I actually wanted to take part as a writer in the Khan-tastic Contest but due to the FL lead not being part of the list I chosed to opt out and waited for the contest to end so that I can share my One Shot with the FL that I thought about
Pairing : Madhu Lal Saxena from Ishq and Sameer Rossellini from Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
Graphicer : Shirisha (ExoticDisaster)
Trope : Reunion after years
Bollywood Element : Love through music or dance
Melody of Second Chances
It wasn’t just a meeting by chance — it was destiny. And destiny sure did bring Sameer Rossellini and Madhu Lal Saxena under one roof.
It was the night of Sameer’s performance, where he sang a heartbreakingly beautiful song that touched the core of Madhu in the audience. After the crowd dispersed, she used her VIP influence as a well-known industrialist’s daughter to get to the backstage. She spotted Sameer chatting with his pianist friend and approached him.
“Sameer?”
He turned, still mid-conversation. “Yes? And my friend, how did you manage to get to the backstage when it’s V—” He stopped mid-sentence as he noticed the VIP card hanging around her neck. “Oh, sorry! I was just following the protocol.”
“No issues, I understand. By the way, I’m Madhu Lal Saxena — daughter of Harman Lal Saxena, the industrialist.”
Sameer froze for a second, the name ringing a forgotten bell. “Wait… Harman Lal Saxena? As in Uncle Harman from Ooty?” His eyes widened. “Then that means, you’re Mads? Madhu Saxena from The Good Shepherd International School?”
Her eyes blinked in surprise, a slow smile forming. “Sameer... Rossellini? Oh my God! You used to live next door to us before you moved to Italy, right?”
“Exactly!” he laughed, a flash of warmth breaking through his usual calm. “Wow, this is unreal. We haven’t met since we were what — thirteen?”
“Twelve,” she corrected with a grin. “You left right before the annual day performance. I still remember you were supposed to sing that Kishore Kumar song for the talent show.”
Sameer chuckled. “And you were the one who forgot your dance steps and still managed to win because everyone loved you.”
They both laughed, that easy familiarity melting away years of distance. The pianist, sensing a reunion too personal to interrupt, excused himself quietly.
Sameer gestured toward his vanity room. “Come, let’s sit. I can’t believe this.”
Inside, the air felt lighter as two old friends, two broken hearts, rediscovering a connection neither had expected.
Madhu's smiled softly. “Your songs tonight... they really moved me, Sameer. Not just because of the lyrics, but the emotion. It healed something inside me and that's the reason why I personally wanted to convey how it made me felt.”
Sameer’s eyes softened. “You’ve been through heartbreak too, huh?”
She nodded gently. “Let’s just say... I’m learning to start over.”
He paused for a moment, studying her face which was matured, wiser, but still carrying that same spark he remembered. “Then I’m glad my music reached you. From one broken heart to another.”
“True,” she whispered.
“Mind if we catch up properly?” he asked after a beat. “Coffee tomorrow?”
Madhu hesitated at first but then she smiled softly and said . “Yeah, sure. I actually know a cozy café in Bandra. Haven’t been there since I shifted back from Ooty, but I think you’ll love it.”
“Then tomorrow, 5 PM it is. I’ll come pick you up. Do you mind sharing your address?”
“Of course,” she said, pulling out a small piece of paper from the vanity table and scribbling her address.
The next day, Sameer comes and picks up Madhu from her Mumbai’s estate and they over to a café as per the suggestion of Madhu.The chauffeur drops them at the spot.Sameer being chivalrous opens the door for her and she steps out and is instantly touched by his gesture and she walks out of the car and they get seated at a table.
The waiter approaches them and he askes them for their order and they place the same.
"Ahh this place hasn't changed a bit since I last remember it, I used to come here often with my college friends".
Sameer chuckled. “Ah, so this is your nostalgia spot. I feel honored already.But when did you shift back?".
"Well it's been almost a year now and am glad I did.".
"It feels strange, doesn’t it?” he said once they sat down. “We meet after all these years, with no contact and yet, it doesn’t feel like we’re strangers.”
The waiter arrives with freshly brewed coffee and places it on the table .Madhu says while tracing her fingers on the rim of her cup “Maybe because we never really stopped being who we were, Sameer. Just... older, quieter versions.”
He laughed softly. “Older, definitely. Quieter? Maybe on the outside.”
She looked up, meeting his eyes. “You still write songs that make people cry. That’s not quiet.”
He smiled faintly, resting his elbows on the table. “Fair enough. I tried to ease out my emotions through songs,” he admitted, his voice calm but heavy with meaning. Then, after a brief pause, he added gently, “But I want to know your story, Madhu. They say easing a heartbreak makes one heart feel lighter to move on. My songs might’ve helped a little, but maybe... sharing your pain could ease your soul too?”
Madhu stared at him for a moment, surprised by the sincerity in his tone. The world outside blurred behind the café window — only his words lingered. She took a deep breath, her fingers curling around her cup.
“You really want to know?” she asked quietly.
Sameer nodded. “Only if you’re ready to tell.”
"His name was Raja, a man with whom I had even fought with my dad to be with and everything that happened in between, the misunderstandings that we had which included a incident with a friend Ajay, we did overcome all that but they say even marriage cannot survive when there is no respect in it. Though I thought our misunderstandings were cleared but Raja's anger and ego never seized to fade with time and our marriage was short lived.And here I am living through my scars of trusting someone with my heart on my sleeve."
"That's really shocking and am sorry that you had to go through a bad marriage with whom you thought you could have spent a eternity with".
"You don't have to be, and I am healing from it.Well enough about me Sameer and tell me who is this muse of yours that led you create such beautiful soulful songs?"
"Nandini, a woman with whom I thought was my everything until her arrange marriage made to a wonderful man named Vanraj made her to fall in love in a man who wanted to sacrifice his marriage for his wife's happiness.My love failed in front of him".
"Your love didn't fail Sameer, it sailed but to a different destination, everyone comes in our life for a reason, and for Nandini though she learnt how to love from you but being there for your loved one that's what she learnt from Vanraj am I right".
"Yes you are and infact so right that you almost said it like how she did but am glad my songs have been not just my remedy but yours as well".
"True that", Madhu sips upon her coffee while saying so.
That evening at the cafe, Madhu and Sameer not only shared their respective heartbreaks and healed a piece of them, but it was a stepping stone where they developed their bond of friendship which they rekindled after years that grew into love that was unspoken, that was deep and understandable through the emotional intimacy and love for music that connected them.Sameer and Madhu healed each other like Kintsugi, an art that joins broken pieces with golden finish.
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