Glamour

Chapter 11

"What's going on Nandini?"

Sneha was getting impatient by now.

"What?"

Nandini retorted, clearly irked by this sudden intervention.

"Listen, I've known you for past five years Nandini. Your facade isn't gonna work on me."

Nandini laughed,

"So you're taking credit? You know it's not exactly five years anyway."

Sneha had had enough. She pounded on the desk with her fist.

"Stop messing around and spill already, will you? What's eating you up?"

Nandini seemed a bit stunned with her behavior. If she knew what she was getting herself into she would have never agreed to meet Sneha in the first place; not at least in her office where she was clearly the one in charge. Suddenly she felt like a small fish in the ocean.

"It's nothing Sneha. I've told you multiple times already!"

Nandini almost whined. She wanted to get out of this situation over which she was quickly loosing control. She had to get a hold of it.

"I didn't ask for a lie. Even if you say it a thousand times it will still be a lie. I want the truth."

Sneha once again punched the surface of her desk, harder.

"God Sneha! It is the truth. It's all I've got to tell you."

Nandini tried to appear calm and in control but her mind was a total haywire.

"Oh really!"

Sneha laughed, sarcasm dripping off her voice,

"That's why you aren't taking my calls or anyone else's for that matter? That's why you, the epitome of perfection, have been super clumsy on your job lately? That's why you have been pretty rude and cranky on the sets? That's why you have been stressing about literally everything? That's why you haven't been eating or sleeping properly? And the list goes on Nandini. Trust me, there's nothing fine about you."

"Whoa! How do you know about all these things? Especially about the 'eating and sleeping' thing?"

Nandini thought flabbergasted would be an understatement for how she felt.

Sneha smirked, sarcasm still etched on her face.

"I have my ways. And also have you seen those dark circles around your eyes? I'm pretty sure some paparazzi are gonna zoom in on those and you would see an hd pic of that in their websites soon if you don't do something about it."

Nandini sighed, defeated. And Sneha almost failed to hide her smile of triumph.

"So?"

She raised her eyebrow at Nandini who sighed again before speaking,

"It's.. it's Manik. I-"

"I knew it!"

Sneha pounded on her desk so hard Nandini feared for a second that the poor thing would break in half.

"So, what about him? What did he do to you?"

Sneha acted like an excited kid. Her features clouded for a moment.

"Wait! Did he hurt you in anyway?"

Nandini laughed warmly this time,

"Jeez Sneha, you are really cute when you're protective."

She paused for a bit before continuing,

"No, it's.. it's kind of the opposite. He doesn't want anything to do with me. And that.. that somehow makes me upset. Cause I haven't seen him for once for the past few months and I am so desperate to get a glimpse of him, I don't know why. And then there's this girl, his co-star In his new film, who just clings to him at every opportunity she gets and I don't know if he likes it. I don't know if he likes her. And not knowing anything is making me go crazy and-"