of there, tearing his head away from what looked like a funfair to his eyes.

Gautam ran a hand through his hair. He had to get out of here before he got sucked into her orbit again. Quick.

————————————————————

“My cook comes once a day and makes whatever I write on the whiteboard on the kitchen. He also shops for everything needed. Now, I can ask him to come twice…”

“No,” she shook her head. “Don’t change your routine for a few days. I’ll make breakfast, lunch whatever in the morning. It sounds cheap of me to offer you a few days’ rent but I want to contribute however I can…”

He passed her the tub of fiery red bhaji with a dollop of butter floating on the top. That silenced her into serving herself. They had ordered Pav Bhaji from her ‘favourite’ Shiv Sagar hotel nearby. Apparently, all Shiv Sagars in Mumbai were different and he ‘didn't know how to differentiate yet.’ The colour of the bhaji looked angry, but he had to agree, it smelled good with the perfect buttery pav and finely chopped onions. That Juhu Pav Bhaji would always have its place, but this one looked good too.

“I can go shopping for groceries? Or order online from my account…”

“No need for that,” he asserted as she passed the tub back to him. “Let’s not make this very formal. Anyway I won’t be here for the next week.”

“Why? Where are you going?” She took a seat on the chair next to his. They sat on his dining table because that’s how he always dined. Properly.

“On a work trip,” he scooped some bhaji onto his pav and bit into it. Yes, it tasted just as good as it looked.

“Where?”

“Turkey.”

“Turkey? Is GK Textiles planning to expand internationally?”

“Not fabrics. It’s regarding something else,” he clipped. And she got the hint because she instantly changed the topic. Gautam didn’t like this version of Maya. The one in the office would have pestered him to death until he spit out.

As if his cool response had set the tone for their dinner, the topics remained impersonal. Neither he pried into her affairs, nor did she bring her sunny personality to the party. He was slowly beginning to see Maya’s leached out part. As if she glowed so bright all day outside for everyone that when she was home, her batteries opted out.

After all, even the sun needed the night to recoup.

---