MANEET FF Dancing from the ashes - cchp32 33 updtd - Page 3

Nik was in for a shock when he reached college. He, Sid and Mayank had decided to reach together in order to work on their dance routine and decide the order of events. But when he asked the peon for the keys of the classroom, he told the shocked trio that Geet had already taken them.

  On reaching the class, they head the music on loud, with Geet in the middle of the class, facing the large windows, using them for a mirror to check on her moves. She was engrossed in the music and the steps and didn't notice them. They watched her dance the unfinished routine, practicing with renewed vigour. Her very expression was proof enough of the change in her. In the last two days, much  had happened...the product of it was in Geet's dancing.

   Joy emanated from her as she moved, non-stop till she got each and every step right. Eventually she had to stop, as the routine was not complete...but that didn't stop her, as she tried to figure out what could possibly complement it; she tried different steps...concentrating on it completely...biting  on her lower lip.

   Nik was pulled towards her as he watched the steps she tried out.

''Do that last one again.'' he blurted out.

She turned blushing in surprise, to see Nik watching her, with Mayank and Sid making up the background, one glowing, while the other in tears.

''Sid, tu ro kyun raha hain?'' she asked.

''Ro kaun rahah hain...mere aankh main kuch chala gaya, ok,'' he said defensively.

Mayank smilingly punched his arm. They sat, waiting for them to start.

Geet did the step again...as Nik followed her...it was a good step in succession to the previous ones and they worked together...It was afternoon, by the time the entire routine was completed. Working together had made it less work. And Geet's inputs had given it a different flavour.

The four of them seemed pleased with the work. Neither of them discussed the change in Geet's behaviour...nor was there any need to.

Sid and Mayank, had been informed by Nanima, of how pleased Mohinder he had been about Geet's return to dance, and their subsequent patch-up. She was all praise for Nik...something the boys were too. They refrained from saying it though and let everything continue as normal. It was the 1^st step to a positive change...they didn't want to jinx it.

  Over the next few days, the 5, Nik, Geet, Sid, Raina and Mayank, became inseparable. The annual event being one of the biggest events of the year, was daunting enough for them to put all their energies together and make sure it was a success. They spent every waking moment together; planning, dancing, eating, playing and yapping; fighting and then making up.

   A camaraderie had sprung up between Nik and the trio, especially Geet. Geet would often pick up Mayank and at times Nik, leaving Sid to pick up Raina.

   Raina and Geet were still not as comfortable with each other, though they did interact a lot. Mayank had informed Geet in detail about Sid's behaviour over Raina and his denial about his feelings for her. Geet had been tickled pink, and had observed Sid on various occasions, only to be convinced of it. She had then made an extra effort to get to know Raina, despite being acquainted with her since school. She liked her, but she hadn't warmed to her yet.

     With Nik however, she argued and fought, and talked about everything under the sun. He had become possessive about her, but he never showed it...knowing her ego. A new part of her personality was revealed...as she became more friendly, caring and free. He saw the mischievous side of her, in her pranks and her jokes ' constantly cracking the others up. She tried as unobtrusively as possible, get Raenz and Sid together. She went out of her way to help out the others. It warmed him, to see her laugh and dance, treat him like one of the buddies. She inspired him...he was falling for her hard. And he knew there was nothing he was able to do about it.  Neither did he want to.

  He hadn't forgotten about Vicky's job offer. He had told the other 4 about it, but the programme rehearsals had not given him time to go and meet Vicky.

   Mayank, on his part had pulled out all stops when it came to the creation of the stage for the programme and the decoration. His creative genius took flight as he created masterpieces. Sid and Geet were the only ones who had known about his love for art...whether it was in the hand painted and designed T-shirts he made for them, or the boots he designed for himself...a trend followed closely, by the college wannabes; or the games he invented, with his sketches...''Link It'', being one of them.

   His themes for the programme left Nik and Raina in awe of him. He wanted everything done to perfection, making him wait till late evening in college as the programme drew nearer. The other 4 loyally waited for him in college, chatting or helping or even studying ' in Nik and Raina's case. They often chatted about their subjects, while waiting for Sid and Mayank to return,  discussing psychology and philosophy, leaving a bored Geet to fall asleep on Nik's shoulder. He always made her sleep on his lap, with his bag for a pillow, and then continuing the discussion. She would wake up the next day in her own bed, later realizing that one of the boys had probably driven her home in her jeep; and dropped her off in her bed...and Nanima always confirmed it.

   There were days when they stayed working so late that they shacked up overnight at Nik's flat, working on backdrops, impromptu tests, dance rehearsals, and take outs. Other days, they partied in one disco or the other (Sid and Geet drinking but never dancing), or landed up at Geet's home for dinner. Nik and Raina had been welcomed affectionately into the fold, by Nanima.

