My head hurt, and when I noticed Nishant laughing his ass off, rolling on the road, all of my heartache turned into rage.

"Why didn't you alert me?" I scolded him.

He wiped his tears. "I would have missed the fun then."

I went to kick him, but he dodged in time. He reminded me that we were getting late and the weather had turned very cold too.

We continued walking, and as per our usual route, I took the left turn, but I stopped when I noticed that Nishant wasn't with me. I looked back, and he was standing in one spot.

"You went in the wrong direction," he told me.

I looked at him in confusion, but since my mind was full of other thoughts, I agreed with him and turned back. We took the right turn, and again after going some distance, I found Nishant absent from my side.

"What are you doing?" I asked him in irritation.

He jogged backwards. "Actually, you took the correct turn earlier."

With that, he burst out laughing again, and I chased him. Through the whole way, he continuously made fun of me. He was new at work, so I let him go after punching him.

Tejas followed his promise of not bothering me, but on some days, he still joined Nishant on the walk towards our event management company. He never talked to me, and at the studio, his behaviour reminded me of the time when he used to ignore me.

That's what I had asked for, so I had no right to feel bad about it. I regularly attended my college, and my team never complained about me missing some practice sessions. As a team leader, Tejas efficiently handled the situation and gave me a portion of the choreography where I could easily practice without others.

I felt bad about my team's preparation getting disturbed because of me, so during the last few days of the final rehearsals, I arrived on time and practiced diligently.

Soon, the day for the evaluations arrived, and fortunately, everything went well. When our performance ended, my whole team did a group hug, but I stayed back as I was feeling guilty for my earlier actions.

Yukta pulled me in the hug, but at the same time, Tejas moved out of the group hug. I looked at him as if he had physically hit me, but he borrowed a camera from a staff member and told everyone to pose.

Akki knocked my head and told me to stop making a rotten face. I wasn't able to smile. Tejas clicked a few pics, and after the mentors gave out their comments, our team left the stage.

On our way down the stage, Tejas announced an after-party, making everyone jump in joy. I went to the girls' powder room alongwith with Yukta and Jolina, and both were excitedly talking about the party.

While getting changed, Yukta checked her mobile and announced that Tejas had sent the venue address. Jolina confirmed the same and told me to hurry up.

I checked my mobile and huffed - I had received no such message.

"Bhoomi, you are coming to the party, right?" Yukta asked me seriously.

"I am not invited," I said and picked up my bag.

"Tejas invited everyone, girl," Jolina told me.

I showed her my mobile. "He didn't send me the address."

"You fought with TJ?" Yukta asked me.

"I don't want to talk about it," I replied.

Both girls tried to convince me, but I didn't stop. I left the changing room, and on my way out, I noticed Michael, Akshay, and Tejas waiting outside the boys' changing room.

I ignored them, but Akki stopped me and asked me why I was leaving so early. I glanced at Tejas, and he didn't look at me even once. Akki and Michael started mentioning the after-party, but I left from there.

Why are you getting angry at Tejas, Bhoomi?

I am not.

Really? If you are not, then why are you leaving like this? KD will get sad if you won't wait to see his team's performance.

I will handle KD later. I just don't want to stay here any more.

Why? You don't like Tejas ignoring you? He is doing what you asked him to do, so what's the problem?

Stop bugging me.

I started signing a random song to distract myself. Due to my evaluations, I had taken a leave from my jobs, so I directly went to my home.

The new dorms were going to open up soon, so I informed Mom that I would be staying there from next week. I told her about the ease of commute, and she agreed with my decision. I told her to be careful and let me know if she sensed any trouble in my absence.

After two days, the evaluation results were announced. My team and KD's team tied for the top position, while Danny and Suhana's team came on second position. After this, compulsory dance classes were announced, and I started staying at the new dorms.

The facilities were really great, and there was tight security for the female trainees.

After finishing my event management shift, I informed Nishant about my temporary change of location. Since I had to come back to the studio in the night, he offered to drop me back from our workplace and then left for the railway station from there. I was really thankful for his help.

On my first day at the dorms, I was the only one in the girls' side. More girls had planned on using the dorms, but they were going to start staying after some days.

I feared waking up late, so I had an early dinner and went to sleep. In the midnight, I woke up to drink water but found my bottle empty.

I got out to fill it up and went to the common water tank situated in the lobby separating the girls' and boys' dorms. When I reached there, I filled up my water bottle and ended up finishing it in one go.

