*Viraj*

I hear my cell phone ringing. Kaha rakha tha maine? Before practice maine mere gym bag me rakha tha, right. I search my bag unable to find it. Kya musibat hai!

Finally, I take it out and pick up without bothering to see the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Hello Viraj"

It's Aslesha.

She says my name and a sob breaks out. What the hell is wrong?

"Hello Aashi? Kya hua? Jesus are you okay?" I ask and her sobs get louder. Fuck, obviously she's not okay.

"Aashi.. shh please shaant ho jaao. Bataao na kya hua" I ask getting panicked by the second.

"Mai da.. dance nahi kar paaungi Viraj" she says as her voice shakes with her sobs.

"Par hua kya? Tumhe chot lagi hai? Are you not feeling well?" I ask worriedly.

"Tri.. Trisha ne mere dress pe hot.. hot chocolate giraa diya. Meri puri dress kha.. kharab ho gayi. Pari mera phone nahi utha rahi. Aur.. anarkali dress kisi ke paas hai bhi nahi. Mai.. mai kya karu? Papa audience me honge aur mai stage pe ja hi nahi paaungi. He'll be so dissapointed. I'm nothing but a dissapointed" she says and starts crying harder and I run my hands through my hair.

Trisha.. that bitch! I'll ruin her.

"Please shaant ho jaao. Kitna time hai abhi tumhara naam announce hone me?" I ask rushing outside the locker room with my bike keys.

"45 minutes" she says.

"Tum kaha ho?"

"5th floor. Dance room" she answers.

I get on my bike quickly and start it.

"Vohi ruko mai abhi aa raha hu dress le ke. And please stop crying. Re-do your make-up agar kharab hua ho toh. We don't have much time. I promise you I'll be back in less than 45 minutes. Tum dance karogi Aslesha. Just don't cry ok. Mai aa raha hu bass jaldi se"  I say and hang up.

I speed up my bike to the nearest boutique and rush inside scanning the aisles of dresses.

"Anarkali dress kaha milegi" I ask the lady who is folding a dress nearby.

"Welcome to Shehnaaz boutique sir. How may I help you" she smiles.

"Anarkali. Dress. Kaha. Milegi?" I glare at her as she gulps, pointing towards the aisle beside her.

Itne saare dresses! Select kaise kar paaunga? I see women giving me weird glances. Kabhi life me handsome ladka dekha nahi kya?

Boutique me nahi dekha hoga.

Screw it! Who cares? I start picking up random dresses.

Ugh itna bright colour aankh me chubh raha hai.. ye itna dull colour.. ye toh kuch jyada hi bada hai.. chee ye dress ke naam pe kalank hai.. oh god iske sleeves kaha hai? Ye toh aage peeche sab jagah se khulla hai..

I see a dress in the far corner and pick it up.

It's a gray anarkali with pink and golden embroidery.. and overall it looks perfect. Size aa jaaye bass. Jyada sochne ka time nahi hai. Yahi le leta hu.

I take it to the cash counter and thrust the dress in the old lady's hand.

"Jaldi pack karo" I say giving her my card.

She slowly folds the dress as I tap my foot on the ground. Ye slow motion me kyu fold kar rahi hai dress?

"Jesus Christ! Ye lijiye card. Bass payment kar dijiye mai fold karta hu" I say taking the dress from her as she gives me a disapproving glance.

She mutters something about 'aaj kal ke bache bla bla' but I just take the bill and run outside.

25 minute aur. Great. Ho jaayega!

I get on my bike and speed up. In no time I'm on college grounds. I go inside the building when the peon dada stops me.

"Only participants allowed. ID hai kya?" he asks.

"Principal ne bulaya hai jaldi se. Mai already late hu. Agar aur late hua toh mai aapka naam lunga aur fir aapke job ki guarantee nahi de sakta mai" I lie blatantly.

Act natural, act natural... Kisi ko nahi pata chalega. Be confident and just don't blink.

He eyes me sceptically but lets me go. I'm such a good liar. Ha!

Lift neeche hi hai. Yesss! I go inside and punch the number 5 multiple times. Arre baba shuru hoja. The doors close slowly and it starts.