  The month rolled by with ease. It was time for the annual programme before they knew it.

A week was left to go for the show. The teachers had conceded to the students' demands and given them time off from lectures in order to prepares and rehearse for the show. The entire college was working full swing to make the show a success. Thanks to Geet, Mayank and Sid, 90% of the college was attending. The principal was pleased. Geet had always been his favourite, but he had never let her know that. His decision of forcing her to dance had been good.    

    The gang met every day, prepping, practising, overseeing the minor details. Checking to see if the other performers had everything in place. One the fourth day before the show, Nik didn't show up at all. The other four, each received a text message from him , stating that he won't be showing up that day, but he would come the day after. When they  tried calling him, his phone was off. A worried Geet, jumped in her jeep and raced to his flat, wondering if he was ill. However a locked door was all she found. She returned to college and spent the entire day moping around, trying his phone and missing him.

   Geet liked Nik. In fact she knew she was falling for him. She was never jealous of his friendship with Raina. He looked at her differently. He knew that her friendship with Sid and Mayank was just that ' friendship. She also knew that he liked her. But he hadn't said anything to her as yet.

  But where was he??? It was not like him. She knew they were close enough, that he could tell her where he was; damn he told her about the silliest of things, then why not this? She couldn't get through to him, at all.

  The next morning, he was there early. Ready to practice.

Geet pounced on him the moment she saw him.

''Where were you, Nik? Pata hain tujhe kitna call kiya.''

The others looked at him expectantly. He saw them look at him. He shrugged, ''Kuch important kaam tha yaar''.

''Kya kaam,'' she asked frowning.

''Personal kaam yaar', he said emphatically.

''Aur woh kya tha??'' She repeated.

''Kyun, tune mujhe miss kiya?'', he said winking at her, trying not to let on, that he was changing the subject.

''Nik, don't try to change the subject. Where were you?'' she persisted, irritation making her voice loud.

''Arre, Geet, meri date thi...samjha kar'', he smiled, cheekily.

She stared at him in shock for a minute, then narrowed her eyes, and said,'' Tu jhoot nol raha hain!!''

Nik cursed inwardly. She could see through him...he feigned anger and said rudely,'' Agar pata hain toh poonch kyun rahi hain?''

Geet was taken aback by his rude tone. Anger bubbled up inside her immediately. She walked away from him, not looking at him even once. The entire day she didn't look at him nor speak to him. Nik tried talking to her, but it was of no use.

Sid and Mayank, kept their distance and advised Nik to do so too. They knew better than to mess with Geet when she was angry.

   There wasn't much to do and Geet insisted they go clubbing, ''to get drunk''... A group of other students who normally made up their entourage, came along with them. Nik wasn't very comfortable with them; something about them, instinctively told him they were no good. Still, he decided to stay shut and go with the flow.

  The place they chose was a dingy, shady looking thing, which seemed to be a usual with the entourage. It was crowded and had dim lights, the dance floor being full already. Trance music was blaring out and it was full of a dubious kind of smoke, putting Nik in doubt about the kind of people that frequented the place.

  They found seats near the bar...the gang taking up most of the place. Geet was sulking, Mayank was lost in thought, Sid was in protective mode, keeping the guys off Raina, and Nik was observing Geet, down drinks in quick succession.

  The rest of the boys were becoming unruly and loud under the effects of booze. A game of dares started up...from the looks of it, it seemed like a ritual. A shady looking guy came up and started chatting up one of the boys in the entourage, and ended up getting introduced to all the others. His friend took his cigarette and blew out puffs of smoke. Geet coughed at the smoke and asked him to blow his smoke elsewhere.

''Kyun kabhi smoke nahi kiya kya?'', he sneered at her.

Geet being drunk, effectively asked him to shove it up some place...Nik observed the boys' reaction in consternation. He seemed angry, but put on a sweet face and dared Geet to smoke one cigarette. Nik's guard now truly up, looked at Mayank , Raina and Sid for help. By their reactions, it was clear that they too doubted the contents of the cigarette.

  It was time for desperate action. Geet seemed confused and hesitated. Raina, fresh with studying the effects of drugs, in that day's psychology chapter, lurched forward to do some damage control.

''Err...is this what you call a dare??'' she gave a shrill laugh, while the guys looked at each other in confusion.

Mr. Cigarette guy looked at her bewildered. Geet in her haze, looked askance at Raina, evidently wondering what she was hinting at.

Raina continued in a high pitched voice, ''A dare is only a dare, when the person doesn't like doing it, or if it's difficult.''

