Tum Hi Ho

Chapter 13

Something bad was going to happen tonight. The thought came to her mind out of nowhere and she was startled. What could go wrong? She asked herself and tried to think properly, but the nagging voice in her head wouldn’t go away. It kept telling her that something bad was going to happen. Rahul, who sensed her distress, called her out. “Paridhi?” But Paridhi was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t even realize that Rahul was calling her. Rahul shared a look with Sameer and then touched Paridhi’s shoulder and shook it lightly. “Paridhi!” He called out again and Paridhi was startled. “Huh…What? Kya hua?” She asked. “Kaha kho gayi? Itna kya soch rahi ho?” Sameer asked and Paridhi frowned. “Does this kind of incidents happen often with Darshan?” She asked and Sameer shook his head. “Not often. In fact this is only the second time this has happened. Aaj kuch jyada hi violent ho gaye the log, hai na?” Rahul stated and Sameer nodded. Paridhi too, found it odd. She then contacted Naushad Khan, explained him the situation and asked him to arrange for more security and extra bouncers.  Naushad Khan, at first did not take it seriously. But Paridhi insisted and the frightened tone of Paridhi’s voice convinced him. As soon as they reached hotel, Paridhi rushed to Darshan’s room. She was startled to see Darshan sitting on bed, clutching his hand. “Darshan? Ye kya hua?” She rushed to him and tried to take his hand into hers to see what was wrong. But to her surprise, Darshan pulled his hand back before she could even touch it. “It’s nothing. Just a sprain. I think when…we…err fell down that stage…tab hua ye. It’s fine.” Paridhi was still worried. She immediately called a cab and told Darshan to get down. “Paridhi, it’s ok. Itna bhi kuch nahi hai. There is no need to go to hospital.” Darshan protested and Paridhi glared at him. “Darshan while you are on tours, you are my responsibility. You HAVE to do as I say. Now shut up and get in the cab which is waiting for you downstairs.” She told him sternly, annoyed at his attitude. Darshan was about to protest, but then he noticed that all his team members were glaring at him along with Paridhi, so he sighed and quietly walked out of the door. “Who’s coming with me?” Paridhi asked and Sameer volunteered before anyone could say anything. Paridhi managed to get Darshan’s appointment sped up and with her management Darshan got his treatment within 5 mins of arriving at the hospital. “This is a simple sprain. But his thumb is dislocated very slightly. It’s good that you brought him here. Don’t worry, it will be fine within one day. Just don’t put too much pressure on this hand.” The doctor told them and Paridhi released the breath she hadn’t even realized that she was holding. She sighed in relief and after collecting a pain relief spray from the medical, took Darshan back to the hotel just in time. She pulled his outfit for that concert from his bag and left the guys to help him get dressed. As she entered her room, she knew that she had just an hour for rest, then again she will have to work towards packing up as they had concert in Kolkata the very next day. They had a late night flight after the concert and she had to make sure that they reached the airport on time. Because Kolkata was Darshan’s favorite city for some reason unknown to her, she couldn’t afford even a small error. She fell back on bed, meaning to lie there for a few moments, but she didn’t even realize when she fell asleep. An hour later, after Darshan and his team got ready and clicked pictures, they were ready to go. As they started to leave, Darshan frowned. “Where’s Paridhi? She should have been here half hour ago. She was supposed to help us pack.” He said and the team looked around too. “I saw her go towards her room. Maybe she went to change or something?” Hardik told him and Darshan nodded. “Call her.” He told Hardik. Hardik was surprised to see that instead of calling her himself, Darshan was telling him to call her. He had also found it odd that Darshan had not asked for Paridhi for past hour. Hardik had noticed how good friends Darshan and Paridhi were. Darshan always got worried if Paridhi was late by even 5 minutes and now he had not asked for her for complete one hour. Something was wrong. Hardik dialed Paridhi’s number. It went on ringing, but she didn’t answer. “She’s not answering.” He told the group and dialed the number again. Hardik sensed that Darshan was getting worried from his expressions, but Darshan remained silent. This time the phone was about to get disconnected, but it was received at the last moment. “Hello? Paridhi?” Hardik asked into the phone immediately and heard Paridhi’s sleepy voice. “Hello? Hardik? Sorry I was sleeping. What happened?” Paridhi asked. “It’s time to go. Come on, wake up and meet us in the lobby in 10 minutes or we will be late.” Hardik told her and Paridhi hummed. “She was sleeping.” He told the group after the call got disconnected and noticed Darshan’s tensed shoulders ease in relief. They all gathered the equipment and started for the lobby. By the time they loaded the equipment in the van, Paridhi came rushing down and met them near the cars. “I am so sorry. Pata hi nahi chala me kab so gayi. Jyada late to nahi hua na?” She asked and Hardik shook his head. “Let’s go.” They reached the venue and Paridhi rushed off to oversee the security and arrangements. She did not want any incident again. Though the feeling that something wrong was going to happen was stronger than before, she was determined to avoid any danger at all costs. This was her first concert and she will make it a success.
She made sure that the bouncers were in their place and gave them proper instructions. By the time she finished checking the safety measures on the stage, the ground was filled with crowd and it was time for Darshan to perform. She rushed back to the backstage where Darshan was waiting. “It’s time. All the best guys.” She told the team and they filed out of the room to take their positions on the stage. Darshan always made his entry at last, starting with a song. She glanced at Darshan who was looking hot as always in a leather jacket, torn jeans and a killer attitude. “Acche dikh rahe ho.” She complimented him. Oddly, he just hummed in response and Paridhi frowned. This was not his usual response. Whenever she complimented him, he always responded funnily, making a joke out of it and saying that he was the best in world. This time, something in his expression, the way how he avoided looking at her and stayed silent instead of bouncing with energy as he always did before concerts, told her that something was wrong. Was Darshan angry at her? Did she do something wrong? Had she said something offensive? Paridhi’s mind stared racing with these thoughts and she was startled when someone shouted Darshan’s name on stage and Darshan rushed past her. As she stared at his retreating back, she again had that ominous gut feeling that something was going to happen. She started walking towards the stage and stood behind watching Darshan perform. She couldn’t believe she was attending first live concert of Darshan and she was experiencing it from backstage, which was much closer than the view audience got. Darshan was on fire as always, but it was a different experience altogether to watch him sing with passion live. His crazy dance moves, his energy, the way he connected with the crowd mesmerized her. She didn’t even realize as 2 hours passed in blur and it was time for Darshan to go. So far nothing bad had happened and she wished it remained that way. So she called the bouncer near the exit. “As soon as he gets down, surround him. Form two perimeters, outer perimeter will keep the crowd away and inner perimeter will protect Darshan and the team. Go get all of security people here. I don’t want any incident. Also, be gentle with fans, don’t push or pull anyone. Just stop them from reaching Darshan.” Paridhi told the bouncer and he went off to follow the instructions. She turned around to see that there was a girl standing right behind her as if listening to her conversation.