Hearing her shout his name like that made Sahil stop. Meera freed herself and took a few steps back, shaking. She felt tears prick her eyes, but there was not a chance that she would let him see the pain he had caused her. ‘Meera, what’s the problem?’ Sahil kept saying under his breath as he took a step towards her. Meera quickly took a step back and held her hand out to put some distance between them.

‘Malik saab, the problem is that you have no right to force yourself on me. If you take another step, I will scream this place down.’

‘There’s nobody here to hear you, Meera, but you misunderstand my intentions. I know there’s a connection between us, if you would just let me show you …’

‘This is not a dream, and I am not a ghost, Malik saab. I am telling you once and for all, there is nothing between us, and there never will be. Let me go now, or else …’

‘Or else what, Meera?’ Sahil bridged the gap between them in two quick steps, but failed to see Meera’s right hand come towards him at the same time. The sound of the slap rang through the empty studio. Meera pushed him aside with all her might and ran out of the room. She didn’t turn around to see if Sahil was behind her; she just wanted to get to her room as fast as her feet would take her.

Once she was safely inside, she let the tears flow freely. Anger had replaced her shock, and now a feeling of shame was threatening to overcome her. A thousand thoughts raced through her mind. Had she unwittingly led Sahil on, Meera wondered. No, no, she couldn’t have. Ever since she returned from New York, she’d devoted herself to her work. Sahil had intimidated her, and she had never seen him in a romantic light. There was no room in her heart for anybody else but … Meera shook her head. She hated Sahil for how he had made her feel – weak and helpless – and how it reminded her of her family’s devadasi lineage. She had vowed to never put herself in a compromising position, but there she was. That was the first time Sahil had made advances at her, but she knew it wouldn’t be the last. She spent the night agonizing over what to do next.

The next morning, Sahil went about his job as if nothing had happened. The musicians were back for the session, taking orders from him. Once again, the troupe waited for the singer to arrive. And they waited. Sahil’s eyes were locked on the entrance. Finally, Meera arrived, and he flashed a victorious smile at her. Ignoring him, she strode towards the microphone and proceeded to hit every note with precision.

Chapter 21

Chapter 21