Where is he? Where? I can't afford to cross paths with him today.

All thanks to my stupid mind, I was not able to sleep at all. Mom's words about my celebrity crush and falling in love without knowing kept swirling in my ears like tornadoes. My heart took full advantage of the situation and reminded me of all the stupid scenarios I had built earlier. In all of the thoughts, Tejas was constant.

Please, Ganapati Bappa, save me. I don't want to embarrass myself. What if I end up blurting out something stupid in front of Tejas? He likes using complicated words and the real meaning behind what he says or does is hard for me to understand. Moreover, I can't get his sulky face out of my mind. This can't do. I have to avoid him today on all costs.

"Boomer!"

Mahreen crushed me in her arms. I was happy to see her after a long time, but I scanned the area behind her anxiously. I always saw Hriaan with her, but he was missing this time. Actually, ever since I arrived at college, I hadn't noticed Hriaan at all.

"You are alone?" I asked Mahreen.

She stuffed a macaroon in my mouth. "I am an independent woman, Boomer. It is the guys who keep bugging me."

"That's not what I meant," I said. "I am talking about Hriaan. I haven't seen him yet."

Mahreen smiled widely. "Doesn't the weather feel nice without him? He and TJ have gone outstation for some crew related work. Why are you asking? You need Hriaan for something? Boomer, I am here for you, no? Why are you talking about that idiot Hriaan?"

I shook my head. Mahreen told me that Tejas and Hriaan had a lot of work and would only return after two weeks.

I was worrying over nothing. The guy I was hiding from is not even in this city. I should be happy.

"What happened?" Mahreen asked. "What's with the sad face? You didn't like the macaroons? Wanna try some Swiss rolls?"

Sad? Who? Me? I don't care where Tejas is. As long as I don't have to come face to face with him, I am all good.

And what will happen if you meet him, Bhoomi? Will you die?

I shushed my traitorous inner voice and enjoyed the sweet treats Mahreen had brought. After attending two of my lectures and catching up with Jiya and Arushi, I went to Sarthak's studio.

At the studio, KD pulled me to sit with him and gave me his iPad. He told me to check out all the designs he had made and pick out the best one.

I was amazed at all the beautiful illustrations and typography. I picked out a few that I loved the most and showed them to KD. He instantly put all of those designs on some photos of blank t-shirts and showed me the mock-up models.

"This one is the best!" I pointed at one of the designs.

"I also like this one. It looks good on both white and black t-shirts," KD agreed.

We high-fived each other, and he told me that he was planning on wearing these self-designed t-shirts in coordination with Arushi. He was going to gift her one and suprise her in college.

"What are you guys so excited about?" Suhana asked as she joined us.

Behind her, Akshay glanced at KD and me and twisted his face.

"Why are you disturbing them, Suhana?" Akshay asked her. "Can't you see both are busy acting as if they are the only people who have friends? These days, best friends are changed like clothes. One day, it is someone, and then next day, it is someone else."

Suhana sighed, and I rolled my eyes at what Akki had said. Meanwhile, KD was busy dissecting what Akshay meant.

"Bro, what do you think about these?" KD showed Akshay the designs on his iPad. "I won't be taking Suhana's suggestions because I don't like her fashion sense at all. Don't mind, okay?"

Akshay ended up picking the same design I and KD had chosen, and KD was super happy about it.

"I think I chose hastily. I like the other design," Akshay said.

"Why are you lying?" I threatened him. "I know you are just trying to poke the same issue again and again. What's your problem, Akki? Why do you keep taunting me for one mistake?"

Akshay glared at me. "You were busy with KD, right? I am sorry that I and my girlfriend disturbed your friendship celebration."

KD raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Wow, why are you guys fighting out of the blue?"

"Ask your best friend," Akshay retorted.

Suhana smacked her forehead in frustration, and I fisted my hands in anger. But when KD side-hugged me, all of my anger turned into confusion.

