4 SHORT LOVE STORIES

Nain Tara

He was a rock star on stage and an asshole otherwise.

She was a fan girl on stage and an unrequited love otherwise.

They had a weird connection. But it was a strong connection nevertheless.

They had shared their first kiss together.

Held hands near the water cooler.

Starred dreamily into each other's eyes.

But they had also ignored each other in public.

Had violent arguments in the middle of the hallway!

And officially they were both dating other people!

But a glance here, a touch there would be shared every time a concert was organized at Achievers Blue High School.

Music brought them together.

He was the lead singer and she was the lyricist cum spokesperson for the 'The Unholy Hymn' – the schools official western music band! So Nain &Tara were in a 'co-parenting' kind of situation.

Till now they had been able to keep their unsolicited encounters under the radar. Neither had given any serious thought, brushing off their actions as a 'high' from the performances. But with this interstate music competition coming, things and heat was escalating quickly! To add oil to the fire, Nain & Tara had to reach two days early, register their band and then stay back for another day after the competition for the results to be declared. The other five members, all being seniors with their pre-boards approaching, couldn't miss their classes and were only given one day off, in which they'd come, perform and immediately leave. This left Nain-Tara with a lot of time alone. 

To explore music, the city and each other!

Delhi is a beautiful city. Colorful, chaotic and a little crazy! And although, Nain had visited the capital quite a few times, it was Tara's first visit. Soon enough she fell in love with the discounted shops of Sarojini Nagar, the lush greenery of the India Gate, the amazing cafe's at CP, the breathtaking art work at the National Gallery of Modern Art and the crazy dance floors at HKV! Nain played the role of the perfect tour guide, exposing her to his favorite spots, allowing her to connect with its beauty and create a bond of her own.

The truth is, he'd loved watching her; how her eyes popped out with excitement, how her expressions changed as she tried new flavors, how her hair flew as she swayed slowly on Arijit's latest numbers. He was a man enchanted. And thus it was no surprise that on the day of the performance, Nain-Tara were in perfect harmony. The competition required an original song to be created and performed on a surprise theme. And the theme turned out to be Dili, Meri Jaan (Delhi, My Love).

There are no words to describe the perfect synergy that flowed as Nain's melodious voice brought Tara's words to life. Watching their creation was electrifying. Divine. No wonder the audience was spellbound by the end of the performance. The judges even gave them a standing ovation. But the crowd cheered the loudest when Nain brought Tara to the stage and introduced her as the lyricist, the creator behind his melody. I believe Nain had a 'fan' moment of his own that time.

As the day started to wind up and the band seniors restarted back home, Tara walked into Nain's hotel room almost naturally. That night their connection culminated into love.

All walls, barriers, egos, fears were forgotten and till the early morning hours they made sweet music; this time exploring each other.

It must have been a little past noon, when they received a message that the results were being announced.

But they didn't get up.

Cuddled together, in each other's warm embrace, they were already winners.

The End