One Shots #VariaSquad

The Pro-Con List

THE PROS AND CONS OF WORKING WITH MY BEST FRIEND

(WHO I MAY OR MAY NOT BE IN LOVE WITH)

A LIST BY VARUN DHAWAN

PROS 

1. SHE TAKES CARE OF ME 

2. SHE KNOWS ME BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE

'Varun,' Alia calls out as she opens the door joining her room to that of her co-star and best friend. 'Vee, you asleep already?' 

'No, 'm still awake,' Varun mumbles. Not even an entire minute later, he feels the mattress dip ever so slightly as she sits beside him on the bed and he mutters something that's hardly intelligible but apparently Alia makes sense of it all the same, letting out a laugh before responding with 'you're in your own room, lying on your bed. Hate to break it to you but it's really not the best hiding spot.' 

At that he finally picks his head up from where it's buried in his pillow, rolling his eyes at her as he turns over onto his back so he can see her properly, letting out a groan as he does. 'If that's the case, how come nobody else has found me yet?' 

'Because nobody else has figured out you're hiding yet. They all think that either you're worn out from today's shoot or that you're in the gym.'  

'And yet you knew I'd be hiding how?' he asks, arching an eyebrow and immediately wincing as the cut on his forehead smarts at the action. 

'I know you, Vee. And I know that you're embarrassed about how you reacted in that scene - even if your, uh improvisation, improved on the original plan.'  He lets out a scoff and she makes a soft chiding noise. 'Stop doubting yourself; yes, you went off script but your performance was on point. Wait until you actually see it - it gave me literal chills.' 

'Which I would be thrilled about if it had just been a little bit of improv. But it wasn't and you know that too.' he deadpans. She sighs, fully aware that there's nothing she can say to that and begins to set down the supplies she brought as he continues talking. 'It's stupid. I knew it was going to happen, I've read the whole script through. And I knew we were filming it today. But when I walked in and I saw him all over you like that...' he trails off and she takes advantage of his momentary pause to take an antiseptic wipe to his cuts. He winces and glares at her but there's no heat behind it and he stays quiet and still while she cleans him up, not speaking again until she's thrown the wipe away and returns to the bed. 

'I screwed up,' he says as she presses a plaster to his forehead. 

'No you didn't,' she denies, shifting her attention from his face to his scraped up hands. He lets her inspect them and bandage them but, when she's done, he takes a hold of her hands instead of letting her look at his other injuries. 

'Yes I did. Maybe the scene came out great but that doesn't change the fact that it shouldn't have happened. An actor isn't supposed to react to a scene as himself, he's supposed to react as the character. And I didn't do that. I thought I was prepared, that I could do a scene like that. But the second I saw him putting his hands on you like that, the character was gone. I had to do something, had to get him off of you. Because all I could see was-' he stops more abruptly this time and she knows what he's thinking. Knows because she thought it too. 'And I know we've spoken about the whole over-protective thing and I'm sorry-'