First day of dance training program arrived, and I reached Sarthak's studio alongwith Kshitij and Suhana.

Since morning, both of then were quarreling about who was going to rule the top dancer spot, and I missed that soft voice which was still ringing in my ears. I replayed Bhoomi's auditions' introduction in my mind, but when my friends told me that I was going in the wrong direction, I muted out everything around and inside my brain.

One thing I had realised about Bhoomi's voice was that even if I liked hearing it, it was a lot distracting. It was as if all of my energy was focused on deciphering it because of its low decibel level, and due to it, it wasn't the first time I had lost the sense of direction.

We reached the practice room where all of the dancers were gathered. While my friends enjoyed the attention, I sensed the familiar presence in the corner of the room. I spotted Akshay, and he had also noticed me. We nodded in acknowledgement, but the moment I looked at the small human being beside him, a very weird sensation passed through my chest.

For a spilt-second, everyone felt lagging in comparison to Bhoomi's lips that stretched up in a small smile. I looked away.

What the fuck was that? I am awake right now, right? What was that weird scenario?

I placed my right palm on my chest and tapped above the heart.

"Dude, did you stop working just now?" I asked my heart that was pumping blood normally.

Youngsters have heart problems too, Tejas, and you should be the most careful. You haven't rested enough for last three days.

Come on, don't be negative. The training hasn't even started yet, and you are telling me to rest? It is time for fun, man. Chill.

Soon, Sarthak and his team made their appearance, and each time Sarthak glanced at me, there was a mischievous smirk on his face. He would look at me and then in Bhoomi's direction.

He won't tease me in front of the whole class, will he?

Tease about what, Tejas?

You know it already!

Sarthak ended his speech, and I inhaled a deep breath of relief when he began leaving, but he stopped in his tracks and glanced around.

I stepped back when he asked for Bhoomi. While Akshay raised Bhoomi's hand up, confirming her presence, I shot the best of my warning glares at Sarthak.

He turned his head in my direction for just a fraction of a second, but it was enough for my heart to start beating like a drum.

Why am I so worried about what he would say? So what if he takes my name? I have met Bhoomi only once or twice; more than anyone else, her misunderstanding anything is the main concern, and I remember that she had told me that she was my fan. In any case, I can just whip up some excuse. I don't like unnecessary attention and rumours, especially when it involves someone oblivious about the whole situation. And in this case, that 'someone' is Bhoomi, who already looks like she will faint.

Everyone stared at her like hawks even after Sarthak had left. She curled herself beside Akshay, who was enjoying the situation but avoided curious trainees from invading her personal space.

"Let's meet the popular girl," KD suggested.

I nodded. We went forward, but there was a thick layer of humans between us. Akshay saw us due to his height, but his best friend was struggling. He pulled her near him, and after a few seconds, she looked at me.

My lips began curling up on their own after seeing her smile, and there was nothing wrong in returning the same gesture, but when the things around her began lagging again, I averted my gaze. I focused on Akshay; his eyelashes moved at normal speed, and his lips also synced with his words without any issue. To check my doubt, I stared at my friends.

"Yo, bro, why are you looking at me as if you have fallen in love?" KD asked me and backed away.

Suhana rolled her eyes. "Why would he make such a disastrous decision? I am also here, but such a disgusting thought didn't cross my mind, did it? Why? Because I am the smartest, and TJ is my best friend."

I didn't get why she was stressing the word 'best friend' so much while looking at Akshay, but my confusion was solved instantly. While I was avoiding looking at Bhoomi, Suhana was acting like she couldn't see anyone else other than Akshay.

I signalled KD, who signalled back that he already knew. While doing so, I felt a pair of familiar eyes stuck on me.

Why is Bhoomi continuously looking at me? She wants to say something to me?

She is your fan, idiot. You forgot that?

Oh yeah, why does this information keep slipping my mind? I don't need to act awkward around her. I can interact with her like a normal person does. Haven't I chatted with other fans before? We can just talk about dance.

I was fully prepared to interact with Bhoomi, but when I turned my head towards her, our gazes locking, a jolf of current sparked at the back of my head and travelled through my spine. Like a reaction, my eardrums began thumping.

Stop staring at her like a creep!

I am not! I think today's not the best day to make talks with Bhoomi. My fatigue is messing with my brain. Also, watching that weird sci-fi and horror mix movie yesterday with my crew wasn't a good decision afterall.

