Inside was a complete riot. Three different types of music were blasting through the hall into one loud blare. Showbiz parties were regular parties on overdrive. The hall was jampacked with people dressed to the nines, swinging, drinking, guffawing at private jokes. A seasoned director was openly kissing a girl who was clearly not his wife.
"Isn't she dating a cricketer?" Ru screamed into Aarav's ears over the boom of the bass. Aarav gave a weak shrug; he had little to no interest in who is dating what.
The further they went in, the crazier it got. They were bumping against shoulders and elbow and slowly snaking their way inside, careful not to catch any spilled drinks on their clothes. The bar was in a small indoor garden that looked impossible to reach, seeing how crowded it was. Maria suddenly pulled Aarav for a selfie with a young guy Aarav may have seen in one of her videos.
"How are you, man?"
The guy fist-bumped Aarav, and he played along, with no clue who that guy was. Another man came up to Maria, old and fat, clearly drunk, and began chatting her up like a weirdo. Aarav saw Maria's pained smile and reluctance to keep talking to the guy, but the man did not know how to take a hint. Aarav clutched Maria's hand.
"Babe, the drinks line is getting longer," he said loudly, pulling Maria along.
Maria mumbled an excuse to the old man and left him there, but not before the man forced a hug from her.
"What an asshole!" Aarav swore and shot the man a glare.
Maria gave a half-smile. "Half the people here are assholes," she said with her adorable lilt. "But I know how to deal with them. Do not worry," she reassured.
The indoor garden seemed impossible to get in. Seemed like all the superstars and mega producers had congregated there, cheering and whistling at a star singing at the karaoke.
"We should go upstairs," Maria echoed, just what Aarav was thinking. "Here, there is no air to breathe."
Aarav smiled and nodded. He was lucky to find someone as gorgeous as her who also read his mind like a book. Even in all that glitz and glamor, she looked stunning in her blue minidress, light makeup, and beautiful blond hair. He held her hand tighter and guided her over to one of the slick, winding stairs. All of a sudden, he realized Ru was not behind them, and he had not seen him in a while. He turned and scanned that sea of heads in that dimly lit hall, where flashing party lights were blinding the eyes.
"What do you look for?" Maria asked, and Aarav was about to answer when his eyes found Ru tucked away by the door to the garden, chatting happily with a girl his age.
"Nothing," Aarav answered and pulled his gaze back to the stairs.
He cut a path through the intoxicated guests, swaying dangerously on the stairs, and led Maria up carefully. She breathed a loud sigh once they were at the top. They each got a drink from the less busy bar and stood by the railing of the upstairs passage that was overlooking the indoor garden, where that karaoke event was going at full swing.
"Enjoying?" Maria asked, with a twinkle in her sea-blue eyes.
She knew Aarav hated these parties. This was only the second one he attended in the two months they had been dating. But it was easy with Maria. He had never dated anyone longer than a month; but Maria was different.
Aarav gazed at her slender face, sharp, long nose, and full lips. "With you here, how can I not?" He said with a mischievous grin that he knew the ladies adored.
Maria rolled her eyes as if saying stop with the flirting already. But Aarav meant what he said. Maria was smart and beautiful, tall and sexy as fuck, reserved but when she spoke, she seemed to know what was on his mind. Even in this chaotic shitshow, her presence calmed Aarav. They were standing hidden from the prying eyes, under the long shadow of a nearby pillar. Aarav saw his chance and pulled Maria close. He pressed his mouth against her lips, moist and sweet like strawberry.
"Umm," he moaned, "I love strawberries."
Maria smiled and ducked her head shyly. Few strands of her silky, golden hair fell over her face. Aarav caught them and pulled them back over her ear. He wanted to tell her how hot she looked when a loud, screeching noise from the loudspeaker stung his ears. For a moment, his ears went numb. Aarav turned and glanced down to see which fool was at the microphone, and lo and behold,
"Oh rat on a cat, sorry guys." It was Ru, standing at the microphone, with a big, apologetic smile. "Looks like the mike hates me. Won't be the first Mike. The last one hated me too after I kicked him out of my place for cheating on me with his wife."
