RED HOPES

Reverie

Mascara? Check
Outfit? Check
Heels? Check
Sanity?? ………

I checked myself one final time in the huge mirror, my reflection stared at me as I took a huge breathe. “A long breathe calms our nervous system, it’s like a factory reset.” Zeenat, my therapist’s advice worked this time. To my surprise it actually worked for the time being, I checked myself for the last time before walking out. I was going to need them a lot today. The printed schedule and a script with all the conversations and questions I was to ask him throughout the day, rested systematically in my file. Things were perfectly made, there was no chance of an argument. Most probably made. Those were the tiny things I liked about my workplace, the rest? We’ll leave the complaints for another day. Work was work and it was not like we would just jump at each other’s throat. We could behave for a day atleast. I reasoned with myself.

It seemed simple and convenient for both of us plus there would be a team to cover any blunder if we made any like I wished we won’t.  Since this was work and I had to be professional, I accepted my fate and agreed to interview Mr. Jerk. All this while I wished there was a last minute change in the schedule, like maybe a zombie apocalypse?  A tornado which would swipe away the road which leads to Alanis’ place… unfortunately nothing that drastic happened and I had to drag my heavy feet towards the car already waiting for me.

We drove towards NoHo, a 30 minutes drive from my place. As expected from the material boy. We left early to avoid any road block and reached the place in time. With tall buildings stretched throughout, sunlight perforated through them hugging the road In it’s faint butterscotch warmth.
As soon as we got out of the car, the team settled cameras and my mic, as I was about to start with my usual introduction. “This is Reverie Ames on another episode of The Talk, this time around we have a very capable personality, people know him by the title, the undefeated lawyer who lives up to his name ?” I turned around waving my hand in the direction of a tall building with black crittal walls “ Mr. Alanis Carter”  I gagged at my own words, the sail was going to be long, I sighed.

Our introduction part was to be shooted by knocking on the door, every bit of it was staged, better to avoid any argument or inconveniences. We were now on 27th floor of the building at the door of a lavish penthouse which was kept half closed and behind stood a man in his black joggers, 6’2, perfectly sculpted muscles wrapped in gym clothes, with a gorgeous clean shaved face, wet locks of hair falling right upon his forehead creating an image of a mesmerising painting. “Hey, come on in.” And even though he hated me too his face never revealed it. Son of an actress!!

“Have a seat please.” Courtesy dripped from his behaviour as he served us with nibbles and tea. A short look at that house and it screamed rich from every nook and cranny, from high end furniture to those natural marble flooring, rose gold and white were the place’s colors. I sipped a perfectly brewed tea which just hugged my taste buds, it was unbelievably drinkable. The man’s gaze settled upon me, his observation locked and another pair of hopeful eyes blinked at me. *Ahem* “it’s perfect”

“Isn’t it?”

He conversed with my team members, discussing their camera angles while I just sat absorbing the place’s energies. And every now and then my gaze settled upon Alanis’ fingers. How beautiful they would look around my neck..

“Miss Ames?” I blinked at the call of my name which I assumed was not the first time. As those gazes were locked upon my face. “Are you ready?” Hans asked again. After making a dumb fool out of myself, yes totally.

“I am.” I smiled.

I further tried as hard as possible to avoid any unnecessary talk with the man coz no matter how gorgeous he was, he was still a jerk. So I there was a bad need for distraction, We were seated in the hall which had a lofty staircase in the corner leading to which I believed was his bedroom, a marble top dining area fragmented from the hall. A see through kitchen in the far corner where all the condiments were kept neatly.

“I’ll just get changed then we can continue.” Finishing his tea, Alanis sprinted to his bedroom, proving my guess right. Feelings were mutual since the guy avoided talking or even looking at me directly. And I badly wished this to end soon.

In the meantime, I overviewed the questions I was supposed to ask through the drive. By the time we were served breakfast, his house had the most welcoming staff I’ve ever seen, they seemed to enjoy their work and I couldn’t sense anything fake in their smiles. Breakfast was amazing even though I just took a small pancake and drank juice everything was yum.

Till the time I finished my juice, Alanis was back in his crisp white shirt and black pants. His features astoundingly stood out in white making me gulp on dry saliva.

The team had set the cameras in the proper angles, though to audience it was a casual day out interview but it was more tiring than the usual interviews taken in the studios. We had to carry cameras, set the lights, choose perfect angles and then shoot. It was exhausting to everyone. And a team which fixed my makeup ‘Every fucking time!!’ something more infuriating and distant to what I used to do.

