22. Mayukhi
TWENTY-TWO
Mayukhi
Sri, my love…Have I got goss for you…
Mayukhi sent the message before she walked into her morning team meeting. Then she put the whole mess aside and worked through her day, ticking things off her to-do list and ignoring the tsunami of messages Naveen’s wife, Sri was sending her. When you wanted to spread misinformation, you always went to the biggest gossip in the pack. And as Mayukhi had expected, she’d taken the bait.
“I want burnt orange not mandarin orange,” she said to one of her designers who had her arms out with fabric samples draped all over it.
Raina nodded and riffled through another fabric book pulling out a swatch. “This?” she asked.
Mayukhi frowned, holding her hand out for it. She fingered the fabric, holding it up to the light and checking the weave. “It’s close,” she murmured. “But there’s a bit of shine to it that I’m not fond of.”
Raina took it back from her and went back to pawing through her mountain of fabric samples. Shawn called out to Mayukhi and she walked around the conference table to where he stood, sketching on a large drawing board.
“What do you think?” he asked, turning the board over to her so she can run her eye down the gown he’d sketched.
“Take the frill off the shoulder and make it strapless.” She was already on to the next task before he’d finished responding.
“We go into production in two days people,” she called out, raising her voice so she could get everyone’s attention. “We have no time to waste. I’ll authorise all overtime necessary but now is the time to hit the ground running.”
Mayukhi stepped out on the heels of the chorus of agreement that rose from her team. She needed a moment before her noon appointment walked in. It was a bridal consultation for a bride who didn’t have a mind of her own. And thanks to the fact that she solicited opinions from her mother, mother-in-law, sister, friends, and assorted random people, her outfit had gone through multiple iterations already.
She called out to Payal to bring her a chamomile tea and her iPad. She wanted to check the latest wedding lehnga she’d designed for the spineless bride before they arrived. Once she was satisfied that she was ready for the appointment, she pulled her phone out and checked her messages.
Fifteen unread messages from Sri. Well, it was time to feed the beast. She opened the messages, ran her eye over them before calling Naveen’s wife.
“Yukhi!” Sri sounded like she was running on the treadmill. “What’s up babe? Dish.”
Mayukhi smiled, leaning against the glass wall of the conference room. Sometimes, this was just too easy. The folds of her yellow maxi dress draped over her legs, the soft fabric feeling like a comforting caress on a tiring day. Mental games were exhausting.
“Do you remember how you told me I could do better than Ishaan? That I shouldn’t fall in love with him?”
“Babe, Naveen told me you’d been forced into it by your parents. I’m so sorry you’re going through this. The way our parents fuck us up, it’s bloody insane, I tell you.”
Mayukhi heard the whine of the treadmill winding down. “Hmm,” she said noncommittally. Sure, her parents had screwed her over but what would Sri say if she knew her husband was a steaming pile of dog shit? It wasn’t only parents who fucked you up…Or did Sri know? Was she complicit in the whole thing? Honestly, at this point, Mayukhi wouldn’t put anything past any of them.
“Yeah,” she said now, watching Payal lead her brainless bride and her entourage into the viewing room. “It’s insane and so stressful.” She did her best to sound sad and pathetic but that was a tough one to pull off, especially for her.
“But I have good news babe.” She forced the ‘babe’ out of her mouth doing her best to meet Sri at her level.
“What?” Sri sounded like she was going to burst from anticipation. Mayukhi rolled her eyes. Did these women not have a life? Sure, it worked in her favour today but ugh…
“I may not have fallen for him but…” She let the sentence taper out waiting for Sri to draw her own conclusions.
“OMG!” Sri squealed. “He’s fallen for you? Babe, this is the best revenge ever.”
Mayukhi laughed. “Yeah it is, isn’t it? When I destroy his leverage and break this off, I’ll have the pleasure of breaking his heart too.”
Even saying the words made her own heart hurt. What was wrong with her? She knew this was all an act. One good kiss, okay fine two phenomenal kisses, did NOT mean she was catching feelings. Especially not for an obnoxious, overgrown man child who-
“Excuse me, Ma’am.” Payal stood beside her. “Your twelve o’clock is here.”
Mayukhi held up two fingers to show her she needed a couple of minutes and then said, “I’ve got to go, Sri. Let’s catch up soon for a boozy brunch. I’ll give you all the dirty, filthy details.”
Even as she disconnected the call, she knew Sri would be frantically dialling her husband who would then proceed to tell all his friends. Gossiping twats, she thought derisively as she went into her next meeting.
She was in the middle of the bride’s waffling over colour when her phone lit up with a message from Ishaan.
Design Diva. Design Diva. Come in.
A startled laugh escaped her making the bride glare at her. “You don’t like the idea of turmeric and green? My best friend who lives in the US suggested it. She saw it on a Desi American show.”
Desi American, my arse, Mayukhi thought but refrained from saying. She needed this order. It was a massive one, given she was dressing the entire family and the publicity from this high profile wedding alone would be worth its weight in aggravation tolerated.
“Not for a bridal lehenga,” Mayukhi said now, gritting her teeth to sound pleasant. “Maybe for the haldi?”
While the bride and her tribe hummed and hawed over the options, Mayukhi typed out a response.
Design Diva to Tech Whisperer. Proceed.
A silly giddiness spread through her, dissipating the heavy weight of what they were trying to pull off, for the moment.
“I think I want lavender,” the bride said now.
Lavender. For a wedding ghaghra. Mayukhi sighed and said, “Sure. But why don’t you take a day to sit on that decision and then we can discuss it further? In the meantime, the design is confirmed?”
Some more whispering and muttering commenced.
It’s Defcon 1. I repeat Defcon 1. Target information procured.
Mayukhi pressed her lips together, struggling to keep her laughter in at the sight of Ishaan’s response. She surreptitiously typed in a quick reply before putting the phone down and pretending to be focused on her meeting.
Target?
How long had it been since she’d played like this with someone? Had she ever? Had Ishaan been this fun at school too? The only memories she had of him was of a sullen, snappy, boy who’d had the worst haircut in the world. She had a feeling he’d been cutting his hair with kitchen scissors over the bathroom sink. He had been like a scruffy, angry terrier.
The Golden One of course. Possibility of a bathroom cabinet is high. Heist preparations are underway. Confirm availability for 10 PM tonight?
Ahh the trophy. Mayukhi grinned as she typed out a quick yes. She was definitely available for any heist shenanigans he had planned. His reply came immediately.
Excellent. Will see you at rendezvous point, aka my bedroom. Tech Whisperer over and out.
His bedroom? Tech Whisperer was feeling over confident tonight, wasn’t he? She was about to reply when she heard a nasally voice ask, “Can we add more frills around the bust area?”
The bride from hell, that’s what this woman was. But Mayukhi pasted a smile on her face and leaned forward to tell the other woman what a flaming idiot she was to consider adding frills to her choli, diplomatically of course. She was, after all, the Design Diva.