I was curious to find out what might have happened and left early for school. The thought of him being upset made me feel worse. I wanted to know whether he was okay. I hurried to school and waited for him but he didn't show up. I didn't know what went wrong. He never took a holiday.
I spent the day staring at the wall and thinking constantly about what could have happened to him... I looked at his class room randomly. I thought that someone who looked like him crossed the classroom. I jumped up to see that it was. It was him. He looked better and he was smiling. What really happened? I don't know. All I know is that it is not serious matter. I just want him to be happy. I hopped that problem doesn't cross his mind again.
It was 6.30 in the morning. I had club and so the competition. What was I going to do about it? I didn't know. Alex had sent me the song lyrics which we had practised for the last two classes and the song came out pretty well. I was sure that we would bag the prize if we did it properly. The whole singing club was divided into two groups and each group had a leader. I belonged to Alex's group. Each group had to do a solo, a group and a duet.
I heard that Vishnu was doing the solo performance in my group and I didn't know who was doing the duet. . May be I was the only one who didn't know about it. I not give it much thought because I had nothing to do with that performance.
I was worried about my performance in the group because I was in the chorus and it was really high pitched and if I messed up then everything was lost. So all I had to do now was to concentrate on the chorus.
I sang on way to school. I didn't want to mess up this and I knew the competition meant a lot to Alex. I didn't want to take things back to the place where it started.
The tune was running inside my head the whole time. I was humming the tune during my class hours and it irritated Anu to the core. I was sure that she hated the tune by now.
"Will you stop it? If you continue like this I will be the first one to throw rotten tomatoes at you," she said in an irritated tone.
"I am sorry Anu, I can't help it and I don't want to mess up the performance. He is already upset and I don't want to add to his problems. He really can't take it if we lose," I told her.
"Whatever. Make sure your humming doesn't reach my ears," she said, looking at the board.
The bell rang at 3.30. I ran to the club block. I wanted to speak to him. I wanted to know what had happened to him but I was not ready for it. Anyway, I reached the singing room looking for him. He was there practising his song.
The song suited his voice perfectly. It was filled with emotion. It was like he was into that song completely. It really brought tears to my eyes, even though I had heard that song many times. But something about his voice shook me up.
The song was about a guy and a girl who was completely in love and who forgot the world when they looked at each other. The way his emotion flowed into his song made me think that he was in love. I knew it was a stupid thought but I could not help it.
I stood there immersed in his voice, in the music and the lyrics. I didn't realise that the song was over until he called my name.
"Thesika," he said.
I like the way he pronounced my name. Every time when my name came out of his voice, it was like a caress. I liked my name even more when he said it.
"Do you know this song?" He asked me, stretching out his hand that held the lyrics.
"I know it." I said.
"How well do you know the song?" he asked looking keenly at me.
"Like it's the only song in the world" I said without thinking. But after I said it I realised it might appear as though I was showing off.
"Ok, then you is singing this song with me. The girl who was about to do the solo was not able to make it since her father was sick. So you are the only one now. Just practice," he said, t handing over the taped song. "Just listen to it and learn the notes," he said and left.
Me do a duet with him?? No!!!! It's going to be disaster. I already stammer when I look at him then how could I do the duet with him.
God save me. I said to myself.
All the group song was over and our group sounded pretty good when compared to the others. But I didn't want to build up my hopes. I didn't know what mistakes were made on stage.
"The next duet performance will be rendered by Alex and Thesika," was the announcement. Why did we have to be the first performers? I was already nervous.
"Do I really have to do it?" I asked Alex, before climbing on to the stage.
"Don't worry Thesika you will really do well, if you are afraid just look at me when you sing," he said and walked with me to the stage.
The music started... and then the lyrics.
Alex
"Where were you, so many days?
I am alive am to meet you.
Why fate kept us apart till today,
Is it to prove I can't live without you?
When I saw you, you gave me a smile,
Making my heart go for miles.
When I looked into your eyes,
You became my world."
Thesika
"Fate kept us away for days,
Maybe to make me worthy of you.
It was a lonely, lonely day,
With heart so cold, till I met you.
It was worth waiting for you life long,
It was to make me happy life long.
Constant as stars above I am loved by you,
Like a moon I revolve around you, my world."
Both
"I love you"
As the song finished I ran off the stage. My heart started to beat fast. I was already red. When he said I love you, it was like a dream. I started to gasp for air. It was like I could not breathe.
"You did great Thesi, it was like you both were really in love," Anu commented.
"Thanks Anu, I sounded great because he sang so well."
"No Thesi, there was life in it. It was like you were the one who had written it with so many emotions," she said
"Thanks Anu" I said. It was all I can say.
Alex came running to us.
"You did good Thesi, much better than me. You are the reason for our team winning… Thank You," he said.
My heart stopped.