MALANG

12. Coincident or destiny?

2 years later,
United States

Kabir's POV:

"Bira, get up."

Someone is calling my name.

"BIRA?"

Uh.. its Elli.. no, Emily's voice.

"BIRA, GET THE FUCK UP. NOW."

Damn it, woman!

I opened my eyes and led them adjust to the blinding light of the room. Room? Wait, where was I?

"This is highly unexpected from you, Bira! Your musical gig is about to begin in just fifteen minutes and here you are sleeping your ass off!!" Emily's rants continued.

Sleeping my ass off? No man, I was drunk. I had emptied a bottle of Vat 69 in my stomach and that was the last thing I remembered before passing out on the... floor?

"Speak up, will you?" Emily screeched impatiently as she kept my dress on a chair and tossed a water bottle on my lap. "And hurry up for god's sake... Only ten minutes are left for the opening."

I was awake now but my vision was still blurry. Topping it, my head was bursting with an ugly hangover and I couldn't keep track of what this damn woman was speaking. Yet for the sake of the money I had taken from my sponserer, I got up on my feet and poured the entire bottle on my head. The cool waters trickled down my flesh and my senses were magically back at an instant.

Next I took an advil and skimmed into the rugged jacket which Emily had arranged for me.

"Now if you are willing you allow me some privacy then I can change my pants." I said to the flustered woman standing few feet away from me.

She huffed with irritation. "Just don't fall asleep again."

"Ask them to set the stage." I pushed her out of my room and banged the door at her face.

Huh, event manager my ass!

                                 •

The gig went.. umm.. pretty well?

Atleast the audience was going crazy over it and since none of the band members threw me any look, I knew I hadn't messed up with the scales again.

Messing up with scales wasn't my thing to do. But you can't really blame someone who has alcohol filled upto his brim. Yes, you can complain about the level of that alcohol, but what could I even do without it? The pain, the miseries, the hollowness of the heart...they just wouldn't go without a strong doze of intoxication.

Coming back to the gig, the band I was performing with, wasn't mine. I was a solo singer. Initially I used to sing on youtube as an annonymous entity but was soon exposed by my rising fame. I started doing these gigs and concerts after that. They didn't provide me with enough money but atleast most of the shows were international and that helped my popularity. Slowly I made my way deeper into the industry where I was offered to record for some british albums. Those albums got mediocre response, but I had no regret. I was happy with whatever I had got from life. I hadn't even expected this much. A small town boy from India becoming an independent singer in States. Heck, that was seriously more than what I deserved.

"A couple of girls are waiting for you at the bar. Go meet them." Emily yelled somewhere near my ears.

I had just rolled a joint. I was hoping to get high when this woman's nuisance started again.

"What is it? What do they want?" I asked lighting the roll.

"The usual. Selfies, autographs."

"To hell with them!"

"They seemed influential. Who knows, they might get you some albums contracts if you behave nicely with them."

"You say this every time." I took a long puff. The smoke went inside and hit my brain directly.

"Because I care." And she snatched away my joint. "Now hurry up."

I clenched my jaws and stood up. This woman was impossible. I wished she didn't rest in peace after she after her death. But since I was polite enough not to say this at her face, I just waved my middle finger and scurried away from her sight.

                               •

Fans.

Or that was what they said as they screamed their lungs in unison, expressing how much they were in love with me.

I clicked selfies with each one of them, ignoring their hands over my thighs or their lusty eyes roaming on the exposed skin of my chest. It was disturbing. But more than that I was pissed off at Emily. Once again that darn woman was wrong. These girls were not influential at all but were just a bunch of hopeless, hormonal teenagers.

The last girl from that group was however different. She was quiet and sober and unlike the rest of my audience, approached me with a pen and tissue paper in hand.

"Can I get an autograph?" She asked in her soft, feminine voice.

And guess what? That voice belonged to none other than Nazneen Aftab Quarashi.

"Naaz?" My lips quivered as they spoke her name after eight long years.

"So you remembered me!" She smiled and sat down on the chair next to me. My entire body froze out of anticipation.

"You never gave me any reason to forget you." I felt my limbs stiffening under me as every bit of the past decade came flashing before my eyes. I closed them shut and asked anxiously- "Why are you here, Naaz?"

Bemused, she looked around for a while. "Maybe because this is a public place?"

I opened my eyes back and pinned her with my deadliest look. "Why are you here in my life again?"

She squirmed under my gaze but answered nevertheless, "I am not. I just ran into you by accident."

"Is it? Then why did you stop to take the fucking autograph?"

"I had no idea that our past still stings you like this." She spoke as casually as she could. It burned my interior like the fires of hell.

"You never have any idea about anything, do you? The world might turn upside down but you won't even bother to know about it!"

"I don't know about the world but guess what Kabir? Its high time that you grow up already."

"What do you mean by grow up? Do I look like a fucking kid to you?"

"No, you don't. But your mentality is just the same as a five years old."

"You are crossing your limits now!"

"The truth hurts right?" She chortled like a vixen. "Well, learn to accept things Kabir. Learn to accept your present. Holding on to your past won't take you anywhere in life."

"You don't need to bother about my life. Oh, sorry.. you never botherd anyway... Else you wouldn't left me eight years ago the way you did."

"I told you about my problems. Abba jaan would have never agreed to.. "

"To hell with your Abba!"

"KABIR!"

"You know what? I am so done with you! You are a heartless, little piece of shit and I don't want to see this fucking face of yours ever in my life again!!"

I didn't wait for a reply anymore as I stormed past the biggest mistake of my life.
____________________________________

Author's note :P

Nazneen moved to the States after her marriage and Kabir did so for the sake of his music career. Now that both of them met after eight years, what do you think it is? Just a mere coincident or destiny playing cupid again? Message your views in the comment section and stay tuned for the next update.

Also, stay home. Stay safe. Happy quarantine.

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