Friends Reunion

Late Morning at Hotel Velvet Vista

“Hey, Thomas! Heads up. A customer is coming,” Vivek hissed to his fellow bellhop as a car entered the gateway. Thomas looked up from his mobile lazily and took a casual glance at the oncoming car.

“Hmm, a Maruti Baleno. Probably some middle-class wannabe here to check out the hotel amenities. You handle this one,” Thomas scoffed, shaking his head, and returned to his phone. Velvet Vista is a premium 5-star hotel with the fanciest of amenities. Dining or staying here was far from a budget-friendly affair. While people from all walks of life visited from time to time, it was the rich and the elite who were their prized customers. The others were usually just passing through.

“Oh, come on, man. I attended the last customer too. It’s your turn now,” Vivek protested.

“Quit quibbling. I’m the senior among the both of us. Do as I say,” Thomas snapped.

Vivek cursed under his breath but at the end began to climb down the steps to receive the customer. However as soon as the car stopped and the driver stepped out he froze on his tracks. The person who stepped out was a gorgeous middle aged woman looking staggeringly alluring in a transparent black saree and golden sleeveless blouse. Suddenly Vivek felt like his legs are made of jelly as he struggled to put one feet in front of other as he walked towards that goddess of a woman. His eyes greedily consumed the sheer sexiness alluded by the woman, her angelic face split into a polite smile as her mesmerizing eyes met his making his heart flutter. Her body was curvy and voluptuous. Her skin fair and radiant. Her medium length hair was dyed brown and let loose behind her. But despite all this the sight that made him almost trip on his feet was her midsection. Her big and deep oval shaped navel was almost 80% visible through the fabric of the transparent black saree she was wearing. And it was one of the most sexiest sights he ever beheld. His gaze got locked to the spot and refused to move away.

It was not until the woman made an “Ahem” sound that Vivek snapped out of the enchantment he was in and looked up in panic realizing he was standing in front of her now and has been quite unabashedly staring at her navel up until a second ago. He cursed under his breath for behaving like a creepy idiot in front of her and said hurriedly.

“Hello Mam. Welcome to Velvet Vista. Are you here to visit or stay?”

“Just visiting.” Shalu said giving the flushed looking bellboy a slight smile secretly enjoying the effect she was having on him. “I am here to visit a friend who is here today. I was told he would be there at the rooftop bar and pool area here. ”

“Oh ! Are you sure Mam that is where he is Mam? ” Vivek asked suddenly.

“I think so. Why do you ask?” Shalu asked.

“Its just that the whole area has been booked by a photography studio for the whole morning. There is a shoot going on there at this time. Customers are not permitted there.” He said looking distraught at having to deny her.

“Oh is it so?” Shalu asked confused. Then another thought occurred to her. “Is the person in charge of the photoshoot Arjun?”

Vivek’s face brighted up. “Oh you are here to meet Arjun Sir? Then no problem. Come with me Mam. I will lead you there.”

Thomas who have been still been standing at the lobby lazily flipping through his phone happened to casually look up at that moment and was stunned to see Vivek leading a stunning woman up the stairs. His expression changed immediately. If only he knew this hot woman was the one driving that Baleno he would have never let Vivek attend her. This was supposed to be his turn and he should have been the one attending her if he didn’t bully Vivek into it.

As they came up the stairs Thomas immediately approached them. He put on a cloying smile and said “Welcome to Hotel Velvet Vista Madam.” He turned to Vivek and said “I will take over from here Vivek. Thank you for covering for me”. Vivek’s face soured but he put on a forced smile and said through gritted teeth “It is no trouble Thomas, I can take care of Madam. You take care of the next customer.”

Now that the prat knows the person who drove the Maruti was this hot woman he suddenly wants to do his job. Vivek thought bitterly. “Don’t be silly Vivek, you attended the last customer too. It is my turn now. You take some rest.” Thomas said sternly trying to exert his authority and suppress him.

Shalu who had been silently watching this passive aggressive war between the two excitable bellhops decided to step in. “Ahem…if it is all the same to you I would prefer to have Vivek guide me. “ From their exchange just now Shalu got the vague idea what was going on and she didn’t get a good impression of Thomas. Vivek on the other hand seemed like a sweet enough guy.

