*****
She sets for the dancing house with a heavy heart. The jacket and phone were in the bag, she hung them on her shoulders. This was one of the most annoying moments of her life.
Priyanka was going to waste another transport fare for this stranger again. Last night, she missed the biggest event of her life. The dancing competition would have changed her life completely.
She even promised Krishna that he was going to get his surgery done this month. There were many things, she had in mind. Her family could move to a better environment or maybe to Mumbai, where her heart lies.
In Mumbai, she can get bigger opportunities like acting with AK shay Kumar or even SRK. There were times, she dreamt of shahRuhr Khan. They got married after shooting a movie together. This was the life, she dreamt of. Priyanka wanted to change her fate, by leaving the slums forever.
But all these were fallacies. She failed again.
The dancing house was noisy as always, with people streaming in and out. Priyanka did not smile at anyone like she always does.
She walked passed everyone as she casually strolled upstairs. There was a group of dancers displaying their talents. Her eyes meet Tara, the girl whom she fought with yesterday.
The boiling of her blood made her nauseous. Before the incident yesterday, Tara's troupe performed in the evening. They were hailed and showered with a lot of money, no wonder she had the nerves to talk back at her.
Priyanka brushes her failure aside. The phone was what was brought her here, not Tara. She went into the main building, where all was happening. The lights were dimmed but she could see some faces. The spotlight focused on the stage.
A circle was formed around the girls. Men sat down on the pillows, which were laid on the floor. Some of them were smoking shisha and eating *. They were supposed to shower the dancers with money but they didn't. The dance must have bored them.
Priyanka moved to a corner and brought out the iPhone.The battery was low and will soon be off. Sighing, she took a last glance at the wallpaper on the screen lock.
The stranger was a handsome young man. He would have been more handsome if he learned how to smile in the picture. The cold frown on his face made him look like the cold-hearted CEOS, she saw in movies.
"No now, please" The screen went blank. she tried to turn it on, but the phone shut down. The guy, whom she was supposed to meet, will show up soon. How were they going to communicate if she had no phone?
Priyanka paced from one corner to another. Miss Sarita, who was watching from afar approached her. "Are you feeling better, today?"
Tears formed in her eyes when such a question was asked. Of course, nothing was interesting about today.
Not even yesterday. After losing the competition, she thought that she would be free of this cursed stranger but no! Again, he found a way to crawl into her life and make it more miserable than it was.
"I'm fine. Namaste" She clapped her hands in front of her chest and greeted.
"Welcome back Priyanka, you are performing today" the teacher informed her. "You are next my girl. The men want you to dance today."
It was at this point that she noticed the girls going out of the exit door with anger and disappointment. She had not prepared for today's performance. It was going to be a disaster. Her life was suffocating already.
"Forgive me, Mistress but the guy who helped me yesterday asked me to return his phone and jacket. I would love to hand it over to him, first."
"Is he here?"
"I doubt," Priyanka hit the back of her head gently and ruffled it. She was going to create a mess of herself before climbing the stage. "I can't even reach him, now."
The teacher smiled and took her bag. "I will stay here and watch out for anyone who would come looking for you."
"that would be better, miss Srita" Priyanka handed both her bag and shoes to the teacher.
There were leg chains in the bag. She unzipped it and took them out. They were beautiful pieces that, a man gave miss Srita to keep for her, two weeks ago. According to the teacher, She barely sees him around. One of the girls said he was a street thug.
Priyanka wondered if it was him? No...it was impossible. The last time, she asked about him, some of the neighbors told her that he was taken to prison.
"Which song do you want to dance to today Priyanka?" Miss Srita asked, helping her to tie the chains on her left leg.
"Chikini chameli by Kareena Kapoor in Agneepath."
"Wonderful choice, Priyanka. I know you can do this"
Stepping on the stage, she placed both hands on her tiny waist. The men screamed as they send her name into the air. They were very happy to see her. Why not?
Priyanka knew her dancing moves were unique, that's why she needed to get into the music industry: Bollywood.
These were mere dreams now...
The lights went off and a spotlight shone on her. The hall became quiet as they waited for the dance goodness to come to Earth and inform Priyanka Kapoor.
**
He did not go home when he reached Delhi. His family was waiting for his arrival, especially Karan and Kieran. He was the piece that completed them. For six months now, he left the country with zero hope of coming back.
If not for Karan's pleading, he would have not shown up today. The family which Dehli boasted as the number one family in the City was a mess! If only they could reveal hideous secrets.
"Where are we going to, young master?" The driver asked, before starting the car.
Koran looked outside the car. His cousin wanted him to go to the tavern first. If he decides to go home early, his grandmother would look for a way to annoy him with her norms.
He was not like his brothers. They tried to impress her with everything they do.
Koran loved his family but there was a limit to everything. He needed to find that which made him happy and learn to cherish it.
"Go to the tavern" He instructed. The driver's reaction startled him. Was he grandmother's accolade? The old woman could do the impossible. She might have sent the man after him. "Don't be stupid, start driving."
The car started and he relaxed back in his seat, watching the city from his window. He missed Delhi and Mumbai so much. Now that he was back, he was going to enjoy life to the fullest.
Koran came down from the car as soon as the car stopped. He commanded the driver to stay in until he was done with what he came to do "Do not pick anyone's call no matter"
"What if your grandmother's?" The man in the white long sleeves and trousers asked, shakily.
"Don't be a fool, I said nobody. Do you understand at all?"
"Yes sir," the driver bowed and brought out his phone. He switched it off to avoid problems.
Koran smiled and walked towards the white building. The driver will be the type of man, his brother Karan would love to work with. He wanted loyalty first.
"Koran" A voice jolted him out of his reverie as soon as he stepped into the tavern. It was more of a whisper. "Man, I know you won't disappoint me."
Without seeing the owner of the voice's face, he knew it was Salem, his cousin. He was the only one who knew, he was in town. "Hey, buddy, what is going on?"
"Come let's go to the VIP space. You need to watch this" Salem said, leading the way upstart. They stopped in a room where a music sound was coming from. "The most beautiful dancer is on the stage. I think I found a perfect match for you."
He laughed. Karan was one to get married first, not him. Koran walked into the room and his eyes met with the most incredible scene ever.
Her hands were on her waist at this time. One of the Bollywood top songs was played. The girl moves her legs and hands exactly the way Kareena Kapoor did in the movie.
Her face nurtured this smile that warmed his heart.
Salem dragged him by holding his hands. 'Let go buddy, I have a seat reserved for you at VIP space."
They climbed a few stairs in the room and settled down. Few men were seated up here. It was unlike downstairs where they were crowded.
The dancer moved her eyes and legs according to the beats. Her leg chains added sounds to the beats. After watching her for a few minutes, Koran could tell that she was a good dancer and such talent should not be ignored.
He noticed that she stopped dancing. What happened?
"Koran, she is looking towards this direction" Salem tapped him on the shoulder. "I think it's you."
"W-what? Why is she coming here?"
"I don't know. She likes you, I think so."
The dancer held her sari in one hand, climbing the stairs that led to where Koran was seated. Soft murmurs filled the air as they envied him. Some of the men were already angry that she chose him.
'But why me?' Koran asked himself.