Priyanka sighs, smiling to herself as she walks towards her workplace — Adonica solutions private limited, a small office on the top floor of a five-storied building, amidst the busy Worli junction in Mumbai.

The firm lends out managers and assistants for hire. Those who work full-time at the company take up temporary jobs for the clients.

It is not a job that boasts of a jaw-dropping portfolio, yet it brings a sense of satisfaction that comes from helping others, and of course, it pays you well enough too.

Priyanka loves her job. As a former IITian herself, and with all of her alma mater from the prestigious engineering institute now working in posh, chic offices, it is odd for her to choose something like this as her career, but she's done it.

Her parents were not happy to find her at the crossroads questioning her career after she graduated with a distinction. They didn't want a merit student like her to ruin her career. But the merit lies in how far one would follow their heart, she thought, and she stood her ground.

The spat she had afterwards was nasty. Her parents threw her out. While her father disowned her and never looked back, her mother and grandmother sometimes secretly stopped by her current living space to check on her.

Now, where does she live? In a city like Mumbai that is big enough to be home even for the homeless, she found a rental space close to the office where she is working now. Or it is the other way around. Finding a rental space was the key to finding the job.

Back then, after her parents had ousted her out of the house, she used her meagre savings to rent a little apartment in Worli. The house might have been a little dilapidated, but it was still good enough and the landlord Mrs Braganza, was a kind old lady, a widow, who had been living by herself and her pet cat Sherma.

Priyanka's neighbour, David Fernandes, was also a kind man but he was such a curious being and very friendly. He needed someone to work in his firm — Adonica Solutions. One temp job that began as a starter led to another, and soon, Priyanka began enjoying doing different jobs for a limited period of time (on behalf of the firm) than doing a regular job that's the same each day.

Well, she still hopes to find her calling, and when she does, maybe she will be doing the same job for many many years.

Nonetheless, she enjoys her current job and the freedom she has. Sometimes life can be relaxing when your family disowns you.

Pure luck, but she was thrilled to find a good living space, great neighbours, a job, and then a roommate too. Having her old schoolmate, Kirtan, a slightly chubby and nerdy girl who can't get a good look at things without her glasses, has been a very serene experience.

Kirtan may have poor eyesight, but she's very lively and just having her in there brightens up the living room of their shared apartment. A little inspiring too, as the girl is an orphan who has overcome a lot and even found a job as a photojournalist in a weekly entertainment magazine titled — Starshine.

After bad things come good ones, one needs to be hopeful and patient and stay strong, Priyanka thinks, quickening her pace and moving along the sidewalk that's sparsely parked in the early hour of the morning.

***

A couple of minutes later when Priyanka arrives at her office and finds her desk, her colleague Rinku, a moderately tall guy with shoulder-length curly hair, who loves to flaunt his square-rimmed, zero-power spectacles all the time, greets her with a strained smile.

He is reading a magazine, the same weekly magazine that Kirtan works for. Priyanka throws a casual look at what he is reading, and finds the week's featured article — an elaborate essay on Samarth Saxena, the new-age rockstar everyone is so fond of.

Samarth looks fairly tall in the full-body picture printed next to the article. Posing for the cameras in that chic, striped suit, leaning against the wall, one hand clutching the amethyst-coloured mirror goggles, he's the picture of swag; and his features — those dark eyes, thick eyebrows and the slight smile... Oh, the stubble too, and the well-defined jawline...

Priyanka can't help but think he looks dashing. " ...but he's giving the bad-boy vibes," she murmurs under her breath.

Rinku who hears her whispered words, looks at her, chuckling lightly. "Ah, he is a bad boy, Priyanka. What do you expect from rockstars? They need to be bad boys. That's their charm, you know?"

Priyanka laughs and shakes her head. "Why, they could be nice and charming too!"

Rinku pulls a face. "Sorry to disappoint you, but girls love bad boys. And bad boys hog the limelight. That's how things work in the entertainment world."

