He walked into the auditorium of his new college, or what he hoped was the auditorium.
"Excuse me! Dance auditions yahi horahe hai?" He asked to the two girls who seemed to be heading this.
"Nahi wo visarjan ki tayyari hai. Ganpati banoge?" One of them snapped at him.
"Arey Taani yaar kyu aise" the other interrupted,
"Nahi wo sahi hai, mera Sawaal hi bewakoofi waala tha" he says running his palm through his hair.
"Anyway Hi! Mai hu Neha aur tum?" the sweet one asked,
"Reyansh Singhania but you can call me Rey." He turns to the other girl since she didn't join in, "Aur aap?"
"Suna nahi? Usne abhi Taani bulaya mujhe" she snapped again, too tired of pretentious participants and too impatient to deal with another one.
"Taani kyu ispe gussa horahi hai, abhi toh aaya ye.. ek min tum dancer ho?" Neha asks him.
"Uhm.." He takes a pause and Taani interrupts,
"Ho ya nahi?"
"Meri maa Lucknow ki respected Kathak artist hai" bragging slightly with what he thought was the formal way to introduce himself, he prompts another snarky comment,
"Ha wo naachne waali hai na audition me!" Taani adds sarcastically.
"Aur maine unhi ke under apna visharad kiya hai" he says sternly at her face. "Visharad matlab aapko Gandharva Mahavidyalaya maalum hoga na, Akhil Bharatiya classical arts ka school, uski highest degree."
"Are yaar seedhe point pe aane ke paise lagte hai tujhe?" Taani asks in response to his drawl and annoyed, he questions,
"Kyu, aapko baat sunne ke paise lagte hai?"
"Tum dono shaant hojao please! Taani leave him, and tum please ready hojao, audition ke baad baat karte hai" Neha intervenes and they both walk ahead.
Rey's performance:-
(Solo hi iya ha usne😂)
"Ye toh full on Vicky Kaushal nikla ha!" Impressed Taani says to Neha.
"Vicky Kaushal + Madhuri Dixit! Khatarnak combination" she adds as he walks to them.
"So tum Kathak ke alawa bhi koi dance form jaante ho?" She asks.
"Umm, honestly thoda semi classical, thoda isme hi bollywood fusion, usse zyaada try naahin kiya!"
"Cool! You can train with us! Taani tumhe bhi semi-classical aata hai, you can train him for hip hop and contemporary!" Neha states in excitement. Sensing that she was going off track Taani asks,
"Huh? Ye kya logic hai"
"Sikhaoo naa! Tum uski strengths samjhogi aur us hisab se sikha paogi na, infact mujhe toh clearly dikh raha hai, wo bhoolbhulaiya me performance thi na Vidya ki uske partner ke saath, mere dholnaaa sun, Haye tum dono waise kya mast lagrahe ho!"
"Earth to Neha, seedhi si baat ko kaha le jaati hai tu!" Taani shakes her head.
"Haa isse seedhe seedhe Monjolika bulao na" Rey adds.
"What the hell! You! Aise baat karte hai tumhaare Lucknow me?" Taani asks annoyed.
Shocked that she remembered Lucknow but still annoyed he answers,
"Arey mai toh bas tumhaari bhasha bolraha tha! Aur Lucknow se hu toh kya dil ne dastarkhaan bichaaya daawaat-e-ishq hai gaate hue aata?"
"Better hota!"
This time Taani can't help but imagine him in the Aditya Roy Kapoor avatar and shakes her head.
"Neha tere saath reh rehke na mai bhi paagal hojaungi" and walks off.
"Unhe kya hua?" asks Rey,
"Pata nahi, thak gayi hai tum chalo mai tumhe baaki dancers se milaati hu" Neha says and takes him to the canteen.
-----------
One week later. It's the freshers party and Rey spots Taani sitting outside just lost in thoughts.
"Tum yaha akele kyu baithi ho" he asks politely.
"Kyu uske liye tujhse permission leni padegi?" She retorts, annoyed at being disturbed.
"Yaar why are you so snappy?" He asks genuinely.