"See, Bhoomi, even Akki can see that both of us are best friends, but you keep treating me like a second class citizen. You always scold me to have boundaries, but we are best friends," KD said happily.

"Congratulations, KD," Akshay patted KD's back while looking at me as if I had stolen his internal organs.

"KD, leave me now. You are crushing my bones," I complained.

"Get used to it," KD replied.

He let me go but beamed like a kid. He was the only one who was enjoying this situation. Sometimes, I wished I was as oblivious as him.

I thanked Fatima ma'am for announcing her arrival because if she hadn't, Akshay would have surely murdered me.

I can't believe Akki is getting jealous. He knows he is my best friend and will always be, but I really can't tell him everything. He cares so much but is still acting like he doesn't know me.

"Kids, now that the first phase of the training and eliminations are over, let's check out the details of the next part of the training program," Fatima ma'am announced.

One of the assistants switched on the projector, and one by one, Fatima ma'am and Rohit Sir explained us all about the dance classes, difficulty levels, challenges, guest mentors, etc.

There was a lot of stuff, and I worried if I was going to be able to make time for all of that. Eighty percent of the training schedule was mandatory to attend, and there were going to be more dance sessions than the evaluations. Each mentor was going to spend a lot of time on each of us, but before that, the health checkup was going to be conducted to avoid any accidents.

The second phase of the training was going to start after three days, and for the first week, Suhas Sir was going to hold dance classes for everyone; his aim was to work on our weaknesses and train us individually. There were now forty trainees left out of the fifty trainees, so more focus was going to be put on each dancer.

After the explanation ended, all of us were handed the hardcopies of the training schedule, and there was a suggestion form alongwith it. By the end of the day, we could write down any suggestions we had, so changes could be made in time.

I was reading the schedule, discussing it with KD and Suhana about the stuff I didn't get. While everyone was excited, I was concerned.

Damn it. I want to participate in everything; it will be so much fun. But my jobs... I thought I will be able to manage everything now that I had surpassed the first eliminations, but I didn't take into account that dance training is also going to level up. I hope I get good results in tomorrow's health checkup; I don't want to get held back.

"You don't like this, Bhoomi?" Suhana asked me.

"What?" I asked in confusion.

She showed me the point I was stuck at. "I can't wait to be in an all-girls team. I wish we both get on the same team."

I nodded. "Yeah, I also wish so."

"Girls, stop watching useless dreams, will ya?" Kshitij smirked. "No matter how many all-girls teams you come up with, you will never be able to defeat the boys, right, Akshay?"

Akki fist-bumped KD. "Girls will lose before we even step foot on the stage, bro. The win is already ours."

Suhana got fired up. "Just wait, both of you. Enjoy all you want, but your win is in your imagination only."

KD and Akshay started fighting with Suhana over girls vs boys, and their voices were making my head ache.

I wish Tejas was here. He would have shut them up in a snap. Moreover, all the attention is on him whenever he is around; nobody would have bothered me.

You should be careful about what you wish for, Bhoomi. Also, did you forget that you were trying to not think about Tejas? Are you again looking for him to solve your problems?

Wait a minute, what are you saying? When have I asked Tejas to solve my problems?

If you haven't, then why are you asking for him now? Have you gotten used to him helping you without you asking him to? You shouldn't make it a habit, you know.

Why are you never on my side? You are my inner voice. Instead of confusing me, you should be solving my doubts.

I am not Tejas to solve everything. Bye bye. Handle your stuff yourself.

"Guys, shut up!" I yelled.

"Chill, Bhoomi," KD said.

Like him, Suhana and Akshay also ignored me and continued quarreling over their earlier topic.

I spent the next two hours getting my ears damaged while trying to come up with a solution for my time management problem.

Time... that's the whole issue. I don't need any superpowers but just more time.

All of the trainees were dismissed, and as I had no work lined up for the day, I went to Arushi's house to discuss about my tution.