Priyanka shakes her head. Throwing her hands up in surrender, she puts her bag on her desk and plops down into her chair. She's adjusting her thick and unruly, but still attractive curls with a little sigh when Uncle David's voice rings out asking for Rinku to clean up the twin vintage cars parked in the building's cellar, it's his turn.

Rinku makes a disgusted face but still rises up to attend to the task. On his way, he tosses the magazine, Samarth's article still open to read, into Priyanka's lap.

On an impulse, Priyanka looks at Samarth's handsome face once before reading what's written about him. Her eyes widen and her jaw drops. She thought they'd write about his music, but the magazines are interested to gossip about his love life. This is.... Atrocious. He has several hookups already and this costar of his, Mahima, who worked with him in his music video, is his latest.

Priyanka fans her cheeks and her heart pounds a little erratically at the prospect of what she read. She's not embarrassed, no, but she's appalled at the thought of someone romancing more than one partner at once! Isn't love and romance supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime thing?

This is so dumb. Samarth may think hooking up is fun but the day when he realises the value of true love and a loving partner, he'd be in shambles. These guys don't change, do they? Samarth may never be able to define true love. Naive of her to have these thoughts.

Priyanka folds the magazine and places it atop Rinku's desk. There are more magazines stacked up under the client files. She never knew Rinku followed gossip magazines.

Just as she turns her attention back to her desk where not many files are piled up, and is about to turn on her laptop, the boss of the office, David Fernandes, arrives next to her and places a hand on her shoulder.

Priyanka looks at the man and smiles. "Uncle?" Rising from her seat, she greets him with a polite good morning. That's right. Uncle David is more of an uncle than a boss and she's only glad.

"It's a great morning, hain na, Pree, beta?" Uncle David chuckles but the mirth somehow doesn't reach his eyes.

Priyanka inquires into the matter. David eventually sighs and relents, explaining the hardships the firm has been going through. The finances are not great and they may have to shut shop at this rate.

"Either I shut shop or I sell my vintage babies! What turmoil!" David says, sighing again. Clearly, he isn't okay with either of the options.

He doesn't need to explain the financial situation of the firm, actually. There have been no clients in the past three weeks. And the new clientele rate is near absolute zero.

Priyanka looks around and finds that everyone who works in the firm is looking troubled. Nobody has had any work in weeks now, and it's the same with her. She'd only thought that was a small hiccup, a lull but now... She frowns, and seeing the despondent expression on her face, David pats her on the shoulder.

"Ah let's hope the lord will show us some mercy and there will be a way, beta..."

He walks away, and Priyanka slumps into her seat. Well just when she thought her life was okay, is it gonna go down again?

***

After spending the whole day doing random, little jobs around her office, Priyanka returns home to the presence of Kirtan in the living room.

The girl has something exciting to share.

"Enough of our boring dull life, yar! Let's have some dinner and live the night as the Mumbaikars must do!"

Despite the lethargy course in her veins, Priyanka smiles and freshens up, changing into a more appropriate party outfit — a shimmering, golden sequined top that goes to the length of her knees, and jeans, and pairs it with a leather jacket. She wraps up her chestnut curls into a pony, and applies little make-up to her face, accentuating her dark-brown eyes and her pale complexion just with the right amount.

Kirtan is already dressed in her favourite orange skater dress and jeggings. Grabbing their handbags, the girls step out of their apartment, smiling at each other.

***

Kirtan keeps their destination for the night, a huge surprise. So after dinner when they hail a cab and drive to the auditorium, Priyanka is flabbergasted to know they are here to attend Samarth Saxena's rock show that will go on long into the night.

"We have two VIP passes for the show!" Kirtan squeals and does a little whoop.

Priyanka can only gape at her friend. Just this morning she read an article about this rockstar, and now she is attending his live show?

Just what is going on here? Is this fate? No this is downright stupid!

***

upnext: An unexpected turn of events during the concert lead to a one on one encounter between Samarth and Priyanka! Feeling a Celebrity's gaze, being that close to him is nervewracking! What happens next?

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