"Snappy ho toh itna pursue kyu karrahe ho?" She says, hoping to get him off her trail.
"Kyuki.. I don't know we're part of a team and tum meri teacher bhi ho ab.. also you're kinda cute" he says sitting beside her.
"And you're very upfront?" She exclaims, almost questions surprised at his confidence. It was rare for people to come up to her and directly say something like this.
"Chhupake kya karu? Naya sheher hai I want to start afresh.." he says looking ahead.
"Mumbai kaisa lagraha hai?" She asks, this she could talk about with anyone.
"Okay honest answer du toh bura toh nahi maanogi?"
She notices his hesitation and braces herself.
"Go ahead"
"Yaar kitni bheed hai tumhaare sheher me aur kitni gareebi, log sadko pe sorahe hai, so many beggars and hawkers and trains are the worst"
She laughs, "Very filmy, very charming opinion!"
"Warn kiya tha honest hoga"
"I understand, but if you're not comfortable aise toh why are you here"
"I.. so I just want to experience being independent for once. Mere future ki koi choice nahi hai, I have to go back and humaara kaarobaar hai wohi chalaana hai with dad.. waha kabhi koi independent waali feeling nahi aayi, sab unhi ne kiya aur karwaya, infact dance na seekhne ka bhi kabhi option nahi tha, mom ne bachpan me hi training start kar li thi, not that I hate dance or anything, it's great, I just... want to make my own decisions for once."
"Isn't it scary though, humesha waale ghar ko, friends ko, sab peeche chhod kar aana aise.."
"Kisne kaha sab peeche chhoda hai, mere ghar aake dekho pura Lucknow bana pada hai wahi, bas Tunday Kebab ki kami hai!"
They share a laugh and he continues,
"Aur jaha tak friends ki baat hai, ek ko laaya hu apne saath, science padh raha hai yahi "
"Tum ho jao independent, Mumbai will have your back" she pats his back and says,
"Waise bhi jagah nahi hai yaha, someone always has my back"
He responds makking them both laugh again.
"Tumne bataya nahi, tum yaha kya karrahi ho?" He asks again,
"Yaar mujhe parties itni nahi pasand, I'm here for Neha and I just got tired of this"
"Hmm"
"Tumhe bhi?"
"Oh no I love parties!"
"Toh fir yaha?"
"Ek Baar bola samajh nahi aata? mujhe tum pasand ho!" He sternly states.
"Wait what!" She blushes "excuse me, you said that I'm cute, not that you like me"
"Oh come on, who doesn't like cutestuff"
"Did you just call me cutestuff?"
He rolls his eyes and responds,
"I don't know man, was it that obvious?" as she smacks him.
"How even! I've only been snappy to quote you, what even is your type"
"Maybe dancers are my type"
"You saw me dance like once!"
"Um maybe girls in black dresses?" He says checking her out.
"There's hundreds of those here" she replies unaffected.
"Then maybe a girl who I have seen dance once, who's wearing a black dress and sitting with me outside a party, just genuinely asking about my aim of coming here and my experience and problems without trying to be patronising or getting offended even though she very clearly disagrees and still making fun of me for random, irrelevant things is my type. Specific enough?" He asks with an attempted sexy smile.
"Essay hi likhdo, actually shayari, Urdu shayari will be good" she suggests, teasing him.
"Me Kathak artist hu, Kavi nahi!"
"Toh then dance for me."
"Who do you think was that bada pachtaoge for?"
"Zyaada hi line nahi maar rahe ho tum?"
"Kya karu tum le hi nahi rahi!"
"Chalo tumhe Mumbai ki best ice cream khilaati hu! Shayad sheher keliye opinion change hojaye" she gets up laughing.
"Mai Lucknow ki kulfi pe bada hua hu, koi icecream uska mukaabla nahi karsakti" he says and follows her.
-----------
They were eating ice cream at K Rustom's, one of Mumbai's most well known stores that was just 10 minutes away from their college.
"This rose one is almost as good as back home!" He sighs.
