Trouble Has a New Name (3 page)

Just then, the tall, fair-haired, blue-eyed Englishman, Chris Taylor, strolled into the room. ‘Finally, my partner and best man has arrived.’

Pulling Neel into a bear hug, he added, ‘You were so right. I’d no clue an Indian wedding could be
this
crazy. All those rituals and relatives. My head is reeling already.’

Neel laughed out loud. ‘It will only get worse.’

‘You’re kidding, right?’ Chris shuddered, half in jest.

‘You’ll find out soon enough. Here’s a bit of advice—just go with the flow.’

Chris shook his head as he looked at Shiva and said, ‘Shiva, there’s another challenge coming up for you. We have to accommodate a group of four people.’

Shiva was his cool, unflappable self. He grinned. ‘More relatives from the bride’s side, sir?’

‘No more cousins or aunts, thank heavens!’ replied Chris. ‘It’s a TV crew from the LLC and they want to feature our resort as one of the top ten beach destinations in Asia.’

‘The Leisure and Lifestyle Channel?’ asked Neel.

‘Yes, the very same.’

‘Do you think it is a good idea to have a film crew around at this time? Your guests are not going to like it.’

‘Can’t be helped. The publicist managed to pull this off with great difficulty,’ Chris said. ‘We just have to make sure the TV crew is as discreet as possible. And you’re going to do that, my friend.’

Shiva beamed at Neel. ‘Which means you can’t leave for Mumbai today.’

‘Leave?’ Chris looked flummoxed. ‘You can’t leave! You’re my best man, for Christ’s sake, and you can’t abandon me to this…this marriage mayhem! Besides, as the co-owner of the resort, the LLC team will have a ton of questions for you.’

‘Oh, come on, Chris. Shiva can take care of the team. It’s best if I go back to Mumbai. It would free up one villa for the crew.’

‘Trust me, I know how these guys operate,’ said Chris. ‘Shiva already has a lot on his plate and he won’t have the time to tend to the media team twenty-four-seven.’

‘Fine. So where do we put them up?’ Neel asked.

Chris turned to Shiva. ‘Magic man, any ideas?’

Shiva pulled out a file. ‘One moment, please.’ He scanned the spreadsheet with villa allocations for the guests as Chris paced the room impatiently.

Neel stood stony-faced, his arms crossed across his chest as he waited for Shiva to pull a rabbit out of his hat. The LLC team’s arrival had definitely put a spanner in the works. While he had no doubt that a mention on one of their shows would be a tremendous PR boost for the resort, he did not relish the idea of being in attendance at a grand wedding. And the thought of bumping into the infuriating Rayna at every turn was only going to make the situation more intolerable. But how could he leave Chris to deal with the demands of a TV crew at his own wedding? As he gazed anxiously at Shiva, he knew in his heart that, no matter how much he hated the whole idea, there would be no escape for him.

Shiva shook his head after a couple of minutes. ‘Nope. All booked up.’

Chris interjected, ‘No problem. I shall talk to Rayna right away and request her to share the villa with Neel. Sorry, pal.’

Neel shrugged in resignation. ‘I don’t mind. But she isn’t here yet. Decided to take the catamaran to the resort.’

Chris turned to Shiva. ‘Great, so that’s settled. Shiva, please let me know as soon as she gets here.’

Shiva nodded and left the two partners to discuss business matters.

Rayna had just walked into the villa when she heard the phone ringing off the hook. She raced to get it, knowing it must be Milee, dying for a chat.

As soon as she picked it up, a deafening scream floated over the telephone line, ‘Raynaaaaaa!’

She winced and pulled the receiver away from her ear. ‘Are you trying to strike me deaf, or what?’

‘Where have you been? I must have tried your mobile a million times.’

‘
Yaar
, don’t ask. It’s a long story.’

‘Tell me, tell me. I’m dying for some gossip.’ And, just as suddenly, she piped up, ‘Hey, the resort staff said you have checked in as a single guest. Where’s your boyfriend? Oh, dear, I have forgotten his name.’

Rayna wished she could obliterate Sid from her memory banks just as easily. But then life would be too easy, right? ‘Sid’s away on a shoot.’

‘What a bummer!’ Milee groaned. ‘This would have been the perfect holiday to kick off your
new
relationship.’

