Festival Lights

Nalini ****

"Congratulations, Nalini," said Chiba, who was dressed in a chic silk robe with matching turban. He kissed her on both cheeks and in his signature, languid drawl said, "Let's take a picture, I love that you brought out your iconic crown to wear with this Zimmerman dress - gorgeous - I need to post it."

"Thank you, I thought it was fitting for this event - the crown that started it all," she said, getting into her practised pose that had become second nature to her. She plastered on her smile and hoped Chiba wouldn't see the cracks beneath her porcelain demeanour.

"By the way, where is that gorgeous rocker of yours, off getting awards again?" he said, looking at the numerous pictures they'd just taken.

"All these years visiting Bombay and he's still not used to traffic - Goan boys, you know," she said, trying to mask the strange high pitch of her voice. It was a question, she was wondering herself. The unveiling of the book's cover was in half an hour, and Matthew was supposed to be by her side ages ago. She needed his strong arms to steady her nerves.

Sipping on her drink, she stared at Chiba, but was unable to concentrate on a word he was saying. In her mind the questions were a swirling vortex of chaos, bouncing around, all fighting to be answered. Had Matthew even come back to their apartment? Had he seen the package she'd left for him? Was it too much? Is it time to move on? Her mind reeled and for a moment the floor seemed to get closer. Steadying herself on a high table nearby, she spotted them - thank God for girlfriends, she thought, seeing Sanjana and Aarathi, holding hands, standing by the bar.

"Excuse me, Chiba, my girls have arrived. Please stick around, we're unveiling the book soon," she said.

"Definitely, darling, not leaving without an inscription, after all... None of this would have been possible had I not spotted you all those years back," he said, unable to hide the jealousy in his voice. Smiling politely, she made a quick dash to where the girls were standing, a sense of deja vu flashed as she walked towards Sanjana, who was sipping on yellow a fizzy drink.

"Nalini, this signature drink is the bomb," said Sanjana, holding up a fluted glass with a bubbly yellow colour liquid in it.

"Don't tell anyone, but they're just Jamaican flavoured breezers with a splash of orange juice," she said cheekily, grabbing another one from the bar herself and taking a big gulp.

"Slow down girl, you've got all night," said Sanjana, giving her a quizzical look. Nalini knew she couldn't hide her emotions, especially when it came to the familiar set of eyes, staring back at her, they had seen her through everything - good and bad.

"By the way, just got a text from Ash, they're on their way," Aarathi said.

"Good good, they must be still settling into their new place. Have you gone to check it out yet?" she said, taking a sip of her drink, trying very hard to avoid their stares and the question she knew was coming.

"Not yet. Speaking of which, will Matthew just hurry up and move here. It's time," said Aarathi.

"Judging by the fight we had today, I doubt it," she said, pretending to look into the crowd, she did not want to continue the conversation further. In the corner of her eye, she noticed an overly dressed woman, it was her publisher, she was getting antsy, pointing at her watch and mouthing something to Nalini. Taking another big sip, she looked at her phone, no text from Matthew. Where is he, she wondered.

"Wait a minute, he is coming, right?" asked Aarathi.

"Look, if there's one thing I love about Matthew - he always shows up for me. Even if he has to take connecting flights and a bus, rocket... Whatever," she said, the words sounding alien to her ears. Stop rambling, he'll show up.

"Yeah, but how long are you going to wait?"

"Wait for what? The unveiling? Hopefully another -"

"No Nals, I mean how long are you going to wait for him to build your life together?" said Aarathi.

"I've been busy building this empire. He's stood by me this entire time - not many guys would do that. And.. one day, when he's ready and put the hurt about Xavier behind him - he'll be here," she said, more to herself than to the two girls who were hiding their concern with their long-stemmed fizzy drinks.

"Alright, we're here to celebrate you - take it in Nalini. You did it -" said Sanjana, grabbing her friend for a big hug, "I'm so proud of you."

"Hey, Hey, let us get in on this hugging action," came a baritone voice from behind. Both girls turned to see Ashley, who had just walked in with Joseph. Great, everyone's here, she thought.

She glanced at the entrance that was framed by see-through boxes filled with twinkling lights. The same boxes decorated the entire event space, creating a soft ambient light that reflected off the mirrored high-tables. It had been Matthew's idea to recreate the feeling of festival lights for the event, just like her book's cover. He had even butted heads with the event planner who had proposed an elaborate baroque theme.

Matthew knew what this book meant to her, what this event needed, and how she had envisioned it. Looking around the room, Matthew, along with the event planner had succeeded in making her dream a reality. She should have been happy, yet, she couldn't help but feel his absence.

Had she looked beyond the sliding doors, she would have spotted him looking directly at her, but her iconic beaded crown was in the way.