Vivek’s face immediately spit into a huge grin while Thomas’s expression visibly soured. But he covered up his embarrassment well and said “Ofcourse Madam. As you wish.” He stared daggers at Vivek’s back as he wistfully watched him lead that gorgeous woman away. Her exotic perfume still lingered in the air where she stood moments ago.

Meanwhile on the rooftop bar Marcus was sitting lazily on a lounge chair wearing nothing but shorts and a beach shirt and sipping a glass of chamagne. He was enjoying the show that was going on the other side of the pool where a hot model in a bright red bikini was striking alluring poses under the instructions of Arjun who was busily clicking away at his camera.

“Excellent, Natasha, excellent. Bend over a bit more, just like that, and pout your lips… excellent… fantastic… great shot,” Arjun called out cheerfully, concluding the session. He was surrounded by his crew members, all men who were trying hard not to openly stare. Working with Arjun, they were accustomed to being around attractive women, but Natasha, in just a bikini, was almost too much to resist. Especially when she was dripping wet from head to toe, the allure of her slender, sexy body enhanced several times by the glistening water droplets that clung to her skin.

“Yay !! Let me have a look” Natasha called out cheerfully not bothered the least by the unabashed stares she was receiving and skipped over to Arjun. “Here take a look” said Arjun casually putting his hand around her waist and drawing her close while showing her the pics on his camera with his other hand. Natasha didn’t care at all and let him hold her close and run his hands all over her tiny waist as she flipped through her latest pictures. The other crew members watched this casual exchange with awe and jealousy.

On the other side, Marcus shook his head, a wry smile on his face. “The idiot hasn’t changed at all,” he thought to himself. Arjun made it look like he was doing it casually, but Marcus knew better. Arjun would never miss an opportunity to be handsy with an attractive girl if he could. Plus, he had quite the reputation as a ladies’ man, which made it even easier for him. He had been like this ever since Marcus had known him, going all the way back to their college days.

Suddenly, he felt a pair of feminine hands covering his eyes from behind, plunging his world into darkness. The pleasant combination of a flowery aroma and an alluring, strangely familiar feminine scent enveloped his senses, like a fragrance from a long-forgotten dream. Then, the air was graced by that sweet, honeyed voice, a sound he believed he would never hear again in this lifetime.

“Oye Marco Polo. Guess who?” The playful voice reached Marcus’s ears, causing his heart to beat wildly. It couldn’t be. Could it? “Sha… Shalu?” he asked, his voice a mix of surprise, uncertainty, and wonder.

Marcus was the first person Shalu saw when she arrived at the rooftop. He was sitting alone on a barstool by the counter facing the swimming pool on the far side where the photoshoot was going on. Though Shalu only saw his backside, his giant frame was unmistakable from whatever angle you looked at. After all you don’t see a lot of large 6ft 3, african man in India. Though she was nervous about the prospect of meeting Marcus again, as soon as she saw him in person a warm familiar feeling enveloped her. That was why she quietly tiptoed up behind him and thought to mess with him by making him guess who she was. What she didn’t expect was for him to recognize her within mere seconds.

“No way. How did you do that?” Shalu whined taking off her hands. “Arjun warned you I was coming. Didn’t he? ”

Marcus stood up and turned around to see the face he hasn’t seen in over 15 years. His eyes widened, a mix of disbelief and joy playing on his features. The years melted away as he gazed into Shalu’s eyes, her familiar face bringing back a flood of memories.

“Arjun didn’t spill a word. There are only two women in the world that address me by that nickname and I know both their voices pretty well. ” Marcus said grinning widely, his voice a mixture of surpise and delight. He didn’t mention that he recognized Shalu’s distinct scent as well. “Shalu, its really you’.

Shalu chuckled, a warmth spreading across her face. “The one and only. Missed me?”