Rayna shook her head in exasperation. Milee could be like a dog with a bone at times. She had to gently break it to her friend that Sid had done the text-and-exit act. ‘Milee, we need to do one of our OOO sessions. I have a lot to tell you.’

‘One-on-one? Goody!’ exclaimed Milee. ‘My villa or yours?’

Rayna smiled, getting into the easy chatter she and Milee had used from the day she had moved into the house adjoining Milee’s in the small town of Agra. ‘You decide,’ she said.

‘Yours. My place is a madhouse. I need to get away from my sisters, cousins,
mamas
and
maasis
or I’ll go stark raving mad.’

‘OK, calm down right now. Let’s meet up in fifteen.’

‘Too long. Five minutes!’ Milee exclaimed. ‘No, make that two.’

‘I need to take a shower, Your Highness.’ Rayna laughed. She looked out longingly at the Jacuzzi, which for some strange reason was swirling and bubbling away. ‘For your sake, I’m willing to forgo a dip in the tempting Ja—’

She froze in mid-sentence. Emerging from the pool was a bronzed Greek god, with washboard abs and pecs toned to such exquisite perfection they would make the Goddess of Chastity swoon with desire. He walked to the stone bench, turned his back towards her and picked up the towel. Heat unfurled through her as she set eyes on a sexy butt draped in the briefest of trunks, leaving little to her already overactive imagination. Bronzed Greek god here would give John Abraham’s scorching
Dostana
act a run for his Bollywood billions. The target of her admiration towelled his thick dark hair and
turned to face her. Her mouth went dry as recognition slammed through her. OMG! Orange Juice Dude!

Realising she was still hanging onto the phone, she raised it to her ear. Milee was going hysterical at the other end of the line.

‘Hey,’ she said and, before Milee could rage on, added, ‘there is a guy in my villa. Can you tell me what’s going on?’

‘Oh, crap! I clean forgot,’ exclaimed Milee. ‘I should have told you earlier, but there’s a slight problem with the accommodation situation. You don’t mind sharing the villa with Neel, do you?’

Neel. So that was what the Greek god was called!

‘Milee, what do you mean?’ She was finding it so hard to focus with Neel’s stunning semi-naked torso just a few metres away.

‘C’mon, Ray, it’s not as if you have to share a bedroom. There is more than enough room in the villa. Honestly, if I wasn’t so in love with Chris, I would be hitting on Neel myself.’

Rayna nearly choked. He was eminently hit-able and that was exactly why she wouldn’t risk sharing the same air space with him. ‘Milee, will you please stop fooling around?’

‘Ray, what’s the matter with you? You have a sexy villa-mate, your own boy toy so to speak, and you’re complaining? Consider this my wedding gift to you.’

She heard Milee howling with laughter and sarcastically bit out, ‘Ha ha! I don’t need a boy toy, OK?’

The words were out before she could stop them and unfortunately the said ‘boy toy’ was now within hearing distance. His brows arched upwards and he gave her a withering look that made the heat rush to her cheeks.

‘OK, you wait for me there. We need to talk,’ she said in a loud whisper before banging the phone down.

‘Were you discussing me, by any chance?’ Neel asked as she struggled to regain her composure.

‘No,’ she squeaked. Clearing her throat, she asserted, ‘Not that it’s any of your business. It was a private conversation and eavesdropping is simply rude.’

‘If you want to have a private conversation, you should keep your voice down.’

She bristled and decided the situation demanded a change of tactics. Whoever said attack was the best form of defence had got it right!

‘You are the one who is intruding, Mister. By the way, don’t you have to get back to Mumbai? Not worried about getting fired? Or couldn’t you resist the temptation of enjoying all this luxury, especially when you don’t have to pay for it?’

He simply shrugged as his eyes bored down into hers. ‘My turn to say none of your business, lady! Get this straight… You can rant all you want. Fact is, we are sharing this villa and the sooner you get used to the idea, the better for both of us.’

She tried to keep her eyes from straying to his scandalously sexy chest, speckled with a light covering of dark hair. She was appalled to hear her voice tremble slightly. ‘No way. You’d better make alternative arrangements.’

‘Not happening. The resort is chock-a-block with guests. If it outrages your modesty to share the villa with me, you’re most welcome to shack up on the beach.’

He paused to savour her stunned expression and grinned wickedly. ‘You should try it…it can be quite beautiful under the starlit sky.’

He turned around and, whistling a jaunty tune, padded up the stairs to one of the bedrooms.