"That's your compliment?" She laughs.
"You expect too much from me!" He says.
"Listen don't take snappy comments to your heart, that's just how I talk" Taani clarifies.
"Damn I thought I was special!" He exclaims with his hand on his heart.
"Seriously, mean comments make you feel special, that is your type?" She asks weirded out.
"Are you judging me for liking you?"
"I'm just doubting you since we barely know each other.."
"I like your vibe, itna pata hai"
"Ae tujhe kisine dare di hai kya, jao Taani ko propose karo" she asks suspiciously.
"What? Maine kab propose kiya?"
"Jaise jaaraha hai lagta hai aaj hi kardega"
"Ok so I don't know what experiences you've had with proposals, BUT YOU ARE RIGHT," he goes down on his knees, and with the softest expression asks "Will you marry me?" taking out and offering a ring from his finger.
A moment of silence passes before they both burst out laughing and she says,
"Marriage? Really? Yaar believable karna tha toh kam se kam relationship ka bolta!"
"Yaar fir tum believe kar jaati toh mai toh phas jaata na!"
"Haw! What happened to I like you"
"Well I have to tease you also na thoda, tum toh waise hi bina permission logo ke sar pe baithi rehti ho, kuch bolunga nahi toh hip-hop karne lagogi!"
"Yaar tu aise bolke fir aisi baate kaise karleta hai"
"Mai tedha hu na thoda, tum bhi meri jaisi tedhi lagti ho mujhe" he says genuinely. She blushes involuntarily and turns, out of all the lines he had thrown at her, somehow this one had hit the right spot.
"Come let's head back, I have to go home with Neha" she says walking ahead.
He checks his watch and takes a step closer to her.
"Tum mujhse poochi jaarahi ho, apna nahi bataya, what's your type?"
"Ye jo abhi icecream khaayi na? That's my type!"
"Acha toh ab mai ice cream ban jau?"
"Kyu that's beneath you nawab sahab?" She asks laughing.
"No issues, itna toh mujhe pata hai ki mauka miilne pe mai kisi ke zindagi ki icecream to ban hi sakta hu!"
"Impossible!"
"Obviously it's possible."
"Ho hi nahi Sakta!"
"Arey aise kaise?"
"Dude tu jab mera boyfriend bhi banjaye, tu mere zindagi ki icecream nahi ban sakega" she says confidently and he asks,
"Mai jab tumhara boyfriend banjau? Nice foresight"
"Shut up!" She says, suddenly conscious of her own words.
"Taani, Mai tumhaara boyfriend jab banunga, tab itne icecream khilaunga ki balance hojayega" he takes advantage of her silence and she pulls him ahead.
"Rey chal!"
-----------
The first week was over, ice breaking and introductions completed. All new members had been informed that they'd be performing solo the next day, so everyone knew their style well. During the performances, the older members sat, some making notes, some just observing the juniors.
Neha smiles as Rey takes the centre of the room and then the music starts. "Dil ne dastarkhan bichaya, daawaat-e-ishq hai" plays out loud as Rey performs a semi classical piece. Taani started at him wide-eyed. Had he actually taken her words seriously!
"Aur Lucknow se hu toh kya dil ne dastarkhaan bichaaya daawaat-e-ishq hai gaate hue aata?"
"Better hota"
Yes he had actually made her "dream come true". Why was this guy bent on impressing her? Were they really each other's type? Well, that was to be figured out with a number of ice-cream, dance and leg pulling sessions. For now she knew, guys who knew classical dance were definitely her type.
He saw her shocked face and deciphered that this performance had worked. Something about Taani struck him, the fact that she was rude and at the same time easy to be around and talk to. Paradox much! Well, he had a good three years to explore the city with her and was sure she'd make him feel for it the same thing she did. He was looking forward to falling in love with her city. (And her.)
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Hi!
I know it's kinda late but Anniversary OS is here! So. I'm not sure of this one at all. This is an experiment. Hope it's fun to read! Koi sat pair nahi hai, expect bhi mat karo please😂😂
See y'all!❤️
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