Aye, Love!

Chapter-9

Aadhira

Unsaid Words

"One, two, three, four. Five, six, seven, and eight. Come on, let's try it one more time." Amara looks at me pleadingly as I scroll through my phone. Miss. Pandey has been seriously trying to sync the group's steps for fifteen minutes and as a group member, Amara is stuck with the rest of them. Yes, Amara decided that she can't be a boring person her entire life and took upon the task of making us proud by choosing to perform a folk dance for the fest.

Me? I am pretty sure I have had enough of the whole volunteering thing. We received an announcement that we'll have finals after the holidays, so I decided to borrow some books for reference during the holidays.

I spent the rest of the morning with Amara, trying to help her with the rehearsal, and then, I join her in the fest as the performances begin. All of our eyes were on the stage and I failed to notice the person who grabs the chair beside me, but when a finger taps my shoulder and I turn to my right, I turn to face the chocolate brown eyes of my dreams. My lips automatically form into a smile and my heart soars with excitement.

"You're here," I say.

"Yes. It's not boring, after all." he smiles back. Keshav doesn't hide from me anymore and the proof of that is blossoming on his face right now. I recognize this smile. This is the smile he gives me every time.

"I remember you saying it's too noisy for you." I tease him.

"Nothing compared to you." I can't help the smile breaking out of my lips but I keep them firm trying to pretend annoyance.

"I am noisy?" he smiles and just looks at me. It's as if he's there but not there, like he's lost in his own head and it's been like this for a while. I don't say anything because I know he's going through something. Maybe, it's about his parents. But he recovers and for the rest of the evening, we enjoy the event together. Unfortunately, he puts on the fake-personality mask again as he does in front of everyone else. I guess it is justified. There are so many people here that anyone is bound to feel overwhelmed.

It was around 8:30 pm, and we were surrounded by masses of bodies dancing as none of them are even looking at the performance on the stage when Keshav's hand slipped into mine and held it firmly. He drags me out of the crowd and we walk away from the stage and the music. I give him a questioning look as he glances over his shoulder at me. He just gives me a blink of assurance and a nod before turning back, taking me further away from the crowd.

He takes me towards the lake, without saying a word. I stay silent because something tells me it's serious. I wait for him to stop, say something, or do something, but he just walks and walks. Suddenly, he stops, or more like stumbles on his steps and loses his balance. His shoulders started shaking slightly, and that's when I realize something is wrong. Something is terribly wrong. I immediately walk around to his front. His face is constrained and stuck as if he's holding in extreme pain, his breathing turns heavy and he loses his balance and falls to the ground.

"Keshav?!" I bend by his side and hold his shoulders. My heart feels weird as panic settles in me. It's fear. And I don't know what to do in this situation. Should I call someone? No one will be able to hear it in the noise of the event, and I can't leave him here to get help.

My own breaths grow heavy as I try my best to hold him in place.

"Keshav? Look at me. Look at me." I say and his eyes turn their focus onto me. But it's as if he can't see me. I shake him a little in tension trying to get his focus completely on me, but doing so was a wrong idea as he rolls his eyes as if feeling dizzy.