After The Rain

Chapter Sixteen - Heat Waves

You were you,
       and I was I;
       we were two,
       before our time.

I was yours,
      before I knew;
      and you have always
      been mine too.

- Lang Leav (Always)

~

The Sangeet came and went, and Khushi found herself half-wishing it hadnt happened.

The thought of the competition had ignited a spark that had long been missing between her and Arnav, a fire kindled by their bet. As the days went by and the ceremony came closer, she had become no less obsessed. Bua-ji was worn out to no end and Jiji had reprimanded her on more than one occasion, reminding her that this was all supposed to be a friendly event. But they didnt know what was at stake. Khushi had soon begun to feel trepidation over the looming competition and over the possibility of her defeat, for she could not even imagine what would happen if she had to obey Arnav Singh Raizada. She had dealt with her anxiety and her irritation towards him—who left no chance whilst she was at Shantivan to remind her of her inevitable defeat—by choreographing a special dance number dedicated solely to dear Laad Governor. No one knew about that performance except her friend Priya, who assisted her during the dance because Khushi knew that Buaji and Amma would raise hell if they knew what she had been cooking up.

The day of the competition came, and anxiety and confidence had a fierce battle for dominion in Khushis mind. It didn't help that Nanhe-ji and Nani-ji (who would have thought) had knocked the ball out of the park on their first performance, and Nanhe-ji had further secured the Raizadas a good running with his solo performance. By the time Bua-ji inexplicably fumbled her performance, which she had done in rivalry with Mami-ji, Khushi wanted to drown herself in the nearest source of water or better yet, knock Arnav Singh Raizada out and wipe that smirk off his face once and for all. She had, nonetheless, managed to stabilise her side of the score with her performances, having earned a perfect score of 30 from the judges.

She had been flying high. She knew the competition was now in her pockets. Fate did support her. She will win.

And maybe, she did win, just now after her last performance.

But suddenly, winning was the furthest thing from Khushis mind. Winning did not matter. The competition did not matter. The whole ceremony, in fact, did not matter. Nothing else mattered.
What mattered was what just happened.

Dhak dhak. Dhak dhak. Dhak dhak.

Khushi squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her hand against her chest as if by squeezing her chest she would enclose her heart into control. Her breathing quickened further as her mind played a full replay of the last minutes.

She had been on the stage alone. Her partner had not come, but he had.

Khushi had not known what to do. The disappointment she felt when she stood on the stage, ready to announce her forfeiting the competition was nothing compared to her bewilderment when she found Arnav-ji standing near her. When she saw him approach her and when she felt him take her hand.

Her eyes flew open, and she quickly held her hand in front of her face, remembering how quickly she had relaxed in his hold. They had not planned the choreography. They had known only a rough version of it when Madhurima-ji, the dance instructor, had tried to force them to dance together and yet they had matched each other seamlessly. They had danced as if they had been practicing for weeks, perhaps for months.

Her pulse picked its pace with a vengeance and Khushi stood up in agitation as she began to pace the room. That shouldn't have happened. It was not appropriate.