Incensed, she stormed out, banging the door shut behind her. Greek god or not, she wasn’t about to bow to him in mute obeisance!

F
ROM THE MOMENT
Neel had landed at the island, things had careered out of control. Weddings had a way of getting out of hand, no matter how meticulously you planned them. Or was his own bitter experience with a long-ago, high-society, razzle-dazzle wedding making him so restless? Whatever, he had a nasty feeling this was only the beginning of his troubles.

Much like it had been seven years ago, when he had, against his better judgement, allowed his mother to arrange a match for him. Papa had left behind a huge financial debt and Meera’s increasingly volatile behaviour only added to their worries. Only twenty-three years old, barely out of hotel management college, and he had had to take charge as the head of the family. He was running ragged—his dreams of going abroad for his studies had been shattered and he’d been forced to take up a low-paying job at a five-star hotel to support the family. As Meera’s condition continued to deteriorate, he’d reached the end of his tether.

That was when he’d met Pia, daughter of Papa’s closest friend, Ravi Gupta. She had dropped into their dark, grief-streaked lives like a ray of sunshine, full of laughter and fun. Pia and Meera bonded instantly
and soon became inseparable. Meera’s tempestuous mood swings began to abate. His mother believed Pia had worked some kind of miracle. She would breeze in and out of their house at all times of the day and night and his mother started fantasising about her as a prospective daughter-in-law. Her enthusiasm had rubbed off on him too.

Or maybe he already had a giant crush on Pia, who hadn’t left him in any doubt that she found him attractive. The few times he’d wanted to take her out on a date, she would turn coy. Much to his annoyance, either Meera or one of Pia’s cousins—a guy named Manish—would accompany them on their outings. Yet, for the first time in over a year, he felt carefree and young once more. Not like a man bent over with the responsibilities thrust upon him. But who knew the dreams they had begun to weave around Pia would be shattered so brutally?

The insistent buzz of his mobile phone shook Neel out of his unwelcome reminiscences.

‘Yes, Chris,’ he snapped curtly as he tried to shake off the last vestiges of the memories that clung to him like a shadow.

The LLC crew had arrived, Chris informed him. ‘Sure, I’ll be with you in two minutes.’

His jaw tightened at his lack of control. Even after so many years, the memory of Pia bothered him. This wedding was messing with his mind.

Milee’s villa was a hub of activity. Relatives swarmed all over as they prepared for the ceremonies and rituals. Rayna greeted Milee’s cousins, aunts and uncles, who were delighted to see her and wanted to know
what she’d been up to. Finally, her friend rescued her and locked the door to the bedroom. Milee bombarded her with questions at a rapid-fire pace. Getting a word in edgeways would be impossible, so Rayna just let the barrage subside before she said, ‘Are you done? Or is there anything that you haven’t asked?’

Milee burst out laughing. ‘Oh, Rayna, I have missed you. It’s been so long since we last met.’

‘Yes.’ Rayna rolled her eyes as she leaned back against the cushions. ‘Like, ten days ago at your bachelorette party in Mumbai!’

Milee waved her hands dismissively. ‘Doesn’t count. I was talking about an OOO, not the booze-laced
tamasha
the party turned out to be.’

Rayna winked at her, ‘Shush! You don’t want your
maasi
to know, do you?’

Milee stuck her tongue out and whispered dramatically, ‘My
maasi
has been giving me so much grief. She won’t even let me meet Chris. One would think I’m some kind of a virginal seventeenth-century bride.’

‘Virginal? And you? Ha!’ Rayna laughed. ‘But sneaking out at midnight to snog your groom is
so
romantic.’

Milee blushed prettily. ‘Shut up, you! Now, what’s up between you and Sid? Has he proposed yet? Have you guys moved in? Tell, tell, tell!’

Rayna’s fraction of a second hesitation put Milee’s antenna up. Her large brown eyes grew round in alarm. ‘Ray, what’s the matter?’

Rayna struggled to find the right words. She had always shared everything with Milee, but today she hesitated to talk about her break-up. This was the most important event in Milee’s life and she didn’t want to
say anything that would ruin the celebratory mood. ‘Oh, we had a fight. Sid promised to come with me for your wedding but took off at the last minute for some stupid commercial shoot in Bangalore. And we had a massive row.’

Milee’s face turned serious. ‘Are you sure it’s only a lovers’ tiff?’