Marcus hesitated for a moment, a myriad of emotions crossing his eyes. “More than you know,” he admitted, the weight of unspoken words hanging in the air. His eyes drank in her appearance. Draped in a bewitching black transparent saree, Shalu’s silhouette seemed to dance with sensuality. The sheer fabric clung lovingly to every curve, revealing the contours of her body like a whispered promise. Marcus couldn’t tear his gaze away from the clear visibility of her enticing belly, and the sight of her beautiful navel, the navel he had longed for so much during their college days, it was reigniting some long forgotten desires within him. Shalu seemed to have blossomed into a more voluptuous form over form over the years, and the added softness to her belly and navel had only increased her allure by several folds.

The tension was broken by another loud “Shalu Bee…” call from behind her. Shalu turned around to see Arjun walking towards her with a big grin on his face. He swooped in and wrapped her in a warm hug. Shalu grinned brightly and returned his hug warmly. However, that warmth lasted only for a few seconds as Shalu felt his hands, which had been resting on her bare lower back, creeping over to her bare waist.

Swiftly, Shalu swatted his hand away as it began squeezing her love handles, a playful yet instinctive move on her part. “Behave, you idiot,” she said with a laugh. The action was second nature for Shalu, who knew Arjun well enough to be aware of his weakness for women’s midriffs. A greeting from Arjun was, after all, incomplete without a few cheeky squeezes on the waist.

“Hard to resist when you are dressed like this,” Arjun replied unabashedly, still keeping his arms on her waist. Thankfully, he had stopped squeezing. The other crew members watched in awe and jealousy from a little behind as they found their boss with yet another gorgeous woman. Everyone secretly wished they were as cool a person as Arjun, who seemed to be acquainted with so many beautiful women.

“Right!! Like you would spare otherwise,” Shalu said, rolling her eyes. Then, she caught sight of his staring crew members. Assuming they were waiting for him to join them again, especially the hot girl in the bikini who didn’t look too pleased, Shalu didn’t realize she was scowling because her spotlight has been stolen by her while she is standing there in just a bikini, dripping wet and exuding all kinds of sultriness.

“Please go and finish your work Arjou. Your crew members seem to be getting impatient. I have Marcus here to keep me company. We have lots of catching upto do.”

“Oh Right!!” Arjun said as though just realizing what he was supposed to be doing. He has rushed over as soon as he saw Shalu arriving looking like a diva forgetting everything. He immediately turned to Marcus said with a meaningful look. “Marco, why don’t you take her to my suite and get her some refreshment. I will wrap this up in an hour and join you guys there.”

Marcus nodded in understanding. He wanted Shalu taken from there as her appearance was distracting the crew members. “Sure Man. Come on Shalu. Let’s get to the suite.”

Marcus led Shalu away from the bustling scene of the photoshoot, navigating through the glamorous chaos of the rooftop. As they entered the opulent suite, a stark contrast to the lively atmosphere outside, Shalu couldn’t help but notice the air of luxury that surrounded them.

“Make yourself comfortable, Shalu. Arjun’s suite is quite something,” Marcus remarked, gesturing to the plush seating and offering her a seat.

Shalu sank into the comfortable surroundings with a grateful smile. Yet, it didn’t escape her notice that there was some lingering tension between them. Despite Marcus’s cordial behavior since her arrival, he hadn’t once tried to touch her or even get near her, and Shalu knew exactly why that was. There were still a lot of unresolved issues between them.

“Listen. Marcus ! ” Shalu started “I owe you an apology for how things went down all those years ago and for not keeping in touch. Yea !! Don’t give me that look. I know that is what have been weighing on your mind. “

Marcus met her gaze, his expression a mix of attentiveness and empathy. “Shalu, you don’t need to apologize. I understand that life can get complicated, especially when dealing with relationships.”

“Still I need to get this out of my chest. You have to understand I was struggling to keep my marriage together and at the time keeping distance from you seemed like the easier thing to do. I know you are aware of this after that fiasco that happened at Chithra’s wedding. But Navneet have always been extremely jealous of the bond I shared with you and Arjun. Perhaps you a little more than him.“

Marcus nodded. “I figured. Thats why I kept my distance as well and stayed out of your life. But Shalu we were best friends. If you were having problems in your relationship because of me you should have confided in me before things escalated to that level. I would have understood and been more careful around you”.

