The Comfort Of Her Presence

CHAPTER 3

JAY'S POV

I move towards the crew and find out Aditi isn't here-she's been sent to handle some arrangements. I can't help but feel disappointed.

Even during the shoot, I'm distracted, thinking about her. What must she be doing? Is she okay? Are they giving her too much work? The thought of her being stressed weighs on me.

After the shoot, I head to my room and pass out, hoping sleep will help me escape my thoughts of her.

In my dream, I see her sitting on a bench, casually sipping chai and enjoying the weather, completely carefree. She looks at me, and I freeze.

"Mr. Model," she says with a teasing smile.

"Aditi," I respond.

"Mr. Model..." she repeats, her voice playful. She starts to say something more, "I...I..." but just then, my phone rings, pulling me out of the dream.

I groan, wanting to hear what she was about to say. Reluctantly, I answer the call. It's Maa.

"Hello," I say, still a bit dazed.

"Jay beta, how are you?" Maa asks.

"I'm good, Maa. What about you? You sound worried," I say, walking out of my room and heading towards the garden.

"Nothing, beta. Seenu has his exams tomorrow, and he's not eating anything." Maa says, clearly concerned.

"Let me talk to him," I say.

She hands the phone over to Seenu.

"Seenu, what's this I'm hearing? Why aren't you eating anything?"

"Bhaiya, I'm stressed. I feel unprepared," Seenu admits.

"Look, you need to eat and rest properly, otherwise you won't be able to focus tomorrow. Just relax."

"I'll try, Bhaiya..."

"Good. I'll call you tomorrow. Now get some rest."

"Yes bhaiya ..."

I smile. "Take care, and don't stress Maa, okay?"

"Okay, Bhaiya. Bye, I have to study now."

Just as I cut the call, I hear a voice from below: "OYE!"

I jump in surprise, blurting out, "Shit!" Looking down, I see Aditi lying on the grass, laughing at me.

Beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful.

"What are you doing lying here?" I ask, still a little shaken from the scare she gave me.

She just laughs, clearly amused.

"I'm just taking in some fresh air," she says casually.

"You're crazy," I say, half-joking, half-serious.

Without thinking, I lie down next to her on the grass.

"What's crazy about it?" she asks, turning to look at me.

"Your father's a producer ,You have your own elite room here, and yet, here you are, lying down in the garden," I say, genuinely confused by her choice.

She raises her eyebrows and smirks. "Whoa, hold on there. You really think my dad sent me here just to enjoy the perks? Not even close. He sent me here to understand the real world .... I mean his real world," she explains, letting her words linger. "I share a common room with the rest of the crew, just like everyone else."

Her words catch me off guard. I had completely misread her. She's not here for special treatment-she's here to learn and experience things like everyone else.