r e p u t a t i o n

          HE WAS TAKEN off guard when she grabbed hold of his hand and began to lead him away from the rest of them, behind the bar. with a quick flourish, he shoved the glass he had been drinking out of, at the bartender. if it had spilled on the other man, they didn’t stop to check. the guy was getting on shiv’s nerves anyway. 

          she certainly didn’t waste any time in launching a tirade of words at him. eyes narrowed at the way she described what he did, he had some choice words of his own for her profession but opted to stay silent and listen before he reacted. that was something he was still trying to come to terms with all these years later but there was nothing about what she was saying that would cause him to flare up instantly, not really. in fact he wanted to laugh at her like he did shortly before— unable to fathom why she was so affected by the jibes the cricketers had thrown in vikram’s direction.

          when she looked and sounded like she was done he asked her, “ho gaya?” but he didn’t say anything further and instead scrunched up his face in faux thoughtfulness. since she was in the movie industry, she would’ve been able to catch onto the fact that he wasn’t. he was almost mocking her in a sense, finally speaking up after a minute or so of silence. 

          “ok let’s get one thing straight… vikram isn’t just anyone, he’s my friend. aur agar dost nahin taang kheech sakte hai toh kaun kar sakta hai?” he said with a shrug. “and i don’t recall making any comments about his personal life that could be deemed offensive. if you do, enlighten me, or i may be inclined to think this was a flimsy— seriously, if you really wanted to get me alone, you could’ve just said so.” the smirk on his face echoed the haughty tone that had seeped into his voice. he did not know whether that was mahi’s intention (he didn’t know her) but he’d been prey to these things before. with actresses and non actresses alike. except this wasn’t the most scandalous situation he’d found himself in. 

          he couldn’t resist from pressing her buttons further, however. it was both in his nature to do so, and she had landed herself in it. he was a jackass like that. “but you must know that while we may be hidden from view— we’re not alone. so do behave yourself. after all, we don’t want the birthday girl to cause a scene at the party so lovingly thrown for her. ” 

Mahi was in fact not done and quite clearly just getting started but given his tone and that look in his eyes, she decided to just ignore it and let him speak, painfully aware that she really didn’t want to have to spend an extra minute with this man who clearly had no respect for others.

But the problem wasn’t what was said to her about Aditya earlier by his team mates because really, as much as she thought the other man was attractive, he was a bit of a dud. But this whole thing about Vikram and his wife, somewhere hit home especially considering what relationship she shared with the man, even if it wasn’t anything physical like he wanted. 

“Dost woh tumhara hai, tumhari poori team ka nahi hai, ke tum aise uski personal life ke baare mein baatein karo.” Mahi crossed her arms, wondering silently to herself why she was the one defending Vikram when clearly he could be doing it himself especially if he was friends with Shiv; something she’d have to come to terms with especially since she was finding it hard to be around the man for even another second. 

“You did, because talking about how Sheena Bakshi would be jealous that her husband threw me a party like this when he hasn’t done the same for her—was rude. Tumhe kya pata un dono ke private celebrations ke baare mein?” But before Mahi could even say anything more about how she was sure the duo was happy together, she heard his words and found her jaw dropping slightly as she realized that even he was under some absurd delusion that she’d want to get him alone. “Oh please, do you really think that at this party—you’re the one I’d want to get alone?” She wasn’t about to tell him that even if she did, she had better much more subtle ways to do so considering he might even take that as an invitation. 

“I don’t cause scenes Mr. Raheja, but I certainly know how to walk away from them before they start. But please, koi bhi galat phemi mat rakhna dil mein, that I wanted to get you alone. In fact,” she began walking back towards the corner to rejoin the party, “I don’t see any girls at this party trying to get even within five feet of you, I wonder why that is.” Of course, Mahi herself knew that the main reason was Shiv’s reputation and while there were plenty of girls eager for just one night with the cricketer, none of them were the B-list actresses that had been invited to a party of this stature. 