"Okay, we will take our leave then," Akshay announced.

Yeah, it will be better if I also took some rest. I will go to my studio later. Got assignments to do too.

KD pulled Suhana, who was making all kinds of stupid excuses to stay when everyone was already leaving. Akshay and Bhoomi also left, and I scratched my head as I observed Bhoomi.

"Why are you standing like a statue now?" KD scolded me.

"Is it just me or is Bhoomi growing smaller and smaller?" I asked.

"Are you calling her short? She isn't that small, bro. Come on, help me. Suhana is really hard to handle, you know."

I agreed, and even if Suhana was lighter in weight than us, she had lots of invisible strength. We grabbed both of her arms and pulled her out of the studio. Fortunately, Sarthak was busy with his team, so I was able to leave without any problem.

I thought I would have peace at home, but when Mahreen is your best friend, is it even possible?

"TJ, look at the dress I got at the thrift market today. Isn't it gorgeous? I got four more pieces, and I am going to wear them all on my trip to Vietnam," Mahreen screamed as she entered my room, kicking the door open as her hands were full of shopping bags.

"I think you got the wrong address," I retorted and put a pillow on my face.

She snatched the pillow away and informed that the rest of our gang was arriving.

"Why? What's the occasion?" I queried tiredly.

"What else?" Mahreen danced her eyebrows. "Two people of our group have finally started their love lives, so we gotta gossip, no?"

I sat up in confusion. "Two? I know about Suhana, so you got another crush again?!"

"Boy, I don't have crush on anyone; it's the other way around."

Before I could flick her forehead, the rest of our friends arrived, and Hriaan pushed Mahreen away because she was taking up a lot of space on the bed. I observed all of them.

Hriaan is out of the question; KD has very high standards due to reading books; Suhana is already daydreaming about Akshay; and Mahreen is an idiot, so that leaves just me. Is Mahreen trying to prank me?

Hriaan grinned. "Mahreen is talking about you, bro."

I smacked Mahreen behind the head. I told her to stop spreading rumors, but she took my new phone and unlocked it. She exchanged knowing glances with others and flashed my mobile's screen to everyone.

"Hey, I was just scrolling through my Instagram feed," I defended myself.

"Oh, really? We don't know how to use Instagram? You are checking Unix's page, especially Boomer's picture, so stop lying already," Mahreen taunted.

"Why do you keep targetting me over that? I am just curious about Boomer. And as it is, if I had to develop a crush, why would it be a person who looks like an assassin?"

Hriaan's nose was almost touching my left cheek now.

"Personal space, please," I told him.

"If Mahreen's claim proves right, you have to give us a kiss," Hriaan challenged.

I shifted away from him. "Hearing that from you is giving me creeps, bro."

"But why do you keep denying that you don't like Boomer?" KD asked and pinched Suhana's leg; she was zoning out.

"Because all of you keep teasing me," I replied. "I was going to rest, but what are you guys doing here? You all are ganging up on me. For the last time, I don't like Boomer. In fact, I don't like anyone."

KD jumped up from the bean bag and sat on my right side. "Then why were you staring at Bhoomi in the studio? I am very observant, TJ. You better have a believable excuse ready, or I will conclude that you are two-timing."

I widened my eyes."Two-timing?! What the fuck, KD? How can you blame me of something like that?"

"So tell me who it is. Boomer or Bhoomi?" KD asked.

"Boom Boom," I blurted out.

Hriaan brought his face right in front of me. "Really? Who's Boom Boom now?"

I knew I had messed up again, but I pushed Hriaan back. He was asking me that on purpose.

"Don't you know about one of our top fans? Really disappointed with you, RiRi (Hriaan)," I taunted.

Hriaan and KD got busy with finding more information about Boom Boom, and Mahreen was scolding Suhana for not paying her attention; I took that chance and closed my eyes, laying myself back on the bed.

"Boom Boom and Boomer is the same person," Hriaan announced.

I jerked up and narrowed my eyes at him. "What?! How do you know that?"

"My intuition is telling me so."

I sighed. "Bro, stop saying stuff without concrete evidence."

KD shook his head at me. "TJ, I think Hriaan is right. You kept complaining about how Boomer was copying your moves easily, so it is possible that he must be following you since a long time. You yourself said that he approached you for a handshake that day, didn't he? Why can't he be your fan?"

