Playing Her Lover

Part 23 - Endings and Beginnings

The audience outside burst into polite claps as the performance outside seemed to have ended. Indu and Sameera sat inside the green room, frozen in time. One shocked at what she had confessed, and the other, shocked at the confession. Sameera was the first to snap out of her reverie. 

"You're on. The first scene," her voice trembled, and she reached over at the bottles of water kept at the side. Indu had no choice but to shake her head vigorously, go over her lines, and enter the wings. Her back faced Sameera, and she couldn't dare to look back. She looked straight ahead, and the other three had made it to the opposite wings. Mirzab strode forward, taking large steps and glancing at Indu every other second. His eyes were questioning, but warm. Indu swallowed, allowing herself to only think about the lines she had to speak. Despite her best attempts, however, her breath became deeper, and she felt her throat go dry. Mirzab had reached the mic stand and began giving their introduction.

Sameera had walked up to her now, and she reached her hand out to tap Indu on the shoulder. At the final moment, she jerked her hand back, and instead opted to whisper her name.
"Indu, do you want some water?" Indu, startled, placed her hand on her chest and collected herself. She swallowed and nodded weakly. Sameera handed the bottle in her hand and squatted on the floor, finding no chair to sit down on.  She was having a hard time focusing too, resorting to looking at a spot on the floor, not letting any thoughts through. She remembered the first lines, and hoped that all her preparations wouldn't go to waste

Indu kept looking at Mirzab who wrapped his introduction up and glanced at Indu. He then saw Sameera there and his eyes widened. 
"You enter from the opposite wing!!" he whisper-yelled. 
Sameera gave a start and jumped up. She ran behind the stage to the other wing and hastily fixed her clothes as she got into position. 

Mirzab, who still held the mic, announced, "Scene 1 : The village fair"

Indu shook off her nerves and repeated her first lines in her head one last time. Mirzab walked into the wings and nodded at Indu. They were on. 

Indu stepped onto the stage along with Mirzab, pushing her shoulders open. Her relatively melancholy face served as the perfect expression for the scene.
"What's happened, brother? Your marriage is so close to being agreed upon! Pray to the gods it will go smoothly, instead of moping around in this manner," Mirzab said, his flair for the dramatic peeking through in his exaggerated arm movements.

"I know Anna, but I don't even know the girl. All I know is that her dowry will bring us more land. That isn't enough to build an entire marriage!"
"But Ram, marriages have been built with less - Anyway now, let's enjoy the fair shall we? I'll leave you to it since I need to buy some sweets for your sister-in-law," Mirzab nodded seriously and left the stage.

'She'll come in now...' Indu thought, her hands shaking slightly. And so she did. Under the bright stage lights, Sameera walked in, looking around her, until she looked right at Indu. It was almost as f there was a halo around Sameera, with how her skin glowed, and her eyes sparkled. Indu didn't even realise she was staring, till she spied Siddhu from the wings waving at her to say her lines. Indu gave a small start and walked towards Sameera, trying her best to appear confident.

"May I have the pleasure of knowing your name? It's just that... well..." Indu stumbled as she forgot her lines. But to the audience and judges, her nervousness seemed perfect and in character. Sameera hung her head low, sneaking in a glance from that angle. Indu felt a million Cupid's arrows pierce through her heart. Sameera for her own part felt an immeasurable joy enter her heart, slowly but surely taking over every thought.
"It's Shanti, dear sir. But what's your name?" 
"Ram," Indu replied, her voice slightly out of breath. "Um... would you mind if we walked around together? Since... you seem to have come alone?"
"I... would love that," Sameera let herself smile, the reality of the situation sinking in. She didn't know what would happen in the future, but just the possibility made her giddy with happiness.

They walked around the stage, pretending to talk and the scene went on as normal. Shanti found out that the two had a huge social gap, and is instantly wary of the implications of this. The scenes went on and on and the two became more and more comfortable with each passing minute, a strange but sweet feeling settling into their stomachs in place of the nervousness.

