Vibinn Anjali Noothan: A Tale Of The Unspoken

EP 9: Music Auditions and Destined Connections

"It was meant to be Vaishnavi's, but it was destined to be Muskan's."

Vibinn and Abhishek started their journey towards the bus stop. "I bought those jhumkas for Vaishnavi. I thought of presenting them to her on our graduation day, hoping that could sparkle up a friendship that was never gonna happen. But that day, I just couldn't! I just looked at her from afar, just smiled and wished her a happy life ahead. Since then, those jhumkas were in my cupboard lying in a corner. But yesterday, I felt they belonged to somebody else, and that somebody was Vaishnavi's doppelganger."

"A gift should never remain with you. If it didn't reach the recipient, then the gift was never meant for them," concluded Noothan.

"Muskan deserves it. She is such a kind-hearted soul! By the way... what did she tell you in the end?" asked Abhishek.

"She asked me whether I'd go along with her to watch the music auditions this Saturday, as her friend was performing. She told me she didn't have any other friends to accompany her," replied Noothan.

"Did you agree?" asked Abhishek.

"I told her I'd try my best," replied Noothan.

"What did she reply?" came the counter-question.

"She said she'd hope for a positive response," Vibinn responded.

The bus arrived. Noothan boarded it and bid goodbye to Abhishek.

"Look, Anjali, it's simple! You have to just imagine that the auditorium is empty, then just sing your heart out!" said Bhoomika encouraging Anjali during her preparation. Anjali was practicing, giving all her heart. It was for her beloved Aryarjun.

Days passed by and they were approaching the music auditions. Vibinn and Muskan had frequent eye contacts and smiles exchanged. Noothan wasn't able to restart communication, he needed genuine reasons. Muskan didn't approach him either. But Friday, Noothan texted Muskan that he'd be accompanying her to the auditions, coming out of his comfort zone, which was unusual as he'd prefer to spend his weekend alone at home. Muskan reacted with joy and excitement.

"A warm welcome to all the music lovers out here in the auditorium! We will soon be starting our auditions for the music club. A small trivia about our club. We, Geethaswara, the official music club of C.G.S, have given hundreds of performances across our city. We have had concerts, live performances, and much more! And our college pride, Aryarjun, has sung for three movies, which are all top hits of our country! So this is a golden opportunity for every budding singer and musician out there to start their journey, here at Geethaswara!" the host announced.

Aryarjun started the event with a divine song sung by his divine voice. The auditions began; the auditionees entered the stage one after the other and delivered great performances. Anjali was calming herself down, breathing consciously, closing her eyes, "Calm down Anjali, calm down! Everything's gonna be fine!" she told herself.

"Where is your friend? Is their performance over or yet to begin?" asked Noothan, who was seated next to Muskan among the audience. "Ah... I think yet to begin..." Muskan stuttered.

"What do you mean by 'I think'? Don't tell me you don't know who your friend is.." Noothan told and immediately turned towards the stage, Muskan followed. It seemed both realized what was going on.

"And the next performer is... Anjali! Give a big hand and show your support guys!" the host announced.

"Ah! Here comes my friend! Anushree, ah... I mean Anjali!" Muskan knew she was messing it up.

"Wait! Is my thinking true or is it just my overthinking? I'm getting a feeling that Muskan doesn't have a friend who is performing today, and she has made that up to come to the auditions with me? She does seem to call out some stranger as her friend. Can it be true or is my delusional mind playing its game again?" Noothan's inner voices debated with him. This time he had brought a backup charger for his extrovert battery.