NOTE: This one is kinda different and long and a bit personal, don't throw your shoes at me for this one 😳
"You were so good when we were going slow, why did you get so bad all of a sudden?" the choreographer bellowed at Purvi.
Purvi looked down at her jazz shoes and fidgeted with her fingers. "It got too fast," she admitted in a hushed tone. She could feel Arjun's intense gaze on her and tried her best to avoid it.
"Arjun, can you demonstrate the first 2 counts?" he asked as he rubbed his temples. Purvi watched as the choreographer sat down again in his seat before turning to Arjun.
Arjun was fully determined and concentrated. Purvi observed as his eyes danced along with his body. Every move was sharp, even if it was just 2 of them. She had been dreaming to be as great of a dancer as him, yet every time she tried, she kept failing.
Purvi began to feel as if thinking about the moves before going to sleep to even marking the moves in the shower were becoming useless. Arjun had the ability to pick up choreography and perfect it in a matter of 3 hours as if he had been working on it for 3 months. On the other hand, Purvi was a slow learner - she doesn't get everything the first time and it takes a bit of drilling for her to get it down.
"Do you want to be the BEST performance at the wedding? Do you want your performance to be the talk and highlight of the whole event?" the choreographer asked the both of them, with him mostly eyeing down Purvi.
Arjun stayed silent while Purvi gave a slow, unsure nod. "Then come back tomorrow night looking better than today," he finished.
Purvi watched as the choreographer and the rest of his crew began to pack up and head out of the door. When he and Purvi were the only two in the studio, Arjun gently took hold of Purvi's hand. Both of their hands had become rough from the constant demand of touching their palms to the floor and getting back up again.
"I'm sorry," Purvi began, fighting back the lump in her throat that seemed to pop up during every practice. "I'll try even harder, I promise."
Purvi was surprised when Arjun's finger met with her lips. "No," he began before removing his finger. "Don't apologize."
"Why not? I'm so sorry, I'm holding you back - not only you, but us! You're so nice and gentle with me when you're trying to teach it and I still don't get it!" Purvi cried before hiccuping. When Arjun heard her hiccup, he looked up to see tears making their way down Purvi's cheek.
Arjun squeezed Purvi's hand tighter while she continued. "It's not even just this, everything I try to do, I can never do right! There's not one thing in the world that I'm good at. Whether it be cracking deals, dancing, even in my school days - I couldn't get grades that would make aai amazed and proud!"
Arjun paid heed to how sharp Purvi's free arm was when she threw it out in despair. He let go of her hand before instructing her to go over the top of their routine. Purvi looked at Arjun with her big, watery eyes filled with sadness. She had vented out all her frustrations to the one person she could trust more than she could trust herself and he had showed no signs of sympathy! Purvi angrily made her way to the starting position, avoiding any eye contact with Arjun.
Arjun began with his first move, while Purvi followed. Right, left. Left, right. Arjun threw his hands up in the air while Purvi followed, needing no guidance from him. Then, came the turns in which Arjun spinned across the floor in one perfect motion. Purvi took in all the negative feedback and used it as her motivation - keep your posture up, remember to spot, instead of counting 1, 2, 3, 4, make sure to tell yourself open, close, open, close. She had managed to make it across the floor without hitting into something or not completing her move as usual.
Purvi and Arjun made it through most of the routine and stopped at what they learned that day. Purvi, unaware of it, managed to strip down the layers and layers of insecurities and weaknesses she had on her. Underneath all of that, was a coat of dedication and energy that encouraged her to push through everything. Purvi's frustrations in her mind were replaced with advice and words she had received from previous mistakes. As Purvi marked the dance moves she had learned that day to herself, Arjun walked over to his phone he had recording in the corner. He turned down all the volume and watched Purvi hit every move. It wasn't perfect, but she still managed to do good. Purvi's usual smile was replaced with various, intense facials. Her loose movements were replaced with sharp and tight ones. Most importantly, she had danced with confidence. Some moves were wrong, but she didn't stop - she kept going.
Arjun put his phone down before walking over to Purvi. "You were amazing," was all that he said, but it was enough to grab Purvi's attention and make a tiny, upwards curve appear on her lips.
"No I wasn't," she finally said when realization hit her. "I was off on counts, I was late, and I didn't complete some of my moves."
"We can work on that, but you were able to fix the things that no one else could correct you on. We all noticed there was some off with you, but we could re position you or show you the proper way to do it - it was all on your own."
Purvi said nothing in response, but looked down at the ground again. After a few moments of silence, Purvi finally broke it with, "can you help me on the part that comes after this?"
That night, Arjun had seen a side of Purvi that he had never seen before. He was able to see beneath the constant thirst to be perfect, he saw her come out of her comfort zone, he even saw her let every worry go and focus on one thing. In fact, he didn't SEE it, he FELT it. He felt her grow stronger with every beat hit.
Purvi's ponytail had fallen to as low as it could get. Her usual flawless face was overcome with droplets of sweat and imperfections from her powder wearing off. He noticed the purple bruises beginning to form directly below her knees.
During their 6th run of the routine, Arjun stopped Purvi when it came to the part where he was to spin her. Instead of keeping their hands in the air, he brought them about shoulder level and pulled Purvi into him. He ran his free hand down her shoulder and to her other hand. Arjun heard her take a sharp breath. "Let's take a break," he suggested, letting go of her and beginning to walk to the back of the studio.
The next thing he knew, Purvi had found her way next to him. He looked straight into her eyes - they were watery, making her eyelashes darker. Before Arjun could say anything to Purvi, he saw her fall asleep right in an instant. He looked at his watch which read - 11:17 PM. He sighed and intertwined his right hand with her left. Arjun lifted her hand up to his lips and planted a soft kiss on her knuckles before putting it back down. He let go of Purvi's hand and instead wrapped his arm around her shoulder. As if on cue, Purvi snuggled more into Arjun and made it to his chest.
Arjun stroked her hair, recalling the days events. Lately, Purvi had become stressed and overwhelmed with everything happening - he knew that. However, she had put up a wall of strength and constantly told him that everything was okay. Today, he was able to see the Purvi that he knew and fell in love with. He was able to see beneath the layers of wannabe perfection, false strength, and beauty. "I'll always be here for you Purvi," he whispered. "Whether it be to make you feel good, help you, or just support you - I'll be here."
Bade Achhe Lagte Hain
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