The crowd burst into a loud giggle.
"Oh, he is really funny," Maria muttered and sipped her drink.
He could be, Aarav thought, if he wasn't his annoying, snotty self. Ru was standing in the middle of the indoor garden, by the karaoke screen and shuffling through the songs, while others waited for him to start. He deserved a prize for slipping through that tight, gigantic crowd and reaching the microphone.
"When did he move in?" Maria aked, putting a hand on top of Aarav's, around the steel rail, "I remember speaking to him a couple of months ago at a party. That was him, right?"
Aarav took a mouthful of his Jamieson on rocks. "Few weeks ago. Lost his job and then was about to lose his place too. You know how it is here." Aarav played it cool. "Didn't want him to be kicked out into the streets." More like grew tired of his whining and crying on the group chat.
"Awww, you are a very good friend," Maria said simply and kissed him lightly on the cheek.
Aarav was about to kiss her back on her lips when a screeching voice attacked him like the howling of wolves. It was exactly like the first time he had heard Ru's voice, only it was a hundred times louder and worse. The idiot was trying to keep up with a song playing on the karaoke but was failing miserably. His notes were all over the place; his voice cracked half the time, and Aarav was pretty sure one of his high notes actually went ultrasonic.
"Oh boy…." Maria uttered exactly what Aarav was thinking.
Soon, there were some quiet titters, people turning away their faces to hide their giggles, trying hard not to laugh openly. Poor Ru had zero clue how terrible his singing was, kept going with his eyes closed, even with a finger against an ear, thinking that it helped his scale. All it helped was make him look like a fool. Then, he opened his eyes and saw all the people biting their lips and trying not to laugh. His face fell.
"I feel bad for your friend," Maria stood straight against the railing and sighed.
"Don't. He is too foolish and stuck up to understand how bad he is," Aarav told her with all honesty and received a slap on the shoulder.
Ru stood still for a second, all tense and awkward. And then he dropped the mike and dashed out of garden, drilling through the thick crowd.
"Get him; he needs a drink." Maria looked at Aarav, with a request.
Aarav rolled his eyes. "Come on! He is a grown man; he will be fine," he argued.
"No, please. I know how mean these people can be," Maria whispered. "Now, find him." She pushed Aarav towards the hallway, and he reluctantly complied.
Aarav made his way down to the lobby of the hall, back into the sea of people, now more intoxicated than before. He swept a glance around and did not see Ru. But then, he was turning back to the stairs when he caught a glimpse of his red, ruffled shirt by the empty pool outside.
Aarav stepped through the double glass doors, hopped over the fence around the pool, and padded over to Ru, who was sulking near one of the benches by himself. Ru saw Aarav approaching and turned away.
"I know it was bad," Ru blurted out before Aarav even opened his mouth, "You don't have to rub it on my face."
"Two weeks from now, no one would remember a thing." Aarav sat beside him and offered his glass. "Jamieson?"
Ru glared at him. "I hate whiskey."
"That's because you haven't tried it yet," Aarav assured him, lifting a brow.
Ru snatched the glass from him and chugged the whole thing in one long swig. "I am such a fool," he lamented, reclining back on the bench. "I don't know why I came here."
"You are not having fun?" Aarav questioned with a small tease, but Ru did not seem to notice it.
"No, I mean, I don't know why I came to Mumbai. I wish I had just stayed in Delhi and joined Dad in business. But no. Of course I had to get into a big fight with him, leave everything behind, and escape to this jungle of a showbiz. What was I thinking?!" Ru snapped at himself. "I can't even sing. In fact, I don't think I have any talent whatsoever." Ru turned to his side and began to sob.
The guy was having a meltdown, and Aarav had little clue what to say. "Your joke about Mike was funny," he noted.
Ru sniffled and then gave a low chuckle.