A Date With A Bollywood Star. Riya Lakhani

them film a scene of the movie he came up to me and asked me to close my eyes. He said he had a surprise for me.’

      ‘I bet he did!’ exclaimed Shilpa and began to giggle. Sunita threw a cushion at her.

      ‘Well, I didn’t know what to expect and I was nervous. I thought perhaps he was going to kiss me. But instead he put a bag of frozen peas on my ankle!’

      ‘How disappointing!’ Shilpa said, biting her lip.

      ‘You see, there was …’ she hesitated ‘… there is something about him, I’m sure there is, and I know I don’t know him but I feel like I do so I wrote it down …’ Rani suddenly groaned out loud and clutched her head with her hands. ‘What if he reads it? Oh, my God, I’ll just die!’ she said as her voice reached a level of panic the others had never witnessed. She grabbed a cushion and buried her face in it.

      ‘So what if he reads it?’ Sunita said supportively. ‘You’re a journalist—journalists make stuff up all the time to sell papers, don’t they? So, then, where’s the harm? He’s just another interview you’ve done, that’s all.’

      ‘But what will your mum think?’ asked Shilpa pointedly. ‘I mean, he’s not exactly take-home-and-meet-the-parents material, is he? Well, not your mum and dad anyway! I mean, he’s a flashy actor, not a respectable doctor, isn’t he?’

      Rani rolled her eyes but Shilpa continued, ‘He’s not even a lawyer! He’s a song and dance man, and you know your father really wouldn’t approve, especially if he’d read any of the newspaper cuttings. His only daughter mixed up with an international playboy!’

      ‘Aaahh,’ screamed Rani in sheer frustration. ‘I’ll die of shame! I’ll move house, I’ll move city, I’ll move country!’ she yelled. The phone rang. It was the duty editor from her office. Rani let the answer phone cut in.

      ‘Rani? It’s Edward Evans here, just thought you’d like to know we’ve had a tremendous response to your interview with Omar Khan. Never seen anything like it: the punters love it; the website has crashed; we’ve had so many people trying to leave messages. They’re calling you an Asian Bridget Jones. Great stuff. And I’m sure Tony will be in touch—he’s as bowled over as the rest of us.’

      ‘Bridget Jones!’ Sunita said. ‘That chain-smoking, alcoholic, man-obsessed thirty-something?’

      ‘I don’t smoke, I hardly drink and I’m exactly twenty-five today!’ Rani protested.

      ‘So you admit to being man-obsessed, then?’ Shilpa chipped in cheekily.

      The doorbell rang.

      ‘What now?’ Rani said almost hysterically. ‘Please can you get it?’ she begged, looking towards her friends. Sunita obliged and headed towards the door. Rani and Shilpa could hear a conversation but couldn’t make any of it out. Sunita returned, smiling across her face and holding a very large display of flowers out in front of her.

      ‘I think you can afford to relax now,’ said Sunita. ‘These are from him,’ she said, plonking the impressive display down onto the coffee table. ‘Here, take a look at the note that came with them.’ She handed it to Rani. ‘The delivery man said they were ordered first thing this morning.’ Rani opened the little envelope and began to read.

      ‘I enjoyed your article, Rani. Peas be upon you. Omar.’

      ‘What does he mean “peas”?’ asked Shilpa, who was frowning at the display.

      ‘They’re sweet peas, the flowers—he’s sent hundreds of sweet peas,’ said Rani, beginning to laugh. Shilpa still looked confused.

      ‘The frozen peas?’ said Sunita, hoping it would trigger a connection for Shilpa. ‘Remember? He put a bag of frozen peas on Rani’s ankle—well, this is another pea joke.’

      ‘Oh,’ said Shilpa. ‘Taking the peas, more like,’ and they all fell about laughing. They were wiping tears from their eyes when there was another knock at the door.

      ‘I’ll get it,’ said an enthusiastic Shilpa, jumping to her feet. There was a short exchange of words and she returned holding a small silver tray in one hand.

      ‘For you,’ she said, bending down and offering it to Rani. Sunita crowded in to see what it was.

      ‘I bet it’s from him again,’ she said.

      ‘Oh, he’s so smooth,’ Shilpa said as she sighed. Rani was tearing the envelope open as fast as her nervous fingers could manage. There was a small card inside and a short handwritten note. She read it to herself.

      ‘Come on—what does it say?’ urged an eager Shilpa.

      ‘He wants to see me again,’ Rani said. There was a slight tremor in her voice. ‘He says he hopes I liked the little joke, which he couldn’t resist, and would I like to be his guest at the opening of his new club tonight.’

      ‘Tonight!’ exclaimed Shilpa. ‘He’s not wasting any time, is he? And you thought you might put him off by throwing yourself at his feet. Looks like he can’t keep away!’