“Ready?” he nodded giving me a thumbs up.

Cameras stuttered before they started recording. “So Mr. Carter, how does a lawyer start his day before going onto the battlefield?” I asked in a rather excited tone,  the only part I had difficulty in doing was this, Faking excitement. We were sitting on his low sectional brown sofa, maintaining a good distance between us with a foam cushion acting as a healthy barrier.

“I workout a little and then have this epic breakfast cooked by my amazing staff” He pointed towards the middle aged cook, a little stout, fully tattooed man waved his hand, with a smile so genuine it showed he enjoyed what he did. “You’ve tasted them too, delicious aren’t they?” He asked.

“They are.” I replied with a genuine smile. I could see his mole more clearly now that he was close, when he smiled it just popped as if guarding the beauty of his face, the way his Adam’s apple bobbed as he gulped the pancake was a sight I badly wanted that very footage to keep it for myself. “what’s wrong with you??’ my inner voice screamed bringing me back to Alanis’ hall. A dire situation we were in.

“Are you into cooking?”

“On weekends, yes.” He cocked an eyebrow as my eyes fixated upon those systematic jars. “I like my stuff neat.” I almost choked upon the lemon water, my mind definitely not on the right place.

*Ahem* “Soo do you have a favourite corner in your house?” I asked raising my eyebrows. He looked into my eyes his smile never fading.

“Yeah, I can show you.” He gestured with his hand at the far end door. Before he started walking while we followed him behind step by step, making sure the cameras captured all the angles of his luxurious home perfectly.  Maybe it was gym I thought, guys usually claimed that stinky place their favourite spot, bragging their muscles off! Or a walk in closet with color coded suits and expensive watches. Guys liked being ostentatious.

But as soon as we stepped outside the elevator, my jaw dropped the lowest because right infront of my eyes was a gigantic two storey library. A large ivory hall with in-wall shelves with mahogany Brazilian maple wood. The flooring was again in marble but white. A wooden couch centring the attention with an open plenum with vines branching down, a  Chesney celery bunch coloured fireplace in the corner. This place was a different realm in it’s own, a structure you call aesthetically perfect!

He exhaled a deep breath “This is my happy place in the house, I love reading.” He put new information in my system changing a tiny perception of this man I created.

“It’s one beautiful library.. “ a tiny gasp escaped out of my lips “What kind of books do you read?” I asked out of curiosity going against the script, a little improvisation was accepted.

“Law books, novels, and soo much more.” He answered without hesitation. Out of all things I didn’t expect Alanis to be a reader.

“Classic.” I nodded.

“You read too?” Alanis leaned against the inbuilt shelve folding his arms, igniting a weird spark in me. We totally ignored the cameramen or my team which drifted covering the best angles of his library. It was one in a million chance to capture the insides of Alanis’ home.

“Ummhmm, criminology, newspapers and manga if those counts as books.” I lacked the interest in books, not that it wasn’t fancy it always was. I just preferred reality over unrealistic expectations.

“We have a section.” He pointed towards the fourth shelve, with books I noticed where even decades old criminology books stood. I wouldn’t be surprised if he said some were first editions.

My fingers trailed the books one by one. Eyes registering the names. “I’m impressed, how did you find these?”

“Just a hunch.” He folded his arms, with jaws clenched snatching any normal air I breathed. His blue eyes glazed with amusement, studied me up and down. Trying to read my interests, capturing each and every book I placed my finger at. My eyes met with his, finding his deceptively lazy posture one of the most entrancing one.

He returned the Intensity with his powerful eyes, inching closer with his shiftless movements, until he was an arm length away. Alanis’ tall figure towered me, and with a height of 5’7 I still struggled to reach till his neck.

“These will suit you.” Just as I thought he was going to take any unspeakable step, a book landed in my hand. Pulling me out of any delusions I was currently living in.

“Gone girl?” I raised my eyebrow at his mischievous smile throwing a bucket of cold water at my burning heart. A call interrupted him and I used the book to fan myself, before getting  lost into the vastness of this spectacular library to ease my mind of the spicy moment.  Since there was time I skipped shelve after shelve until a title grabbed all of my attention.

“Century Old?” confusion switched with shock my eyes widened, fingers scraping the cover I read those words. It was one of the iconic works of the author in the 70’s, a criminology author whose books went out of stock.  Legend has it that a billionaire once offered his will to get this book yet he got refused. “To my dear husband, use this book as a fucking directory!” And as expected, from the dedication itself this book screamed porn, all of the smugness spread in a three hundred paged book!