Crushed and Created- Tangled series (Overprotective famous brothers)

Surprises

ALISHA

Today I could get up a little late in the morning, by which I meant eight am. It wasn’t something I’d like- I would wake up at 11 am if I had the chance to, but 8 am wasn’t all that bad either.

Salman was supposed to be here, but he was gonna be late. At least he wouldn’t miss out on the entire thing like Sohail and Malaika were going to. Today was one of the most special days in my gymnastics career I guess, so I was bound to be excited and happy at the same time.

Today, we were going to shoot videos the entire day. Training videos, videos of my routines, and some random things for fun. Then there was a photo shoot happening side by side to capture me live. All of it was going to be used to regain my gymnastics fans and strengthen my petition to be reviewed for the national team again. They had to allow me to compete again, this was my last shot. I deserved this after all the things we went through, they owed it to us.

“I don’t like shoots.” Dimitri mumbled, getting ready for the video himself. Lauren was done with hers yesterday, but she was here to support me today.

It wasn’t new for Dimitri to whine when they turned the gym into a studio. He hated the fact that we were wasting time over shoots, but he knew better than everyone one that publicity was needed in this sport. Talent hidden from the world was of no use.

“Alright, ready?” someone asked and I nodded. We had decided on my look days in prior, and I had little problem with it. After all I got to wear a workout leo with minimal makeup and fancy stuff. I was gonna go about my training like usual, the only difference would be the cameras capturing every move of mine.

“Ready.” I nodded, and started to condition on uneven bars. Loud music played in the background, which soothed the nerves. Relax, I told myself, these people were professionals, they knew what they were doing.  

Arbaaz was here with Arhaan, shooting for the extra ‘family clips’ with another team. He occasionally looked at me, telling me he was there if I needed his help. I knew that well, but today I didn’t need help. Doing what I did the best- tumble around- I took a little break to check my oxygen numbers.

“Do you have to shoot this?” I asked the in charge, Omar.

“Yes, every move is recorded. Though you will have the right to decide if it’s used or not.” I shrugged, not worrying about it. If I wasn’t comfortable, I could just tell them to not showcase my disease in front of the world. They knew I had it, but the last thing I needed was to look like an attention seeker.

“We can now record the routines.” Someone came towards me and I grinned. Performing was the best part of the sport, at least according to what I felt. The stage was set, lights and cameras stared at the floor. It was my strongest asset, and kicking off with it was the best idea.

The leo I was going to use for my routines was a lot more elegant than the one in workout clips. It was a competition leo, with lots of bling and design. It was going to be dark here, with the spotlight on me, so the leo would show. My makeup was anything close to my look earlier. Even when I performed before the attack, even in the workout videos I had minimal and natural makeup on. Now, my look had changed drastically. My eyes were the center of attention, vibrant colors beautifying the almond pair. My lips were nude and the bronzer made my skin glow.

“You look fabulous.” Salman’s voice made me jump and I ran to him. He was here just on time to witness me recording the clips for the website and USAG.

“Whenever you’re ready!” a technician yelled across the gym and I looked back at my family. Arhaan was playing with one of his toys, but always cheered for me when I was on one of the apparatuses. Arbaaz help his breath till I landed perfectly, and Salman could not stop fist pumping when I did. Lauren had stood cheering for me all her life, be it competitions or not. And Dimitri- he had been with us for just a few months, but he made us realize our dreams.