Sid smacked his forehead and looked at Raina, like she had donated her sanity to the Club for Psychotic Morons.. ''Is she trying to help here?!! Or worsen it? Geet hates smoking!'', he thought, in apprehension

''So, I '', she emphasized 'I' and continued,'' dare Geet to dance with Nik, today.'' She tried to smile victoriously, and ended up giving a cheesy grin. She leant towards Geet and smiled and whispered, '...since you're so cheesed off with him''

Geet on her part, looked from a shocked-looking Nik to Mayank's smirking face. That decided it! Nobody laughed at Geet Handa!!

    Before Nik could open his mouth to refuse, she had pulled him by his collar, walked to the dance floor, away from the drug filled cigarette. Mayank , Sid and Raina left a collective sigh. They nodded thankfully to Raina. But that was the last of their troubles.

     Nik was having a tough time finding room for him and Geet to dance. He tried shouting to her to stop as there was no room. In reply, Geet grabbed his hands and placed them on her waist. She then proceeded to wiggle her hips to the spunky number that the DJ had chosen. Nik's eyes widened in stupor, as he froze in place. Geet Handa...doing a sexy dance?? With him??

He looked to see the other 3 mirroring his expression.

(more coming up in the next update - chapter 17...stay tuned)

So...what do you guys think???

Any comments...plz do comment... 

Cheers

Amruta

Chapter 17 - Fire Burning, Fire burning.

It was the day of the final performance before they knew it.

The show was beautiful. Sid, blown away by Raina in her sensual silver white outfit, let his feelings for her taking over his moves. It was probably the best performance he could give. The direct product of this was that. Raina was instantly out in the hit list by Sid's followers - it was clear that the only girl for him that night was Raina. The intensity with which he looked in her eyes, made her heart contract. She finally had an inkling about how much he cared for her.

  When the time finally came for Nik and Geet to perform, the stage  was set on fire. They outdid everyone else, like a bolt from the blue. Geet was the revelation, who rendered everyone speechless...Her chemistry with Nik, igniting envy across the audience, made the performance even more magnificent. They were synchronized and danced in perfect harmony, mirroring each other, enjoying the feel of the performance with each other.

  Their performance was concluded with a thunderous applause and an enthusiastic plea for encores.

The principal was pleased beyond measure. He specially mentioned Mayank's work in his vote of thanks...appreciating his creative work.

  The show ended on a perfect note. The group hugged each other, ecstatic about their successes, independent and otherwise. The task was completed...but the results were multi-fold. Something nobody had anticipated, but were happy about nevertheless.

  As Nik was leaving, somebody tapped his shoulder. He turned to see a delighted Vicky.

Geet seeing Vicky with Nik, walked to them and gave him a high-five.

''You guys know each other?''. Nik asked in surprise.

''Yeah, our grandmothers know each other. '' Geet replied. She politely made conversation with Vicky, till he decided to come to the point.

''Look, I'll be direct. Geet ' I didn't know you were such a fabulous dancer. Had I known, I'd have probably hounded you earlier.  But, if  Nik has told you, I'm starting a dance troupe cum institute and I want you to join me. What say?''

''Sure. I'd love to Vicky. Nanima didn't say anything about it to me...ah well..anyway. We'll see ya later.''

''Sure. Bye''

  Since they had become inseparable, they went everywhere together, after that. They had evolved into kindred psyches, recognizing each other as perfect, to be able to understand each other best.

  The exams came and went in a breeze, Each giving in their best; the greed to be in each other's company, goading them into studying. The results were much better, Raina topping again, Sid being the surprise coming out second after her. The others fared pretty well, themselves. Mayank got a good letters of recommendation from the teachers and the principal, and he managed to bag an interview at the college in California. While he was in the States, Sid and Raina accompanied Nik and Geet for their dance practices. Nik and Geet started collaborating with Vicky about the studio, but it was still taking baby steps.

They would practice in Nik's flat, shifting all the furniture to one side, compiling a routine on counts. Raina would sit and watch them, doing her research simultaneously, while Sid sat and watched her. Ayush would spend time helping Raina out, but Sid managed to disrupt their studies...making it clear to him that he was not welcome.

Raina often watched Nik and Geet perform, just to feast her eyes on their dancing moves. She could see the chemistry growing. It was an open secret...yet nobody wanted to talk about it.

   As she sat for the nth time listening to her IPod, Raina let her thoughts dwell back on the events of the past few days. Her heart refused to leave Delhi. Her friends being the main reason. She knew that they would have to part sooner or later. But, this was the 1^st time in her life that she had made friends...where she was accepted.  Where somebody looked out for her, and she could be there for someone too. She dwelled on everything that had happened in the past one month. It was like something from a YRF buddy bonding film...she couldn't believe it.