1

2

3

4

5

Ping.

The doors open and I run towards the dance room. The floor is empty, thankfully.

"Aslesha" I burst the door open and see Aslesha sitting in the corner.

"Viraj" she breathes relieved. She runs towards me and throws her little arms around me. I drop the bag and take her in my arms as her form dissolves in me. She buries her face in my neck and I feel the wetness of her tears there.

I hug her tightly and rub her back slowly. "Shh.." I whisper.

Ladkiyo ko kaise chup karate hai? Impress karna, rulana, flirt karna, sab aata hai bass ladki ko chup karana nahi.

So I don't say anything and just hold her waiting for her breathing to get even. I bury my nose in her hair and inhale sharply as her body relaxes.

Damn she smells so good. She has this smell which is a mix of coconut milk and strawberries.

She slowly lets go and looks at me with glassy eyes.

"Viraj.. thank.."

"Shh.. just go and change quickly" I say and bend down to lift the bag and give it to her. She nods slowly and rushes inside the changing room.

I stand there leaning on the wall. Trisha ki toh jo vaat lagaaunga. Bahot uchhal li vo.

I am in my thoughts of taking revenge when the door to the changing room opens and Aslesha steps out.

My breath literally catches in my throat.

Ye kaisi girly lines aa rahe hai dimaag me chee.

Bless me lord, she looks gorgeous. The dress fits her perfectly and she looks like an angel straight from heaven. She peeks up at me from below her lashes and smiles shyly. My favourite dimple pops on her cheek and I let out a contented smile.

She does a twirl and asks, "Thik hai?"

I step towards her and turn her around and stand behind her. I see her frown in the wall sized mirror in front of us as she looks at me.

I take the open dori on her back in my fingers and lightly pull her back as she stands flush against me. I see her gulp nervously as she looks down.

I tie the dori securely and lean down and whisper in her ear, "Ab bilkul thik hai. Bahot achha hai in fact".

Why is she so damn beautiful! Flirting material nahi hai Aslesha. Girlfriend material hai. Fir bhi mere muh se ye sab nikalta hai. It's totally inappropriate.

Friends aisa nahi karte. Best enemies forever toh bilkul nahi. Fir kyu mere muh se ye sab flirty lines nikalte hai? Mai toh isse apni girlfriend banana bhi nahi chahta. I don't believe in girlfriends. Just temporary flings. And Aslesha waisi bilkul bhi nahi hai.

She slowly turns around and looks up at me. Brown eyes are not supposed to be so beautiful. They are just plain simple brown after all. But they are beautiful, why didn't I notice them before? And why does it feel like she can see right through my soul with those big brown eyes of hers.

She unknowingly bites her lower lip and I unknowingly inch my face closer to hers. Ye kya ho raha hai?

"Aslesha!" someone calls out and we jump apart.

"Y.. yes" she says to the guy standing near the door awkwardly and I glare at him.

Kya timing hai bande ki!

"You are needed backstage. Tumhara turn aane wala hai" he says.

She looks at me and I see how her cheeks have turned a little pink. Cute! "Lets go" I say taking her little soft hand in mine and leading her down.

When we reach down, I squeeze her hand lightly as she goes backstage and I go towards the ground.

I am walking away when she suddenly calls my name. I look behind and see her running towards me. She throws her arms around me and hugs me very very tightly and just when I'm about to hug her back, she lets go.

Arrreee..

"Thank you" she mumbles and runs away as I stand there like a complete idiot.

Jesus.. save me! What's happening?

I walk towards the stadium in a daze which is fully packed. Thankfully the supervisors know me and I get to enter the front section. There are 2 large screens set up so that the audience behind can see too. There are seats arranged in the front for parents and judges. Behind it's fully open for the students.

I see Neel standing on one of the platform supervising the students. Waha se achha dikhega. I walk towards him.

"Ha washroom andar ja ke right me hai" he says to a girl and winks at her as she leaves with a group of girls giggling. I hop beside him.

"Aye captain chaddi. Kya kar raha hai?" I ask slapping his back.

