He wanted to go to a bar with me?
Rani. Not me.
I gaped at him before nodding vigorously. I'd never stepped foot into such a place but since he had said that I would like it then that meant this was a place Rani liked. This was perfect! He was inviting me outâ a very good sign.
His shoulders that seemed rigid and his jaw that had popped as he hesitantly spoke those words were nowhere to be found. Now, his body was slack and the lines on his forehead eased.
He gestured to the lunch box in his hand. "You cook better than me by the way," he said. "And no, I won't say it again just so you can use it against me in the future." I giggled. This was great! "Oh, and uh, I met Veer at the bar. He asked about you."
"Veer?" I questioned.
A flicker of realisation flashed across his face. "Your ex boyfriend."
"Oh, him," I blurted, pretending to know him for some reason. I had to show him that I wasn't completely different right? "I remember him a little." I cringed on the inside seeing the way Dhruv raised his eyebrows at me. But he nodded.
"At least you remember some things. That means you're slowly getting better." He began to wash his lunchbox. "Just let me know whenever you're free."
"Free?" He glanced at me over his shoulder. I nearly slapped myself for forgetting what we were talking about so quickly. The name Veer sounded extremely familiar but it wasn't clicking. Then again, thousands of people in this country had the same name so I didn't know why it stuck to me specifically. "Oh! Yes, the bar. Is going after work okay?"
"That's certainly safer than going before," he joked.
"Then it's a plan!"
***
That day I was incredibly jittery. When I went on-air for the first time, I had a mic clipped and an IFB earpiece where I could hear Tara's voice while I sat, reading from the screen. The words went by so quickly and I thought I was going to faint again.
Thinking about going to the bar tonight was the only thing that kept me going. Somehow, the adrenaline helped me get through the business of that day and I managed to get Tara to smile at me, too!
That evening, I looked through Rani's closet and tried not to gasp at the array of different clothes neatly arranged based on type. She was incredible. No, this closet was incredible. Now was my chance to try on everything. I sneakily laughed to myself as I got out outfit after outfitâI didn't know how to pair stylish piecesâbut I did so randomly. I was having fun, not knowing time was running out when I heard a knock on the door.
"You ready?" Had he finished taking his shower already?!
"One moment!" I made sure the door was locked to make sure there was no repeat of last time before taking off the clothes I was wearing currently. Now, I thought, scanning all the clothes on the hangars and the drawers, what did a person wear to a bar? Is a club and a bar the same thing?
Even though I wasn't asking anyone this out loud, just thinking it made me feel silly. As a young woman, I should have been experiencing this but clearly, I had missed out on a lot thinking about my own problems. I went to Rani's laptop and opened up a browser, searching 'dresses to wear to a bar' and a lot of advertisements popped up.
Nothing came up that was particularly useful or similar to any clothes Rani had until I scrolled down. I clicked on an article that showed pictures of simple outfits that anyone could easily recreate with something similar. Surely this could work.
Black leather skirt.
Hmm, Rani had a leopard printed skirt that was very tiny...I shuddered. I couldn't wear that. Especially not in this cold. Then again...it wasn't my body so was it something I needed to worry about? I bit down on my lip. I shook my head. What about ripped jeans?
Some bars have strict dress codes, the article said. Better to be safe (and dressy!) than sorry.
I frowned and looked through her other things. She had leather leggings, which the article stated to pair with a tight, crop top and a leather jacket. Instead, I found a short denim jacket and a white long-sleeved off-shoulder top.
It seemed like a decent outfit but it was beautiful on Rani. I grinned at the reflection, feeling lighter than I ever had before. I stepped out and went downstairs to see that Dhruv was on the couch, waiting for me.
He wore a plain burgundy shirt tucked into white chinos rolled at the ankles paired with burgundyâalmost brownâleather loafers. He cleaned up so well that I almost skidded across the stairs once again. The beard he had sported was long gone and displayed his smooth, chai skin that looked soft to the touch. His soft, brown gaze was stuck to me and my cheeks suddenly began to twitch from not being able to contain my smile.
I jumped in front of him like a little kid getting ready to go to the park. "Let's go?"
"What, you don't want any compliments? The one time I forgot you nearly bit my head off."
"Then go ahead."
He cleared his throat almost comically. "You look beautiful."
