Page 19 of Red Flags and Rishtas
‘You’ll have to run the bar menu by Stellar Spirits. They’re sponsoring the alcohol for the event,’ I said, proceeding to explain that someone from their team was supposed to be here today.
‘Oh yes, I met with Aadar sir right before you arrived,’ he said.
‘Oh? Has he left already?’ I asked, trying to hide the hopefulness in my voice.
Jerry looked around and said, ‘I think he went out to take a call.’
A few seconds later, Aadar walked in from the alley, slipping his phone inside his black trousers. He wore a white slim-fit shirt, identical to the one his brother had worn at Saurav’s party. I wondered if they shared clothes the way sisters usually did. He had a polite smile plastered on his face as he met us at the bar, one that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
‘You’re late,’ he said to me as Jerry excused himself to help with the podium rearrangement.
I scoffed. ‘I’ve been here for like fifteen minutes.’
He checked his watch and said, ‘And it’s 6:25. Which means you’re late.’
I rolled my eyes at him, asking him where he’d been if he was so punctual. He ignored me, leaning on the bar top to peek at the bottles placed behind the counter.
‘We can’t have more than two bartenders here,’ he said, switching to business mode.
‘That shouldn’t be a problem. It’s a small event, and the guests will be busy promoting the car for the most part anyway,’ I said.
A part of me was still irked by his presence, but I had to remind myself that I was representing TheManJournal.
‘And our whisky,’ he said.
‘Hmm?’
He turned to look at me and said, ‘They also have to promote our whisky.’
The light cast by the chandeliers gave his brown eyes an appealing golden glow. In fact, they looked like they’d been dipped in single malt.
‘Well, they obviously can’t directly promote whisky or alcohol in general. But we’ll shoot them drinking at the bar, cheering, having fun and all that with your branding in the background,’ I explained, and he nodded his approval.
I left him to study the details of the bar and went on to explore the rest of the space. A chunk of the furniture would have to be cleared from the middle of the restaurant where the car would be displayed. Jerry showed me the wide back entrance through which the car would be brought inside. I documented every nook and corner of the restaurant on my phone, knowing I’d have to create digital maps for Ryan’s reference so he could brief the logistics team. He should’ve ideally been here, but he was apparently still sick. I dreamt of the day when hangovers would be openly accepted as valid reasons for sick leaves.
A waiter showed me the food menu as I sat down at a table. It occurred to me that I hadn’t eaten anything solid all day, which was probably why my headache had persisted. I wasdrooling over the names of the fancy French dishes when the chair opposite me was pulled back. I looked up to find a waiter ushering Aadar into the seat.
‘All good?’ I asked, hoping he wouldn’t complain about things I couldn’t fix.
‘Yeah, we can make it work,’ he said.
‘Perfect. So if you could just hand me the signed paperwork, I’ll let you be on your way,’ I said, eager for him to leave me alone with my fancy food.
He let out a low chuckle, shaking his head lightly.
‘I’d love to be rid of you too, but I’m not quite done here yet,’ he said, dropping the façade of politeness.
I leaned back and crossed my arms.Be rid of me?
‘Please. You’re the one who insisted on coming.’ I didn’t say it, but the word ‘stalker’ hung in the air between us.
‘Trust me, I have no interest in hanging out with you. This visit was purely professional.’ He placed his right ankle on his knee, looking irritatingly comfortable in his seat.
‘So why are you still here?’ I raised an eyebrow accusingly.
‘I haven’t tried out the bar menu yet.’ He shrugged.
I stared at him, feeling the insides of my stomach rumble with post-hangover hunger.
