Page 55 of Not Safe for Work
ten
Salt, Meet Wound
WatchingNeil Desai try to act out trending Instagram reel transitions was easily the highlight of my morning.
‘That was better, but can you look like someone’s pushed you when you sit down on the sofa?’ Tanya was saying, holding the tripod in her hand.
We were in Rajat’s personal office, shooting an Instagram reel that Tanya had begged me to help with. I’d been more than happy to oblige—by pawning it off to Neil. So far, he’d managed to trip over a ring light, knock over the tripod twice and deliver the single most awkward hair flip I’d ever seen. It was pure, unadulterated entertainment.
‘This is ridiculous,’ he muttered, running a hand over his Tom Ford polo shirt. ‘People get paid to do this?’
‘Not enough,’ Tanya said under her breath. She pulled out the reference video again. It looked simple enough: a guy walks into a dull, undecorated room, drops into a chair right as the beat hits and boom—suddenly he’s in a Pinterest-y version of the same space. ‘Maybe it’ll look more natural if we push you,’ she said, squinting at the phone. ‘Kavya, can you give him a nudge?’
‘With pleasure,’ I said, hopping off the wooden table and walking up to where Neil stood in front of the sofa.
He looked down at me with exasperation. ‘You’re a bully.’
I had to tilt my head to look up at him. We were close enough that his cologne caught on my breath. ‘And you’re a born influencer.’
‘Seriously, for someone who’s allergic to Instagram, you’re doing just fine,’ Tanya chimed in from behind us.
‘He’s full of surprises, isn’t he?’ I placed my hands on his chest and gave him a little shove. He fell back on the sofa with a groan. I dusted off my hands, gloating. Strangely, they tingled from where they’d met the soft fabric of his shirt and the solid muscles beneath it.
‘Yes, that was perfect!’ Tanya shrieked, jumping up and down. ‘Now do it again so I can get it on camera.’
After a few particularly therapeutic retakes, I helped Tanya set up the room for the transition shot. I threw a knitted throw over the sofa, replaced the dull brown cushions with embroidered Jharokha ones and put up a pair of brass bookends on the wall behind it, which held a few smart-sounding books we’d stolen from different people in the office. As a finishing touch, I added an earthy ceramic vase to the side table and adjusted it until it caught the light just right.
Tanya stepped back to look at the frame. ‘Thanks, Kavya, this looks so great.’
‘Happy to help,’ I told her, meaning it. Even though this shoot was turning out to be a three-hour detour in my workday, it was a welcome distraction.
‘All this effort for a seven-second video the internet will forget about in two days.’ She shook her head. ‘Sometimes I fantasize about a world where reels were never invented.’
‘You really deserve a lot more credit for the shit you pull off on a daily basis,’ I said, plonking down on the sofa beside Neil. Our knees touched for a nanosecond before I pulled away.
‘Screw credit, I’ll take a promotion instead.’ She adjusted the height of the tripod stand.
‘That makes two of us.’
‘Have you guys tried asking for it?’ Neil interjected, looking up from his phone.
Tanya and I broke into simultaneous laughter. ‘That’s cute,’ she said in between breaths.
He crossed his legs and shifted his glance between the two of us. There was an earnestness in his eyes. ‘I’m serious. Haven’t you heard of the phrase “Don’t ask, don’t get”?’
I rolled my eyes. ‘Of course we’veasked.’ I drew out the word for emphasis. ‘It’s not quite as simple as that.’
‘Well it can be.’ He shrugged. ‘If you know what you’re worth.’
‘I’m not about to take career advice from a guy who has climbed his way to becoming aninternby twenty-five.’ I snorted.
Tanya mouthed anouchbut Neil didn’t flinch. ‘I’ve sat through enough negotiations in my life to know one thing: You never get what you deserve unless you’re prepared to walk away.’
‘Easy for you to say, Mr Worli Sea Face,’ I said, unable to keep the bite out of my tone. ‘I can’t exactly afford to quit my job on principle. I’ve got rent to pay.’
‘And as I’ve discovered recently, Mumbai rent is insaneeeee,’ Tanya added, stretching her arms over her head.
‘Are you finally looking at houses?’ I shifted my weight on the sofa to face her.