She didn't interrogate me about my busy schedule and suggested that I could come to study at her place during the nights and sleep over if needed.

This way, she could also avoid fighting with her parents and have a distraction. I was happy to get her help; before I left for my home, I spent some time studying and went to Vibhan's dance station to check on my friends.

As expected, Ritvik Bhaiyya was teaching some new moves to our crew, so I sat down on a bean bag and colored one of the drawing books KD had gifted me.

After some time, Rehman jumped on me and snatched the drawing book from me. He teased me about stealing my niece's stationery but himself stole one of the drawing books from my collection.

He invited other guys too. All of them took my crayons and sketch pen and started a kindergarten.

"What are you busy with, Bhoomi? Are you teaching at a pre-school?" Vibhan asked me.

"I wish I was," I replied. "At least small kids are way better than these idiots here."

Pratik and Yasir grabbed me, while Rehman drew moustache on my face with my own sketch pen. Shlok was busy chatting with Jiya, so he just clicked a photo of me and sent it on our group chat.

The guys left me after they were done ruining my face, and I would have beaten them to a pulp if I wasn't conserving my energy.

I noticed Ritvik Bhaiyya busy on a call, so I waited for him. He looked very happy, so I asked Vibhan if there was any good news.

"I think Ritvik Bhaiyya has got a girlfriend," Vibhan said.

"What?!" I yelled in shock.

Vibhan opened his mouth to reply, but I shot up from my bean bag and dashed towards Ritvik Bhaiyya. I headbutted him on his back, and he knocked me on the head when his phone fell off from his hand.

Before he could, I picked up his phone and checked who he was talking to.

"Bhoomi, what are you doing?" Ritvik Bhaiyya scolded.

I ignored him and checked his phone. I got confused when I saw a recording going on.

"You have a girlfriend?" I asked him.

He rolled his eyes and took his phone from me.

"Is this a way to ask? Who are you? A goon?" he complained. "Look at this now. You have increased the number of scratches on my phone."

"Ritvik Bhaiyya, have you started liking someone else?" I asked him seriously.

"Bhoomi, why are you asking stupid questions? I was recording something important for Dhara, but you and your stupid antics. I will have to do it again now."

He was recording something for Dhara Di?

I hugged him tightly. "I love you, Ritvik Bhaiyya."

He patted my back. "What's with the mood swings? You are just like Dhara; can't you decide for once what you want? This morning also, she called me and cut the call before I could even say a word. I wanted to ask her about what happened after I left your house yesterday, but she didn't tell me anything. Was your mother angry? I am sorry for the unnecessary trouble."

"Why don't you come over to my home and ask Di yourself?" I suggested.

"You want me to get killed?"

I grinned. "Ritvik Bhaiyya, I promise that Mom is not going to object to your visits from now on. You can meet Dhara Di and Srishti whenever you want."

Ritvik Bhaiyya accused me of pranking him. He told me that I would seriously get thrashed if I kept joking like that, but I told him in short about the discussion I had with Mom. I felt it better to give him a heads-up, so he could avoid suppressing his feelings for my sister. Also, he could be prepared for the day when my mother would go to his house to meet his parents.

"I am sorry for my mother's mistake, Bhaiyya," I apologized. "I know she has hurt you and your family a lot, but can you give her a chance to rectify herself? She is really sorry."

Ritvik Bhaiyya looked like he couldn't believe his ears. He was really shocked. Slowly, his face started turning red, and when I teased him about it, he hid his face in his palms.

"I am telling the truth," I said.

He sat down on the floor and kept mumbling to himself. I wanted to see what kind of face he was making; I feared if he was going to misunderstand what I had told him.

I grabbed his wrists and managed to push away his palms from his face - he was crying!

"Bhaiyya, are you hurt by what I said? Did I say anything wrong?" I asked.

