EVERYTHING'S PERFECT!

2

BEDROOM – AFTERNOON

Aadi and Neha still haven't left their bed. He's shirtless and her shoulders, bare.

He looks troubled. Neha understands why – this will be his first encounter with the family after the fiasco at the party, and he's very anxious.

NEHA: When do you plan to go downstairs? (She gives him a moment) Someday or the other, you'll have to face them. Better now than never.

He says nothing. He just stares at the ceiling.

NEHA: And... we need to eat too. I think I'm going to collapse.

It gets him concerned, knowing that she's famished. He holds her hand gently. It trembles.

AADI: Why didn't you tell me earlier?

NEHA: I was okay then. But now, I need to eat something as soon as possible. You know that I'm hypoglycemic.

Note: Hypoglycemia is a condition where the blood sugar levels drop dangerously low. The person is not necessarily diabetic.

AADI: Let's go fast then.

NEHA: (rises, slips out of bed) I'll just freshen up.

AADI: Okay.

She goes into the bathroom, shuts the door. Aadi sits up groggily. The last he ate was at the party, more than 24 hours ago. Thanks to his hangover, he had no desire to eat. He was nauseous throughout.

He picks up the phone, dials SANJANA'S number...

BATHROOM – MOMENTS LATER

Water hisses out of the faucet. She scoops it into her hands, splashes it on to her face. She straightens up and wipes her face with a towel. On hearing Aadi's voice in the room, she pauses. She tiptoes to the door, glues her ear to it, listens hard.

AADI'S VOICE: Ok. (Pauses) Hmm. (Pauses) Hmm.

A long pause. Convinced that he's hanged up, she opens the door, steps out.

IN THE ROOM

Aadi keeps his phone aside, looks up as Neha comes into the room. He speaks up even before she can ask.

AADI: (quietly) It was Sanjana.

NEHA: All well?

She is expressionless, yet, he notices the slight twitch of her face at the mere mention of his colleague's name.

AADI: She has managed to set up a meeting with Mehul... sit down... talk about it... sort things out...

There's more he wants to share. Sanjana's tipoff, for instance. Her warning REVERBATES in his head: Bharat's in town. You best be careful, better still, take a short vacation, and keep low for a while, until we sort things out.

***NOTE – Bharat is Mehul's righthand man and a dangerous criminal***

She gazes at him curiously.

NEHA: Actually, what happened between you people?

Uncomfortable, he narrates the incident, taking pauses every now and then. She grows worried, angry... He knows what she's thinking, he knows that she will reprimand him. After all, he's the one who made the wrong move. He knows it. And he regrets it.

NEHA: Why did you have to do it?

He opens his mouth to justify, pauses as he foresees her comeback. He looks away.

NEHA: Didn't it ever occur to you? The consequences?

He says nothing.

NEHA: Hitting a normal person... fine. You can probably get away with it. But this. Anything's possible. We don't even know how he's going to get back.