Ever since I’d had the chat with Sammy, I had resolved that I had to put a stop to this Yudi nonsense. There was no point in subjecting myself to any more highly avoidable misery and heartache, which were bound to become constant companions if I continued harbouring any more silly romantic notions. The office had been rife with rumours about Yudi and Priyanka being a couple ever since they’d made a joint appearance at a jazz and percussion fusion concert organized by Media Blaze a few days ago. What’s more, in a casual conversation with Vijay, in which I’d unabashedly being doing a bit of Yudi-related sleuthing, I’d found that the midnight Friday flights to Delhi were more the rule than the exception as far as he was concerned. He was a regular on that flight at least thrice a month, triggering more rumours among those in the know about a possible love interest in Delhi.

The guy was a magnet for anything remotely female, I thought disgustedly as I caught sight of him now, saying something earnestly to Divya, the little heroine of our ad, who was fawning over every word. But then, if anything, it was not difficult to like Yudi once he’d ensnared you with his charm. We’d had our little moments too during the shoot, which had the potential to turn me into a hopelessly lovesick mess if I wasn’t careful. Like the way he’d made sure I was safely escorted home every day after we’d wrapped up the shoot at some unearthly hour in the morning. Or the way he’d gotten me a veg burger and a cup of vending-machine tea on his way back from a quick lunch at McDonald’s, where he’d gone with some of the guys, even though I hadn’t asked for it, because he’d seen that I was too tied up that day to step out myself. Or the way our eyes had kept meeting in the rearview mirror of his car today on the short drive from our office to the studio, temporarily shutting out the gaggle of people that was with us. Or the… I gave myself a mental shake. This, this was exactly what I had got to stop!

‘Hey Megha, we’re all set for the next shot, shall we start?’ Neil bounded up looking wildly excited. He had been on a major high ever since we’d begun shooting. This was his first big film for a big client and he’d been looking like he had inbuilt springs for the last couple of days.

‘Sure!’ I found myself grinning back. Neil’s cheerfulness was infectious!

‘Yudi’s briefed the kiddos; they’re all set like they’ve never been before! That guy is a wiz with kids, I tell you! Did you see Divya? She totally has a crush on him, man! I think she’d jump through hoops for this ad if Yudi asked her to!’ I nodded distractedly, turning my head to watch Yudi again. It was true. He did have a way with the kids. The little horrors forgot all about their starry tantrums when he was around and seemed quite content to listen to what he had to say. And it was really quite cute the way Divya got all self-conscious around him and began smoothing her hair and adjusting her clothes. I gave myself another mental shake— I had to put a lid on this and fast. It was okay for Divya— she was just a thirteen-year-old with stars in her eyes! I, on the other hand, was a grown-up career woman with a full-blown career dilemma at hand. I had to stop all this simpering and focus on my job, on my future career path. I straightened my shoulders and marched purposefully towards the monitor where everyone else was huddled for the next shot. From now on, it was going to be Operation Separation as far as Yudi was concerned.