         HE REALLY WANTED to laugh in her face. no, really, he did. but shiv had gained some tact over the years and wasn’t about to go back down to the route before that again. he wasn’t sure if he was positively amused by her confidence in vikram’s… whatever it was, or the rest of what she had said. but he chose not to laugh, merely scoffing instead. “a, i never expressed any dislike and b, i don’t thank unless i’m obligated or grateful.” neither of which he currently was. he never had to be where vikram was concerned and he surely wasn’t going to start being— or faking to flatter a starlet’s ego.

          shiv could see kohli glaring at him with disapproval, from the corner of his eye but didn’t pay him any heed. he was his captain, not his keeper. yadav slurped on his drink, a clear sign that he was feeling awkward during this standoff. he nervously took the silence as a chance to lighten the atmosphere with a joke about the paparazzi outside. but thankfully he didn’t have to dig his grave further with the unfunny comments because vikram bakshi himself had joined them. if shiv was into betting, he would’ve put some good money on the fact that the sly fucker had noticed some… tension.

          he let his kamina friend’s comment slide, choosing to shake his head at vikram’s rather obvious methods. that was why he had planned the party, of course. just how long was he planning on running with this? the cricketer mused. he could’ve burst shiv’s bubble then and there, but it wasn’t his place and he was trying not to be a jerk to those he cared about lately. (trying, being the key word). and anyway he didn’t need to put a dampener on the host’s mood, however. “where’s the mrs, bakshi?” asked jadeja. and this time shiv didn’t chide him for butting in, instead he was simply smirking at vikram, who was a bit flustered. 

          hazarding a guess as to what was going on in his friend’s mind, the batsman figured it was either a toss up between how he could plan and get away with jadeja’s murder, and where the hell his wife actually was— hopefully not around. shiv took a swig from his glass, positively ready to make the situation more tricky for the businessman. “yeah, i mean she must be awfully jealous. after all, tumne aisi party uske liye toh kabhi nahin plan ki. at least not in the last two years.”

Mahi Chahal normally was not the type of girl to get easily flustered or bothered, at least not visibly. You could easily annoy her, but she would never let it show on her face and yet with this cricketer—she was finding it harder to hide how annoyed he made her feel. She merely composed herself though and rolled her eyes, not bothering to indulge him with a response considering that his tone had clearly told her of his dislike, and he should be grateful that Vikram had invited them considering how exclusive the invites to this party were.

But she didn’t say any of those things, choosing instead to just attempt to unnerve the man with her gaze, which was easily broken when she heard the questions directed to Vikram about his WIFE. Mahi had always felt awkward when that topic came up, not because she felt anything for Vikram; he was a good friend but that was it from her side. However, despite numerous rejections, Vikram still liked to proposition Mahi, thinking her mind would change and she wouldn’t mind being in his bed while his wife acted part of his perfect family. But she never would. It wasn’t who she was, and while no one knew these inner workings of their equation, she was stunned at the way Shiv was speaking.

Plus, the way Vikram was staring at him, made it almost seem as if he were pleading with the other man to not utter a word which had Mahi wondering just how much this RUDE cricketer knew about certain relationships in her life. “Excuse us,” and without sparing a thought as to how it may be perceived, she took hold of Shiv’s free hand and dragged him as fast as her feet would take them behind the bar, into a curtained off area of sorts. Of course, as soon as the black curtains fell and hid them from view, she could hear the whoops and cheers from his team, knowing already what they were imagining.

But Mahi and Shiv? Yeah, that was never going to happen.

“Tumhari problem kya hai? I mean just because you hold a bat and hit a ball, running around a pitch, wearing the Indian flag proudly, doesn’t give you the right to say anything about someone’s personal life.” Mahi was keeping her voice as calm as was possible, mainly because she could not be seen at her own birthday celebration lashing out at a guest, it just wasn’t something she would do…and Shiv Raheja could certainly try, but even he wouldn’t change that about her.