"Kapde dho raha hu andhe. Neeche utar saale. Sirf supervisors allowed hai yaha" he says pushing me down. I get on top again, cursing him.

"Mujhe yaha khade rehne de warna mai captain chaddi captain chaddi chillaunga zor zor se" I smirk.

"Bahot marr raha hai saale apne dancing queen ko dekhne ha" he smirks back and I show him my middle finger to which he laughs.

"Chal dekh le. You are so bloody whipped" he says and I scoff.

"Dost hai vo meri" I say. "Of course" he replies and starts shouting at somebody who just dropped his fries.

Saala konsi strong daaru pilaya jo mai kal Aslesha ko call kar diya 2 baje. That was such a desperate move from my side. Aur 'meri dancing queen' ka isse bola jab se, tab se jaan ke peeche padd gaya hai.

Rudra doesn't tease me the way he does. Ye toh saala aise behave karta hai jaise I'm madly in love with Aslesha and he's sure we'll end up together. Senior ho ke bhi kya faayda, dimaag se paidal hai. Kuch bhi sochta hai!

"Washroom kaha hai" a guy asks him when he comes and stands beside me again.

"Khud dhund. Yaha kya washroom dikhane khada hu mai?" he shouts at him and I laugh. Kamina.

This feels like a concert. So much energy.

The hosts comes on stage and I start paying attention. Aslesha ka turn aa gaya hai shayad.

"Everyone having fun?" He asks and everyone shouts a 'yes'.

"Ab the college that is hosting this Dance Mohotsav unke performance ki baari hai. The girl representing the West High College in solo dance, Aslesha Mathur. Everyone give her a big round of applause" he says and leaves as cheers erupt all around.

The lights go off on the stage and I stand there anticipated.

When the lights come on I see everyone give each other confused glances. It's because of her outfit obviously. Pure kapdo me pehli ladki dekhe stage pe.

She does the namaskar confidently. She is so much more confident than the last time.

She starts dancing and I am transfixed again. Ye bhi nahi ke mai uska dance dekh ke bore ho gaya hu. I like it more and more everytime I watch it, if that's even possible.

The song starts with samjhawan and she has added Kathak beats to it. Sounds beautiful. But then the song changes and bolna from kapoor and sons starts playing. Wow!

But the most unexpected turn is when the next song comes up.

'Ek ho gaye hum aur tum.. humma humma humma.
Toh udd gayi neende re.. hey humma!'

She starts doing Kathak on this song. This song!

How? She is so bloody talented!

When this song comes up, the crowd goes crazy as everyone screams and shouts her name. She will pakka win today.

And soon enough the performance is over. As always she just lighted up the stage with her magic. I cheer and shout for her and decide to meet her backstage to congratulate her.

My phone starts ringing and I see that my mom is calling me.

"Boliye maatoshri" I answer with a smile and she doesn't respond. I go a little to the side where there is not a lot of noise.

"Hello maa? Kya hua?" I ask.

"Tere dad ghar aaye hai. He wants to meet you" she says and I almost drop the phone.

Dad ghar aaye hai? And he wants to see me? Seriously?

Ye aadmi yaha kyu aa gaya ab? But I won't let maa stay alone with him. I need to go home. "Aa raha hu" I say and hang up.

I furiously walk towards my bike and start it. My thoughts go haywire as all the flashbacks start coming back.

When he dragged us to Mumbai, everything changed.

Maa aur dad ka love marriage hua tha. I remember the story maa numerously told me.. their love story.

They had fights like all the normal couples have. But before going to Mumbai, fights thode badhne lage the. Mumbai jaane ke baad they went out of control. I was just a 13 year old boy then, but I could easily see how the behaviour of my dad was changing day by day.

That night when I was returning home from cricket practice and I saw him with that lady, everything shattered. My family, my mom, me.

I reach home and burst the door open and go inside. I go to the living room where my mom is handing him a cup of coffee. Her hand freezes when her eyes land on me and my dad looks behind.

I don't even want to call this man my dad. He doesn't deserve it. My physique and eyes are just like him. But I hope I become nothing like him. I hate him.