"A fan?" I mumbled.

Could it be possible? Boom Boom and Boomer being the same person?

Somehow, the persona I had face during the Underground Hip-hop battle didn't quite match with the flowery language Boom Boom used in his/her comments.

"It is not possible," I said. "Boom Boom is a girl."

"I am a guy, and I use lots of heart emojis too. That makes me a girl?" KD argued.

"Please don't say anything else. I am trying to declutter my mind, and you guys are just putting more doubts in it. As it is, I was having a tough time at the studio today."

Just as Bhoomi's face flashed in front of my eyes, I started hearing her conversation with Sarthak that had happened in the morning, and how I couldn't look at her properly for even a second.

"Are you thinking about Boom Boom?" KD questioned excitedly.

"No," I said.

"Then why are your ears turning red? Is it an allergic reaction?"

"Hearing your rubbish, it won't be a surprise if my ears melt."

KD jumped on me and pinched my ears. It didn't take others to miss the opportunity; all of them piled up on me, except Suhana.

Idea!

"Look at Suhana," I tried to distract my friends. "She is busy thinking about Akshay."

Alas, my trick didn't work!

"We shouldn't trouble a lady who is already troubled by her thoughts for a man," Mahreen said.

Like this, they didn't let me sleep at all, and in the night, they intentionally played a romantic movie to test my patience.

I woke up with my friends snoring like pigs. I quickly took a shower and shook KD and Suhana as we were running late.

The three of us left directly for the studio because we had missed our college lectures. When we arrived at our destination, Suhana was the first one to bolt out of the car and run inside Sarthak's studio.

"No matter how much make-up she does, Akshay isn't paying her any attention," KD commented.

I didn't say anything as I was thinking about how I was supposed to act.

Will the same thing happen again today?

When we joined our fellow dancers, I saw Bhoomi and Akshay in the distance. I face-palmed in my mind when Suhana arrived; her lip-gloss almost blinded me.

The teams were announced, and I felt weird when I didn't hear Bhoomi's name in my team.

Am I disappointed? I wonder what she is feeling because she is really looking at me right now.

I glanced at her, and there was small pout on her face.

I shouldn't be feeling happy since she looks sad, but why am I smiling automatically? And why is Bhoomi's pout growing more and more?

"Oh man, we aren't on the same team," KD whined.

"Thank God, we aren't on the same team," Suhana told him. "And Thank God, Akshay is in my team."

I raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me? My team?"

She grinned. "Of course. I will be the team leader, so be prepared to follow my orders."

KD zipped out of there and joined his teammates. He almost crashed into Bhoomi while joking around.

He really doesn't have any sense of personal boundary, does he? I will give him a lesson later.

Our mentors arrived, and Rohit Sir was in-charge of our team. We went to practice room number 8, and as expected, Suhana began flaunting her dance skills in front of others, trying to get Akshay's attention, but he wasn't even a bit affected.

"Stop giving me second-hand embarrassment," I whispered to Suhana.

She slumped her shoulders. "Is my make-up not good? Is my mascara smudged? Is my dress dull? I washed my hair today, so why hasn't Akshay given any reaction? Does he already have a girlfriend? Is it Bhoomi?!"

I was listening to her rambling patiently, but when she mentioned Bhoomi, I pulled her hair.

"Yo, TJ, what the heck?!" she yelled and brought up her leg to kick me, but she was wearing a short skirt, so she stopped.

I smirked, but she smirked back and kicked me right in the stomach.

"I am wearing safety shorts," she said proudly.

I narrowed my eyes and grabbed her right arm. She started yelling to not throw her upside down. Her main reason? - Akshay witnessing her getting defeated.

I laughed at her, but our mentor saw us fooling around and warned us to be serious.

We began discussions about our choreography theme and tried out some stuff; I was trying to get back at Suhana by continuously mentioning her stupid incidents to Akshay when I sensed a very intense stare on my back. When I looked at the source, I freaked out.

What is she doing? She isn't really a cartoon, is she?

"This idiot," Akshay mumbled.

Bhoomi had planted her face on our practice room's glass window, and I believed that she was looking at me, but her eyes were focused on Akshay.

"Please excuse me for a minute," he said and stomped away.

He opened the door, and I heard him ask his friend what she was doing there, but when the door closed, I could no longer hear anything.

