Be Mine, Khushi...

Connections from the Past

"Oh my , Ajay. Why so jumpy? Where you expecting somebody else?" Shyam asked with a sly smile, eyeing the suited man with creepy eyes. 

Ajay smoothed the lapel as he murmured "One month of scheming and he thinks he's a mastermind."

Shyam laughed out, an unpleasant , nasal sound that grated on his partner's nerves. 

The cool evening wind lifted his messy hair gently as it blew past, the cacophony of Delhi fading behind as the two men walked down one of the many winding alleys further downtown. Ajay had been hoping to catch Dadi alone to discuss about their now useless handloom industry , but Shyam dropped in unexpectedly. The way he'd been dropping hints every now and then, Ajay  understood Shyam knew something he shouldn't. He'd worked with Shyam long enough to know how his slimy mind worked. 

"If you know something or want to say something, you better spit it out." He gritted his teeth as he glared sideways at his companion.

"Oh nothing. Just wondering when  you were on going to mention you're all chummy with Arnav Singh Raizada's wife."

Ajay barked out a laughter , taking Shyam by surprise. 

"You thought you were the only one stalking a pretty girl under the ruse of a lawyer?"

"I didn't hide it !"

"Neither was I hiding anything. I knew Khushi when she used to stay in Lucknow a long time ago. That girl has a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. "

And despite his irritation  with Shyam,  the corners of his mouth tilted up in a fond smile as he thought back to that day.

He crouched low behind the huge iron gates, keeping close to the bushes. The tall imposing building was quiet , as buildings with old people in it often are. The side gate creaked  a little , and Ajay could just make out the outline of a white saree peeking through the jasmine boughs. 

"What took you so long?"  He hissed.

'' You mean apart from the fact that I am an old lady with arthritis? ''

Ajay rolled his eyes as he reached into his coat and brought out a few papers. 

''ASR is holding his show this afternoon. I've already hired five girls to crash the rampwalk , but we need to sneak in some of our men into the dressing rooms to tamper with the designs if the sabotage is to work properly.''

''Have you explained the exit strategies ? If Arnav catches any one of our men, we are dead."'

''Dadi , do I look stupid?''

''No Ajju , you are stupid.''

''I told you. It's all planned.''

Next morning, he donned a wig and fake moustache as he slouched around the hall before the show started. Dhyanesh and Surya were inside the dressing room, loosening the straps of gowns and spraying the sheer fabric of lehenga's so it looked ghastly. He was about to talk into his bluetooth to tell Dhyanesh to open the backdoor to the green room, when he heard a voice that definitely didn't belong to ASR's posh fashion shows.

"Hai Devi Maiya , you don't understand I'm coming  over right now tell Jiji to not worry. I'll arrange something or the other."'

Ajay looked around in confusion. He spotted her hurrying along one of the corridors, busily talking to the phone and not even looking where she was going. 

Ajay furiously stomped towards her, thinking she was about to spoil all the plan by attracting attention.

"No, this news is true. Someone will be trying to sabotage the ramp walk our sources informed us. Keep an eye on the models."