Page 43 of Three Holidays and a Wedding
“I noticed that earlier,” he said. “I really like it.”
“Thanks,” Anna said, feeling the blush that had started earlier intensify.
“Hey, Anna?” They had almost reached the set, and they stopped walking now. He appeared thoughtful, like he wasn’t quite sure how to say what was on his mind. He just shook his head, and the moment passed. “You’re headed over there,” he said, pointing to the extras tent. He paused again and swallowed a few times. “So, uh... when I get back to the inn this evening, maybe we can light the menorah together? I shouldn’t be too long after sundown. And it’s the first night of Hanukkah, after all.”
Anna felt a rush of happiness, unbidden. She tried to remind herself of the rumors about Josh and Tenisha being a couple. But it was no use; her heart had taken over. As her dad used to say, quoting Descartes,The heart has its reasons, of which reason knows nothing.“We probably should, right? We did promise Kate.”
He grinned. “A promise is a promise. If you give me your room number, I’ll leave a message for you when I get back.”
“I’m in room 207.”
“Ah, the work-in-progress zone.”
“Yes,” she said, punching him playfully on the shoulder. “They save the nice rooms for the movie stars.”
He laughed. “What can I say? There are a few perks that go with the job. I’ll see you tonight, Anna.”
“See you tonight, Josh.”
As Anna hustled over to join the small crowd of extras, she noted that Maryam and Saif were nowhere to be found.
“I told Maryam to take him on a little walk around the town,” Saima explained, waggling her eyebrows. “It might give them some time to get to know each other better.”
“I thought they were family friends and have known each other since childhood,” Anna said, glancing around. Mr. Dadu was deep in conversation with Katrina Wakes, the film’s director. Josh had been whisked off to hair and makeup. Anna tried not to wonder if Tenisha was with him.
Beside her, Saima snorted. “My sister has always been so shy around Saif. It’s like she lost the ability to talk around him! I don’t know what changed, but she seems to just not care what he thinks anymore. And nowhecan’t take his eyes offher.”
“I noticed that, too,” Anna said as a PA with a clipboard approached.
“Looks like we’re up. This is so exciting!” Saima said. “Dadu, come on!”
In the few minutes they had left him alone, he had somehow changed into a loud Christmas sweater with a giant embroidered Rudolph, complete with blinking red lightbulb nose.
“I’m staying right where I am. Miss Wakes has kindly asked for my help in perking up the romantic tension betweenMr. Chase and Miss Tenisha. I have suggested inserting a few musical numbers and perhaps a costume change or two. Nothing like dancing to make the love flow faster,nah?”
“Your grandfather has a lot of good advice for us,” Katrina said with a smile. “I can’t believe he directed over a hundred films in Mumbai. He’s a living legend! I’m sure he’s going to help us amp up the chemistry between our stars.”
Anna’s heart felt like it was doing a confusing, Bollywood-esque dance at the mention of Chase and Tenisha. Did it mean anything that the romantic tension between them seemed to be lacking?
“Let’s go,” Saima said, pulling Anna the way the casting director was beckoning. “Take Dadu’s advice and don’t let your mind pull you in a million directions—just havefun!”
—
The hours on set flew by. Anna mostly only saw Josh from a distance because the scenes she was in were B-roll that would be added in during editing, but a few times, he waved and smiled from across the set, and she tried to tell herself the warmth in her cheeks was just from the hot apple cider or hot chocolate she had in her hands at the time. She found herself fascinated by the intricacies of the set design—how real everything felt, but also the way each object on set was essentially an artifact from a story. She busied herself tallying the items she planned to source for themehndiparty, and was excited to share her plans with Maryam.
Before Anna knew it, it was time to head back to the inn. Maryam and Saif were hovering on the edge of the film set, and she couldn’t help but notice they seemed to be standingcloser to each other, and had a more intimate aura about them. She wondered what they had gotten up to in the past few hours. Catching her eye, Maryam beckoned her close.
“Are you still up for helping with Saima’smehndiparty tonight?” she asked, keeping her voice low. “I managed to find some things in town, and I even found a few tubes of henna paste. I thought maybe you could think of a few ideas for the decor?”
“I’m totally in,” Anna said, and Maryam beamed. “I found some cute decorations in town, too, and a few other things I know you’ll be pleased about.”
“Let’s get Dadu and Saima and we can head back to the inn, and then you can tell me all about it,” Maryam said.
As they walked through the set, Anna looked around for Josh, to say goodbye—and found him with Tenisha, sharing an intimate moment, cameras rolling. Mr. Dadu was standing close by. “Maintain eye contact, you two!” he exclaimed.
“Come on, Dadu, this has been a long enough day for you. Why don’t we head back now?” Maryam said.
“Oh, yes, absolutely. I am exhausted. But they are having me back tomorrow. So I have to get my rest! Ah, there’s Saima.”