Finally, it was the climax - Ram entered the stage to find a supposedly dead Shanti on the floor, and Indu too felt an all too familiar feeling enter her heart. Fear. 
"What if I lose her too? What if I lose her because I was an absolute coward every single time? What happens if I don't take that plunge after this is all over?" She felt the tears prick her eyes. She let them fall freely as she fell to her knees, and softly hovered her hands over Sameera's face, touching her cheek only once before getting up, determined. As Ram resolved to end his life right there, Indu resolved never to let go of her chance at a good life. She took the small bottle they had kept at the side of the stage and pretended to gulp poison down. She let her legs give away, and fell to the ground. 

In the next instant, Shanti woke up, and Sameera looked at Indu with her own fears. This was the first time she had felt such strong emotions for a person. She feared she wouldn't be brave enough, that the old her would take over once again and condemn her to that life of misery, because compared to the joy she felt now, her whole life had been shrouded in looming sadness. She ran forward and took Indu's head in her hands, as if it were a gift from the gods. She laid it softly on her lap and realised she had forgotten all her lines for the scene. She just hung her head and wailed. She took the bottle as well and consumed the rest of the poison, and fell, Indu's head still on her lap. 

The others gathered on stage, mourning the end of a beautiful love, while celebrating the beginning of another love within their thoughts. Swara covered her face with her hands, but secretly smiled behind them. The final words of the skit were uttered, and the cast rose.

Indu and Sameera stood beside one another, and Indu, with her newfound resolve, extended her hand for Sameera to hold. Sameera took it with no hesitation, a huge smile on her face. They bowed, and walked to the green room, still holding hands. Indu tugged on Sameera's hand and nodded to gesture that she wanted to go somewhere. Sameera giggled, surprised by Indu's sudden boldness. Indu felt her heart melt all over again for the nth time that hour. She gently pulled Sameera along to an empty class room and gently shut the door behind them. 

Unbeknownst to them, Swara, Mirzab and Siddhu had followed them, and were standing right outside, equally nervous and excited. They had seen the change in them during the skit and hoped for the best outcome. Siddhu was uncontrollable in their giggles, sure that they were going to ask each other out. Swara was slightly nervous, Indu's breakdown still fresh in her mind. Mirzab seemed to be the most relaxed out of them all, his own thoughts preoccupied with hope for his own story. He glanced at Swara a few times, and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, as he had done so many times before. She accepted it with thanks and placed her own hand on his, squeezing it for comfort. 

Inside, Indu and Sameera sat on the benches in the room and stood silently, not sure about what to do. 
"Indu," Sameera broke the silence. "Do you..." she took a deep breath and continued, "If I asked you out right here and right now, what would your answer be?"
Indu looked up, her resolve slightly shaken. "I... I don't know. I know I like you. I've liked you for a while now, even if I didn't admit it to myself. I guess I'm just scared," Indu stumbled through her words.
"Me too, Indu. You forget that you're the first person I've actually liked. It's scary. But... I don't want that to stop me from living. Will you do that?"
Indu shook her head vigorously. She wouldn't. 
She looked up, smiling, "Where was this philosophical person a month ago?" she asked.
"Hidden deep, deep inside, I guess," Swara laughed.

Indu took a deep breath and sighed. 
"I don't know you that well, Sam. I've been lucky enough to know parts. But that in itself has been enough to make me want to know you fully. To know you so very deeply that I can read your mind, answer every question about you, and know what you want before you yourself know it. And I want you to know me as well. Will you give me the opportunity to do that?"
Sameera smiled.
"Only if you give me the opportunity to call you my girlfriend," she almost whispered. 

Indu looked at her with a strange smile. Sameera could see how big this was for her as well. She seemed so brave and strong. Sameera took a plunge and held Indu's hands in her own. Indu closed her eyes, and nodded, her breathing heavy, throat dry. Sameera let out a huge breath of relief and pulled Indu in for a hug, shocking the latter. But just a moment later Indu softly placed her hand on the petite girl's head, and closed her eyes again, in pure bliss. Sameera relaxed and let herself physically and emotionally fall into Indu, never wanting to move ever again in her life.