Chapter 15

crtkelly

@crtkelly

There was no going back now. He hadn't expected it to have been as evident as Rachna had feared, but yes Kabir conceded, the dynamics in the studio had changed overnight. He wasn't sure he'd yet be voted boss of the year, but he had noticed a few side glances and strange looks from his staff during the course of the day. Although, some of his actions may have been suspect, the first incident, he was laying all blame solely on Rachna; she had to be aware of the quandary he found himself in when having to address the issue.

Today he had scheduled an in studio shoot of the some of the initial designs that had been drafted for this new collection. These samples definitely had a more western flair to them, and as he had known, had suited Naomi perfectly and he was certain that they would achieve the look that they had hoped for the campaign.  They were about to start with the photography when Naomi, actually brought up something that he hadn't even considered. He had been setting up the camera tripod when she had spoken.

"KT, what are your thoughts on hand placement for the photos? Did you want the Henna designs to show or not?" She had then looked to Rachna who was making an adjustment at her shoulder, "Ra, not that I mind, but how long will it last anyway?"

Totally distracted, Rachna hadn't even halted in her task when she answered, "It all depends how long you want it to last.  If you want it last longer there are ways to do so. Remember how I told you about the different methods I had used to extend mine from Teej for as long as possible? It just depends on what you are hoping to achieve..." She stopped then, realizing where she was and more importantly what she had just disclosed. Kabir could not help but meet her gaze then; would she never cease to surprise him he wondered. Every time he thought he knew all he could something else would be revealed that made him realize how special she was to him. She had blushed under the intensity of his stare, but hadn't averted her gaze either. It seemed neither of them was capable to look away, so he was thankful that Naomi had interceded by clearing her throat. "Hello KT...henna in the picture or no?"

"Either will do actually, I've been advised recently that it serves a purpose in modern design, so it shouldn't detract from anything."

"Wow, some really special person must have said that, if you've taken that to heart," Naomi had responded with a laugh. Both he and his model had watched Rachna's eyes widen, mortified at their conversation as she went back to her work station. He was sure he heard her muttering about workplace behavior as she passed him, but still couldn't contain his laughter. In hindsight he realized that he wasn't the only one who noticed that either.

And deciding to order lunch for his workers had just been for efficiency's sake, nothing more, as they did have a heavy workload, but as he passed the dining table, hearing the conversation hadn't helped matters any, "Wow Rachna, you have to go away more often, if this is the treatment we get when you come back!" The others had laughed and he was subjected to Rachna's frown in return. However the real issue began when he finally joined them all to eat.

"OK Rachna, we get it, the weather was fair; the university great, and the city nice, but let's hear the real story, how was the social scene, I hear that the UK is the place to really enjoy yourself. How was it; did you meet anyone special while there?"

"Well, actually.."

"Actually I think Rachna's special someone remained here in Banaras, if you ask me," one of the girls had jokingly replied.

"Come one Ra, you can at least tell them about your go-to guy'," Naomi piped in, grinning at her friend's discomfort at the direction the conversation had taken.

"You do mean your go-to guy don't you; you reached out to him more than I ever did."

"Oh this sounds interesting, do tell?" another assistant had responded.

 Kabir sat up to attention; even he was ready to hear this tale.

"Oh he was just someone who was there whenever we needed him that's all; a great guy for the emergency coffee run or if we needed to go somewhere or just needed a hand. He just looked out for us that's all; In fact he still contacts us even now doesn't he Ra?"

"True, but who is really reaching out to whom, or precisely who reaches out to him more?"

Naomi laughed, "But it's not like you don't take the opportunity to talk to him either, and if he had the choice who would he rather be conversing with? Perhaps I'm just a means to an end."

Rachna's return laughter hadn't helped his mood, which had taken a definite downturn with the advent of this topic.

"Okay girls, enough chatter, finish up and let's get back to work."

The afternoon was busy, and although his mind may have wavered from the tasks at hand and his mood perhaps a bit more evident, Kabir was satisfied with what had been accomplished by day's end.  Naomi and Rachna were the last to leave, and when Rachna came to him to remind him of their schedule for tomorrow, he knew he was inattentive to her words. Knowing he had mere seconds before Naomi finished changing out of the last outfit they had photographed, he finally brought up the topic that had bothered him all afternoon. "Your go-to guy', really Rachna?"

Unfortunately, Naomi returned at that moment and Rachna,  obviously without a care in the world as to  how was feeling, just smiled, wished him a good night and left without even acknowledging his words. Looking at his watch, he wondered if he would even hold out until tonight to call.