Rayna hugged her friend. ‘You’re such a suspicious little thing! Believe me, that’s exactly what happened. Don’t get me wrong. I’m still mad as hell and, given half a chance, I would probably slit his throat.’

The heartfelt emotion in her statement got through to Milee and she giggled. ‘Yeah, right! More like you would melt in his arms. Anyway, that’s a big relief.’

‘What do you mean?’

Milee wrung her hands. ‘Actually, I have done something that I shouldn’t have.’

Rayna tried not to sound too anxious. ‘Come on Milee—out with it.’

‘Ah, well, you know how annoying Radhika can be. Well, she was going on and on about how you had messed up your life by making the wrong career choice, blah-blah… How you would never find an eligible guy to marry you.’

Rayna rolled her eyes. Radhika was their old schoolmate and a huge pain in the butt—always passing judgement on everyone else. ‘And…?’

Milee gulped. ‘I got so ticked off, I told her you were not only on the top of your career but you were seeing this wonderful guy…’ Her voice trailed off as she tried to gauge Rayna’s reaction.

Rayna’s eyebrows arched skywards. ‘Is that it?’

Milee looked guilty as hell and took Rayna’s arm. ‘I
know I shouldn’t have, but I told her you and Sid were engaged.’

Oh, dear, what a mess!
Though she meant well, Milee’s old habit of jumping to her defence had often ended up making things more difficult. Radhika, who took great pleasure in being the town megaphone, would have gone public with the news. She would bet the last rupee in her savings account that Robi Da and Sudha Bhabhi too had heard about it.

Milee squeezed her arm. ‘Please don’t be mad at me, Rayna… It’s not as if you and Sid are in Splitsville, even if you have argued.’

Rayna embraced her friend, trying to hide the dismay she felt. ‘Of course I’m not mad. Don’t worry—it will be fine.’

Milee hugged her back in relief. ‘Oh, thank God!’

RBIL #4: Trouble always comes neatly wrapped in large-size packs.

While Sid’s betrayal claimed top billing, there were more than enough items on her ‘worry list.’ She was so not looking forward to meeting her frenemies from Agra now, and besides she needed to sort out the issue of her accommodation.

‘Hey, Milee, why don’t I crash out with you? It would be like our sleepovers at your home in Agra.’

‘Oh, Rayna, I wish! But, you know, this place is quite crazy. We have had some last-minute guests turn up. I’m already sharing my room with two cousins.’

Rayna racked her brain to come up with an alternative suggestion but failed.

‘Wait a minute. There’s one free twin bed but…’

‘That’s fine with me.’ Rayna pounced at the offer. ‘I don’t mind sharing the room.’

Milee paused for a second. ‘You’ll have to share it with Agra Aunty.’

Exasperation battled with dismay as Rayna asked, ‘She is here?’

Milee made a face. ‘She arrives today. My mother insisted on inviting her.’

‘Robi Da and Sudha Bhabhi also?’

Milee shook her head. ‘They declined…made some excuse about a long delayed holiday to Europe.’

Rayna muttered, ‘More likely they backed out because they knew I would be here.’

‘I’m really sorry, Ray.’

Rayna felt like a heel for making such a fuss when Milee had her umpteen relatives to worry about. ‘Hey, no issues. I will be fine sharing with Neel. Promise.’

Milee sighed. ‘I knew you would understand.’ Then added, tongue firmly in cheek, ‘You know what, this is the perfect opportunity to get your revenge on Sid for ditching you. Maybe you could indulge in a little wedding fling with Neel? He’s so
H-O-T
!’

Rayna nearly choked at that, grabbed a pillow and flung it at Milee, who ducked out of the way, howling with laughter.

Her curiosity, though, was piqued. ‘How come you know Neel so well, huh?’

Milee rolled her eyes. ‘Now, now! Don’t jump to conclusions. Neel Arora is Chris’s business partner and co-promoter of this resort.’

Rayna’s jaw dropped. Her mind played back all the stupid remarks she had made about him being fired and she cringed with embarrassment. Gosh, she had a serious case of foot-in-mouth disease. She would sink through the floor the next time she saw him! To make
matters worse, she would now have to share a villa with him. This situation was only getting knottier by the minute.

Why on earth did she go all jelly-kneed when the hot, hot hotelier was anywhere in the vicinity? She was a professional model, for God’s sake! She was used to working with attractive men, but none of them got her in such a tizzy.

