"What the-... Why are you laughing?"

"I don't know, really," Deepika said cackling and huffing.

"Wha- what's wrong with you? You are going mad or what?"

This sort of mellowed her down. Ever since she began her sessions with the psychiatrist, the mental patient jokes seized to be funny for her. She sometimes feared if it was a possibility that she loses her mind. It wasn't unheard of in the profession, those who immersed themselves in this world bloating their idea of 'self' like a child's desire for the moon, often lost their sanity to the obsession with camera shutters, which was as fickle as a compass at the north pole.

The laughter died but a mirthful smile remained, nevertheless.

"Sharin must think you are impotent," she said.

"Wha-"

She giggled.

"Is that what you were laughing at?" said Ranveer, "I got scared for a moment."

"I'm done with that, being scared all the time. I have to at some point, I can't constantly live under the fear of failing in...in my life ventures."

"What are you talking about? You smoked something?"

Deepika laughed again, this time with Ranveer. She quiets herself down gradually, and focused at him, her face bright with high spirits.

"Whaaat!?" said Ranveer in a burst of frustrated laughter.

"Nothing," she shook her head, "I suddenly don't think all of this chasing is worth it, I mean I like you as well Ranveer, I might as well love you, yes, and you don't have to look at me like that, it's true, and I've no qualms saying that out loud, you are wonderful and you should know it. But...but, I'm just too tired now to chase you around trying to convince you that we are meant to be and all that bullshit. I don't have that energy anymore and maybe even if I had, I am no longer interested in selling you my "love"," she drew imaginary quote marks in the air.

Ranveer blinked. This was the newest facet of Deepika's personality he was witnessing, probably she was witnessing this trait for the first time as well, though, she wasn't surprised by it. It just super-calmed her.

"What was that 'too damaged' shit?" he said.

"Well, that happened. Long ago, before you, with someone like you," she chuckled, "Twas Ranbir. Got too scared of the mess I was or probably found a better mess, happened for the best."

"You miss him?"

"Not really, and I realized that just now. Like right fucking now. All my life I've been in love with the idea of people, what I made up in my head, and got disappointed... and disappointing others as well. I mean, I'm sorry," she paused, "I'm sorry for being a bitch. I feel like I'm the asshole of my own story," she tore away her eyes from Ranveer to lay back on the couch. "My brain bombarding itself with so many thoughts at the same time, I'm amazed I'm not having another panic attack."

"Another?"

"Oh yeah, I didn't tell you, right? I had a panic attack, um.. probably a month back, I was returning from a rehearsal, when was it, I was too tired, like beaten dead tired..," she tapered off.

"What happened?"

"I swear I don't know, piled up stress probably, it was a pretty hectic week."

"Why didn't you tell me.. or anyone? Or did you?"

"No, I didn't," she said with an embarrassed smile. "I decided I could handle it."

Suddenly she groped her armpit with her right hand and began flapping the left arm furiously. Amazed, Ranveer wondered what got into her when a tiny squeak escaped her bony armpits, like a balloon deflating.

"What are you doing?" asked Ranveer amused.

"I'm too thin." she switched the armpits and went on.

Ranveer saw no use asking the point of madness, so he went for the next best option his instinct told. He joined her. He too grabbed his muscular armpit and flapped the arm, but to no effect.

Deepika looked at him fairly surprised, got up, walked to him and landed in his lap. She pulled his hand out of his armpit and thrust her own, "cup your hands for better sounds."

BRRRRRRITT..........

It was a eureka moment. They looked at each other with wide eyes and burst to laugh.

...

"So the driver taught you this?" Ranveer said after they were done with their higher physics research switching arms and bodily positions until the muscles ached, of stomach and arms, and their armpits were too sweaty.

"Yeah, sort of. He gave the tip. Crucial tip."

He nodded approvingly.

"You know, it works for you," said Deepika.

"What?"

"Your PR strategy to dress weird. It must take the load off."

"It does. And it's not PR. It's me. I deliberately choose to be the stupid clown and my PR has to follow through, not the other way round," he said. "'Cause otherwise it gets too tiresome, and also it's a good exercise, you know. Acting is mostly what you do off-camera."

"Hmm. Sometimes I feel I am not cut out for this. This job."

"That is so not true."

"No, I mean, I am not really contributing to the 'craft', as they say."

"But that is not important, if you somehow entertain people, you deserve to stay."

"I wish I was a badminton player."

"Then play badminton. Who's gonna stop you?"

She nodded with a smile, "That is so true when you think about it."

"I think I should leave now," he said.

"Please stay," she said. "That is if you want to."

"If I want?" said Ranveer. "It's your house bitch, what do you want?"

She rolled her eyes.