Shalu looked down guiltity. “I should have. I was just embarassed. And at denial at the fact that I was involved in a toxic relationship. In the end it all blew up in my face big time anyways.”

Marcus sighed. “I know. Been 10 years. Hasn’t it? Since your divorce with Navneet?” Shalu nodded . “So what happened? Cutting out your friends didn’t help either?”

Shalu shook her head. “No. Not really. He was always convinced the kind of relationship I shared with you was promiscuous. He would bring it up every time we argued to hurt me. It was not just you, I even stopped talking to Arjun for a few years because of this. I put up with all the abuse initially for the sake of saving our marriage. Told myself its just possessiveness out of love. Then I got pregnant. I gained a lot of weight during the pregnancy period and was overweight for a long while even after delivery. I didn’t have time to take care of my diet or looks as I was a breastfeeding mother. I was aware of Navneet becoming increasingly distant with me all through this. But I didn’t pay it much heed initially. Then after a while I began to feel a little guilty for putting all my attention on the baby and neglecting him. I began to make efforts to rekindle our romance. And one day I dropped by his office with little Akki in my arms for a surprise visit with a special lunch I have prepared for him. And found him making out a girl.” She said, her voice faltering as she recalled the heart wrenching moment that turned her life outside down.

“That day, my world shattered into a million pieces,” Shalu’s voice wavered as she continued. “When I confronted him about his betrayal, his response was a cruel blow. He said we were ‘even’ because he believed I had experience fooling around with you and Arjun in the past. He twisted our innocent friendship into something tainted and used it to justify his own infidelity.”

Her words held a mixture of disbelief and pain, the memory still vivid and raw. “He felt entitled to his actions, as if my supposed past gave him permission to betray me. There were no arguments, no explanations that could erase the pain. I simply gathered my belongings, took Akki, and walked away from the life we had built together. In the following months, we got legally divorced as well.”

Just then, their refreshments arrived, prompting Marcus to remark with a grin, “Well, it came right in time. If this doesn’t call for a drink, I don’t know what does.” He got up and skillfully poured out two glasses of wine. Shalu’s heart warmed at the gesture, and she couldn’t help but notice that this time, he chose to sit beside her as he returned with the glasses of wine. The simple act spoke volumes, silently reaffirming their rekindled connection.

Slowly over the wine they began sharing stories, and catching upon everything they have missed to tell each other over the past several years. Their old familiarity and comfort with each starting to return. An hour later, Arjun returned to find them sitting together, lost in conversation and sharing a hearty laughter. With a playful grin, Arjun quipped, “Wow, there’s a sight I haven’t seen in over a decade. So I take it you two have made up finally?”

Marcus’s hand instinctively found its way to Shalu’s bare waist, pulling her closer to him just like he used to do in the past. Shalu’s surprise was evident as she looked at Marcus, a smile slowly forming on her face. With a mischievous wink, Marcus turned to Arjun, a wide grin stretching across his face. “Well, what do you think?”

Arjun couldn’t help but chuckle, a mischievous glint in his eye as he observed the amusing sight in front of him. “Ah, the dynamic duo returns! It’s about time, you two. I was starting to think I’d have to call in a professional mediator.” With a playful gesture, he pointed his finger back and forth between Marcus and Shalu. “Now I’m feeling a bit left out. Scooooot…” Arjun made his way towards Shalu, attempting to squeeze himself into the limited space on the other side of the sofa.

“Uff there is plenty of other places for you to sit dude. ” Shalu complained but Marcus was already moving to the other corner and pulled Shalu alongside him making room for Arjun.

Arjun squeezed himself into other side of Shalu and put his arm around her shoulder. “Ahh thats better.” Shalu rolled her eyes and shook her head. This man will never grow up. She thought. “So Shalu bee.” Arjun started. “What was that important thing that you wanted to discuss with me so badly?”