Luckily for Rayna, Milee’s
maasi
needed to discuss some critical wedding-related details with her and she made good her escape. She needed to go for a run to clear the cobwebs in her brain.

Her thoughts were still on Neel when Maya, the wedding planner, stopped her. ‘I have planned something really fun and exciting for the
sangeet
,’ said Maya. ‘We’ll talk about it when we all meet for cocktails at the poolside this evening. But remember not to discuss this with Milee. It’s meant to be a surprise.’

The whole wedding machinery was being cranked up. Having been at several such high-society nuptials, Rayna knew that the
sangeet
would be the highlight of the celebrations.
Sangeet
, or literally
music
, with all its fun, frolic and laughter, was a great occasion for the groom and bride’s friends and family to get to know each other. But, as marriages got more lavish, the spontaneity of the ritual had been lost. The modern version was a highly choreographed event that was usually filmed and then splashed all over the Internet. Wedding planners’ careers were often made or broken on whether or not the
sangeet
they had organised for their celebrity clients had gone viral.

As she crossed the lobby of the hotel and headed towards the beach, she noticed a group of guests making
their way to the reception desk. Her eyes instantly picked out Neel, dressed in a cream-coloured silk
kurta
and khakis. He was chatting with some Westerners carrying a bunch of what looked like cinematography equipment. The logos of LLC—the TV channel—confirmed her suspicions. Well, her friend’s wedding promised to be splashier than most.

Right behind her a couple whispered to each other and laughed. Rayna stopped dead in her tracks as recognition mixed with horror and anger rippled through her. It was Sid, her ex of five days, who seemed to have found himself a new girlfriend with a speed that would put Casanova to shame. She couldn’t believe her eyes—Sid, who’d wanted her to move in with him not so long ago, was now with some other woman! Stuck to his side, like a tick on a dog, was Karisma Mehta, Bollywood’s newest and hottest item girl, whose
Sexy Sharmilee
number for the latest blockbuster had set celluloid screens on fire.

It took all her willpower not to march up to Sid and spew the venom that bubbled inside her. The casual manner in which he had cut her off from his life made her feel cheap and used. Soon her rage against Sid turned to self-recrimination; she’d actually believed he was the right man for her! Had she been so overwhelmed by his gesture of recommending her for a few assignments that she had shut her eyes to his faults? A man who could switch his affections so easily and quickly—she was disgusted at her own lack of judgement.

Rayna turned on her heel and headed off in the opposite direction, intent only on putting as much distance as possible between her and the deceitful man.
What she needed desperately was an escape from her torturous thoughts.

Unmindful of where she was going, she collided against a hard muscular chest. Her breath whooshed as the spicy notes of a male-scented perfume enveloped her, leaving her in no doubt of the identity of the person she’d crashed into. Neel.

‘What’s the rush, Ms Dutt?’ He grabbed her around the waist and she found herself pinned to him. His body heat seeped through her light cotton T-shirt and ignited a spark under her skin. Her mouth turned dry as she looked up into his grey twinkling eyes.

She seethed and pushed against his chest. ‘Seems like you were in no rush to reveal your true identity, Mr Neel Arora.’

He loosened his grip slightly but his hand stayed around her waist. A slow-burning heat began to sizzle in her blood.

He shrugged. ‘It wasn’t intentional but you’d made up your mind and there was no reason for me to correct your misconceptions.’

‘That’s deception,’ she said sharply. ‘Especially when you knew everything about me.’

He angled his head in agreement and her heart dipped as the dimple in his cheek deepened deliciously. ‘True. Must admit I did enjoy having an advantage over you.’

She had had it up to her ears with deceitful men. ‘When exactly were you going to tell me? After you had sent me packing to sleep on the beach?’

‘Whoa! Whoa!’ His eyes narrowed as he looked at her intently. ‘I was seriously out of line there. Why don’t we shake hands, introduce ourselves and get to know each other over a beer?’

The devastating smile that accompanied his excuse of an apology had already doused much of her anger and was making her warm in a very different kind of way. ‘Oh, what’s with the peace pipe all of a sudden, Mr Arora?’

‘Call me Neel, please. Shall we sit at the bar and discuss it?’

Curiosity flared through her. But she didn’t want to get up close and personal with her too-hot-to-be-true villa-mate. She needed to keep her sanity intact. Getting all chummy with him did not spell smart strategy.