I remembered the first day I met him, the day which I would never forget in my life, the day things started to change in my life. It was the freshers meet up in the college where each fresher have to show their talents ...
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"Guys ...May I have your attention, please. The next contestant we are calling upon the stage is Miss Kavya Sinha."
As soon as my name was announced I swallowed nervously.
Oh my God!
Oh my God!
They have announced my name which means that it's my turn to go on the stage.
Anxiety came kicking in my body which made me have second thoughts to not show up on the stage and run away from here but before I could set this plan of mine into action a bright spotlight was flashed upon me which drew the attention of the whole crowd present in the hall towards me.
I panicked, even more, when I felt everyone's eyes on me. I literally froze on the spot and my mind went completely blank.
" Kavya please step on the stage ", I heard the host calling me again but my body was like rooted to the fixed spot, I couldn't even take a simple step.
Someone nudged me from behind making me turn my head instantly.
"Hey, you need to go there, go right now ", a girl standing behind me said loudly while pointing at the stage and then she literally pushed me all the way up to the stage.
The girl who was the hosting the show, rushed towards me and handed me the mic, gently dragging me to the centre of the Stage.
" Introduce yourself first and then perform...Okay. All the best, the stage is all yours now ", she said with a smile and left me all alone on the stage.
I gulped nervously as I felt everyone's gaze on me. My body literally started shaking in fear. Somewhere in the background, I heard the track on which I was going to perform started playing but I was completely numb and I just stood at one place doing ......nothing.
Soon I encountered my worst fear when I noticed the crowd's reaction. Some people looked me in a judgemental way, some looked in pity, some looked in disappointment, some laughed, some started shouting and taunting.
I felt ashamed of myself, my body shivered in fear while my eyes were moistened with tears.
The way people were looking at me, unknowingly each and everyone's expressions were captured in my mind which I knew would haunt me forever, reminding me every time that I failed.
I closed my eyes in fear and shame.
All of a sudden the mic was snatched from my hand and my eyes fluttered open in shock.
In front of me stood a boy, an unfamiliar boy.
My eyes met with his dark orbs which were staring right at me with an unflinching gaze.
For the longest minute ever he kept on looking me with indecipherable expressions.
Before I could understand anything the boy suddenly turned sideways and walked ahead on the stage marching towards the crowd.
" Wow guys, I am so proud of you all because this is how I expected you all to react. Clearly, that's how we are right? We are the students of Elite college, one of the best colleges in India and this is how we behave? We mock a person on their weakness, we laugh at them instead of encouraging them. Why not the people who were laughing earlier grace this stage with their performance? I really want to see those perfect people who only know how to laugh on others ", the boy bravely stated to the whole crowd, his loud voice holding certain dominance and power.
Pin drop silence......the whole crowd went silent, everyone looking anywhere but the stage, no one saying anything in return. I was very surprised by the crowd's reaction towards him.
" Come on, step up here guys. Where are you? I am so eager to see you all ", the boy sighed in disappointment shaking his head slightly,
" You know guys it's very easy to laugh at someone but for once see yourself in their position, you' ll realise everything. Now I would ask you all to please behave like humans."
Saying this he immediately turned back, facing at me and his gaze again interlocked with mine.
The boy slowly approached me taking small steps and stood before me, all the while his gaze fixed on me.
For a few seconds he kept on staring me blankly but then his lips parted to speak the next words.
"You don't need to be scared anymore. Have confidence in yourself, fight this fear. You know you're better than this," he gave me an encouraging smile.
A lone tear escaped my eyes as he said those words. Something within me stirred on realising that a total stranger is showing more confidence in me than myself. I looked up at him in gratitude because of the support he showed me.
"Be confident, perform with all your heart and if the main problem is people looking at you then, Guysss..." he suddenly yelled turning his head to the side, looking at the backstage coordinators and then suddenly the lights of the whole hall were turned off leaving complete darkness. I jumped in fear because of the sudden darkness but in the next second the bright spotlight was on me again.
I squinted my eyes, trying to adjust to the bright light in the whole darkness.
The boy stepped inside the spotlight looking right at me.
" Now no one's here, only you are present, feel like that and perform", he whispered slowly.
With an encouraging smile and slight nod, he stepped back vanishing into the darkness and for a few seconds, all I could hear was his retreating footsteps which stilled after a few seconds.
A strange relief washed over me on realising that he was standing somewhere close to me.
I closed my eyes for one last time and took a long breath.