  And then there was Sid. She couldn't understand him. For a fairly transparent guy, he was being a complete enigma. He treated her very sweetly, was there for her whenever she needed help, shocked her completely with his study skills, but he also kept her friends away from her ' with the exception of Nik, Geet and Mayank; became moody randomly and sulked from time to time.

She could see the change in his from his earlier habits that she had observed from school. He was no longer the Casanova; his caring side was way too obvious. She had begun respecting him a lot.

The song on her IPod changed, but she barely paid attention. Nik and Geet had begun a new routine, using skates ( Geet's brainwave), giving counts on each move. The beats in her song thumped in her head as she watched them count and make steps accordingly. Was it just her or did the song fit their steps perfectly.

    The human mind is an enigma, it can multitask without us endeavouring  to work on it. It comprehends the on goings around it, without much effort. Raina observed Nik and Geet dance to the song playing in her head, matching the beats and the moves perfectly. But, this synchronization of song and dance was registered in a crevice in her mind, as the bigger part of her consciousness was focussed on Sid and his erratic behaviour.

  Off late he had begun being quiet around her and she had caught him gazing at her, but never saying much. He seemed missing for hours on end, or would keep researching things on his laptop, never showing them what he was up to.

   Ever since she had told him about her college of choice, he had become engrossed and distant. She caught him lost in thought, never venturing an explanation in return.

  She knew she'd miss him the most, his flamboyant personality making her sojourn in the subsequent course and city seem pale. She came up with the most valid explanations for his behaviour ' ones that made her heart beat faster in anticipation; but she pushed them away as ridiculous.

There were 2 months for Raina's departure, and Sid was not saying much about his future plans. She had barely had a good conversation with Sid in days; which was why she was shocked when he asked to meet her alone.

  What shocked her more was when he went down on one knee and proceeded to make the most heartbreakingly wonderful proposal of love to her. She was dazed and her mind kept telling her that it was a trick...but even that couldn't be paid attention to, when she looked in his eyes and saw the yearning in them.

''Raina, say something.''

Survival instinct kicked in as Raina pulled her hand out of his and said bitterly,'' Sid, this is not funny. Please pull these sort of jokes on someone else. I'm not your tithly(butterfly)  for you to flirt with and then get over in a week. So please save it for someone else.''

''I know, I'm probably the last person who deserves to be with you, but you've changed me. You make me want to be a better person, and every time I look at you, I realize how much I need to work on myself to be equal to you. This past month was a dream; I've never seen anybody as beautiful, intelligent and warm as you...Raina??'', he pleaded.

Raina, however walked off, unable to react or face the situation.

Sid returned to Nik's flat and told his tale to a sympathetic Geet and Nik. He brooded there all day, licking his wounds.

The next day, he did the same, lying all day feeling sorry for himself, ignoring the others. When Nik and Geet came to speak to him again, he was about to get up and leave when Raina walked in, her eyes with dark circles around them, looking lost and worn.

  She pounced on him immediately.

''Why? Why did you have to wait to tell me this, just a month before I leave the country?? I barely get time with you!!'', she yelled.

   In response, he walked up to her, staring into her eyes and lifted her off her feet, crushing her to himself. After what seemed liked ages, he pulled his face out of her hair and gave her an ecstatic grin and smacked her on her lips in front of everyone.

  She however pushed him off, her expression still angry. ''Didn't u hear what I said??'', she yelled.

  ''We'll get time babe. Relax.''

''Sid I'm leaving in a month and a half, i hope you realize th---''

''I'm leaving with you,'' he cut in.

Raina wasn't sure if she had heard right. ''Wha'''?

''I'm taking a chef's course in the same city that you're going to. I can't let you out of my life that easily, babe. I've been working it out ever since you told me of your admission. I figured, that even if u didn't want me as a boyfriend, I'd still be there as a friend till I make you fall in love with me.'', said Sid with a broad smile, evidently pleased with himself.

Raina, stared at him with her mouth open, processing the information that had been passed on to her. Finally, she just leapt into his waiting arms and hugged him, tears falling from her eyes.

Chapter 19 - Intoxication - Below!!

...Geet stopped and took off her skates, and stepped on to Nik's skated-bound feet, putting her arms around his neck, never taking her eyes off his. 

Nik's throat contracted on seeing the intense expression in her eyes, the bold confidence in them, when she looked at him. 

Sorry guys..hardly any Geet and no Maan again...will update as I get time. Thanks for the love

Amruta