Stubborn Love

An Epiphany

Raghav leaned on the door frame at the back.

How did he miss it? How could he not see her before?

He came to the audition hall with an acute unwillingness. Only to stop his ultra-loyal friends. They wanted to unsettle her. He didn't. Not because he cared. He just didn't want her to get any more spotlight. In all possibilities, she was playing the victim and enjoying the attention secretly. He knew it. He knew her very well. Especially after that day.

He had approached her that day with slight nervous anticipation, unusual to him. He felt attracted to her simplicity. Her exquisite beauty. She looked so enchanting and yet so simple. He would have never approached a junior. But he wanted to know if it was real. Or her natural beauty, naivety, tenderness was all a facade. And the impulse to know her was more than any rules he had set for himself.

But the girl was far from naïve. He had just asked her out for one coffee, informally, and by evening the news about him being in 'love' with her spread like wildfire.

Juniors and batch mates alike bombed him with subtle to outright declarations of his love. Some even sympathized with him for being rejected. Suddenly he was tagged as the love-struck Romeo. Out of the two individuals involved, identifying the story-teller was easy. The girl's hunger for attention was astounding. Certainly, looks are deceptive. He imagined her to be unique. But found her quite in line with the most degraded attention-mongers of them all.

Never judge a book by its cover. Never ever judge a girl by her appearance. Even the most flaunting girls had more girth of character than her.

'She's not worth my attention' he disposed of every query that came his way.

He was not unaware of the admiration that came his way. He was respected and loved. And his stupidity was the girl's golden chance to rise to fame.

He regretted the very day he saw her for the first time. Such idiocy to go after a mere junior with no extraordinary skill. What a waste of time and energy!

Before he could reach the hall, he heard her name being called out. Hurrying his pace, he reached the hall in time to catch hold of his plump friend Krishna.

'What are you all doing here?' Raghav asked in a stern but weary voice.

Krishna smiled sheepishly in response. 'Just wait and watch' he replied with a wink.

'Could you give it a rest? I told you I don't give a damn about her.'

'Well brother, I do. She dared to mess with you. And I will make her regret it. It's time she understands never to mess with a senior. Let alone you.'

'Besides, we are just having a little fun. We'll just test the aspiring singer a bit. So chill.' another friend, Taha, adjoined.

Raghav let out an exasperated sigh. His friends were a lost cause. They were here in a group. Both boys and girls of final year batch. It was better to just leave the mess behind. Anyway, he had a technical competition to take care of.

But before Raghav moved out of the door, all his friends hooted in unison. He didn't have to look to find out who was on stage.

For once, he felt a little bad for the girl. He warily turned to the stage for the first time and couldn't move from the spot since.

Clad in a simple blue kurti and white salwar, she stood at the center of the stage. The mike in her hand was shaking a little. She looked so awkwardly misplaced. Her eyebrows slightly flinched involuntarily. And her face was turning into a deeper shade of red with every passing second.