Page 50 of Okay Boss
“That worked well,” he said, turning toward Farhan. His voice sounded almost normal. Almost. A slight roughness betrayed him. “I think I’ve got the emotional core now. When Anika arrives, I’ll be ready.”
Farhan watched them both.
Saw the way Vikram slid his hands into his pockets to hide the tremor. Saw how Divya kept her gaze fixed somewhere over his shoulder.
“Take sixty,” he announced to the crew. “We’ll reset when Anika arrives.”
The stillness shattered. Voices rose. Cables scraped. Someone laughed.
The set returned to motion as if nothing had shifted at all.
The photographer moved away quietly, camera held carefully. The shots were already uploading to the production server, standard protocol for all blocking reference photos. Available to anyone with access credentials.
He didn’t think twice about it.
Divya lifted the dupatta. Her fingers weren’t steady. The red silk slid from her shoulders, warmth leaving with it. The illusion dissolved. She folded it slowly, smoothing each edge with care.
She felt it but didn’t glance up.
Vikram was watching. Not openly. Not in a way anyone else would notice. But the weight of his gaze rested on her skin.
She handed the dupatta back to the costume assistant. Her lips parted as if to speak.
Nothing came.
There were no words for what had just happened.
She turned away and walked back to her corner. Each step felt uneven, like the floor had tilted. The sindoor still marked her hairline. She could feel it there.
She didn’t wipe it off.
Across the set, Vikram stood with Farhan, nodding at instructions. From a distance, he looked composed.
Only she noticed the tension in his jaw. The way his gaze drifted toward her again and again. The way his hands stayed buried in his pockets.
When Anika finally arrived, the cameras rolled.
Vikram delivered the scene flawlessly. Voice steady. Movements precise. Sindoor applied with perfect balance, tender, strong, convincing.
It looked right.
It felt hollow.
Everyone who had witnessed the blocking knew the difference.
Farhan called cut after the first take. “That’s a wrap on the mandap scene. Beautiful work, everyone.”
Relief rippled through the crew. The scene that had haunted them all week was finally complete.
But those who’d watched Vikram with Divya exchanged glances. Quiet. Knowing.
They’d seen something real.
And what they’d witnessed made this final version, technically perfect, emotionally polished, feel like a pale copy of the original.
???
Divya stayed at the edges. Efficient. Invisible again.
