Love in making🎬🎥

Chapter 10

Mood

After I came back home, I was tired but not tired exactly. Do you get it? You will if you are in love :) I freshend up. Completed the rest of the camera work. And waited for Anna. Today there is some invisible force pumping me up so why not use it. I opened my fridge, got some chicken and decided to cook an Indian delicacy of butter chicken with the help of YouTube obviously. It is quite easy to prepare. All you have to do is take some onion, some chilli, yogurt, a lot of butter and marinated chicken. It is my all time favorite Indian dish and honestly everyone like literally every single person walking on Earth can not resist this. Maybe I will make Hero try it too. Wait !!! No maybe. He has to. I mixed all the ingredients in a large bowl of ginger-garlic paste, cardamom powder, mace powder and onion paste. Further adding salt, sugar and black pepper while roasting the chicken. I quickly heated dollop of butter on pan and added the most important thing, a mix of Indian spices. When I was almost done I heard a knock. I simmerd the gas and ran to open the door. "What are you cooking?" was the first thing Ann asked totally taking in the aroma. "Oji Aap goom kitthe hai ?chef itthe hai!!!!!" I said in the deepest Punjabi dialect, I could manage.
(translation--- where are you lost? The chef is here.)
"What are you cooking chef ?" Anna asked scurrying towards the kitchen. "Butter chicken sweety. Now go and freshen up fast. The dinner is ready." I said garnishing the chicken with coriander leaves. I preheated the microwave and set some bread in it. I don't cook but when I do, I do it with utmost sincerity so I was pretty satisfied with my work.

"I am done. Set the plates." Anna said jumping the last steps of stairs. I served her and the glee on her face was priceless.
"Vani.......why? why don't you cook this for me everyday? Trust me I will do your laundry and everything for the rest of our lives." she said enjoying her morsel. "Really? Let me think about it then" I said delighted by my efforts. "Vani can I ask you something?" Anna asked, with a hint of hesitation in her voice. "Sure" I said without thinking twice. "Is there something going on that I am unaware of ?" Anna asked pursing her lips. With that, guilt and realisation hit me. I have not told her about Hero. Out of all the people, she is the last one to know it. "There is. Honestly I wanted to tell you but only after once I am sure about it" I said convincingly. "Ok. So go ahead" she said continuing eating. "We are kind of dating" I said in a low voice. Anna gave me a confused look. "Me and Hero" I added and she choked on her food. "Whaaaat ???? When did that happen? How? and how didn't I come to know about it ?" she said in a tone, I couldn't understand whether she was happy or shocked or angry because I kept it from her.
"I don't know" I really don't know what are we. Are we dating? Are we together like that together, I mean what are we...More than friends?
"When ?" she asked in whisper. "Yesterday" I whispered back. "Is that why you were late?" she asked. "Yes" I simply said without meeting her eyes. "Will you stop this one word answer scheme and kindly elaborate?" She said in annoyance. "I...uh..no...we went on a date......yesterday and...it wasn't a date.... and we had ice cream and...we walked home.... and.." I stuttered in panic. If this continues any longer I will break into sobs. "Wait !! Can you just calm down. You are making no sense whatsoever" Anna said keeping her plate aside. "I am sorry Anna I should have told but it is just that I wasn't sure myself and I didn't mean to create any doubt and- " I was cut off by her "Will you please shut up !!!!! Vani. For God's sake. It is fine" she said handing me a glass of water. I gulped it in one go. This is so killing. I feel I am gonna have an anxiety attack. Anna is my only family and I don't want to piss her off. I wanted to tell her, she has to understand that. Oh my God. I am dying. I can't breathe.
"Are you listening to me?" Anna snapped me out of my panic. "Look I am not ok with you not telling me about all this but I understand . Okay? I am happy for you. Shocked, yes. Surprised, yes but definitely happy." She said giving me a comforting smile. "Are you sure?" I asked to confirm. "Yes I am. I would have anyway figured it out in some time" she said standing up from her chair. "And how?" I followed her to the kitchen. "Because you look so happy. Waking up before time, being all smiley smiley. And all this cooking and stuff. I can see some difference today itself" she said putting the utensils in dishwasher. I smiled. How can I not be happy? I am living my dream and each day, it gets better. "So are we good?" I asked. "Yes we are" she said assuring me.
After all the cleaning chores and gossiping with Anna about office and Sam and how proud he is of me and other stuffs that I missed back there, I went straight to my bed. I got my MacBook and resumed reading After. I wonder how Anna feels about this movie. Like you write something out of pure fan love and then it becomes a massive hit. Everyone resonates your feelings and it is published. And after years of acknowledgement it becomes a movie. How overwhelmed she must have been and I can imagine her shedding tears of joy on the day of premier. Who thought that a mere thought can become a major motion picture ?
I was busy reading when my phone buzzed. Must be Parker, stating some last minute change. I checked the text -

Unknown number identified
Unknown number - Hey !! What's up?
Me - Hi !! May I know who is this?
Unknown number - It is me.
Hero.
I checked the time. It is 11 pm.
Me - Hey !! I was reading the book. What about you?
Hero -  I was just preparing my dialogues for tomorrow.
Me - Okay
Hero - How is the book?
Me - It is actually good. Why haven't you read it yet?
Hero - I don't know. I don't read much and I have never heard of it before. Not that I don't want to read it, I just want to do it my way keeping the basic character intact.
Me - That's understandable..
Me - So are you not tired? It was a long day.
Hero - Not really. I enjoyed the day ;)
Me - That is understandable too.
Hero - Can I ask you something?
Me - Sure. Shoot
Hero - Why were you running away from me earlier?
I somewhere knew that this will come. My ignorance towards him was very obvious in the eye.
Me - I thought that there was no way for you to like me. I am not self deprecating . Its just that we are so different and its hard to believe.
Hero - Different as in?
Me - Different as of our work background. You know I am a cinematographer. I work behind the cameras. But you, you are leading. You will work in ten different movie with ten different women and you will move on and all this might just become a lost cause.
Hero - You don't trust me ?
Me - Well, I don't know you.
Hero - Fair enough.
Hero - Look I know where you coming from and I completely get it. We both need to know each other, more than work. And on that note let me assure you, our work will never be a problem between us. I take my work seriously but "you are no joke to me" either.
P.S. - You should try and audition too. You are beautiful and with that body of yours, it won't be that hard. The perfect girl-next-door that you are, you will definitely get through it ;)
I smiled on his using the exact words he told me yesterday. You are no joke to me.
Me - Haaaaaah !!!! I bet that's a whimsical thought there.
I think we should sleep now. It is late and we got to work tomorrow.
Hero - What is it with you always thinking to leave me hanging?
Me - Taking work seriously, remember?
Hero - Righto !! Goodnight Nirvana. See you tomorrow :)
Me - Yup. See you tomorrow
Me - Goodnight
Hero - Bye
Me - Bye
Hero - Goodbye
Me - Goodbye
Hero - Do we really need to....?
Me - Hero Goodbye !!!!!!!
Hero - Fine :/
Me - Fiennes !!
Hero - Haha... Too lame -_-
Me - you started with the joke of me being able to act.
Hero - I was dead serious with that.
Me - whatever ....
Hero - See? I told you. You don't know your true worth.
Hero - But don't you worry baby. I am there for you ;)Bbye
I like you
Me - I like you too. I texted him.
I love you ,my heart beated