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Oh my gosh! Can he read minds?
Zayan laughs a little at my reaction. ‘I understand the daydreaming then. It must be hard not to think about me all the time.’
His teasing snaps me right back into reality, and I’m reminded of his bad attitude yesterday. ‘I assure you, I wasn’t thinking about you in the slightest. I want to be in a good mood today.’
His smile droops round the edges. ‘I deserve that,’ he admits, and then he blurts out something unexpected. ‘You look lovely, by the way.’
I glance down at my outfit. I’ve worn another kurti shirt just to spite him, this time a burnt-orange one to match the changing autumn leaves. I thought his face would get all pinched and annoyed, cracking the cold exterior I was sure he was going to wear today. Especially considering how he verbally attacked The Tragedies yesterday.
‘I want to apologize,’ Zayan continues, and I try not to look too shocked. It doesn’t work, and he grimaces at my reaction. ‘I was acting like a jerk yesterday. To you. To the group. I’ve been on edge about all this, and it’s because this relationship is my last chance to save my career, and I can’t afford for something to go wrong. But that’s no excuse for how I treated you, or The Tragedies, and I’m sorry.’
‘I’ve never been in a fake relationship either, you know,’ I remind him. ‘I’m not here to make your life difficult. I’m here to help. The Tragedies want this play to work.’
He sighs, and his shoulders tighten. ‘I know. I’ll do better. I’ll try harder.’
I think it over for a second before relenting, knowing there’s no point in holding a grudge. I need Zayan. We need Zayan. And he needs us. Building animosity between all of us will do no good. I don’t trust him, not entirely, but I do know he’ll do what’s needed to make this play work.
‘Thank you for your apology, and I’m sorry if I provoked you yesterday too.’ To make it clear that I’m genuine, I add, with a tease to my voice, ‘also, you look … well, acceptable.’
He feigns being shot in the heart, clutching his chest dramatically. ‘You wound me, fair lady.’
A laugh escapes my lips at his theatrics. ‘If this is how you plan on acting in the play, then I think we may need a new Ranjha.’
Zayan’s smile widens, all self-assured now. ‘Please, I’m your Ranjha. No one else. We both know it.’
I know, in the rational part of my mind, that his use of ‘your’ is in a general sense, but still, an emotion I’m unwilling to decipher flickers deep inside me. It’s a quiet feeling, masked by a sudden surge of jealousy. He’s so confident, so suffused with sureness about his abilities. No one will question him as Ranjha.
They can question me. Anyone can. They can question why it’s me sharing an equal portion of the stage with Zayan, and not someone more talented or more worthy. I wish I could squash this growing feeling of inadequacy; I wish I could go back to that confidence I used to feel so abundantly, before the LSDCATS audition.
‘Farah.’ Zayan steps closer to me, waving a hand in my face. ‘You’re spacing out on me again. Everything all right?’
I force my envy to curl up into a ball and nestle between my ribs. I shake my head, pushing a smile on to my lips that doesn’t do much to convince Zayan. ‘I’m fine. Just nervous about today.’
He pauses for a moment before nodding. ‘You’ve got nothing to worry about. Remember, fear is a part of acting. You’re –’
Whatever Zayan is about to say next is cut off by David, Anushka, Nur and Ben’s arrival. Nur is standing in between David and Anushka, her gaze flicking between them like she’s trying to work something out. Ben, on the other hand, reaches me first, shooting a wide smile my way as he steps in between Zayan and me. Zayan’s face becomes slightly pinched in irritation, but at my raised brow, his expression smooths out. As he promised, a pleasant mask slips over his face, locking into place over his sharp cheekbones.
I turn my attention to Ben. ‘You ready for this, bodyguard?’
Ben insisted on auditioning for his role – Heer’s palace bodyguard – and he got it almost instantly. None of us suspected that Ben – our kind-smiled, twinkly-eyed, leather-jacket-wearing Ben – could play a stoic guard so well, but he did.
‘I vow to protect you forever, Princess,’ he replies, with a smirk and an exaggerated bow.
I can’t help but snort. ‘That’s an awful nickname.’
‘Will you two have nicknames for one another?’ Anushka asks Zayan slyly, likely trying to irritate him. ‘Most couples do.’
Nur nods sagely. ‘It’s mandatory.’
Zayan and I glance at one another, and he finally says, ‘I’ll think of something.’
‘I have to approve of it first,’ I reply.
‘Naturally,’ he says, with a small smile.
‘Speaking of you guys’ fake relationship,’ Nur intervenes, ‘did you all see the LSDCATS’ tweet last night?’
I barely hold back my grimace. ‘Yeah, I saw it.’
