Page 139 of 12 Years
The guests at my forty-fifth birthday party paused their conversations and turned towards the stage.
‘What a fantastic evening. What a setting, isn’t it guys?’ Mohsin said. The guests all cheered in response.
We were at Cloud 22, an exclusive poolside club on the twenty-second floor of Atlantis The Royal, the top hotel in Dubai. Mudit had organized the entire evening, from booking the space to managing the hundred-plus guest list. He’d invited the whole SecurityNet team, along with our investors, vendors and friends.
‘How much did this whole thing cost again?’ I said to Mudit, standing next to him as he refilled our glasses with Dom Pérignon champagne.
‘I’m afraid if I tell you, you might faint. We don’t want that to happen to the birthday boy, do we?’
‘How much, Mudit?’ I said, concerned.
‘Too much, but it’s my personal money. Not company funds. Don’t worry, our investors won’t think we’re partying at their expense.’
‘Bro, why did you have to do all this?’
‘Two reasons. One, it’s you, my best friend.’
‘Thank you. And two?’
‘Two is that you’re the one who helped me make all this money anyway.’
Mudit and I laughed.
‘Look around, bro. Look how far we’ve come,’ Mudit said, pointing at the club space and at the setting sun. The sky was a surreal pink and gold. ‘We must celebrate ourselves now and then.’
‘True. Where’s Tania though?’ I said, referring to my girlfriend.
‘She’s sorting out the cake. She wanted to roll it in for you,’ Mudit said.
‘Roll it in?’
‘Well, it’s huge. Five feet. Needs to be brought out on a trolley.’
‘Mudit, dude. Why?’
‘It’s okay, bro. It’s your birthday. Anyway, how are things with you and Tania?’
‘Hot. Exciting. Fun.’
‘But?’
‘But what?’
‘I know you too well. There is a “but” somewhere in there.’
I laughed. ‘Yes, well …butI think I may be ready for a change in a few months.’
‘Bro, you’re brutal. How times change though,’ Mudit said, ‘Remember how reluctantly you agreed to meet Amelia five or six years ago? And look at you go now.’
‘You’re the one who taught me all this. Only keep the fun. None of the emotional load. So, I change them frequently to avoid all that load.’
‘Yeah, but Tania seems nice.’
‘She is. But you know, every now and then, it’s best to refresh the cache.’
‘Savage,’ Mudit said.
‘Sir,’ bass guitarist Mohsin’s voice boomed from the speakers. ‘Where are you, Saket sir? We need you on stage to cut the cake. Mudit sir, you too.’