          THE SMALL GROUP were situated only a short distance from the scene, so it was not a stretch for them to have overheard. you could practically feel kohli begging his players not to react, but it was futile. “girlfriend ka drink toh yaad hona chahiye, boss,” shout out jadeja, earning an eyeroll from shiv.

          “tumhe bolne ki permission di?” he shook his head at the fellow who he’d bullied into becoming his junior, who thus had no choice but to stay silent. it was a little known fact that both players had debuted relatively together, with the batsman beating the all rounder in that sense by one match— something shiv wouldn’t let ravindra live down. “and anyway, what’s it to you? its their issue… or non issue, let them sort it out amongst themselves.” 

          suppressing the urge to correct his players on their wrongful assumption, kohli made a swift turn in the non couple’s direction and wished the actress a cheerful “happy birthday, mahi!” he then turned to the others to do the same. dhoni was quick to chime in, followed by yadav. expectant eyes fell on shiv to do the same and thus he humoured them. it was no skin off his nose after all. 

          “happy birthday.” i could’ve sworn i’d attended your birthday last month but then again you all look the same, was what he was going to add but surprisingly refrained from doing so. kohli could tell what was going on in his mind though, which was a very good trait for a captain. tossing a smirk in his skipper’s way, shiv returned his attention to his drink. 

          he became somewhat of a silent spectator of the conversation, observing both his fellows and the ‘guest of honour.’ now that he had a chance to, the batsman recalled that he’d seen her clicked with anushka before (kohli’s girlfriend, and one of the few people he could stand or cared for in the film industry). she was very easy on the eyes that was for sure— obviously. wasn’t that was a requirement for a mainstream actress? 

          except shiv soon piped up again, unable to resist once his fellow cricketers began praising the party for all it was. “vikram must love you,” he said, his voice full of that knowing tone. and you must be pretty damn stupid if you believe that was again, something that would’ve rolled off his tongue quite easily if they were without company. 

Mahi was about to take Aditya’s arm and lead him back towards the party when she caught the comment made by one of the nearby cricketers. Yes, she knew that they weren’t just sportsmen, but cricketers, mainly because Vikram had asked her if she was sure about inviting them. Of course now, she wasn’t really inclined on telling them how much she loved watching them play considering that little comment. So instead, she just turned to stare at the one who’d spoken before raising her eyebrow, not missing Aditya scampering off through her peripheral vision.

But before she could even say anything to Ravinder Jadeja, she heard and watched as Shiv Raheja decided to reprimand him. Mahi didn’t make any comments about it, taking another sip from her wine when she heard Virat’s words and smiled before reaching in to hug the other man. She and Anushka often met up seeing as they were working with a lot of the same people and had managed to strike up an easy friendship. “Thank you Virat,” she grinned before pulling back, smiling and thanking the rest of the cricketer as well, all in one go before Virat began discussing the party and just how lavish it was.Mahi was just about to interject on how she’d tried to refuse but Vikram hadn’t listened when she heard Shiv Raheja speak up again, the tone in his voice quite evident. And perhaps that was why she’d turned and narrowed her eyes directly on him. “You’re right, he does love me.” Mahi retorted, “but instead of expressing your dislike of the party, how about you just thank him and me for even inviting you here.”

Mahi had no idea about Shiv really, but the way he was speaking and the way he was looking at her, really wasn’t doing much to make her comfortable. Though there was something about that smile on his face that had her stay in the midst of these men rather than divert her attention elsewhere. “There you are,” Mahi only turned away from Shiv, when she felt Vikram’s arm slip around her waist, drawing her close for a hug and a kiss to her cheek. “Why are you letting these boys occupy your time?” Of course Vikram was only joking, but Mahi smiled back, her one hand against the other man’s chest before she nodded. “Hmmm, maybe you’re right. Why don’t you go on ahead, and I’ll join you?" But what Mahi didn’t know was why she chose to still stay here despite the way this ONE cricketer was treating her. However, once she was annoyed--it would take a lot to cool her down, especially at her birthday celebration.