I don't know what got into me then. Maybe because I looked and felt beautiful being Rani or because no one knew it wasn't actually me. But I said, "I know," with a sly grin on my face and walked past him. I saw the faintest flicker of amusement light up in his eyes but because I had moved away, I couldn't see it properly to confirm. After locking the front doors, we walked a little before calling a rickshaw. "By the way, you don't look so bad yourself."
"I was wondering when you were going to notice," he teased.
"You need reassurance? How sad." He bumped his arm against mine, the air between us lighter than it ever had been. Once we had gotten to the bar, he took me to the wooden table where some people were sat, drinking and two bartenders tended to the orders of other people around the wooden booths. The yellow light was dim and there was light music floating around us.
It wasn't until Dhruv had ordered I realised I had to order too. What did people order? What were some alcoholic drinks? There was wine, but was that fancy? As the cogs in my head began to turn over and over, I caught a glimpse of a man with a beer in his handâ
"What about you?" Dhruv turned to me.
I blurted without even thinking, "Beer." I expected him to look at me like I had lost some brain cells or even counter it but he nodded, as well as the bartender whom I hadn't even realised was standing there waiting. "Have we been here before?"
"First time. A co worker of mine suggested to bring you here. It's been a while since we've been out so I thought...why not?"
"I'm glad. Thank you. It means a lot to me."
Dhruv raised an eyebrow but didn't comment as the bartender placed our drinks in front of us. My eyes nearly fell out of their sockets as I eyed the mug with golden liquid and a frothy top. It was wide and tall and looked incredibly nauseating. I glanced at Dhruv who was drinking something that looked like Coca Cola and a lot of ice. "Is that alcohol?"
He made a noise deep in his throat. "Roy Rogers, a very nonalcoholic drink."
"Non-alcohol? You don't drink?"
"Me and alcohol...we don't mix."
"How come?"
"I get drunk easily. It's pretty bad." A picture of Dhruv taking a sip of alcohol and becoming so drunk he falls off his stool made me cover my mouth as I laughed. His eyes turned into slits. "You're imagining it, aren't you?"
I rolled my bottom lip in to stop but his face glowed in a way that told me he wasn't at all mad. "Maybe," I said, spurts of mini laughter slipping through my lips. "So what about Raâme, I mean."
"Oh, don't even get me started. You're on another level. It takes more than four beers to get you tipsy."
Wonderful, I thought, now staring at my untouched drink. How was I going to drink all of this? Rani's capacity to hold her alcohol was the same but I was still the one that had to taste it. I grabbed the mug and held my breath as I tipped it backâ and very much underestimated the amount that made its way into my mouth. It was more than two swallows and it tasted bitter and watery.
My eyes watered and I ended up coughing and gagging as a reflex. I got up, as if that would make things better. Not nice at all. Why did people like this? When Dhruv reached out to pat me on the back in gentle, circular motions, I said, "I'm," cough, "okay." Cough.
"Believable. You want me to wait and watch until you throw up next?" He placed a cup of water that I had not noticed he ordered and placed it in my hand. "Here. Drink slow."
The water that slid down my throat eased the soreness that somehow affected me. Just then, as I lifted my head to thank him when I was feeling better, I felt something light pressing against my bum. At first I thought I was sitting on something and then I felt the contact. The hand that clearly had cupped it for a brief second.
I gasped, before whipping around to see who it was. A young bald man wearing a leather jacket licked his lips, his gaze on the one thing he touched. A woman stood beside him in a mini dress, not at all having paid attention to what he had done. My stomach gurgled in protest at the alcohol poured in it and at the way he was looking at me as if I was an edible snack he would swallow if given permission.
"What's the matter?" Dhruv asked, looking from the guy to me.
"He...touched me."
His expression darkened. "What is it with these men," he mumbled. When he got up, I thought it was to hit him. I grabbed ahold of his arm and tugged him back. He put his hand up, letting me know that it was nothing.
"Hey, excuse me," he said to the man, stopping in front of him. "You harassed my wife so I'd like you to apologise."
Apologise? The way the man glowered down at him told me that this was not going to end well. "Dhruvâ"
"It's alright," he said to me, frowning. "He'll do it."
"And what makes you think that?" The man said, snorting. The other woman tilted her head at Dhruv, surveying him from head to toe.
He shrugged as if this conversation wasn't slowly gathering attention from the other people at the bar. "Well if you don't, I'll just have to make it even by touching her," he said, gesturing to the woman beside him.
Uh oh.