Shalu felt strangely giddy sitting between her two oldest friends after a long time. She took another sip of her wine and gathered her thoughts and started telling them the whole story of how she got the offer to star in an ad starting from the impromptu presentation she delivered for getting her manager Sreekanth out of trouble and to the point where Tanveer pitched the incredible offer to her at his office. She even played the ad concept video in her phone which she made Xavier send to her the previous day.

“So now I am torn in indecision, not knowing what to do.” She concluded. “The amount of money he is offering me to perform this ad, is way too incredible to be ignored. It would take me multiple years to earn that kind of money on my normal payroll. And here I have the shot to earn it in one shot. And as if that wasn’t enough, he has even offered a 30% hike in salary on my designer job as well. “

Arjun couldn’t hide his astonishment. “Hold on a second! First of all, WOW! I mean, seriously, WOW!” Shalu couldn’t help but grin at his reaction. “Secondly,” Arjun continued, “Did I just hear that you are torn in indecision? On an offer that would give you 60 lakhs rupees and a 30% hike in salary in one shot? Meaning you haven’t said yes to it already? Are you out of your mind?”

Shalu’s cheeks turned slightly pink.. “Well when you put it like that….it does sound like a no-brainer.” she murmured softly.

“I think she is worried about her public image and the impact the publicity may bring to her personal life Arjou.” Marcus chimed in. Shalu smiled. Marcus has always been the one that was able to read her mind. Even after all these years of gap he hasn’t missed a beat.

“Exactly.” Shalu said emphatically suddenly standing up from between them and turning around to face Arjun face to face. “You saw the concept video Arjou. This ad is sure to go viral and the person who performs it along with it. There is a reason many top level actresses and models said No to the offer.”

Arjun burst out laughing. “You are making it sound as though, you are asked to do porn. I don’t think it is as bad as you are making it out to be Shalu bee. And lets not forget, you are no stranger at all to being recognized for having a stunning navel or for using it to your advantage. This is essentially the same thing, just on a grander scale. “

Shalu’s face turned deeper shade of crimson. “That is not the point. I am not some youngling in my twenties anymore Arjou. I have a 15 year old son now. Any bad publicity I get will affect him too.”

“Akki is a cool kid. I am sure he can handle it. Listen Shalu, at the end of the day the real question you have to ask yourself is, does the pros outweigh the cons? In this case it very clearly does by a huge margin. And fortunes like this dont knock at your door everyday. I work in the glam industry. Take it from me when I say, I haven’t heard of of newbie being offered such a humongous deal in all 10 years of my experience. If you let this go, you are going to spend the rest of your life wondering what could have been, if you just took a chance. I guarantee you that. ”

Marcus, silent until now, added, “Shalu, life is about taking chances. Don’t let fear dictate your decisions. You’ve always been bold and unconventional. Embrace this moment, and who knows where it might lead you.”

Shalu didn’t reply. She just went over and sat heavily on a single sofa on the other side. “It is not as simple as that guys. You guys also have to remember the character I am expected to play is that of a young princess. I am not some youngling hotshot. I am a grown ass woman in mid thirties and a mother of a teenager. I would probably look like a Aunty posing as a young girl. It would be ridiculous to see a mummy playing princess pretty on screen. People would troll me so bad.”

Arjun groaned exasperatedly. “Come on, Shalu, if that were true, your bosswouldn’t have dangled this opportunity in front of you. Your age-defying looks can outshine any young model. But if you are still unsure, I have an idea.”

Shalu looked at him interested. “What have you got in mind?”

“You are all dolled up and looking pretty and sexy today. How about we do a mini photoshoot right here? I already have the studio equipments here. Since you’re in a saree, it should be easy to replicate the look you’d have in your ad. “

Shalu hesitated for a moment, contemplating Arjun’s proposal. The notion of a mini photoshoot intrigued her, as it would give her a pretty good picture of how she could look on the ad. “Are you sure Arjou? Wouldn’t that be too much trouble?”

“It’s no trouble at all. We can set up the shoot right here in this suite itself. Let me call my assistant, Hashim. He must still be around here somewhere. I’ll tell him to bring the necessary equipment here, and we can get started,” Arjun said, taking out his phone and making the call.