          IT WAS A vikram bakshi party, how could he not attend? for all his vices, the man was actually a decent friend. shiv had known him since college, and while never quite understanding his need to pamper to and flatter people— he could live with it. people did much worse. and all the cricketer had to do was show up, have a couple of drinks and maybe just chill with the rest of the sportsmen invited. it was better than mingling with people he didn’t care to meet, that was for sure. currently shiv was nursing a single malt of the finest whisky (as described by the incredibly annoying bartender) and having a laugh at the expense of jadeja. 

          until his attention was diverted by the commotion a few feet away. last he checked, shah rukh khan had already entered the building. “what’s all the hoopla about, modi aa raha hai kya?” he laughed, nudging dhoni, prompting a rare chuckle from the older cricketer.

          it was kohli who spoke up in response, “nahin yaar. i think its an actress. and raheja… please shut up for once in your life, okay.” if the team weren’t so close knit, perhaps shiv would have taken offence to being told off like that. but who would get pissed off if their captain had simply told them to shut up? a juvenile, that’s who. even still, it would be unlike him (or any of them) not to jibe back in good humour. “kyun, teri wali hai kya?” 

          kohli sighed. “no— maybe because its the guest of honour.”

Mahi had of course, decided to act the part of the super grateful young starlet when Vikram Bakshi had told her he’d be throwing her 27th birthday party this year, at the St. Regis hotel in town no less. Now, Mahi wasn’t above holding her own party, especially considering that way at least she’d be in charge of the guest list. But when Vikram had insisted, she knew it would be one of his EPIC parties that people spoke about for months, and what better way to stay in the limelight, right?

Though her stylist had laid out some dress by Stella McCartney and had paired it with a very ridiculous jacket by Manish Arora, Mahi had chosen not to wear that. Instead, she opted for a black Alexander McQueen gown that hadn’t even hit the shelves yet. It was perfect for her petite frame and she looked, in her opinion, like a billion rupees. Once she told her driver they were in no rush to get to the party, knowing she had to be a very fashionable, very late entry, they were on the way. While her car drove along the SeaLink bridge, she found herself admiring the bright city lights, loving the fact that this city that had frightened her so much when she’d first come down from Agra, had now become HERS.

Once she arrived at the party, of course with her entourage waiting for her by the door, she had on her princess looking smile as she waved and posed for the cameras before ducking into the hotel, looking around for directions when she found the doors opening to the very large ballroom that was filled with people. Thankfully right by the door, she spotted Vikram and greeted him, complete with air kisses and a few ‘thank-you’s’ while he urged her to take in all the attention from the party goers. Before she could however, she found an arm slinking around her shoulders and a very familiar presence pulling her in for a hug. “Shahrukh sir!” His dimpled smile was a sight she hadn’t expected to see tonight and yet was very pleased that he was there. They’d worked together in her third film, she was playing the role of his younger sister and since then, finding out she came from the same parts of the country as he did--he took her under his wing. 

“Happy Birthday Mahi, bolo, kya chaiye tumhe gift mein?” She mock glared at the senior superstar before shrugging. “You mean to say you haven’t brought anything? I doubt Gauri bhabhi would let that slide,” Mahi teased, ignoring the few camera phones held up in their direction. But before even he could response, she found another arm slinking around her waist this time leading her to the bar, a slightly more private location. She looked up to see who had decided to lead her away when her fake smile faded away for a much more real one to take it’s place. Aditya Singhal. Her latest co-actor, and someone she was maybe a little interested in. But his attitude was the only hurdle she was finding, considering even now he asked for what she’d like to drink, before making the decision for her, holding out a glass of white wine in her face.

“Um, actually,” she turned back to the bartender, holding the glass back. “Mr. Singhal misheard what I asked for. I’ll take a sparkling rosé, thank you.” And with another fake smile in place, she turned back to the tall man and watched as he laughed nervously.