Love and Music

Some decisions to be made

The days passed by in peace. Arshi and Rahul had terrific days in the studio, producing music and practicing for concerts. The concert scheduled for the next week, and they were going to perform on stage after four months. They had practiced for these series of shows that celebrated ten years of Akshay Amit live. There were 33 concerts that month. Some days they had two concerts too in the same city. It was going to be hectic that month and everyone were aware of it.

The first concert was in their city, Mumbai at Nariman Point in Marine Drive. They had to reach the concert location by 3:30 PM for the soundcheck. Rahul reached Arshi's place at 1:00 PM and had lunch with her. Arshi had made Rogan Josh, which he had missed the previous month as he was unwell. Arshi knew that Rahul loved Rogan Josh and Naan that she had made. They left for the concert location at 3:00 PM and reached on time. They met the organizers and waited in the green room. Akshat sir and Amit sir arrived at 3:45 PM, and the entire band reached by 4:00 PM, and they finally went for the soundcheck at 4:00 PM. The location was well decorated, and it was a corporate gig with a broad audience.

They completed the soundcheck by 5:30 PM while the concert was at 7:00 PM. They had some time in hand. They all met at the green room to check for their costume check. Radhika was responsible for costume selection, and she had very carefully ensured that Rahul and Arshi were twinning. Arshi was supposed to be wearing ripped blue jeans and a vertical blue & white stripe long shirt. Rahul's costume was blue jeans and with a similar T-shirt as Arshi along with a jacket. Rahul and Arshi went on to change to their outfits and did the makeup. At 6:30 PM, the show began with the host starting to talk about the achievements of the firm and all.
As soon as the show started, the band met behind the stage, and they wore their in-ears and got ready. They prepared to rock on stage.
They got onto the stage to perform. Akshat sir, Amit sir, and Rahul had their entry from the beginning of the set while Arshi had her entry only after the first two songs. The second song that they performed was a Romantic track, and Rahul and Akshat sir was in the lead with Rahul also handling the synthesizer. Arshi stood at the backstage on the left-hand side facing Rahul on the synth. Arshi saw the entire concert from a different perspective as Rahul's Girlfriend. Rahul occasionally glanced at her and saw her smiling that uplifted his spirit. She had tears in her eyes, seeing him perform and wink at her from the stage. Arshi was enjoying it. Radhika came beside her and gave her a side hug seeing her tear up and blush. Arshi had her entry in the next song, wherein Rahul was the main singer while Akshat sir was on the synthesizer. The song was a vigorous one where they enjoyed dancing and singing with each other. Vashisth joined them after four songs that the duo performed (some with Akshat sir also). The concert continued with all the love and high spirit. It ended at 10:30 PM, with everyone on their feet dancing.

After the concert was over, they all met backstage as their fans wanted to meet them. They were more than happy to oblige even though they had a flight post-midnight, but it was healthy for them. Most of them would complete their share of sleep in the flights while Arshi and Rahul would spend that time talking to each other or discussing random issues. Rahul was willing to introduce Arshi to his parents. Arshi was utterly taken aback in the right way, of course. Rahul was hurrying up in the entire situation as he was very sure of Arshi, but Arshi wanted it to be slow and steady. Both were sure of each other, but they still wanted some share of time to think. Arshi and Rahul went off to sleep post this discussion. 

The flight landed at 4:00 AM, and they directly headed to their homes. Rahul and Arshi were supposed to spend that day together. They reached home at 4:30 AM and headed to the bed as they were exhausted post the concert. 

The alarm rang at 9:00 AM, and Arshi, as usual, got up earlier and made two mugs of coffees for herself and Rahul. She placed Rahul's cup at the bedside and went in for a shower and then headed to the kitchen to make some breakfast.

Rahul woke up when Arshi was in the kitchen. He freshened up, had the coffee, and went to the kitchen searching for Arshi. Arshi was standing near the kitchen platform, making some omelet and toasting bread. Rahul went and hugged her from the back. She had a smile on her face, just feeling Rahul's hand around her, and She wished him, "Good morning." in a happy tone. He replied," a perfect morning, madam. What are you doing?" She answered, "Making some omelet for breakfast. Will that be okay for  you?" Rahul replied in the affirmative. She made the omelets and the toast and placed it on the dining table and called Rahul, who was in the living area watching cricket highlights.

Arshi started the conversation about something that had been disturbing her for some time. She asked Rahul, "We are together for some time now, but have you ever thought of the future. We haven't informed anyone about it, and that is a good thing, but what next. We can't keep this relationship under covers forever. You are 28, and I am sure Ma and Baba would ask you about marriage, and you would not be able to ignore them for long, and I am sure of facing a similar situation too. Don't you think it will be better if I at least get to meet Ma and Baba once, as your friend, if not a girlfriend? I also want to meet them too. My mom and dad have not yet given me any hints of groom hunting for me, and the moment they will pick up this topic, I will tell them too." Rahul understood her perspective but did not want to get married immediately and asked Arshi, "But are we sure that we want to get married now when we both are busy putting our careers on track?" Arshi answered, "You did not understand my point. I am not talking about getting married, but I am talking about merely meeting each other's parents to understand them and vice versa. We will not meet them as each other's partners but as friends." Rahul agreed to whatever she said. 

Rahul and Arshi finished their breakfast in silence after which Rahul left for his place. They did not talk much post their discussion about meeting their parents. Rahul had to make some important decisions but was in a dilemma about what to do next. Some decisions were left to be made.