Doobey | complete ✔️

Fourteen

Shehnaaz

Sidharth Shukla's first official stop is under way. Fans lined up overnight just to get a glimpse of him.

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"The number you have dialed is not in service. Please check the number and try your call again."

I fucking knew it. I knew in my gut this story was bullshit. The day after I took off, I got a suspicious email. I wouldn't answer or ask any questions unless I got the person on the phone.

We had one conversation that lasted fifteen minutes, and after one minute, I knew she was lying. Her story just didn't add up, so I called Shaila and told her I wasn't submitting the story, and then Sidharth and Ila walked into the room I was waiting in to interview him. The whole thing was a mess this morning. I was ushered from one room to another, and my interview time was changed twice.

I was frustrated that I was being played, and I was semi-aggravated that I have been twiddling my thumbs for the past twenty-five minutes while he did other interviews, so I snapped. I always knew Ila was a bitch, and it was only a matter of time before it actually came to light, but it took two days. At least with me. She is fine with the others. Then she made that snide remark after I was done.

It took five seconds to call Shaila and tell her what happened and another five for her to call Rachit. By the time I got to my room, pulled the suitcase on top of the bed, and booted the computer to book a flight home, there was a knock on the door. What I didn't expect was Sidharth to come to my room and ask me to stay, actually apologizing for Ila's behavior. I accepted it although I knew he didn't have to do it, but I also made my request. I didn't think he would go for it, but he did.

Now here I am in the back of the shuttle bus on our way to the red carpet premiere. "Bohot garmi haina," Amrita says from beside me, bringing her hand up and fanning herself with it. "Hame black nahi pehnana chaiye tha," she says, and I look at her. She is wearing Black frock with a churidar and a Red dupatta around her neck. "I heard what happened with Ila," she whispers, and I look around to see if anyone is listening. The guys are on their phones, the three titlies are all touching up their makeup, and Kavya is FaceTiming her kids who just woke up.

"Yeah," I say, not adding more fuel to the fire. "It is what it is."

She shakes her head and then the shuttle stops. We all get out, making our way down the red carpet to our designated spots. I walk to my chair and sit down while my camera guy sets up. I look up and see that the fans have already lined up across the street, and a steel barrier has been brought in to keep them out. Police are lined up to make sure the crowd doesn't get out of hand. I grab the earpiece and put it in my ear, then pick up the mic. "Testing. One, two, three."

"I hear you loud and clear," my camera guy says, and I just nod at him, smiling.

"Thank you . . ." I wait for him to tell me his name.

"Mike," he says gruffly. "I'm going for a smoke before this shit gets crazy." I nod, then get up and smooth down my skirt. Today was not a good day to wear long sleeves. I look down at my white long-sleeved dress that is tight until it passes my butt and then it flares out a touch. The sleeves are tight to the elbow and then flare out with a single black stripe around the hem. It's classy; the peek of cleavage from the dip in the front is the only hint of sexy, and I'm wearing my sky-high open-toe black leather shoes that tie around the ankle. I see Mike coming back, and I look at him. "The circus has arrived," he says, and I just nod at him while he gets the camera on his shoulder and starts filming me. "Move over to the right," he says. The next hour is nuts with special guests, pop stars, a couple of the co-stars, and then I hear a roar of screams.

"I guess the star of the show just got here," I say to Mike, and he just nods.

"The eagle has arrived." I hear in my earpiece, and I think I roll my eyes because Mike laughs at me. I look up at the television screen that they have in the corner. Sidharth steps out of the car with a huge smile on his face, and one of his hands goes up to wave as he walks across the street. He spends a good thirty minutes making his way down the line of fans. Taking pictures with them, signing stuff, smiling, laughing, and shaking hands, he gives them everything. Then he finally comes across the street to walk down the red carpet, stopping for the cameras that are set up behind us. He walks down the red carpet, stopping every couple of feet to turn to look at the camera. His hand in his pocket shows off the vest of his gray three-piece suit. His hair and his smile are perfect, and his eyes perfection.

He looks ahead, then turns to look at Jatin, joking with him and tossing his head back to laugh. I stand here just watching the way he owns this; the way he was born for this. He comes down the carpet, smiling the whole time, and the flashes go off like crazy. He looks at the crowd, and then his eyes find me, and he just stares as if I'm the only one here. What the hell? His eyes light up a tad, and his smile is a bit brighter, but then he turns, and the shield comes back up.

He finally makes his way into the theater, and then we all stand around, packing up. "Here you are," Yamini says, handing me the white sheet. "You are invited to the dinner tonight after the movie screening, but if you don't want to go, there is a shuttle that will take you straight back to the hotel. Tomorrow, we leave the hotel at nine a.m., so make sure to be there on time. So if you go out and party tonight, just remember you have to be ready to go tomorrow."

I nod and take the white paper, folding it and putting it in my gold purse while she walks away to meet Yukta. I hand the microphone back to Mike. "It was a pleasure working with you," I tell him, and he just nods at me as he grabs the mic.

"You were easy on the eyes," he says, blinking at me. "I'll have the footage sent to your paper for them to put online."

"Thank you so much." I smile, grabbing my bag and walking down the red carpet. The fans haven't moved; not one of them has left. I walk to the left where I see Jatin, Amrita, and Kavya. "One down, nine to go," I say, and they all smile and laugh.

"That is one way to look at it," kavya says. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm more than happy to take these shoes off and call it a night."

Amrita agrees. "I think Yukta said the shuttle would take us back to the hotel."

"Where is everyone else?" I ask. Looking around, I spot Parag and Anmay.

"We have to go in the theater, and there is a secret exit," Amrita says, and I follow them down the red carpet. Most of the photographers are gone to upload all their photos. A couple linger while they go through the pictures on their camera. The takedown crew is already tearing things down. I walk inside, looking around as my heel catches on something, and I feel myself falling. I think I screech, but I'm caught before I know what is going on. It happens so fast. One second, I'm looking at the red carpet coming closer, and the next, I'm wrapped up in two strong arms. I don't see anything except gray.

"Oh my gosh," someone says, and then I'm put on my feet. Sidharth's arm is still wrapped around my waist while I get my balance. "Are you okay?" I look at Yamini, seeing her there with a white face. Amrita, Kavya, and Jatin all look a little shocked.

Looking at Sidharth now. "I was almost red carpet roadkill," I say, laughing nervously. My hands are still shaking a little as I try to hold my purse, realizing that Sidharth hasn't moved his hand from around my waist.

"Are you okay?" Jatin comes to my side, and I'm sudden squeezed tighter to Sidharth.

"Yeah." I wave my hand in the air. "I'm fine, but my ego, that is going to be bruised. Thankfully, the cameras weren't rolling, and the pictures weren't snapping." I look at Sidharth now and smile at him. "Thank you for not making me eat my teeth." I wink at him, and he laughs.