"Oye, Bhoomi, what did you do?" Rehman punched me on the back. "How dare you make our Ritvik Bhaiyya cry? We drew on your face, so why are you taking out your anger on him? You come once in a while and still cause trouble?"

"What happened?" Yasir asked me.

I told all of them to shut up. Ritvik Bhaiyya wiped his tears and looked at me.

"I am asking for the last time, Bhoomi. Are you telling the truth?" he asked with eyes full of hope.

I nodded, my eyes brimming with tears. "Yes, Bhaiyya."

He crushed me in his arms. "Thank you, Bhoomi. I will handle everything now."

"Handle what?" Rehman asked like a lost child. "Why aren't you both telling us anything? This is unfair!"

Ritvik Bhaiyya and I laughed at him, and as it was a very personal issue, Ritvik Bhaiyya told Rehman and other guys that he would tell them everything when the right time would come.

He dismissed us, and I knew my friends were not going to let me go just like that. Vibhan told me to give them a clue about what I and Ritvik Bhaiyya were talking about, but I suggested them to just wait for some time. It wasn't my place to reveal anything.

The guys got annoyed, but I threatened them that I would complain to Ritvik Bhaiyya.

"Bhoomi, we are participating in the national level breakdance competition this year. Will you be available?" Vibhan asked me.

"National level breakdance competition?" I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

"I will be going to apply for our crew tomorrow, so you wanna join? Akki is already onboard."

"Really? But how will he get time from the training?"

Vibhan showed me the details of the competition on his phone.

"There will be a lot of qualifying rounds before the finale, so we have tons of time. Akki said he would be able to manage, and we are already short on the manpower, so why don't you also join? It will be fun and a good learning experience too," Vibhan said.

"Everything has a wrong timing these days. I am doomed!" I grunted.

Vibhan smacked me behind the head. "The Emperors are participating too. TJ and Hriaan have already gone to register their crew. I was waiting for your answer, but I knew you will refuse."

"Vibhan, I am really busy. And I don't think I will be able to keep up with you guys. I will end up sabotaging everything. I am getting old, you know," I confessed.

Vibhan pressed his lips into a thin line. "Why are you so dramatic? Fine. I won't force you to join us. Don't complain later that you missed out on the fun."

"Thanks, Vibhan."

"Is there any problem at home?" he asked in concern.

"No," I lied.

"You know that you can tell us everything, right? If there is anything going on, don't hide it from us. We all are family; I feel you are not telling me the truth."

"What truth?" Shlok inserted himself in our conversation.

"Bhoomi must be lying about not getting rejected, what else?" Rehman teased.

"Who rejected our Bhoomi? Who is that guy that has so much guts?" Yasir asked and cracked his knuckles.

"It is TJ, of course," Rehman replied.

"Ohhhhh," Yasir nodded. "If it's TJ, then the situation is believable. Cry all you want, girl; I will lend you my shoulder."

Pratik patted my head. "Don't worry, Bhoomi. I am sure there must be at least one poor guy out there in the world who will accept you. If not, then we will take care of you all our lives. You are not a burden on us."

I fisted my hands and looked at Vibhan with full determination.

"Dear captain, I am sorry, but you and Akki will have to participate in that breakdance competition by yourselves because I am killing the rest of your members tonight!" I growled.

I kicked Shlok in the back as he was the first one to disturb me and Vibhan. After him, I pulled Yasir's hair, punched Pratik, and last but not the least, I beat up Rehman for always teasing me about Tejas.

"Tejas does not like me!" I shouted at them.

"He also shouldn't!" Rehman yelled. "TJ deserves better!"

Rehman was right; that's what I had been telling myself all these days, but hearing it from someone else's mouth made my blood boil.

"Wow, you have turned all red, Bhoomi," Shlok commented. "What are you? A chameleon?"

"Leave me alone," I grumbled.

"As if we will," Rehman said and pinched my cheek.

