Chapter 45

After Jay or Ranjeet left, Geet removed her hand from the girl's waist. As Geet began to walk away without saying anything, the girl smiled and said,

"My name is Veera. I'm a writer, and I've come here for a film shoot. I spoke with Jay, and..."

Geet stopped. Cutting her off angrily, Geet folded her arms and said,

"What were you doing with him? He's married!"

"I know, but I love gay men, you know," Veera replied casually.

"Because of you, Jay has gone mad. He doesn't even understand what's real anymore!" Geet snapped, fuming.

"Oh god! You get angry a lot, don't you? Was that woman who got mad earlier your wife?"

"What's it to you?"

As Geet started walking away again, she paused, thought for a moment, then smiled and said to Veera,

"Aren't you coming, my girlfriend?"

Veera smiled back and teased,

"What's this? The weather changed so quickly?"

"You're going to work for me," Geet replied.

"I don't work for anyone," Veera said, pulling out her camera and taking a picture of Geet. With a smile, she said,

"Beautiful."

Meanwhile, Payal was being taught dance steps...

"I can't dance at all," I thought to myself. While lost in thought, I saw Geet with that girl. Distracted, I tripped while dancing. The girl tried to help me up by extending her hand, but I angrily swatted it away and said,

"You're Geet's girlfriend, aren't you?"

"No, I'm just the one who holds her heart, and she holds mine," Veera replied with a smile.

"Your words are so strange. What are you high on?" I asked angrily.

The dancer Omkara interrupted, "Look! I'm teaching you dance, and you're busy chatting!"

Veera gave me a seductive look and asked, "Can I take your photos? Alone?"

Fuming, I replied, "Listen! I'm not a model here. Go mess with someone else—ask your girlfriend!"

"She won't refuse. I know. Geet's so sweet. I promise I'll behave nice," she said with a mischievous grin.

"You think I'll go along with you?" I snapped.

Omkara called out again, "Veera, talk later! I'm teaching Payal something here. If you want, help out. By the way, are you a good dancer?"

Veera looked for a place to set her camera and replied, "Yeah, I'm good. Where should I put the camera?" She grabbed my hand and asked, "What kind of dance do you like? Couple's dance?"

I should have been focusing on Geet, but she was nowhere to be seen. I ended up dancing with Veera, and while we danced, I noticed how clumsy the Earth was at dancing while the Moon danced gracefully. Poor Earth and Moon, looking so adorable.

When I looked into Veera's blue eyes, I felt like I might get lost in them. But as I focused, I saw Geet's eyes in them, which made me step back.

"Veera, I'm tired. I'll be back," I said, heading for water.

Veera followed me, camera in hand, and started taking pictures. "Perfect," she said.

"Do you have a thing for taking photos?" I asked.

"A big one! Don't you have hobbies?" she replied, checking the photos.

"I used to! I loved writing..."

"And? Did you write a book?"

Laughing, I said, "I was terrible at it."

"So you gave up because you were bad at it? Wow, impressive," she teased.

"What else could I do?" I snapped back.

"Well," she said, smirking, "I don't take photos because I think they'll be great. I take them because I love capturing the world. It's fun."

Her deep words enchanted me, like something I needed to hear long ago.

"Your nonsense. You think people will buy this trash? Forget me—who would even give you a job if your photos are bad?" I asked mockingly.

"No one! That's why I don't work for money. You know, you look cute when you're angry," she said and clicked another photo.

I fell silent.

Geet noticed us talking but didn't say anything. She just smiled as if it didn't matter.

Chipsy arrived and yelled, "You handle this kid! I'm done listening to its nonstop crying! Oh god, being a dad is so hard." He looked so stressed that I couldn't help but laugh. He left, When I took the baby in my arms, Veera clicked a photo.

"You look good when you smile too," Veera said.

"Do you talk like this with everyone?" I asked.

"No, only with you," Veera replied with a wink.

The baby started crying, and I asked, "Do you know how to calm a baby down?"

"No! That's why I'm not married. Wait, I'll call Geet," she said.

She called Geet, who came over and asked, "Yes, darling?" That darling word made me want to shoot Geet.

Veera asked, "Do you know how to calm a baby?"

Geet took the baby from me and asked, "Are you hungry?" She grabbed a piece of samosa from a nearby plate and gave it to the baby. "How's that? Yummy, right?"

I smiled at the baby while Geet stood close, trying to make the baby laugh. Veera clicked a photo, and the flash drew my attention to her.

"Perfect family." Veera said.

Angrily, I snapped, "Your girlfriend is with me! Won't you feel jealous?"

Veera replied, "Geet is like that. If someone falls for her, I won't get angry at every girl standing near her. But you and Geet look good together. You're her ex-wife, right?"

"How do you know so much?" I asked.