" This is your last chance to fight this fear, you have to do it Kavya ", I softly murmured to myself and released the breath I was holding.
I opened my eyes only to see darkness all around me.
The music started playing again and along with it, I started my performance ......
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The music ended, I stopped dancing.
My eyes were closed and I was breathing heavily.
There was pure silence in the hall and the only sound I could hear were my wild heartbeats.
All of a sudden the silence of the hall totally perished, getting replaced by loud cheers in its place.
I fluttered my eyes open and gasped in disbelief.
The lights of the hall were switched on like earlier and everyone in the crowd was clapping, hooting and whistling for....me?
I was really very stunned and overwhelmed by their reaction. I honestly didn't know how to react.
Amidst everything, the very first thing that came into my mind was that boy.
I immediately looked sideways and searched for him but I couldn't find him anywhere.
" Woah ....that was awesome Kavya. We loved ur performance. Didn't we guys ? ", the announcer said loudly to the crowd as she came by my side.
The whole crowd shouted and cheered in response. A huge smile spread on my face on seeing their reactions.
Nodding respectfully at the crowd and whispering a small thankyou, I stepped off the stage and walked through the backstage but suddenly out of nowhere I was engulfed in a bone-crushing hug.
" Yippppeee Kavu, you did it. Seriously girl you rocked on the stage. I couldn't even take my eyes off you...Wohooo."
Kirti, my bestie said to me, shouting in delight.
" Thank you, thankyou kiru ..... but I can't breathe ", I whispered in a choking voice, softly patting her back to lose her hold on me because she was literally squeezing the life out of me.
She instantly pulled back from the hug and gave me a sheepish smile, " Oops sorry Kavu it's just that right now I am feeling like a proud mother ". Then she acted in a way as if wiping her imaginary tears like a dramatic mother.
I laughed on seeing her and she too joined me in the next moment, both of us laughing together like idiots.
" But you're performance was really good Kavya ", Kirti said with a soft smile as soon as we stopped laughing.
"Thank-you kiru ", I smiled at her in return but then suddenly I remembered something, " By the way madam, where were you in the starting, you know I was so scared", I asked her as I remembered everything which I faced earlier on the stage.
" Sorry Kavya I was backstage, preparing for my performance and I got stuck in some work but I literally rushed here when your name was announced. I arrived here when you....you know when you were ... crying on the stage but before I could do anything, you're saviour already came ", Kirti said everything in one go winking at me specifically in the end.
An unwanted blush crept on my face when I remembered that boy.
All of a sudden, I remembered that I didn't saw him after the performance. I don't know where did he go but I really wanted to thank him.
" Okay okay ....umm by the way Kirti, do you have any idea who that boy was... I really want to thank him for what he did for me today."
As soon as she heard my words, all the smile on Kirti's face diminished and she looked at me in shock.
" What? Tell me you're joking right?"
Seeing my blank and confused face Kirti shook her head in wonder, " You've got to be kidding me Kavya, the whole college knows him....all but you."
I gulped nervously on hearing her. I mean it's only been a month since I have been here so how could I know everyone in this campus?
" No, I really don't know him but please don't raise my curiosity anymore. Tell me who was he ?", I questioned her again, raising my brow.
" You have probably heard his name before he was Vikram Malhotra", Kirti said looking me with wide eyes.
I was stunned. That boy was....he was Vikram Malhotra?
'Vikram Malhotra' is the students union leader and the college topper, the son of famous businessman Adhiraj Malhotra.
To say I didn't know about Vikram Malhotra is a lie because everyone gets to know about him as soon as they enter this campus because he is that one person about whom you're warned beforehand to not meddle with, he is also that one person you can go to if you're in any problems. He has that image in the college that if you're good to him he will be his best towards you but if you're bad to him then he will show you the real meaning of bad.
Also, he is the college topper so he like represents this college in every intercollege championship.
To think that earlier the boy on the stage was the same Vikram Malhotra, it was very surprising and unexpected for me.
" Okay leave that right now, its time to celebrate for your successful performance ", Kirti exclaimed in excitement, pausing my thoughts on him.
I smiled and nodded at her in return and then we both left to eat something in college canteen but in the back of my mind, a tiny part of me was still thinking about him.
Little did I know that someday in future I will dread this day when I first met him, if only we haven't met, no one would have been hurt, no one would have face betrayal and things would be different from now......
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A loud horn of the car broke my trail of thoughts bringing me back to reality...
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Thank you