Somehow, I was feeling really thirsty, so I thought of getting more water, but there was nothing left in the water tank. I cursed and removed the empty water can from the filter.

I had done it earlier, so I didn't feel the need to ask for help from the security personnel. I picked up the filled water bottle, and my eyes widened when my legs wobbled under its weight.

Why is this bottle so heavy? Is Sarthak importing some special kind of water? Why am I having trouble doing this simple task now?

I struggled to place the bottle in the filter, ending up drenching myself. Finally, after two failed attempts and almost having a bath, I planted the bottle in the filter.

"Thank you very much for your service."

I turned around on hearing the super familiar voice. Tejas filled his water bottle and took a sip. He nodded and commented how the water tasted nice.

"For how long were you here?" I asked him.

He tapped his chin. "Since you almost drowned yourself two times?"

I couldn't believe what I just heard.

"You were watching me struggle and still didn't help me?" I asked in a betrayed voice.

He pulled an innocent face. "You didn't ask for my help. Also, I don't want to get misunderstood again. And, if my memory is working correctly, then I remember that someone specifically told me to not bother her, so how can I disobey her? I am just following the command. Thank you once again."

He drank more water and went away. I stared at his back, still trying to convince myself that Tejas was here and he didn't help me at all.

Why should he, Bhoomi? Stop complaining when you have brought this upon yourself.

But why is he here at the dorms?

Are you going to ask him to leave from here also?

You are my inner voice, but you like torturing me, don't you?

You are torturing yourself. Don't put blame on others.

I filled my water bottle and went back to my room. I ended up wasting the remaining night thinking about Tejas. I had lots of time to get ready, so I had breakfast, and while leaving, I enquired about Tejas. The security personnel told me that Tejas hadn't left yet.

I felt like talking to him, but I reminded myself that I had no topic to discuss with him. I left for my dockyard job and reached on time.

While working, I kept wondering about the after-party I wasn't invited to. My shift was almost over when I was called by my boss.

He told me that one of the owners was here, and they wanted to meet me. I was confused, but my boss told me to hurry up because the owner didn't like tardiness.

I entered the boss's office, and my steps automatically slowed down when I noticed Jyoti Jaiswal comfortably sipping the tea.

What's she doing here? Is she the owner? I can't believe my luck!

I stopped in front of her, and my doubt was confirmed when my boss announced my presence.

My morning had started great, but it was going to get ruined in a second. I was prepared for it.

"Good morning, Bhoomi," Jyoti Aunty greeted.

"Good morning, ma'am," I greeted back.

My boss glanced at me in worry and asked Jyoti Aunty if there was any problem; he was himself confused, but he asked if she had any complaints regarding me.

Jyoti Aunty waved him off and focused all of her attention on me.

"How many jobs are you working, Bhoomi?" she asked like a interviewer.

I didn't want to get in any kind of trouble with her, so I decided to answer the weird questions and get out asap.

"I am currently doing three part-time jobs," I replied.

She raised her eyebrows. "That's a lot. Correct me if I am wrong. You work here, then at the fast-food restaurant, and in the night, you work at Jubilee event management company, right?"

I was impressed by the detailed information she had about me. I nodded to what she had said.

"You are really hard-working," she said, and for the first time, I didn't sense any kind of taunt in her voice.

"For how long are you planning on working here?" she asked.

"Till I am able to do it," I answered.

"You are a college student, and your father earns decently, so why are you breaking your back here? You are enrolled in Sarthak Pawar's dance training program also, so how are you managing all of it? I am sure you are getting just a handful of sleep, aren't you?"

Why is she asking me about my personal life? Should I object about it? What if she gets angry and throws me out from the job?

"I manage, ma'am," I said.

"Of course, you do," she agreed. "But I am worried that you will end up working yourself to death this way."

Is she really Jyoti Jaiswal, the woman who doesn't shy away from showing her dislike towards me even once? Why does she look so concerned for me? Is she planning something?

"If there is any problem, you can tell me," she told me with a smile.

I shook my head. "There is no problem, ma'am. Thank you for asking."

She stared at me with keen eyes. I checked the time on the wall clock and worried about not being able to complete my work. I glanced at my boss and tried to signal him to help me.

He understood and asked Jyoti Aunty if she was here to inspect. She shook her head.

"I was here to meet Bhoomi only," she said.

She came here so early in the morning to meet just me? Why?