I was tired, but I didn't feel burnt out after fighting with the guys. Instead, I felt refreshed. I actually missed this. I was so busy working that I hardly spent time with my crew. It reminded me of my carefree days.

"Bhoomi, are you okay?" Yasir asked worriedly.

"Are we fighting for the first time?" I shrugged.

"You zoned out, that's why."

I waved my hand in dismissal. "I am tired, so I will go home now. You guys carry on."

After meeting with Ritvik Bhaiyya, I washed my face and left for my home. Once I reached my place, I hugged my sister and laid down beside her.

"Di, how does it feel to be loved?" I asked my sister.

"It feels good," she replied.

"Doesn't it? My friends may share just one braincell, but I still love them."

That's why I can't drag them into my problems. Whenever I am feeling down, I will just go and have a full blown duel with my friends. They are my real energy boosters.

With happy thoughts in mind, I slept off, and the next day, I attended the health checkup camp at Sarthak's studio. I was impressed by the preparations and how much polite and professional all the medical officers were.

When my turn came, I was ready to get the best results.

"Bhoomi Devarkar?" the doctor asked, his back turned towards me.

"Yes, Doctor," I replied.

When the doctor turned towards me, my eyes widened. He reminded me of Tejas. I wondered who he was.

"Hello, Bhoomi, hope you are doing fine," the doctor greeted happily.

I read his nameplate: Prakash Jaiswal.

Could he be...?

"I am Tejas's father," the doctor announced proudly. "I am getting the same reaction since morning, so I am not surprised at all. I think I should just prop up Tejas's standee in the behind. What do you say? All of this was his idea afterall."

Tejas's idea?

Doctor uncle laughed, and I smiled awkwardly. I didn't know Tejas's father was a doctor and was going to be present at the checkup also.

"So, you ready?" Doctor asked.

I nodded, and he told me to do some stretching. While I did the told exercises, he wrote down on his notepad.

"How much does your right arm hurt when you use it?" Doctor asked.

"Not much," I replied.

He told me to rotate it a few times and smirked. "Tejas had already told me not to believe what you would say. Now I can see why he warned me beforehand."

I looked at him in confusion. "Tejas told you about me?"

Doctor grinned like a small kid. "Isn't my son amazing? I am really proud that he has grown up to be such a responsible person. He requested me to hold this checkup camp myself, and I really don't have much time due to my seminars and surgeries, but how can I refuse my son? He already gave me the important details about every trainee, so my work has become easier."

I smiled back at him as I didn't have anything to say. Tejas's father was very friendly and super proud of his son. He kept praising Tejas, so I didn't disturb him.

I didn't know Tejas was the one who had planned all of this, and he was himself absent. I thought it was Sarthak who had prepared this checkup camp.

"Bhoomi, are you in a lot of stress these days?" Doctor asked.

"The usual academic one. Nothing else," I replied.

He finished his checkup and wrote down a list of supplements and medicines. As it was already mentioned in the pamphlet, I got all of those stuff from the next counter for no cost.

As I was done with my turn, I decided to leave after chatting with some of my fellow dancers. As expected, they were complimenting Tejas for being so considerate about their well-being.

"I wish TJ was here," Michael said. "I would have hugged him and thanked him. He always keeps doing one thing or another for all of us. We should also do something for him."

"How about a party?" Falguni suggested.

"Party is so common. Let's plan something interesting," Gaurav said.

Doesn't Tejas get tired? Even when he is not here, he is still doing something for everyone. Why is he so caring? We are all competitors, so why is he worrying about others? He even asked his busy father to come here for us.

Tejas... If you keep helping like this without saying anything, how will I be able to repay you? And how will I be able to stop thinking about you? You shouldn't be this good. It is not fair. What if someone falls in love with you?

Why do you care, Bhoomi? I am sure there are already a lot of people who are in love with him. Are you going to trace each one of them? Why are you so bothered? Just continue being his fan.

I wish it was that easy.