The smell of Chinese food was making my mouth water, so I increased my pace and reached Vibhan's garage studio.

"Oye, Rehman, at least come and take these, glutton! Am I supposed to do all the work?" I yelled while closing the door.

I noticed that the lights were off. Maybe Vibhan forgot to pay the electricity bill.

I moved towards my friends, yelling their names, but no one responded. I couldn't even switch on my phone as the old device had run out of battery. I told the guys to get some lights on and cursed when no one listened.

"You idiots are of no use!" I yelled. "I will eat all of this by myself then."

While I was busy threatening my friends, the light suddenly shone above me, and I squinted. It took me a few seconds to adjust my vision, and since I was the only one who was shining like a fairy in the dark room, I knew it was a prank.

"Come on, guys, is this even the time for a prank? I feel like I am in the spotlight. Do you want me to dance now?" I laughed.

I stopped my laughing marathon when I received no reply. Did everyone leave already? How could they?

I moved my feet to check outside but halted when I heard multiple footsteps. I was ready to kick my friends, but instead of my duffers, Tejas, Hriaan, and their crew emerged from the dark.

All lights got switched on, and I roamed my eyes around to see if I was dreaming or not.

Did all the events from today get my mind into overdrive?

I squinted more as I saw my crew in the distance, standing together in a corner. I wondered what they were doing there.

I moved my gaze in the front, confirming that I wasn't imagining things. Tejas and his friends were indeed standing there, so I waved my hand at Tejas and smiled.

"Hi, TJ. Glad to see you here," I said. "Want to join the party?"

I patted myself mentally on the back. Good job, Bhoomi. I am okay if I have to buy more food.

For a minute, Tejas didn't say anything. I felt self-conscious as his eyes kept shifting all over me. Unlike earlier, I decided not to break the eye contact.

My smile grew when Tejas took a step forward. He moved his hand towards me, and I squealed in my mind. I also began moving my hand towards him, but what he said next made my soul almost evaporate.

"Long time no see, Boomer."

Did I hear it right?

My eyes widened, and I glanced at my friends. All of them were busy burning holes in the ground. I looked back at Tejas and shook my head vigorously.

"I think there is some misunderstanding. I am not Boomer," I said.

Okay, Bhoomi, just keep acting. I am sure this is not real.

"Seriously?" Tejas's laugh boomed throughout the studio. He looked at Vibhan and motioned with his head.

Vibhan came forward and looked at me sadly. "Our truth is out, Bhoomi."

I gulped as I finally understood the main reason behind The Emperors' arrival. But I didn't get how they got to know about my fake identity.

As if Tejas sensed my confusion, he told Hriaan to explain.

Hriaan stared at me plainly and began. "We have unveiled the truth about your crew, Unix's draw with us. And if we want, we can bust you in front of everyone, and then you won't be allowed to participate in any competition. You will lose your face. Moreover, all of your past titles will be revoked too. You really dared to mess with us, didn't you? Didn't you ever think about the consequences?"

We won't just lose our pride, but also our careers will be ruined. The Emperors are a big and well-known crew. If they want, they can destroy us in a snap. But... they won't do it, right? Tejas won't take such a drastic step. I know him. He is a kind person.

I should apologise for what happened. Not Tejas, but I am sure his crew is pissed about the draw with such a small dance group like us. I hope they don't—

"We are really sorry for cheating in that competition, TJ. As the leader of my crew, I will take the full responsibility. Please reconsider," Vibhan said.

"Save it, man. We don't want to talk with cheaters," one of The Emperors' dancers derided.

"They get girls involved, man. Don't you have any pride?" another one added.

"Did you cheat in all of your competitions? I wouldn't be surprised if that was true," another dancer commented.

Seeing our leader battling alone, my other friends also stepped in.

"We shouldn't have done that. Can you please give us a chance to explain?" Shlok said.

"Hriaan, I really admire you and other guys. I guess the thought of competing against you got into our heads, and we made a wrong decision," Pratik said, and Yasir nodded to confirm.

Rehman glanced at me, and I just looked at him helplessly. Even though our friends were trying to persuade The Emperors, they didn't look convinced.

One of them even suggested TJ and Hriaan that they shouldn't waste time and just report us.

Rehman nudged me. "What should we do now, Bhoomi? It was my idea to bring you. I should have kept my mouth close."

I grabbed Rehman's wrist. His face had already lost a lot of colour, and he seemed like he would have a heart attack any moment — I was the same. We held each other's hands as our leader and other members tried to crack a deal with the other crew.

We stood in the back, observing everything: Vibhan and Yasir were trying to explain themselves, while Hriaan kept listening with a blank expression. Meanwhile, my silent best friend was trying to sort things with other dancers. TJ, on the other hand, was cool like an iceberg.

Suddenly, he snapped his eyes at me. "Don't you have anything to say, Boomer?"

