*Oops...Almost forgot...This one is for Jessu and Goldy😉
"Acchaji; lagta hain, main bauhat mehenat karva rahi hoon aap ko…kyun?" Panchi accused. She heard Shabbir chuckle loudly on the other end and silently smiled to herself. Apparently, he had found that comment particularly amusing.
"Panchi…I said na…you're an excellent dancer…" He attempted to defend himself but Panchi knew better, she had bitten her tongue in that interview, though she had wanted several times to interrupt. She didn't want to give people a chance to talk more than they already were.
"That's very funny…aisi baat thi, tou muje manaya kyun…"She asked, knowing full well, he had little control over it too. Ekta had requested him to get her to perform and though she was sceptical, not performing would have looked rather dubious.
"C'mon Panchi…aab maaf bhi kar dou yaar…kya tum khush nahin…" Shabbir retorted and Panchi was speechless. She wasn't really angry; in fact she had found his answers quite funny. Of course she was happy; she thought he knew that, they finally had an opportunity to meet more often, without any speculation.
"Haan baba…bauhat khush hoon…" she laughed and Shabbir just listened. He had the chance to hear that laugh of hers everyday now. A part of him hoped that she would continue to mess up and they would need to rehearse more often and for longer but SPA was approaching and he knew his time with her would be over soon. She wasn't confident, he knew that, but she was trying and he loved her even more for that.
"Suno…kya tum kahin chalogi mere saath?" He asked suddenly as a thought struck him. Panchi agreed after some deliberation. It was fairly late now and she would have to sneak out.
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"Shabbir…hum yahan kyun aaye hain…is waqt?"She whispered as Shabbir slipped a note to the security guard and they walked into the building complex.
He waited till they were inside and then held her hand. When she refused to move without an explanation, he hugged her tightly to his chest and whispered back to trust him.
She looked at him suspiciously but held his hand firmly, the halls were dimly lit and eerily quite at this time of night. He led her to and rehearsal room and switched on the lights. The room was bare save for a CD player at the corner of the room and them.
"Panchi…" he started, turning towards her and bringing out a blindfold from his pocket. Panchi's eyes widened and she backed away slightly, laughing, "Shabbir…what is that?!" she asked, her mind jumping to the most random of conclusions.
But Shabbir was serious and she suddenly stopped laughing and walked back towards him. She found herself being turned with her back towards him and she stood there quietly waiting. He raised the cloth to her eyes and tied it behind her head.
She leaned against him and though she was nervous, she tried not to show it. Bringing his face closer to her ears, he murmured huskily, "Panchi…I want you to dance like no one is watching…" Panchi turned to face him, but he had already walked away. Putting her arms out, she called towards him but he didn't answer, "Shabbir…please…darr lag raha hain…" she confessed but he didn't return. She knew why he was doing this however and she didn't think she could love him more than she did now.
A smirk played on Shabbir's face and he moved across the room to turn the CD player on. Soft music filled the empty room and Panchi felt her shoulders relax as the music reached her ears. She listened as his footsteps came closer and her heart began to race. He placed his hands possessively on her waist and spun her around to face him. She didn't fumble but instead she moved as elegantly as though she could pirouette.
At first she concentrated hard but slowly she blocked all her thoughts and she savoured the feel of his arms around her. With ease she placed her arms around his neck. Gently they swayed to the song lost in their dance.
When the beat changed, she felt him spin her out and she glided across the floor. She felt as though she was the lightest thing in the world as he lifted her. Gradually he placed her down and he buried his face in her hair. She held her breath as they moved closer and closer, almost as one.
He twirled her around and she bent over against his thigh slowly, raising her arms above her. Lifting herself off him, she moved away and clapped her hand against his. He smiled; she was good, she just didn't realise, if only she could shed her inhibitions like she did with him, in front of others.
Shabbir repeated the steps at the beginning of their routine but Panchi held on, forgetting to let go of his hands at one point and she twisted his wrist in the process. He tried to hide his pain, but as she continued to hold, he yelped in pain.
Panchi pulled of her blindfold and looked at him apologetically, she was startled by his shout and as he nursed his hand, she stood silently. Shabbir tried to laugh it off but Panchi looked as she was close to tears. He pulled her head close to his and told her he was okay, ruffling her hair lightly. She looked down at his hand and bought it towards her. She tenderly kissed his wrist, rubbing it afterwards gently with her fingers.
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"Shabbir…" she said, holding his hand as they stepped out of the room and he stopped. Placing a hand on his cheek, she kissed the other side slowly, "Thank you…"
She tried to pull away but Shabbir held her firmly in place, just watching her. She tried to hold his gaze but eventually she looked down, her cheeks burning. He smiled and kissed a blazing trail from her temple to the corner of her lips. Whispering softly against them, he said "I think I've found my dance partner for life…" Panchi gasped but she had no time for anything else as he kissed her. Slowly at first but as her arms wound around him, he pulled her desperately to him, seeking to get as close as possible.
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Panchi stood dressed and ready for the performance; that night with Shabbir had seemed to instil in her a new confidence but now she was suddenly nervous. She twisted the ends of her dupatta under her hands and wait for Shabbir.
He should have been waiting in the wing with her but he hadn't yet come after his solo performance. She glanced constantly towards the door that would lead him in, anxious to see him standing there. When he did come, however, she didn't even realise. He slipped his hand quickly in hers and pressed before turning around as though he had not acknowledged her at all. She smiled and even without looking, she had known it was him.
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They had gone through the motions effortlessly, though at times, Panchi wished the time would go faster. She couldn't help it when she looked out at the audience, her face would immediately betray her discomfort at being gawked at. She was grateful that Shabbir was there, at every step, holding her hand.
As she sat on his knee at the end, she breathed a sigh of relief and Shabbir turned towards her with a huge smile and she couldn't help but smile back. Unexpectedly, her feet left the ground and she found herself in his arms, on stage. She wanted to squeal but resisted, she would have to wait. Shabbir looked towards her with a grin and the glint in his eyes was unmistakable.
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"You did it!" Shabbir shouted, placing her on the ground and within moments she was laughing against him, the adrenaline still pumping through her body. He spun her around against his chest and when he become aware of his surrounding, he let her go. To others it would have seemed that they were celebrating their performance but to them it was so much more, especially for Panchi. She stood several paces away from him now but she knew he was watching her even though he was engrossed in conversation elsewhere. She knew that this celebration was nothing; she would wait excitedly for when he returned from the after party.
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Shabbir and Panchi had already spoken about the Jodi award, though they would have loved to win it, they knew how much their fans loved them and for the most part that had made them immensely proud and happy in that knowledge alone.
They stood side by side waiting for the announcement and Panchi once again wished, she could hold his hand. It was so difficult hiding what they felt, but it was at every point necessary.
😊
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