I thought Bhoomi was missing Akshay since they weren't on the same team, but Suhana's words pricked me like a needle.

"Does he already have a girlfriend? Is it Bhoomi?!"

I remembered how both Bhoomi and Akshay had reacted when Hriaan had asked the same question to them, but seeing Akshay pull Bhoomi into a headlock, my curiosity got mixed with confusion.

Before Akshay choke-slammed her, I went to them and asked Akshay what was keeping him busy. I could have just asked Bhoomi directly, but I was afraid of saying something stupid.

Actually, that was something to be concerned about. Ever since I met her, I seemed to be saying out aloud a lot of my thoughts without thinking.

Bhoomi checked herself in the glass window and suddenly beamed at me. If Suhana's lip-gloss hadn't completely damaged my vision earlier, Bhoomi's smile was going to finish the job. The only problem was that it looked fake.

"TJ, I saw your dance just now. It was awesome! Can I join your team?" Bhoomi asked, her voice pitching higher with each syllable.

I narrowed my eyes.

Why is she talking so weirdly? This isn't her original tone at all. Oh, right, she is my fan. She is conversing in that way, so I shall also follow accordingly.

That's what I had planned, but again, the words flew out of my mouth without my permission.

"Do you think that's possible?" I asked.

Why did I ask her that? Am I an idiot?!

Don't panic, Tejas. Just act like you are teasing her. She is your fan, and everyone knows you like teasing your fans, so she won't misunderstand. As it is, both of you are competitors at this point.

Okay, that should work.

"Maybe?" Bhoomi replied, her voice getting lower. "I really want to be on your team."

She is saying that to me, but she keeps glancing at Akshay. Maybe, she is just sad about not being together with him, but why is she telling me that?

"Is that so? I am happy with my current members though," I replied as an intention to tease, but my own tone embarrassed me.

What's wrong with me?! I totally sounded jealous right now. I should just shut up at this moment, shouldn't I? Why isn't Akshay saying anything? You know what? I should just leave before I mess up more, but why aren't my legs moving? Why is my body not listening to me?!

Tejas, relax. First see how Bhoomi reacts.

"I am glad you think so, but what if there is one more member? I really want to learn from you," Bhoomi said.

Somehow, that fake voice of hers was twisting my insides like fusilli pasta.

Fine, one last try. I hope after this, she talks normally to me. I will tease her, so maybe she can do the same in return? It is normal between fans and idols, but Bhoomi is acting like she is talking to someone who is in another dimension. Okay, let's try once more.

"Sounds like you whining about your mentor," I teased, knowing very well about Fatima Ma'am and her strict method of teaching.

As if I had shot her with a gun, Bhoomi's smile faded.

Did I go overboard? Did I cross my limits? I really need to watch what I say. Not everyone entertains jokes even if they say that they are my fans.

"No, I wasn't whini-" Bhoomi began speaking, but KD's voice boomed in the hallway.

He reached us at superhuman speed, his eyes on Bhoomi like he was on a hunt. The scene was hilarious as she tried to hide behind Akshay, who pushed her forward instead.

KD wasted no time in dragging her back to their practice room, and I wondered if I should laugh or just stay impassive.

What if I laughed and Bhoomi got offended? She didn't seem to receive my teasing that well earlier. Maybe I should work on my joke delivery?

I looked in the glass window.

Or maybe it is my face that she doesn't like? She appreciates my dancing, but what if she doesn't like me? Is that why she keeps forcing herself to smile in front of me and talks so formally?

"TJ, let's get back to our own team before Rohit Sir scolds us," Akshay said.

I nodded, and we returned to our group discussion, but I kept checking my reflection in my phone.

"What's wrong with you?" Suhana asked me. "Are you waiting for someone's call?"

"Nope," I replied.

"Then pay attention to what others are saying."

I forwarded my hand towards her.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"Your lip-gloss," I said.

She shot me a confused look, but seeing my serious expression, she handed me her precious lip-gloss. I stared at the bright pink gloss bottle.

If I apply this, maybe next time, I will speak something that won't make me look like a jerk in front of Bhoomi.

Hello, everyone.

First of all, really sorry for such a late update. I was busy with updating 'Etched in You'.

If you haven't checked out that book yet, please do so and let me know your thoughts.

Again, thank you for reading, your patience and support.

Please vote and comment if you are liking the story.

🌞