I increased my grip on Rehman's wrist. He patted my back as I felt a weird feeling in my stomach. I couldn't look into Tejas's eyes.

I bit my lips as worry clouded my mind. I am Boomer, and now Tejas knows it. What's the point of hiding it? If I continue lying, then the problem will increase. Since I was also a part of the scheme, I should speak up. My friends shouldn't be handling it all by themselves.

Thousands of thoughts were racing in my mind, but my mouth was sealed. I felt myself getting smaller and smaller as Tejas and his crew kept staring at me.

Why can't I speak? My throat feels constricted.

Vibhan entered my vision and stood between Tejas and me. He glanced at me once before addressing Tejas.

"TJ, we are sorry. We will return the prize money," Vibhan said.

Hriaan rolled his eyes. "We are not here for the money. And FYI, we don't do battles for money, but for glory."

Vibhan's face fell. We all looked at each other in confusion. If The Emperors weren't here for money, then what did they want? Were they actually planning on exposing us?

Seeing Vibhan helpless in front of Hriaan didn't sit well with me. While my friend was having trouble finding the right words, Hriaan was casually looking at all of us.

I need to do something. Tejas is my team leader at Sarthak's studio. We are on good terms. I should act now.

I mustered up courage and stepped beside Vibhan. I looked at Hriaan and Tejas.

"TJ, I know you and your crew is upset about what happened. I am also responsible for it, so I will apologise. I am sorry," I said and looked at Tejas hopefully.

He stared at me blankly. I held his stare, and after some seconds, I saw him showing some interest in what I was saying.

"Get over with whatever you have to say, Bhoomi," Hriaan said.

I nodded. "I know we shouldn't have cheated and competed honestly. We are a small group, so getting to battle against you must have affected our logic. Also, even though my friends suggested me joining, I should have refused. Still, I made a wrong decision and overlooked the consequences.

"Now that our truth is out, we can't do anything. Please forgive us. I know you are very kind, and I really respect you for coming to us first to discuss the issue. Please consider it is as our last mistake. We won't do anything like this again."

Damn, I can't believe I said so many words at once.

Rehman joined me. "Yes, TJ, we had no ill intentions. We just wanted to win and get the prize. It won't happen again."

Vibhan and Akshay also tried to convince The Emperors. After listening to us, Tejas excused himself and took Hriaan with him. We saw them having a serious conversation, while their members looked at us in accusation.

Hriaan and Tejas returned. While Hriaan kept scanning us like a hawk, TJ asked his team about their views on us. After some discussion, The Emperors told Tejas to take the final decision as he was their leader.

I crossed my fingers. Please, Ganapati Bappa, help us.

Tejas moved towards Vibhan and placed his hand in front of him.

"I guess what's done is done," TJ said. "Hope to see you in the upcoming battle."

For a minute, Vibhan just stared at Tejas in disbelief — our expressions were the same. When Hriaan repeated what Tejas had said, a huge smile broke out on Vibhan's face and he shook Tejas's hand.

"Thanks, TJ!" Vibhan said gratefully.

Like that, Tejas shook hands with other guys and hugged Akshay after Akshay thanked him. Other crew members of The Emperors also shook hands with our crew and all the tension dissolved with just a few words from Tejas.

I knew it! There was no way that Tejas would stretch a matter from past and punish us for a draw in dance battle. He understood our situation and didn't even want an elaborate explanation. He forgave us.

After talking with the guys, The Emperors began leaving. I quickly moved my feet and approached Tejas.

"Thank you, TJ." I smiled.

He nodded and continued leaving. I was busy praising Tejas in my mind when he stopped on his way and looked back at me.

"And, Bhoomi, it is Tejas for you," he said and left before I could respond.

What... did he mean... by that?

"Oye, Boom Boom Boomer, come here!"

I was pulled in by Akshay in the group dance. I noticed my friends happily dancing and jumping in joy. Even though our secret was out and there was no need for the existence of Boomer, The Emperors handled it very well.

Bhoomi, why did TJ say that before leaving?

I blocked my mind from over-thinking and joined my group.

The main problem was solved. I didn't get to say much to Tejas today, so I will properly thank him tomorrow.

After a few minutes, Jiya arrived, and she looked at us in confusion.

"Nothing happened?" she asked in shock.

"Nothing happened!" We yelled.

She couldn't believe that The Emperors left just like that, but after seeing us dance like maniacs, she also discarded her worried expression and bounced along with us.

This is just the start of our good days. We are ready for more!

Hello, everyone!

My novel 'Hues of Dusk' is now available as paperback and ebook on Amazon.

The links to buy (both for Indian readers and international readers) is given in my bio.

Even if you haven't read or bought the novel, please leave a rating (and a review if possible). It will really help me a lot.

DM me on Instagram to get author signed copies and to know more. Thank you.