My So-Called Bollywood Life(23)
Winnie knew she was dreaming when she opened her eyes and the air around her lay warm and heavy on her skin. She stood in a gym. A vintage spray-painted Volkswagen was parked in the corner, and a lower level framed by large windows was converted into a dance floor. A lofted second story faced the gym.
Winnie felt another breeze between her legs and looked down. “Gah!” she shrieked, and wrapped her arms around herself. She was half-naked in a pair of Lycra booty shorts and a matching sports bra. Her feet, encased in white sneakers, were the most modestly covered part of her body.
Shah Rukh Khan strolled into the room. His chest was covered in blue Lycra, and the fabric gleamed as he moved closer and tossed her a sweatshirt. She immediately put it on over her tiny outfit.
“Holy crap! Now I know how Karisma Kapoor felt in Dil To Pagal Hai in this outfit.”
Shah Rukh Khan grinned. “Times have changed. Actresses are forced to wear less and less. I still prefer the Indian clothes, but we do what we have to in order to please our audience, right?”
“Yeah, I guess. I’ve never been a fan of the naked look,” she said. Winnie hesitated before heading over to the drum set. She sat behind it and tapped one of the cymbals until it hummed with a sweet ring.
“You know,” she said, “things would be so much easier if my life was like a Bollywood movie. I’d be my own hero and get my happily-ever-after. But instead I’m pretty sure the prophecy won’t come true before my eighteenth birthday, like it’s supposed to, and the only time I ever dated someone who could match the prophecy, I don’t want him anymore.”
Shah Rukh Khan bounced a basketball, then launched it into the air. It made a swooshing sound through the net hanging from one of the gym’s beams.
He tsked and said, “That sounds like you’ve given up. Are you going to go home and watch my movies now?”
She shrugged. “Probably. What else is there to do?”
“Think about the big picture.” Shah Rukh Khan tossed her the ball. “You may not believe in it, but you really do have destiny on your side.”
Winnie was surprised at the feel of the basketball in her hands. She traced a solid black line before she tossed it back to him. “You’re supposed to agree with me. You’re from my subconscious.”
Shah Rukh Khan dropped the ball and kicked it to the side. He started walking backward toward the dark hallway at the end of the gym. “And isn’t it strange that even your subconscious thinks you’re interfering with destiny by using free choice as a weapon?”
“What? So not true!” she yelled after him.
“All I’m saying is that if you really desire something from the heart, Winnie, then the whole universe will work with you to get you that. Destiny is showing you the way, and you just have to listen to it. Until next time!”
Winnie watched as he disappeared into a cloud of gray smoke. “Your advice is getting worse with your age, but at least your acting isn’t.” She picked up the basketball, which had rolled to her feet, and tossed it toward the hoop, enjoying the satisfying sound of the swish as she made nothing but net.
* * *
—
Winnie woke as quickly as she had the last time she dreamed of Shah Rukh Khan. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, and with images of the actor still circling in her mind, she crawled to the edge of the bed so she could pick up her laptop off the floor. She opened her electronic movie library and scrolled until she saw Dil To Pagal Hai. She hadn’t watched that movie since she was with Raj. It had so many parallels to the prophecy that Pandit Ohmi had given her. Maybe watching Shah Rukh Khan on-screen could help her come to terms with potentially giving Raj a second chance.
As the first song-and-dance number played, Winnie tried to muster up as much positivity as possible, but she couldn’t stop thinking that if destiny was on her side, it couldn’t produce Raj as her soul mate. Destiny would have to come up with another solution to her prophecy.
8
AAINA / MIRROR
It’s important to remember that a villain is always the hero in their own movie. They may think they’re doing the right thing, but doesn’t mean they’re right.
“Winnie, did you hear?”
“Man, dude has some moves for trying to win you back.”
“Isn’t Gurinder one of your favorites?”
“Do you think he did this for you?”
She barely made it to lunch before she had to shut herself in one of the dance studios and go through a quick yoga deep-breathing routine. Mixed with her sleep deprivation, everyone’s radiating love for Raj weighed on her heart harder than the breakup itself had. On top of that, she had no idea what Mr. Reece was going to say in their meeting after school now that Raj had proved himself to be so valuable to the film festival.
Her phone buzzed as she reached the auditorium after final bell.
DEV: I met some people when I was working on a sizzle reel about huffing. Rough guys. They said they can hide the body where no one will find it.
She grinned at the message. Even though she hadn’t seen him all day, he’d been sending her random images from horror films with Raj’s face photoshopped into them.