New perspective: A Retelling of D3 Dil Dosti Dance

'main hoon!'

[Mumbai, Feb 2014.
Weekend wali movie date]

Rey sits on his favourite recliner, his can of cola already almost empty, doing his best not to finish it before Swayam gets back from his phone-call. It seems to be taking forever. He sighs, looking anywhere but the unopened pizza in front of him. 'No,' he tells himself, 'Don't'. He looks at the walls, his feet, the tv-screen (paused two minutes into John Wick), the window, the photo frames-

He stops at the photo frames. Recently, Rey has discovered (among a string of discoveries; his friends find it rather amusing, that every other day he begins his sentence with a "Guys, I've realised...". and goes on to tell them about some trivial habit he has picked up from a life-event, an outcome of all the therapy sessions he's been taking), that they're his favourite part of people's houses. It is a feeling that has developed over the past year, and that he has started to notice only a few months ago. He finds a sense of contentment in seeing people decide to print out onto paper what's most important to them in this world, and put it in a frame. If people are doing that, all must be okay in the world.

Swayam's photo wall is the best one, according to him. Part of that was credited to how they were all clicked on this vintage camera that Swayam seemed to carry around almost everywhere, and part of it to the fact that Rey was in mutliple frames.

The photo farthest from the window, is of him and Swayam, and his dog Ruby on the football field. What a day that had been! They had bunked all their classes, excused by a 'sports day training' note from their PE coach, who had no actual intent to train them. So instead, they had spent the whole day running round the field with tiny little Ruby, whom he had smuggled in, that day, and teaching her tricks.

The photo right next to it was of Swayam and Sharon, the first picture they had ever clicked together (voluntarily, at least), from their early days (the 'trial relationship', as they liked to call it). The one next to it was from a week later, when a very excited Rey who had just been told the news had taken them out to dinner. The three of them with big bowls of Pasta and bigger smiles.

There was one of the whole dance team winning the NDC finals, tired yet exhilerated. Another from the Goa fest, all of them huddled around the bonfire they'd managed to start, on the beach. There was one from nearly every dance event they had participated in. The one right in the middle was of Swayam and his father, standing with their bicycles in the middle of a hilly road, taken during a trip so beloved to Swayam, that for two weeks, it had been all Swayam could talk about.

There happens to be, however, a section of the wall that Rey always ignores. On it, hang pictures from Swayam's first few months of college, and the first competitions he took part in. There also happens to be a picture of Swayam's sister.

Walking up to it now, Rey looks at the photo of Swayam and Taani, from election day. They're standing in the hallway, wearing nervous smiles. Rey remembers the day as a blur. Then again, so much of his time with Taani feels a little blurry too him, as though they were constantly on an amusement park ride. Determined, he pauses, waiting for the feelings to hit him.

There is no instant whiplash.

A minute passes, as he combs through his stomach for the feelings of dread that have lived there for so long.

Two minutes, and nothing. He gets distracted by the ticking clock.

He exhales a breath that he didn't realise he was holding.

"Is this what moving on feels like?", he says out loud.

Having spent years holding tighly onto things, the feeling is new. He finds himself wanting to pick it up as though it's an physical object, and examine it under the sun.

He steps back, stands on his toes for a second, as though wanting to know if his body is lighter. He turns around, and takes a few steps, allowing his body to do the thinking. He follows the sunbeams peeking through the curtains, seemingly overcome by the need to bask in the light for a while.

The doorknob clicks open, breaking the stillness of the room, and Swayam walks in to find Rey sitting on the windowsill , eyes closed, a slight smile on his lips. Swayam takes a moment to study his friend, who appears to be in a world of his own.

"Rey?" he calls, quietly.

As their eyes meet, Rey's smile widens. It is a genuine smile- easy, content.

After a meaningful pause, Swayam asks- "Tujhe dekh ke aisa kyun lag raha hai jaise kuch badal gaya hai- something's changed?"

Rey's glances at the photo, and back at Swayam, still smiling. "Yaar, aisa lag raha hai na, jaise..I don't know how to explain it- jaise main...main hi hoon, you know? jaise main kahin kho gaya tha...par ab main hoon...", he scrunches his forehead.

"Tu hai..?" Swayam repeats, amused.

"Yeah", Rey says. "I'm here..I'm back, you know? I'm-" his stomach rumbles, interrupting him.

"Okay, Tu hai!", Swayam laughs. "Pizza bhi hai. Use kha lein, pehle?'

Rey gives in, the hunger replacing all his thoughts.

In between eating and watching the movie, Swayam observes Rey. He saw Rey look at the photo- he understands.
Rey has never been able to talk openly about the way things went with Taani, especially to Swayam. But, Swayam doesn't need him to. He has seen the both of them struggling. He has watched them do problematic things (and held his tongue, because it didn't seem like his place, at the time), and then watched them have to deal with the consequences.
For the past few months, however, Swayam has watched his friend evolve. He has seen him healing from all the hurt- the slow progression. He has noticed, for instance, that Rey doesn't carry the residual tension in his posture now. He doesn't sound stressed everytime he calls. Most importantly, he dances a lot more.
So Swayam understands exactly what Rey meant, and it warms his heart.

'The importance of feeling your feelings', he thinks to himself, smiling.

What also doesn't go unnoticed by Swayam, though, something that he thinks about later that day, on his evening stroll with Sharon, is how Rey chose to completely ignore the photos next to the one of Taani; of their first few months of college, of footloose- Kriya in every frame.

______________________________

Footnote:

Uff, this took a while- mostly because Rey on the show was written v inconsistently. His personality changes according to the plot's convenience, and sometimes his personality simply doesn't exist. V problematic.
He deserves a complete rewrite, and he's getting one.
Alsoo I've cancelled the whole Taani ki engagement plotline, because, like, no. Just, no.
Plus I'm definitely definitely sending our boy to therapy.
Anywaaay all feedback is welcome and appreciated kbye.