“It’s Camilla.” He corrects me patiently.
“That’s not the point!” I bend down to pick up the checklist from the chair and my heels from the floor. “Either you call me by my damn name or you don’t call me at all.” I walked past him and violently stab at the elevator button with my fist until it dinged.
By the next afternoon, I’d calmed down a bit and got busy with tons of people who needed my help and didn’t irritate me with the inconsistency of calling me by my name. It was good to be busy instead of wasting my time and energy thinking about things that would never work out. I attended the photoshoot to see if the Vandervaal family needed anything and saw Jasmin and Aryan posing like the royal couple that they were. They looked so good together. It was truly a match made in heaven. I was on my way out to check on the DJ but Jasmin insisted that I stay and take some pictures with them. That girl was crazy good at persuading people. Jo was right, her puppy eyes can get to a person. I was physically unable to refuse.
I wasn’t dressed for the wedding yet and was sporting casual jeans with a loose white top and a hat since I was walking all over the palace and not all spots were indoors. Jasmin asked me not to worry and the costume designer, Layla, who was part of the photographer’s team, took me under her wing throwing together a piece of clothing and some heavy jewelry with makeup and voila, there I was all ready for a designer ramp walk.
I stepped out of the changing room feeling no less than royalty myself and was made to stand between the two brothers and the bride seated on a velvet settee in front of us. The brothers were dressed in customary Rajasthani royal clothes of golden silk Indo western sherwani, with zari work all over and brown buttons on the front panel. Being paired with a dark golden art silk bottom added a regal touch. Jo looked handsome, Jake looked . . . otherworldly. Surreal. Jasmin on the other hand was dressed in black and golden paneled lehenga choli. The stylish dress had stitched panels that fell flawlessly and complimented the color code with her brothers. It was heavily embroidered and looked like it weighed a ton which she confirmed later when we were done with the shoot. Her golden hair was fishtail braided and rested on the left side of her neck. The loose hairstyle brought a very pretty look on her. The small flowers in it were perfect for a glam look.
In the past days, Jasmin had done the ritual of applying henna on her hands as Indian brides did and now the dark color contrasted beautifully on her pale hands. She completed the look wearing jewelry pieces that were traditionally set with stones and diamonds and the designs were intricate and lavish. We posed for a few pictures, some with the groom, some without. Aryan was very polite and kind and very mindful of Jasmin’s needs. The love he felt for her was clear in his soft brown eyes every time he gazed upon his bride to be. When I thought we were done, Jo told the photographer that he wanted a few pictures with just me. The others cleared the frame and Jo pulled me close.
“Dude, what the shit?” I whispered to him.
“Trust me, Em. I know what I’m doing.” He winked.
“Sarah isn’t even here, you ass.” I will poke his eyes out if he winked at me again.
“Good. This isn’t for her benefit.” He said, confusing me further.
“Then who?” I asked and he placed a kiss on my cheek as the flashes continued.
“You’ll see.” He said, his eyes fixed across my shoulder. I turn to what he was looking at and see Jake. He was clenching the water bottle in his hand and looked like he wanted to break something. Or someone. For example his brother. But why? I wondered. Jake muttered a quick excuse and left the room. Did seeing me with Jo bother him? I shook off the question. Good if it did. Serves him right. Because seeing him with Clarissa bothered me too.
I take a deep breath. I was getting worked up for no reason but that wasn’t it, was it? Jake and I were getting nowhere. We were stuck in this godforsaken loop of formal yet informal, friends yet not, something more and yet nothing at all.
Chapter Eight
The morning of the wedding came with a buzz of excitement and a ton of stress. For me that is. Everyone else was just plain excited. The hotel and the palace were filled with the hustle and bustle of friends, relatives, and associates. I check in on the bride to make sure she wasn’t getting cold feet. In my tiny professional life, I was surprised how many brides got wedding jitters. But, of course, Jasmin was a sensitive girl and she was in love with her prince. She was ecstatic. I called the caterers and was only satisfied when they showed up at the premises of the palace for preparation. Since the couple was going for all things traditional, they were going to prepare a huge wedding feast. And that was bound to take some time considering the number of guests that would be pouring in. So they set up by early afternoon and started cooking.
I got the call from the DJ who had arrived and I went to meet him out front in the garden that stretched for acres, where he would be setting up near the ceremonial stage. I reached there and saw Jo. He had chosen to supervise the stage set up and went to the DJ that the prince had recommended. We went through the playlist one last time before the event began and made sure all of Jasmin and Aryan's favorite tracks were on the list to be played tonight. There was one particular that the guy, Sunil, was playing in the background as we discussed the list that piqued my interest. So I asked Sunil to increase the volume.
It was an Indian song and I didn't understand a damn word of it. But the melody and the soothing music got to me. And the singer, I could swear I’ve never heard a voice sing with so much pain and love at the same time. It reminded and made me long for . . . him. “What does it mean, the lyrics?” I asked Sunil. He was a cool kid and was studying engineering. “What is he singing?”
Sunil looked up from the list and translated the song for me. “He is saying, ‘I can't live without you anymore because there is no existence for me without you. If I’m parted from you then I am parted from myself. Then there is the chorus.” He waits a moment as the music flowed until the singer started again. “Because it's you, only you, my life, my peace, and my pain.”
My heart is heavy and I turn around as Sunil continues. I feel more than see his presence. Jake stood next to Jo a couple of feet from where I was, and Jo spoke animatedly to him. Maybe Jake sensed my eyes on him too because he lifted his head and saw me watching him. Emotions pass in quick succession in those dark orbs before I could make sense of it.
“What is this between us, not for a moment am I able to stay away. I live for you, I give all my time to you because I don't want a moment without you in it. My every breath comes with your name. The chorus starts again.” Sunil said. I tell him to stop the music because suddenly I couldn’t bear to hear any more of it. I approve the list for him and leave the garden going back indoors and called Nancy to get quick updates on how things were progressing with the current client and if she and Sean were good with everything.
Guests started arriving in bunches apart from the ones already staying at the palace and soon the place was packed. The weather was nice with the cool desert wind keeping the environment pleasant. I went back to the hotel to get ready for the evening and make sure Jasmin left on time to arrive on the scene. The ceremony would take place at sunset which was an hour away and it was time for the bride to make her journey to the palace grounds. I knocked at her penthouse door and a blonde girl opened it with a smile. She was part of the bride squad and if I was right, her name was Miranda. “Who is it, Mir?’ I hear Sarah’s voice.