"Jyoti Madam, if you don't mind, then may I know if you have any concerns regarding her working here? If she has made any mistakes, then please forgive her. She is poor and needs this job," my boss tried to talk on my behalf even if he was anxious himself.

Jyoti Aunty smiled. "No, I am content with everyone working here. Stop stressing unnecessarily."

"Then did you really come here specially for her? May I know why?"

Jyoti Aunty's lips curled up more. "I came to meet her because my son loves her."

Just like me, my boss turned into a statue.

What did she just say?!

She got up from the chair and informed that she was leaving. While my boss managed to at least nod, I was staring at her like an owl.

"Don't overwork yourself, Bhoomi," she adviced and exited the office.

My boss hurried after her, throwing me a suspicious glance. After feeling like a bomb was dropped on me, I finally went back to my work and started filling up the remaining tubs with fishes.

Am I still sleeping? This must be definitely a dream. It is too hyper-realistic, but I know it is not real because there's no way Jyoti Jaiswal smiled at me and announced that kind of thing earlier. Relax, Bhoomi, relax. Don't think about it. This dream will end soon.

"Bhoomi," my boss called.

"Yes, Sir?" I asked.

He stood beside me and glanced around us.

"Who are you exactly?" he whispered.

I gave him a flat look. "Why are you asking me that?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Be honest. You are actually a spy, right? Jyoti Madam placed you here to keep an eye on me, didn't she?"

"Sir, are you hearing what you are saying? I am just a normal employee who is trying to finish her work."

He wasn't convinced. "There's no way that's true. Jyoti Madam said her son loves you, and there's no way she will let her daughter-in-law work here like this. Don't worry, I will act like I don't know anything. You can tell me the truth."

Daughter-in-law?! Why is he complicating the situation even more?

"Sir, please believe me. I am not lying," I stressed my words.

He sighed. "Fine if you still want to act. I won't disturb you, but remember that I haven't forgotten what Jyoti Madam said about you. She never lies."

I almost rolled my eyes. He left, and due to him, I couldn't finish my work on time. I had to go to my next job, so I took my leave. But even after coming to the restaurant, Jyoti Aunty's face and words kept flashing in front of my eyes.

"My son loves her."

Why did she say that? Did Tejas really mention about me to her? He told her he liked me?

Bhoomi, present tense, please. She clearly said 'My son loves her', not 'Liked her'. Congratulations, unlike you, Tejas is not a liar.

Why would he tell his mother about me? What was he thinking?

About you, of course.

Shut up. I am trying to not think about him, but his mother has increased my tension. She came to meet me at my workplace. What will she do now?

I wiped the restaurant's floor more strongly and tried to distract myself by chatting with my colleagues, but I was unable to concentrate on the conversation.

Somehow, I managed to not make a mistake at work. My shift was going to get over, and I was wiping the floor with my colleague, Sonal, before I left. We were almost done when someone stepped on the freshly mopped floor.

Who is this idiot?

I looked up at the person who had dared to ruin the floor, and I ended up biting my tongue in order to stop myself from cursing.

Ayzere?

"Hello, Bhoomi," Ayzere said.

I didn't feel like replying to her, but she was a customer, so I had to follow the protocol.

"Please take a seat and place your order," I told her.

"I am not here for that. I want to talk to you," she said. "Meet me outside when you complete your shift."

My colleague, Sonal, asked me about Ayzere, and I told her to not mind her. We finished our shift, and unluckily, Ayzere was waiting for me outside the restaurant.

My colleagues left, and I asked Ayzere what she wanted to discuss with me.

"I heard what happened between you and TJ. I thought you liked him. Why did you refuse his confession?" she asked.

So she is here to rub salt on my wounds? First Jyoti Jaiswal, and now her? Why is everyone reminding me about my failed love-life today? Am I dying soon or what?

"Why are you asking?" I retorted. "You had also confessed to Tejas, but I didn't ask you about it."

Ayzere rolled her eyes. "I still don't get why he likes you."

"Why don't you ask him instead of wasting my time?" I seethed.

"Relax, Bhoomi. I am not here to pick a fight. I just wanted to see how you are doing before I left to watch TJ's match at the national breakdancing competition. I guess you are too busy to go, aren't you?"

I shook my head in disappointment when she smirked. She took her leave and skipped away.

She is going to meet Tejas, but I can't. She was here just to taunt me, nothing else. Is she that much free? I hope I don't see her again; I am still trying to wrap my head around what Jyoti Aunty had said in the morning.

She shouldn't have done so; now I won't be able to sleep for a whole week!