The Royal Commoner

6

Nalani crossed her arms as she looked at the manager and the producer of the show having a conversation. She is nervous and scared about the students. They had selected around twenty-four students but the producer wanted to count down the students. It wouldn't be a hit if there weren't at least twenty-four students for the performance.

"What is he going to say?" Nalani took the coffee cup from Anaya. "I have no idea, seems like the producer isn't happy with the count." Anaya sighed. "Yeah, figured it out. He mentioned about sixteen dancers."

Nalani turned her head and looked at  Anaya. "Sixteen? That won't make any sense. The last performance that happened in Hyderabad had thirty-four dancers on stage! If he wanted this performance to be a hit. He better not be kidding."

"Yeah, you speak with the producer if the director calls you over. The students are nervous and a few are on the edge of crying." Nalani nodded her head, sipping the coffee. "Thank you for the coffee."

"You're welcome, I will go check on the other group." Nalani hummed as Anaya left the room.

Nalani waited for an hour before the director called her to his room. Nalani took her seat and looked at the director, who looked uncomfortable. "Nalani, I'm sorry." He took a deep breath. "We could only take in sixteen students at the moment."

"Sir, I understand, but that is not going to work out. I have already mentioned that we need at least thirty students for this performance. Yet, you mentioned that we could only take in twenty-four students. I made my adjustment there, but sixteen? This isn't going to work out."

"The producer is on a tight budget. The academy could only sponsor sixteen kids." Nalani sighed. "I have seen the budget. The budget was allocated for twenty-four students. This is nonsense, he could not take the dancer's sponsor money!"

"I know... I know... But I cannot revolt against the production house." A sarcastic laugh left Nalani's mouth. "Sir, the production is not responsible for the sponsorship. The government is providing the sponsorship and the producer and his production house have no right to touch the money."

The director flinched. "I will talk with the producer. If he doesn't do the right thing, then I will do it my way." Nalani stood up from her seat and left the office. They don't know that Nalani has connections around the city and she is close friends with royalty.

"Nalani?" Anaya called. Nalani stopped and looked at Anaya. "Hmm?"

"Someone is waiting for you." Nalani frowned, her brows in confusion. She wasn't going to meet anyone. "Did they mention the name?"

"No, he was there but when he heard the sounds. He said he would be waiting outside." Nalani stopped messing with her phone. "He?" Anaya nodded her head. "Seems like I have seen him somewhere but couldn't pinpoint."

"Was he tall?"

"Yes." Nalani sighed, knowing who it was. "Okay, I will go meet him."

Nalani went outside the academy to see Hridyanshu leaning against his car with his gaze fixed on his phone. "What do you want?" He looked up and didn't even try to straighten up as he kept eyeing Nalani. Today she was wearing a seaweed green saree. "You look good."

"I always look good." Hridyanshu's lips twisted upwards as he nodded his head slowly. "Look, if you are here for the file, I have left it in your drawing room. Underneath the cushion pillows."

"I know."

"Then what are you doing here?" Honestly, Hridyanshu didn't have an answer to her question. He was beaming with anger when he searched his whole suite for the file. When he found it, he wanted to give Nalani a headache, but when he heard her conversation with someone regarding the sponsorship, he knew she was already in a bad mood.

"Had your lunch?" Nalani raised her brow. "You drove all over here to ask me if I had lunch?" Hridyanshu stood quiet. "Nope."

"Get your bag, I will drop you off by―" He looked at his wristwatch. "2:10 pm."

"Sure, five minutes." He gave her a curt nod and waited as she turned around and started walking towards the academy. He didn't want to concentrate, but he couldn't help as he checked her back. Her hair was thrown into a messy bun, her back was deep, her hips were slightly big and her ass was cute.

'Get it together.' He looked away exhaling the air out.

*

Hridyanshu glanced at Nalani's plate as she put the veggies aside. "Still a picky eater?" Nalani shrugged her shoulders. "Can't believe you remember that."

"Hmm." Hridyanshu set his spoon down and brought his hands together as he watched Nalani. "Stop picking the food and just eat the veggies in small quantities with rice. You wouldn't be able to taste them all together." Nalani made a face and put the carrot and tomato away.

"Nalani..." She stopped eating and looked at him. "Don't waste your food. Look at the pile you have made. Eat as I said and you won't be feeling anything." Nalani gave a tight smile before doing as he said. When they were kids, Nalani skipped eating lunch with Hridyanshu because he made sure that she didn't waste the veggies.

In return, she used to trouble him and, with Vidha and Atulya, she used to prank him. Summers were always fun because she was always in a happy mood trying to come up with new pranks.

"Good." They fell into silence and focused on their lunch. Hridyanshu took them to a nice restaurant. The food was delicious and the dessert was good. Hridyanshu's phone rang. He excused himself and went to the open space to answer the call.

Nalani pulled her phone out and tried calling her Amma. Dyuthi left a message saying she was in an important meeting and would be texting her when she was free.

"Everything okay?" Nalani flipped her phone and looked at Hridyanshu. A habit of not looking at the screen when she is with someone. "Yeah."

"I spoke with the director," Hridyanshu started. "It's of no use." Hridyanshu smiled. "You need to wait for the person to finish their sentence before you reply." Nalani put on a blank face though she felt embarrassed. She doesn't like it when people cut her off when she's speaking, but she does the exact thing when she's with Hridyanshu.

"Director of the academy and the head of the sponsorship. They have looked into it and you can select more students if you prefer to." Nalani's mood instantly picked up. "Thank you." She smiled at him, a genuine one, and he gave her a nod. "You know you didn't have to do that. I was going to solve it on my own. Anyway, I'm thankful that the problem was solved quicker than I expected it to be."

"The problem solved, that's what it matters," she added, finishing her buttermilk. Hridyanshu kept his gaze on her for a minute longer before breaking it. Once they were done with the lunch, he dropped her at the academy and drove to his firm. All the way, his mind filled with the troublemaker's thoughts.