AASHIQUI : chain bhi..dard bhi

Chapter 12

FAISU

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Adrenaline courses through me as I roll my shoulders back and close my eyes, letting the energy hum and vibrate before it becomes a roar. A lot of artists get nervous before they perform, but not me. I know once I'm on that stage...nothing else matters.

"When's your girlfriend coming?" Faiz questions, spinning around on the only chair inside the dressing room. Like me, he doesn't get nervous either.

I glance at my watch. We aren't on for another forty minutes, so she still has plenty of time to get here. "Don't know. I'll shoot her a text in a bit."

It's only then that I realize I didn't bother correcting him about the girlfriend comment, but before I can scrutinize it any further, Faiz mutters a curse.

"What?" If he's going to throw another one of his mood fits, he can take himself outside.

He stares down at his phone. "Mera ek dost hai Milan uska text hai he spotted Vic Doherty from Phantom Rock Records in the crowd."

I heard the rumor going around about a record executive showing up tonight, but not the record executive. Dude is a motherfucking legend in the music world. Hell, the world in general. He's the name behind some of the greatest rock legends on the planet. The adrenaline surging through me quickly turns to a nauseating mixture of anxiety and dread.

"What the fuck are we gonna do?" Faiz grunts, echoing my thoughts. "Hum srf vha jakr kuch already released songs sunakr apna talent prove ni kr skte. Without original music, there's no way in hell he'd even think twice about us."

He's right. While I'm confident in both mine and Faiz's capabilities, it won't be enough. He's not gonna be impressed by us performing another band's greatest hits...no matter how fucking good we are.

He wants originality. Something rare and unique. Something special.

The dread and anxiety coiling in my gut kicks up a few notches. Because I have exactly what he's looking for... It's just gonna cost me the only person who's ever believed in me. I hate the forked road I find myself standing in front of, but only one of those roads will lead me to my dreams. An opportunity like this comes once in a lifetime...if you're lucky. I have to take it.

Blowing out a breath, I turn to Faiz. "I've been working on something."

Faiz's eyes nearly pop out of their sockets. "And tuje lga k it will be nice to wait till last fucking minute to tell me."

"I'll give you the rundown, but humare paas time ni hai rehearse krne ka, so you'll have to follow along while we're up there. Drums are heavy at the end."

Normally it wouldn't be an issue because we're always in sync, but this is completely new material.

Despite looking uneasy, he gives me a nod. "I can work with that."

With those words, I know there's no going back and our fate has been sealed. Mai apni eklaute Chain ko daav pr lga rha hu, I just hope like hell it will be worth it. Taking out my phone, I use the voice-to-text option and hit send.

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JANNAT

I finish putting on another layer of lip gloss and close my compact.

Once again, I enlisted Mrs. Piya's help with my makeup and hair, and she did an amazing job. Instead of nerdy Jannat, I'm now cute and—dare I say—sexy Jannat. Only this time, while she worked her magic, I gushed about Faisu and she squealed like she was the teenage girl dating the hottest guy in Mumbai. She also assured me that my dad would come around eventually. He just needs a little more time to deal with his baby girl growing up.