The afternoon passes in a blur after I land in Mumbai without going to my apartment; I head straight at the studio where almost everybody was running left and right in upheaval for preparation. I meet Mahira, who gives me gooey sorry eyes, and then takes me to the editing room where I check upon the trailer again.

"Cool" I say to my editing team and high five them each. "Lunch is on me," I inform and head out to my office where the main leads of my film are waiting.

Prisha Suri and Rohit Kapur looked like sophisticated Bollywood actors on the front, from inside they were gossip mongering aunties with a hundred year old dramatic traits bestowed by God. I enter my office, a plain matt white, beautiful simple room filled with sunlight, plants and movie posters, occupying an overdramatic peach sequin wood table, a white leather chair(which okay I will accept, was very comfortable.) with an over bright, out of the place orange velvet lounge, gifted to me by those devils occupying the space right now.

Prisha grins and gets up from the lounge dressed in rocker damask dress in black and silver, her eye shadow gives 'don't mess with a devil' kind of vibe and she looks insanely beautiful with her natural curls and easy smile, she hugs me as soon as she is near me, (a secret to tell you, she would have been my best friend if not for Kiyansh) so you can say, I love this woman with my heart.

Rohit joins her as soon as she leaves me, he gives me a smirk dressed in floral Gucci shirt and I am sure in Gucci denims(since he is an Gucci ambassador) and announces, "You'll work yourself out to a derelict." Before hugging me and filling my nose with a perfume that is thank god, not Gucci.

I smile and hug him tight, "I just have to check up with our PR team once."

"No." Prisha decries, "Look yourself in the mirror, you look your eyes will be gauged out any second. You are straight going towards the changing room and getting dressed with my designer."

"I don't need any designer." I argue, "I have work to do, remember you are the actress."

They both form a troop together, and I know what is coming, God Please save me from this! "Babe" Prisha smirks, putting her arms around Rohit, "Do you even know how much famous you are? especially with your childhood boyfriend that came to America, don't you remember your photos being viral?"

My cheeks turn pink, she is talking about Emmy awards when Rohit was my friend date for the awards night and Kiyansh called me before the awards and told me he was in America and asked me to tell Rohit to back off. Just before the red carpet I asked him to buy me ice cream because I was freaking nervous, and the ice cream spilled on my dress, I became so neurotic that he took out his suit jacket and put it on my shoulder and started to bend down and clean my dress with napkins. Some photographer captured the images and it became Viral.

I try to stifle my face into a normal expression and pray, pray to not stutter, "He is not my childhood boyfriend, he is my childhood best friend" and fiancé. The thought dangles me on my feet, and picks up my heartbeat, as if to make sure it's all real, my hand goes to the pendant he gave me in the morning.

Prisha smells the reaction like a hound dog and points to the pendant, "Oh my gosh! where did you get this?"

My chest burns and I stifle the urge to hide the pendant under my t-shirt. They will never leave me alone now. "I... I got it, got it from my...father."

"You liar!" They both say at the say time, their eyes meet, and they both hump at each other, lunging for me at the same.

I step back and clutch the pendant in my fist, "I have to get changed, the conference is in thirty minutes, see you." As soon as I complete the sentence I waltz off outside the office, leaving their accusing eyes.

****

We get to the conference hall thankfully in time, it's jam packed with paparazzi. I am modestly dressed in a black blouse and pink slit pants and distinctly remember to thank Kiyansh's secretary.

I smile the most ready- made smile at the waiting paparazzi in line and feel Rohit and Prisha come into their element of their actor persona. When we take our seat in the middle of stage, my phone pings with a text. I put it on silent mode and read the text with a smile on my face.

Have paparazzi-ass kicking day.

I shut the phone and look up to find, at least two reporters staring at me weirdly. Ughh I forgot.

The questions starts flying basic at first, related to movie, cast and shooting stories, then it gets to the dangerous zone, a zone that the derrière of the reporters can't seem to ever avoid.

A young reported dressed in green t-shirt stands and here it goes, " Does the chemistry you and Rohit have in real life, makes the chemistry in the film so ebullient?" Indirectly he is asking if they are in relationship in real life.

The question irks and it makes me want to say something out of the line like, Why do you care and why the hell will she tell you? But Prisha smiles that ever bright smile like the devil she is and answers, " Oh thanks for the compliment, if our acting can make you believe that we have that chemistry in real life, then what's better than that." she winks in a cheerful jest and the reporter backs down immediately.

Thank god I wasn't an actor, otherwise they would have plunged my life with questions and their prying eyes. I guess I shouldn't have been celebrating so soon.

"Hello Mam, I am Aisha." A brunette women in brown skirt and white shirt stood up.

"Hello" I replied with my heart pounding at my chest.

"You were seen in the semi finale of India versus Australia cricket match with your well known friend, Kiyansh Singhania who is a well known conglomerate." A disconcerting feeling starts to overtake me with her emphasizing on friend. "And within the frame" she continues, "there also was Ayan Kapoor. Are you three friends?"

"Yes," I say in a clipped tone.

I wasn't ready for the next question. "Over the years you have been seen making acquaintance with Kiyansh Singhania almost in most of the events but he has also been seen with our one of our famous star Sahana Bajaj, although she was not seen at the semi-finale or at his famous party at his parent's house. Is there any trouble in Paradise" she asks with her brows up, "or Mr. Kiyansh has decided to only make your acquaintance nowadays."

The question catches me so off guard that it was like a punch to my stomach. I did not let it show on my face, and remember his text. I make sure I look directly at the reporter's eyes when I answer in a very coherent and calm tone, "Whatever acquaintance I or him or Sahana makes is our business, none of yours" and then I smile at her one of those smiles, "Let's go back on the film questions, for which we are here."

The reporter looks at me startled, then, her face covers in disintegrated fury.

I smile at her again and move to other reporter, my gut bleeding inside, going back to that question again and again.

No other reporter dares to ask me or Prisha and Rohit any other weasel question after that.

***

Finally the doom gets over an hour later and I get inside the car with Rohit and Prisha.

"The reporters are Bogus you know, don't mind them." Prisha says looking at me apologetically.

"It's okay," I give her an evading smile.

My phone starts ringing on my hand and I see the caller ID to look uncomfortably around me.

I cautiously pick up the call and look at Prisha and Rohit animatedly involved in conversation with each other.

"Hey" I say in a low hush.

"Where are you, you done with the press conference?"

"Yeah," I sigh, "Finally."

"Why are you sounding so off?"

My heart thuds in my chest,

What! No! I am not sounding off. "No I am okay" I clear my throat.

"Are you going to tell me or I will have to find out? You always clear your throat when you lie, now you must be touching your nose," He announces and I retract back my left hand from my nose. How does he know?

"It's nothing, you are worrying without a reason. I will call you up when I am at my apartment, Bye." I say and cut the call before he could ask me anything else.

Prisha turns to me with a sarcastic blink, Rohit grins from the passenger seat, "Hmmm now was it Mr. childhood best friend?"

I should have known they were pretending, they are the actors.

"No" I give her an incredulous look and lie to her face.

"She is such a liar." She says and taps on Rohit's seat and then announces grinning, "We are going to her apartment."

I groan and put my face in my hands.