Beyond the Beats

Chapter 74. Luckiest and unluckiest

"I like you, Bhoomi," Tejas confessed.

I like you too, Tejas. I like you so much, but...

Tejas's face started getting blurry as the moments of my meeting with Shailesh started flashing in front of my eyes like a warning. His words stung more as they resounded in my ears, and alongwith it, my mother's advice started overlapping.

"That was Tejas Jaiswal right? The only son of Jyoti Jaiswal? Kidnapping such rich kids is nothing new."

"I know my Bhoomi is not irresponsible."

"You have caught a big fish, Bhoomi - just like your sister had caught me. I don't know how you managed to trap him."

"Not everyone's life is full of roses. Sometimes, we need to make sacrifices and tough decisions even if they hurt."

"Don't try to be oversmart. The more people you involve, the more options I will have to use against you, remember that."

"For our own happiness, we can't risk anyone else's life."

I started feeling suffocated. As those warnings' volume rose, my inner voice started yelling equally louder.

Bhoomi, don't lose focus like this. Tejas will get suspicious if you show your emotions on your face. Even if you are bad at acting, at least this time, try your best at lying. I know you were waiting for this moment for so long, but we can't put Tejas in danger because your wish got fulfilled. We can't let him suffer because of our own family problems.

I agreed with my inner voice. I knew this wasn't a dream, but I couldn't accept this reality. I was really really really grateful and felt myself lucky that my dance idol, Tejas Jaiswal, had confessed to me, but I knew I had to end this dream of mine at this point only.

Tejas, thank you for making one of my most beautiful dreams come true. I am sorry I can't accept your confession because your safety is not something I will compromise with.

I steeled myself, and even though my heart felt like it was getting crushed, I blinked back my tears and looked at Tejas seriously.

"Bhoomi, you okay?" he asked.

I took a deep breath and kept my voice stable.

"I am okay, and I also appreciate what you just told me, but I am sorry, I can't reciprocate your feelings," I said.

As those words slipped out of my mouth, inside, I heard my heart shatter and everything around me seemed to lose colour - except Tejas; he was the only one shining.

"You are lying," he said, sounding unconvinced.

I shook my head. "No, I am not. I am sorry, but that's my final answer. You can hate me if you want. I just don't want to mislead you."

He darted his eyes on my face, and I knew he was waiting for me to fail in my acting, but I was already using all of my strength to not cry.

"I will never hate you," he said.

He still looked at me suspiciously, but when I told him again that I was not lying, he stepped back and covered his face with his palms.

"Just give me a minute," he told me.

I felt really sad to see him like that. I wanted to ask him if he was okay, but I kept myself stuck in my spot. After a few minutes, Tejas looked at me again and shot a very small smile.

"I respect your decision, Bhoomi," he said. "And I am sorry for causing trouble with my sudden confession. It is getting late, so I won't hold you back. Should I drop you to your workplace?"