“Rishi!” Sameer warned.
“What did I say?” Rishi raised his hands at the warning glance from his brother through the rear view mirror.
“Have you made up your mind, Rishi or should I make it for you?” Sameer asked.
“OK! OK! We’re going to Nox-MixGrill,” Rishi said, relaying the address to Sameer.
“Why there?” Sameer asked recognizing it as one of Raashi’s restaurants.
“Yes, why that place?” Natasha piped up as well.
“Because they have great food and live music on Friday nights. It’s excellent.”
“I am not going to some run-of-the-mill, odd and unknown place filled with random people,” Natasha complained.
“It’s not run-of-the-mill and it’s nowhere close to the kind of crowd you’re thinking it has,” Rishi countered back.
“All the same, I am not going there,” Natasha declared rudely.
Rishi exchanged a look for help with Sameer across the rear view mirror.
“OK, let’s do it this way, Natasha. We’ll check out the place Rishi wants to go to. We’ll stick around there for a while and if it’s really not great then you get to choose where we go next.”
“Fine. Whatever,” Natasha made a face before she looked out her window.
As Sameer handedover his car keys to a waiting valet he wondered if Raashi would be here tonight. After his meeting with her four days back, he had been thinking a lot about her.But he wasn’t ready to meet her again tonight. Not when his mind was still in knots regarding her. He had berated himself enough for wanting to give up his own dream to see hers through. He had thought long and hard on how to solve the land impasse between them, but had so far found no solution. He had to reach common ground with her and soon.
In any case, chances were that she might not even be here tonight. It was a Friday night. She may be at any of her other restaurants or out somewhere else.
Rishi walked ahead of them and Natasha laced her hand with Sameer’s as they entered the restaurant.
“Wow,” Rishi exclaimed as soon as he walked into the small foyer that displayed a picture of the band playing. “I didn’t know Rhapsody was playing here. Super luck to be here tonight!”
Sameer and Natasha followed Rishi as he walked on further inside.
Whoa! The place was huge, Sameer thought. It was constructed in the shape of a semi-circle. The entrance was at one end which followed onto a straight bar. The floor curved from the entrance to the end of the bar into a huge arc. At the front, open center of the arc, a small stage was setup where the band was playing. People were crowded around the peripheries and near the bar area. Several tables were set up in small semi-circular alcoves and from where he was standing there was none vacant.
Voicing his thoughts aloud, Natasha spoke to Rishi, “Rishi, there is no table available and I absolutely refuse to stand here waiting.”
“Hang on, I’ll try and get us a table.”
“How, by waving your magic wand?” Natasha asked sarcastically.
“Exactly,” Rishi replied, waving his phone at her. Rishi moved a distance away as he dialed and then spoke into the phone. Sameer knew exactly whom he was talking to.
Friday Night wasbusiest for Nox-MixGrill. Raashi had signed up with different bands to perform there live each Friday night. What had started because of her passion for music had turned out to be an extremely successful venture.
People came from all over town to Nox-MixGrill on Fridays to enjoy the live band they had playing. And tonight they were featuring the band, Rhapsody. The band members were personal friends of hers. She herself had been a part of the band once.
At nineteen she had been their lead guitarist for two years, until she had to give it up and take over the business on the death of her grandmother. Now six years later, Rhapsody was one of the most successful bands not only in India but abroad too. She missed the boys, missed being a part of the crew, playing with them, creating music with them. But, that was another life and she had taken it in her stride. However, being personal friends with them ensured that she met them whenever they were in town and tonight for the first time they were going to play for her at her restaurant. It was going to be fabulous, she was sure of it. Her phone buzzed in her hand and Raashi smiled on seeing Rishi’s name flash on her screen.
Rishi returnedto where Sameer and Natasha were waiting, in less than a minute.
“So, did you get us a table?” Natasha asked haughtily.
“I’m not sure. I’ll know in five minutes.”
“Sameer, in five minutes if we don’t have a table, we’re leaving. I refuse to be standing here among so much crowd and God knows what kind of people,” Natasha complained.