"Viraj" he states in his gruff voice and smiles. "How are you son?" he asks and comes towards me and gives me a hug. I don't hug him back. I don't even want him near me.

"Aise dad hone pe beta kaisa ho sakta hai?" I say sourly to which he flinches, like I just slapped him with my words.

"Viraj" maa warns me and I avoid her looking straight at him.

"Yaha kyu aaye ho aap? Aur kuch destroy karna reh gaya hai?" I snap at him as I see him clench his hands into fists. He has quiet a temper and if I don't watch my words, he'll lose it.

But mai bhi inka hi beta hu. And he deserves it.

"I was here on business. Socha mere bete se mil ke jaau" he says giving me a weak smile.

"Mai aapka beta nahi hu" I say harshly. "Aap toh dad banne ke laayak bhi nahi ho".

"Bass Viraj. Whatever happened between me and Mamta, that was my fault and I've accepted it. I've said sorry numerous times. But I've always treated you with love. Maine tumhare saath kabhi kuch galat nahi Kiya hai. You are my only son, my most precious boy. I've always looked out for you. Why do you hate me so much?" he says.

"You actually have the nerve to ask me that? Why do I hate you so much?" I give a humourless laugh. "You treated maa like trash, you ruined our family, you abandoned us. And just because you treated me with love and care, mai sab bhul jaau?" I ask and run my hands through my hair.

"Viraj it's not.."

"Bass karo dad! Dekh liya aapne mujhe? Ab please jaaiye yaha se" I say and fold my hands in front of me.

"Let me explain.."

"JAAIYE YAHA SE!" I shout at him and I hear my mom sniffing in the corner.

"Aap kyu ro rahi ho maa? He is not worth even a single tear of yours" I say as I go and hug her.

Dad looks at us for a moment, lets out a long sigh and leaves. A lump forms in my throat as I get a pricking feeling behind my eyes.

Maa clears her throat and steps back. "Should I make something to eat?" she asks and I shake my head. I don't feel hungry.

"Mujhe article likhna hai ok, good night beta" she says touching my cheek softly. She goes to her bedroom and shuts the door.

My mom is the strongest women I know. I know it hurts her, I know it pains her but she doesn't show it. I just wish she would let out her anger. I don't think she even hates him for what he did. Love is so powerful, destructive.

I go to the gym to clear my thoughts. I do some intense workout and get home around 11. Maa is already asleep I guess.

I take a shower and directly plop on my bed. Sleep is a foreign concept to me. I never get proper sleep. Zara si bhi aawaj ho toh aankh khul jaati hai. I don't remember the last time I slept for for that 4 to 5 hours. I toss and turn in my bed but it's of no use.

I go to the living room around 12 and switch on the TV. I randomly stop on a channel where the movie 'The Dark Knight' is on. I've watched it before but whatever.

While watching it, I fall asleep.

~•~•~•~•~•~•

I wake up in a jerk. What the hell was I dreaming about? Ugh. I look at the clock and see that it's 6.45 am.

I won't be able to fall asleep now. I feel tired. Thank God aaj college aur practice nahi hai.

Suddenly my eyes land on an envelope that is placed on the table, above which a thick diary is placed. Ye kya hai?

It's already opened. Mom dekh ke yahi rakh ke bhul gayi hogi. I remove the papers inside. They seem like legal papers.

When my eyes fall on what's written on it, I feel so angry that I have an urge to throw everything, smash everything in sight.

Divorce papers? Divorce? That filthy cheap person filed for a divorce!

"Good morning vir.." my mom comes to the living room and stops when she sees the papers in my hands.

Fuck my life!

•~•~•~•~•~•~

Hello mere babu log! New update! Bahot kuch hua na ye chapter me.. I know I know.. now I want your reviews about it. Did you like the dress that Viraj bought? That little Viresha moment in the dance room? What do you think of Viraj's dad? And btw please watch the video I attached. It's Swetlana Tulasi performing and let me tell you that she is a beautiful Kathak dancer. Aaj ke liye itna hi.. next chapter aap sab ko hilaa ke rakh dega so be ready!! Ily :)