"A lot! I've known Geet for a long time. She used to be in my school. I never had the courage to talk to her back then—she wore glasses and was so cute."

"What happened next?" I asked.

Geet interrupted, "Wait. You were in my school?"

"Yes, Veera! Remember that tom-boyish girl?"

"Oh my god! All the girls used to have a crush on you. You'd recite poems to the entire class when the teacher wasn't around. It was so much fun!" Geet said, excited.

"Yes!" For the first time, I saw a genuine, kind smile on Veera's face as she listened.

I asked, "You two know each other? Never told each other? What kind of girlfriends are you two?"

Veera laughed and said, "I'm her long-distance girlfriend. We used to talk online. I've just met her in real life now because I was in Africa for a project."

"Oh."

"By the way, stay away from me! People usually fall in love with me."

"Shut up."

I said this and walked away. When I glanced back, Geet and Veera were laughing and chatting animatedly. Veera is way too charming—she'll win over Geet completely. Now I know why Geet has been distant from me. Her feelings have shifted to someone else. I should find someone for myself too. Ugh, what am I even thinking?

Earth approached me and asked,

"Payal, isn't this dance really difficult?"

"Yeah, it is."

"I heard something... are you selling our company?"

Startled, I asked, "Who told you that?"

"Moon told me. She said Geet told you she'd marry you again if you transferred the company in her name."

"Geet can be so manipulative sometimes."

"This is a good opportunity. You could reconcile."

I looked over at Geet. "She loves someone else now."

Earth looked at Geet and then at Veera. "That photographer?"

"Yes, she's her girlfriend."

"Impossible! Don't worry about me. I've thought it through—if we sell the company, we'll use the money to buy a new one. I've already found some good options. It's not as hard as it seems."

"Alright," I said and hugged Earth. At that moment, Moon saw us and said, "Payal, how do I teach Earth this dance? My feet hurt from getting stomped so much. I feel like a punching bag."

Earth shyly and sadly replied, "What can I do? I'm just not good at it."

I laughed, "I am also not a good in this drama."

Moon smiled, winked, and said, "Liar! I saw you dancing so gracefully with Veera, staring into her eyes."

I laughed, "When did that happen? Oh, maybe it did... I guess I was too busy thinking about Geet to remember dancing."

Moon excitedly said, "That's a great idea! Look at me so intensely that you forget everything else around you."

Earth nervously said, "I can't do that. I get scared. everyone seems to be laughing at me."

Moon held Earth's hand and said, "I wish I could make your fear disappear."

I teased, "Maybe you should kiss her! Kissing makes you forget everything. You can't even breathe properly."

Earth blushed and said, "That's not necessary."

Moon looked around nervously and said, "Yeah, not really..."

Earth walked away, leaving Moon looking as if she had frozen in fear. Why are they both acting so awkward about a kiss? Aren't they a couple? Strange. Meanwhile, Veera and Geet were still chatting, and the baby was asleep. They make such a perfect couple. I, on the other hand, am just useless. Does Geet like girls with short hair? Should I cut mine? What am I even thinking? My brain is full of useless ideas.

I went to my room, sat down, and opened my laptop to check my emails. Veera's words kept swirling in my head. I opened a Word document and started typing. What am I typing?

"A girl sitting alone in her room. She feels isolated and lonely..."

I deleted it. What nonsense was I writing? Why am I thinking so sexually all of a sudden?

"Is it even wrong? The girl is alone, waiting... another girl enters her room and sits beside her on the bed. The first girl looks deeply into the other's eyes, her gaze slowly drifting to her nose, then her lips..."

My throat was dry. This is even worse, pathetic.

Just then, my room door opened, and Geet walked in.

I quickly shut the laptop, and Geet noticed my panicked reaction. She sat on my bed and asked, "What? What dirty movie were you watching? What are you hiding?"

"Nothing," I stammered.

"I'm so sleepy," Geet said, holding her head and handing me a balm. "Please apply this. My head hurts from all the talking."

"Veera talks that much bad?"

"No, it's all the noise. Wedding season, you know?"

I applied the balm angrily and noticed how soft her skin is. I wanted to run my hand gently over her head. I tried to stop myself but failed. As I lightly patted her head, she looked at me.

"What happened to you?" Geet asked casually.

"Nothing," I said, pulling my hand away.

"My shoulder hurts too. I carried the baby, you know. Apply some balm there as well."

I grew nervous, my cheeks turning red. Geet pulled her dress slightly down, unzipping it, and said, "Please, just apply it."

I reached out hesitantly but then snapped, "I'm not your wife! I'm not doing it."

"So much anger? What's wrong with you? I just asked you to apply balm," she said, standing up to leave. "I'll ask Veera then."

Frustrated, I said, "Wait!"