She chuckled. ‘I was just kidding. But come on. Look at your hair. Your clothes. Ihadto tease you.’
‘No. No, you did not!’ Ananya said, but dragged her hands down her hair, trying to fix it.
‘I brought Manchurian gravy, Schezwan rice and spring rolls for all of us.’
‘You’re forgiven,’ Ananya said instantly and then turned to me. ‘Prepare yourself for the best meal of your life.’ Then, she looked at Rhea again. ‘I know you told him where I was, but how were you so confident he’d be here?’
‘I had a hunch,’ she replied, pausing as she looked at me.
‘We even now?’ I raised a brow.
‘I hear you also bribe people with reservations to The Masala Box,’ she replied, grabbing plates and cutlery from the kitchen.
I chuckled. ‘I do. Tell you what, I’ll make sure you get a table whenever you want it.’
‘We’re more than even,’ she said, looking happier than she did when she saw us back together.
Ananya’s eyes softened as she looked at her friend. ‘Thank you.’
‘Of course.’ Rhea smiled and then settled at the dining table. ‘Now tell me how your meeting went.’
Ananya and I sat down too. ‘Do you remember Navya?’ she asked me.
I nodded.
She told me about making her sari before leaving for Banaras. That Navya had a small following on Instagram and that the video she posted of her sari went viral, which led Naina to message Ananya for a collab.
‘That is fantastic news,’ I exclaimed. ‘I’m so happy and proud of you.’
‘Thank you. The meeting went well,’ she said, glancing between Rhea and me. ‘Naina was great and seemed really interested in making something with me. The money isn’t much, but she promised me visibility on her page. I haven’t read the contract yet, but if it’s okay, it’s basically a done deal.’
It immediately raised alarm bells in my head. ‘How much money?’ I asked.
‘She’s paying me for the raw materials,’ she admitted, biting down on her lip.
Unwillingness to pay someone fairly for their work was unacceptable. Ananya would get exposure from Naina’s posts, but the motive of this deal wasn’t to advertise Ananya’s work; it was for Naina to wear and flaunt her design. The ‘advertisement’ was just a by-product. My gut screamed it was Dipti’s idea to steamroll Ananya into providing free labour because she was still new to the industry. There was a reason why Naina’s manager had always rubbed me the wrong way.
‘Can I see the contract?’ I asked.
Ananya grabbed her bag, pulled it out and handed the papers to me. She began serving us dinner while I scanned it.
I knew exactly where to look – the footnotes and the fine print. Almost immediately, a clause jumpedout at me. Naina would own the design. I bet there were more predatory terms hidden in the contract.
‘Don’t sign this,’ I said flatly, dropping it on the table. ‘I’ll give Dipti a call tomorrow morning and work out a fair contract. And get you actually paid for your work.’
The warmth in Ananya’s eyes gave way to something more charged. ‘Okay,’ she said, this time more confident. ‘Thank you.’
After almost two weeks, I sat for a full mealandenjoyed it. As promised, the food was amazing, but the company made it better.
Rhea told us about yet another failed date that had us laughing and sympathising with her. Ananya’s face glowed with a kind of lightness I hadn’t seen in her before.
This was her. The real her. No lies, no secrets weighing her down. Just Ananya.
And I felt a rare peace.
I didn’t feel it when I’d signed the deal with the Mahalas and thought I’d fulfilled Dadaji’s dream. I didn’t feel it even when I’d sent that email to Dad.
Ananya’s smile deepened, warm and unguarded.
