Page 2 of Chasing Hope

He lived in a plush twenty-crore condo in Band Stand, Bandra. His view from the 23rd floor overlooked the glorious sea. A gust of cool breeze swept past the open French doors and filled his nostrils with the scent of the sea. He inhaled deeply and closed his eyes, drawing solace in the silence.

‘It comes with a price.’ As the editor-in-chief of India’s number-one news channel, Ethan's monthly salary ran in lakhs. He had no dearth of money.

‘Why do you think I’m still friends with you? It’s definitely not ‘cause of your charming personality.’

‘Touché.’ They smiled and raised their bottles. ‘You’re the best damn vet in town, and I’m not faring too bad myself either.’ Ethan toed off his wet sneakers and rested his hip on the counter. ‘I don’t recall giving you access to my wardrobe.’ Ethan’s eyebrow lifted as he observed Aarav dressed in one of his old navy t-shirts. They were both around the same build – six feet, two inches, all muscles. Aarav shrugged and polished off his drink.

‘I’m spending your money and saving up mine for our old age. From the looks of it, with your daredevil antics and my frivolous lifestyle, we are sure to end up single.’ Phoenix eyed them and shook himself, splashing water every which way. His tail spiked and he lumbered back into his room. Aarav’s eyes narrowed as he spotted the bluish wound on Ethan’s jaw.

‘You must be going soft in your old age.’ Aarav received a hard glare at his intended pun.

‘Piss off. We are both thirty fucking four years old. I don’t see you pausing your sexual encounters to give yourself some well-deserved rest. I’m in my prime and I’ve never felt more alive.’

‘Alivebeing the operative word. You have some set of balls on you, you know that?’ Aarav’s tone had an edge to it.

‘So I’ve been told before.’ Ethan knew where this conversation would lead them. He kept a check on his rising temper and jammed his hand in his pocket. He whirled around leaving Aarav to talk to his back.

‘Just ‘cause the media has termed you ‘Modern Day Batman’ you think you can singlehandedly punish every criminal out there who threatens or beats a woman?’ Ethan’s hand curled around the eye patch, which to him felt like it held the power of a grenade. His heartbeat roared in his ears as horrific memories of the past gushed to the surface, taunting him. Aarav’s voice rose and his honey-brown eyes blazed. ‘Scouting the dangerous streets at night, thinking you’re bloody invincible, looking for trouble and putting your life in danger is not going to bring your mother back.’

Ethan’s chest heaved with angry breaths and his eyes turned dark and cold as the night ocean. His long legs covered the ground to the master bedroom in angry strides. Deep in his heart, he knew Aarav was only looking out for him. And that was why he had to get away from him before he blew a fuse. Aarav was the only one who knew of Ethan’s secret. They had kept the secret between them for the last five years. Age had caught up and Aarav had made it abundantly clear time and again that Ethan had to drop the vigilante role before he got himself killed.

‘What in the bloody hell do you think you're going to achieve with this arcane need of yours?’

‘A good night’s sleep knowing that I saved a life.’

Aarav slammed his bottle on the counter. ‘Fuck it. You have a death wish. And there’s only so much I can do to drill sense into you.’

‘Glad we are in agreement.’ Ethan nodded and slammed his room door.

‘At least you got innovative with the eye patch. Shanaya says bling is in.’ Aarav shouted so as to be heard behind the closed door.

Shaking off the effect of Aarav’s words, Ethan got rid of his clothes and stepped into his shower cubicle. His lungs strained as he pulled in a long breath. Subconsciously his palm grazed over the black tattoo of a phoenix spanning one-half of his chest. The gesture calmed him and his heartbeat slowed. He stared at the flowing muddy trail as hot water pelted down, cleansing his body. If only it was that easy to wash off the sordid memories of the past.

Chapter Two

‘OMG. He’s so handsome. I’m such a huge fan,’ A teenager with stars in her eyes and a hand on her heart sighed into the mic.

‘Oh Rish was so, so hot in the movie. He is my favourite hero. I’m going to watch this movie a zillion times,’ The teenager’s counterpart grabbed the mic and shouted into it.

‘It’s called a mic for a reason,’ Hope Pereira said under her breath as her gaze cruised through the multiplex. God, she could feel her brain pulsing with the need to explode. Another lot of squealing girls spilled out of the exit door. It appeared as if the movie had cast a magic spell on the female gender. Their eyes sparkled and soulful sighs resounded in the hallway.

Hope spread her lips, pulling off an equally star-struck expression. She tucked a lock of her nut-brown hair behind her ear and blinked with feigned innocence. The reckless strand fell back out to graze her chubby cheeks. Mink-brown eyes purfled with thick dark lashes twinkled as she turned to face the camera.

‘As you can see from the excitement buzzing all around us, it’s pretty evident that Bollywood heartthrob Rishi Saxena has yet another blockbuster under his belt.Rockstar Rishihas opened with a colossal start at the box office with two hundred and eighty crore rupees on its first day of release, smoothly breaking the record of Rishi’s previous release.’ Hope’s tone reached its pinnacle of exhilaration and her eyes wandered back to the mesmerised female group which had tripled in the last five minutes.

The electric energy around her zinged her with a searing streak. Hope knew this next question would tick him off, but his seething irritation was all she lived for.

Hope spun to her side and an eager smile surfaced on her lips. Goosebumps from anticipation sprouted along her skin. ‘So, what if I tell you that one lucky girl here will get to go on a romantic date with the one, the only Rishi Saxena?’ The walls of not only the multiplex but the entire mall shook with the thundering impact of their screams. By the end of this, Hope was certain she would lose her hearing. So far so good. A smug smile spanned her round face. ‘Well then, lovely ladies, don’t forget to drop your name in the box—’ Before she could take her next breath, Hope was spun around in circles as the female fanatics charged towards a glass box, resting on a table with Rishi’s lifesize shirtless cutout plastered on the backboard. Still reeling from the effects of the human tornado, Hope grasped the sidebar to steady herself. Her pulse quickened, and she tightened her grip around the mic. ‘On that ebullient note, ladies and gentlemen, this is Hope Pereira signing off with cameraman Vansh Gupta, First Up News, Mumbai.’

The camera shot a montage of the disordered female flock before fading out the scene. Hope exhaled. Her ears still rang with the impact of their screams. Be that as it may, it was all worth it. A shade of contempt laced her light eyes, and her voice raked with disdain.

‘Take that, Ethan Jacob.’

***

‘The act of balancing our egos helps strengthen our character. As humans, we are built with an innate need to have a sense of belonging and importance. The ego is a misgiving self-centred ambition. With an inflated ego, we come across as spoiled and pettish.’

Hope smoothed down her dress and shifted in her seat. Why did she have a feeling that today’s sermon was God’s way of somehow indicating to her to drop her juvenile pranks? Had she gone too far with her stunt from yesterday? She’d know for sure when she got back to the office the following day. At the thought of him, her skin broke out in angry goosebumps. Where Ethan was concerned, Hope just couldn’t seem to help herself. The man excelled at pushing her buttons. Rather, his existence depended on making Hope’s life miserable. There was no one she hated more than she did Ethan Jacob. For instance, if she had to choose between a skunk or Ethan, she would embrace the skunk – stink and all.

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