Page 73 of Not Safe for Work
Before I could cause any more injury to my cuticles, a warm hand closed around mine under the table. Neil’s fingers pressed down just enough to halt the self-inflicted damage.Just breathe, Kavya,his hand seemed to say. The gesture was so tender, so deliberate, that it pulled me out of my spiral. I exhaled slowly as he withdrew his hand, just in time for Rajat to continue.
‘But …’
I could’ve sworn I saw Tanya freeze.
‘For the hero campaign, we need something that shines across every platform, not just Instagram.’ His tone was measured but kind, and he had a consolatory smile on his face. ‘I still think we should do a mini campaign with it on social media, though.’
She looked crushed. Absolutely defeated. I heard her mumble a ‘thank you’ before she looked away and began blinking rapidly. My heart went out to her.
The room went silent as Rajat closed his notebook. ‘There was one pitch today that did everything I was looking for.’
I stared down at my hands, fighting the urge to attack a fresh corner of my thumbnail.There’s no way he’s talking about you, a cynical voice whispered in my mind.
‘One idea that understood who we are at our core …’
‘One idea that bridged home and fashion seamlessly …’
My pulse jumped and I willed myself to look up to meet Rajat’s eye. ‘And that idea came from Kavya and Neil.’
It was hard to hear his voice over the deafening sound of my beating heart. ‘Jharokha is a home and lifestyle company first. That identity is our foundation. And for our clothing line to succeed, it has to feel like an extension of that foundation, not a departure. “Clothes that feel like home” does exactly that.’
Wait … is this really happening or is my deluded brain making it up?
‘Despite the projector disaster, which you guys should’ve had a backup plan for, by the way …’ He raised his eyebrows and tilted his head to one side. ‘You still managed to completely floor me. Congratulations, Kavya and Neil.’ Rajat broke into a wide grin and started clapping. It took a few seconds for everyone else to join in.
Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God.
I swivelled in my chair to look at Neil and, for a tiny second, the rest of the room faded away. He leaned in just a fraction of an inch, his dark brown eyes filled with warmth and pride.We did it, they seemed to scream directly into my mind. My chest lurched with the stupid urge to throw my arms around him … until Rajat’s voice snapped me back to reality.
‘The ad film sounds nice, though I’m sure Nitya would be happy to help you refine the script further,’ Rajat continued, flipping through his notes. A quick look at Nitya confirmed what I already knew—she’d be happy to do no such thing.
‘We could shoot the office scene right here in the building.’ He tapped his pen against the table. ‘Where were you guys thinking of shooting the hometown bit?’
Neil glanced at me before answering. ‘We could do Nasik or Pune? They’re close and the logistics—’
Rajat shook his head, cutting him off. ‘No, they won’t look different enough from Mumbai. We need contrast. Real contrast.’ He turned his attention to me, his brows furrowing together. ‘Kavya, where are you from?’
‘Mussoorie.’
‘Hmmm.’ He rubbed his chin, looking off into the distance. ‘You know what? Mussooriecouldwork. It has that visual shift … the old homes, the misty hills, the chill in the air … actually, it’s kind of perfect.’
I nodded, too stunned to speak.
‘And since you’re from there, I bet it wouldn’t be tough for you to find a shoot location in ten days.’
‘Ten days?’ The words came out embarrassingly shrill.
‘I know, it’s a tight deadline. But we need to finish the shoot and roll out the campaign in less than a month.’ His voice was moving further and further away. ‘You’ve already done the hard part. Now you just need to execute …’
I barely heard the rest. All I could think was:Looks like I’m going home after all. And I had no idea how to feel about that.
fifteen
Warming Up
Varuncouldn’t have picked a worse night for team drinks. Everyone was still nursing their bruised egos from the results of the pitch-off, so the last thing the group needed was to spend even more time together, especially with alcohol involved. The whole thing was teetering on the edge of disaster.
The neighbourhood brewery was so crowded, you’d think they were giving away free beer. We ended up hovering near the island bar because every table was occupied by people who’d clearly been here since 5 p.m. and had no plans of relinquishing their territory. My feet hurt, my ears buzzed and my social battery was already blinking aggressively.
