"Rewa?"
"Yes, I have been looking for her through adoption agencies all these years," Rumi revealed, her thoughts faraway; on the fateful night when she had lost her sister.
"You said a Roy family had adopted her?" Yohan probed.
"Yes, that is what we learnt then but I am not so certain now."
"What do you mean?"
"It came to my knowledge later that some babies from the camp had been sold to high bidders. She may have been sold to someone."
"Does that mean she is living somewhere in this country?"
"I don't know Yohan. She may be here or taken somewhere abroad. I have to devote more time for the search."
"She may be happy somewhere."
"I hope so. If she is happy then I won't disturb her. I just want to make sure that she is alright."
A wistful sigh escaped her. Watching the unexplained yearning on Rumi's face, Yohan couldn't resist himself from pulling her into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on top of her head. The warmth of his body crept up on her pleasurably.
The afternoon drifted quietly to twilight. The sand dunes mellowed in the aftermath of the heat. As soon as the Sun's grip on the land relaxed, the dust bowl began to miss its radiance. Soon, the desert will be exposed to the cold of the night so it shivered in anticipation.
Rumi had no idea if she took the lead or he did. But when his lips sought hers, she was only too happy to surrender her softness to his hardiness. Her womanliness coaxed him deeper and his lips hardened, drawing her into his desires. Her arms snaked around his neck; his lips moved to her chin gently, nibbling the tender skin. Her soft purr delighted him and he dropped light kisses all over face.
"You smell so good..." he murmured.
"You too..." her reply drew a smile from him. He regarded her flushed face, pink nose and glowing lips. His finger caressed them.
"You are beautiful, Rumi. I want to make love to you but I know you are not ready," his unexpected words jolted her out of the sensual bliss she had slipped into.
She pulled away from him and stood up jerkily. Her cheeks burnt in embarrassment. How could she behave so disgustingly with Yohan? What would he think?
"I am sorry...." she didn't complete her sentence. Yohan interrupted her.
"Don't be so hard on yourself Rumi. There is nothing wrong in sharing your sorrows."
Rumi nodded, chewing her lips with a frown. She gathered her phone and wallet. "I have to go now. I know I was a nuisance. Just forget whatever I blurted out."
It was then that Yohan realized that she didn't trust him enough to keep her secret to himself. She had blurted out everything in a moment of weakness. And he was aware that she would make sure to not repeat it in the future. He sighed with regret. He wanted to know so much about her.... how she had got her first assignment on television, what colour she liked, whether she had seen any of his films and if she had, which one was her favourite.... He wanted to peel away the protective layers that she had sheathed herself with.
The moment she left he wished that he had persuaded her to stay back and finish the meal.
Nonetheless, through the evening and into the late night, his thoughts centred around Rumi and her troubled childhood. Compared to her life, his childhood had been a cakewalk. He didn't remember his parents so he hadn't felt the pain of losing them. It was only when he grew up that he started to feel an emptiness in his life. He had his grandparents and family to take care of him. Rumi had none. She had fought her way through the hurdles and emerged as a strong and independent individual. Silently, he saluted her courage.
She was a hero, a warrior and a survivor. She didn't wallow in self-pity. She took on the challenges that life threw at her with determination. Unlike him, who had taken everything for granted, Rumi had held on to every fragment of support with gratitude and dignity.
The desert breeze left a whiff of her fragrance on him as it swished past him. He recalled the feel of her in his arms. A surge of longing left him craving more for her touch. He rose abruptly and looked out of the balcony. The arid landscape seemed lonely but inviting; he went for a brisk walk. He wondered what Rumi was doing. Would she come for a walk if he asked her? He didn't think so. She must be deep in thought. He let her be.
He mulled if it was normal for him to feel the pain that she was going through. He had had number of girlfriends. None of them had touched him emotionally. Even Nina had failed to arouse the depth of his feelings. He had sailed through the growing up years mechanically. The only two persons to whom he had responded warmly, had been his grandparents.
However, Rumi kindled feelings that were alien to him. When she spoke about her childhood, he had perceived her state of trauma completely; urging him to soothe her pain.
He contemplated about what it was that made him lose his perpetual apathy when he was with Rumi.
