One expression on someone's face is all it takes. A single quirk of an eyebrow; the twitch of someone's nose, the pain reflected in their eyes.
Reyaansh Singhania stood in front of the full length mirror, staring at himself. The shoulders that used to be barred straight and gave out a certain sense of confidence were now slumped and dejected. The eyes that gave out a playful sparkle were now lifeless, hollow.
Ae ajnabee, tu bhi kabhi, awaaz de kahin se,
Main yahaan, tukdo mein jee raha hoon,
Tu kahin, tukdo mein, jee rahi hai'
He moved flawlessly with the music, falling on the floor, stretching his arm upwards as if to ask for a wish, a prayer, a boon. He'd never thought he would be stuck at such crossroads where he wouldn't know what to do, where to go, and whom to turn to. His two best friends, Swayam Shekhawat and Sharon Rai Prakash seemed to be having problems of their own to deal with his. Was it true? Was love as overhyped as people claimed? He had tried one end of the rainbow, the one where love was supposed to be the best feeling in the world', but what had happened, was neither imagined in his wildest dreams, nor something that he was hoping for.
It hurt. It hurt then, and it hurt now. It hurt when Kriya Ghai, his first ever love, had ruthlessly told him that he was nothing but the ticket to her success and it hurt even now, when he thought about her. Where was she when he needed her the most? Where had she gone? Was love never meant for him? He knew he came across as a charmer, a Casanova, and someone who would fall in love everyday with a different girl. He knew it couldn't be more wrong.
Roz roz resham si hawa,
Aate jaate kehti hai Bata
Woh jo doodh dhuli, masoom kali,
Woh hai kahaan, kahaan hai?
Woh roshni kahaan hai? Woh janasheen kahan hai?
Main adhoora, tu adhoori, jee rahe hain'
He had been waiting for someone special, someone he could love, pamper, cherish, protect, and most of all, dance with, for the rest of his life. Did his feelings ever matter? His moves turned aggressive, as he flailed his arms about, somersaulting across the empty rehearsal hall, his eyes turning cold, his legs giving way as he ended up collapsing against the floor, looking skywards, arms to his side, completely helpless. Why did it give him so much pain that he thought he couldn't breathe?
'Tu toh, nahin hai lekin, teri muskurahatein hain,
Chehra nahin hai lekin, teri, aahatein hain,
Tu hai kahaan kahaan hai?
Tera nishaan kahaan hai?
Mera jahaan kahaan hai?
Main adhoora, tu adhoori, jee rahe hain'
The rehearsal hall echoed the lyrics the song played and haunted him. He didn't know why, but whenever he thought of rehearsal hall, all he could recall when he closed his eyes was her face in front of him, her body shivering as he pinned her to the mirror, and attempted to memorise every minute detail about her, despite being blindfolded. The scarf that she had left behind, the mask that marked their first meeting, the determination carved on her features as she competed in the face-off, the happiness twinkling in her eyes when she danced with him on the empty streets. He wanted to scream but no words came out, and as he lay there, his eyes tightly shut, fighting the silent tears, Reyaansh Singhania felt all the walls around him starting to build, and that was the day he vowed never to love again.
And to think about it, all it took was an expression.
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Annnd, that's a wrap!😆I know, completely OTT, and cheesy and filmy and all that, but main toh aisi hee hoon!😆 And with an exam tomorrow, this is all I could manage, but I just HAD to pen something down.
Anyway, jootas, chappals all welcome. Hit the 'like' button and comment! Reviews are like cookies! I LOVE them! 😆
-Raina
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