****************
Next morning, everyone was back on the set and the shooting continued. Like Yohan had expected, Rumi started to avoid him. Her attitude annoyed him. When he spoke to her, her coldness left him angry. When she gave a perfect shot, her eyes flew to his assistant for approval. When he went close to her to adjust her costume, she turned rigid. He wanted to shake her. Her indifference made him lose his cool.
They continued like that for a week. Everyone's performance improved with each day and there was nothing to complain about. There was no interruption in the schedule, and hence Yohan should have been thrilled. Nevertheless, Rumi's attitude bothered him. No one else recognised her aloofness towards him. Even when other girls flirted with him or tried to impress him, she remained disinterested.
**************
It was a Saturday evening and everyone was preparing to relax on Sunday. They were looking forward to a rest day. Some of them made plans to go out for lunch and some others decided to laze around in the hotel. Yohan wanted to ask Rumi out for lunch or dinner. He wanted to talk to her alone. He wanted to apologise if she felt he had crossed the boundary when they had kissed. He searched for good fine dining outlets in the town. The Apps on his phone came up with one or two suggestions. When his team of assistants left for the day, he waited for Rumi.
Yohan paced the courtyard of the house; where they were shooting for current scenes. He wondered what was taking her so long to come out. His gaze spotted a bike and he straddled it, checking its handle and speedometer.
All at once, there was the loud noise of an approaching vehicle. He frowned. Who could be arriving here at this hour? It was almost dark and the deserted house had been rented for the shoot. The jeep drew to a halt outside the gate. A couple of men jumped out of its back. Yohan's eyes narrowed at the sight of a handsome stranger. The man looked familiar.
His companion pointed out Yohan and the man strode towards him.
"Hi, I am Alec Koshal. I believe Rumi Chaudhary is here working with you. I would like to meet her."
*************
Banu went on and on about her new house and its furnishings. She was so thrilled with the pictures that her partner sent her that she showed them to everyone on the set. Rumi listened to her patiently while she tried to wipe out the layer of make-up. She was dawdling here with a purpose. By the time she rubbed her face clean, she hoped that Yohan would have left. Hence, she was listening to Banu. The other woman was a hairstylist. She was an expert at her job. Although she was in demand, she agreed to do Yohan's work because she liked him. Moreover, once when she was in dire need of money, Yohan had asked his grandmother to lend him the money to give it to Banu. While she returned the money in time, his timely help had indebted her to him. So, when he had asked her if she would do his film, she had agreed at once to work at discounted rate.
Rumi had learnt all this during the course of the shooting here. She was slowly learning the qualities that Yohan tried very hard to hide from the outside world. There was a spot boy who worshipped Yohan. He told her that some years ago, Yohan had spotted him outside his house on the beach. When Yohan saw that the boy was drenched to his skin, he had given him his clothes, umbrella and some money. The next day when the boy returned the clothes, Yohan had asked him to keep and had given him a job with his grandfather's unit. Since then, the boy was devoted to Yohan. Apparently, the salary that he earned had helped his mother to recover from an illness.
All these made Rumi regret her moment of weakness with Yohan. Like an idiot, she had given away her life story to him. On top of it, she had let him kiss her; as if she had been seeking his sympathy. What a fool she was! She should have remembered that he was her boss and that women often threw themselves at him. He had millions of female fans all over the world and his girlfriend with whom he broke up recently was the current reigning queen of cinema. He hailed from a reputed family; the pioneers of Indian cinema. If he failed, he had his family to fall back on.
And who was Rumi? An orphan who had fled her country and looking to make an impression on the silver screen. Her television stint had left her without friends and her successful portrayal of the character in the show had made her co-stars go green with envy. They had plotted to get rid of her from the show and had accomplished their goal successfully.
Even if others saw Yohan as a loser; to Rumi, he was a champion, despite his privileged upbringing. He leapt to help others, rose to the occasion when needed and what impressed Rumi the most was his dedication to realize his grandmother's dream.
And a man like Yohan deserved a woman who was his equal in every way. Not a loser like her who couldn't even protect her own sister.
With that depressing thought, Rumi emerged from her room; only to stop in her track at the sight of the man talking to Yohan.
**************