After tanking my individual evaluations, I had all hopes set on the upcoming solo performances. We had to perform two sets of different dance styles with each routine having one a half week for preparation. After the first round ended, we needed to prepare for the second round of evaluation, making the whole process of around three weeks.

These three weeks were really important for me. So, I decided that even if I had to catch the last train back home, I would give my best.

Our mentors gave us the choices to choose between four dance styles for both evaluation rounds. For the first round, I got Krumping and Robotics; I wanted to learn something new, so I chose Robotics. Moreover, Krumping required a lot of aggression and power, so Robotics was the best choice for me.

As for the second round, I chose Lyrical over Popping, as I again wanted to diversify my skills - I had already done Popping during the start of the training.

Akshay selected Disco and Whacking. Both of us were discussing about our preparations in a corner. Other dancers were also spread across the huge practice room, and some of them had even started flaunting their skills.

I noticed a few dancers who were not so confident in the beginning but had improved a lot over the time.

"You nervous?" Akki asked.

"Of course, I am. Just look at them." I pointed at the fellow humans bending their bodies like they had no bones.

"Stop comparing yourself to others. Just focus on what you have in your hands."

I took a deep breath. "Akki, I am actually a bit scared. What if I get eliminated?"

"You know what will happen then."

I felt myself getting smaller under Akshay's murderous glare.

"If you leave me alone here, you can prepare for your funeral," Akki threatened.

I narrowed my eyes. "You sure you will be alone?"

"What do you mean?" he asked innocently.

I looked at Suhana shortly - she was surrounded by a few girls, busy solving their queries. Instantly, her head whipped in my direction, and her eyes widened before she composed herself and continued with her friends.

Akshay followed my lead, and slowly, a light blush crept up his neck. He adjusted his cap and cleared his throat. Suhana also glanced at him, but she was better at masking her emotions.

When Akshay looked at me again, I was amazed to see how his expressions had softened.

"Akki, you wanna tell me something?" I asked in a low voice.

"I don't know what you are talking about," he replied like a robot.

Wow, he surely doesn't want to share his thoughts about Suhana at the moment. But how much longer does he think he will be able to hide? Not that he is succeeding right now.

"I will be available in case you feel like telling me," I said.

Akshay didn't say anything. His gaze just flitted towards Suhana briefly before he gave me a really short nod. He started talking about finding reference videos for our dance performances, and I joined him.

After arguing for about an hour, my throat felt dry. Both Akshay and mine bottles were empty, so I picked them up and told Akki that I would get them filled. Akshay nodded absentmindedly, his head buried inside his mobile screen.

On my way, I stole a glance in Suhana's direction. She was sitting silently, zoning out, while her companions goofed around. I was amused at her changing expressions.

I shook my head to myself and continued on my way. I was surprised to see some of my former teammates huddled a few feet away from the water tank.

"Hi, guys," I greeted.

"Oh, Bhoomi, where have you been?" Falguni asked and crushed me in her arms.

"I am here only but you don't seem to bother about me," I complained.

Falguni smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about that. By the way, all of us are planning to throw a surprise party for Yukta. Wanna join?"

"Of course. How has she been? I didn't get to meet her. Did her surgery go well?"

"That girl is doing fine." Michael quipped.

Gaurav nodded and asked me if I was free next weekend. All of our previous team members were planning to meet and celebrate Yukta's successful surgery at Colaba.

"I will try," I said.

"Try?" Omkar asked incredulously as he arrived. "You have to come, Bhoomi. We won't talk to you if you bail out on us."

"I don't intend to, but I can't promise. I also want to meet Yukta, but I might be at some work that day. Moreover, I can't slack off because of my poor results."

Everyone looked at me sadly. Apart from me, everyone was doing well. Though Gaurav and Manoj were not in the top ranks, they still had nothing to worry about the eliminations.

"You don't need to stress so much, girl. We all know you will nail these tests," Falguni encouraged me.

"But please try to come. The venue is not really high-fi, and the bill will also be manageable," Michael informed.

Bill... Can I really afford it? Travelling expenses won't be much, but I will need to get a gift for Yukta. Going empty-handed won't be good. Also, I will need to check my savings. I really want to go, but what if Mom refuses? I also don't have new clothes. After hearing my crew's complaints regarding my attire that day, I don't want to look out of the place again.

"How much is the cost of renting the venue and other services?" I asked.

"The current place we are planning will go for around 9k," Gaurav said, "and if we want some special arrangements, then it might be around 11-12k approx."

My eyebrows shot up. That was a lot. Even if we split bills, the amount was a lot for just three to four hours. Others began discussing about other places, and my mind began calculating the expenses.

I counted on my fingers. The evaluations will start soon, and we have one and a half week for the first round finale. If I wake up early, do some chores at Urmila Aunty's place and also a few night shifts, I may be able to save some money for this surprise party. But what if some emergency comes up? I still haven't asked Mom about how much she has saved. Can I earn more if I work extra hours, or should I-

"Hey, TJ!"

I was pulled out of my thoughts when Omkar yelled Tejas's name. Tejas waved his right hand and sauntered towards us.

He fist-bumped others, and I side-stepped to maintain the four-hand distance between us. I guess he hadn't noticed me properly because he ended up standing really close to me. While he was busy entertaining Michael's queries, I moved beside Gaurav.

This should be okay now. I don't want to feel like I violated Tejas's personal space again.

I didn't say anything as I actually had nothing to say to him. Maybe earlier, I might have jumped on him with all of my curiosity about his choices for upcoming solo performances, but I wasn't going to do the same now.

"TJ, we are planning a surprise for Yukta. You wanna join?" Falguni asked.

Tejas nodded. "Of course."

Omkar listed out everything on their minds, and when Tejas heard the venue's name, he wasn't much pleased.

"I don't think that place will be a good choice," Tejas said. "I am familiar with that area. The venue you have chosen doesn't have good reviews and isn't much hygienic. Let me check."

Tejas whipped out his mobile phone from his pocket, and his fingers glided over the glass screen. Within a minute, Tejas had a list of nice hotels.

"Actually, TJ, we are a bit tight on budget," Falguni said.

"We also want to go to a fancy place, but we won't be able to afford the costs," Gaurav said with a sad smile.

I kept my mouth shut. I already had those concerns, and I even wanted to suggest that we could hold Yukta's party at a cheap place, but everyone seemed very enthusiastic. Yukta was going to return soon, and I knew everyone was really excited about it. This party could have been our first and last together as the eliminations were right above our heads.

"I will pick the place. You guys just need to come," Tejas announced.

"But, TJ, we are planning on-" Michael began, but Tejas stopped him.

"I will handle the expenses." Tejas smiled. "So let's give proper homecoming to Yukta."

"I love you, TJ!" Michael hugged Tejas.

Omkar tried to pull Michael away. "Stop taking all the attention every time."

Falguni and Gaurav laughed as Michael and Omkar fought with each other. Tejas on the other hand, like always, enjoyed their antics. I looked at him, feeling bad that he was again shouldering all the financial stuff on himself, but I also felt relieved as my pockets were already empty.

I noticed that my presence was not much needed, so I silently removed myself from the group and began filling up the bottles.

I was almost done filling one bottle when I sensed someone beside me. I thought that the person was also there to do the same task like me, so I didn't bother to look up.

I started filling Akshay's bottle, and the hair on my neck rose; I felt an unhealthy stare on me. I instantly snapped up my head, and a very colourful curse word almost left me when I saw Kshitij staring into my soul. His already pale face looked a lot paler. I thought he was a ghost.

"KD, what the heck are you doing?" I asked in annoyance.

"What am I doing?" KD asked in shock. "What are you doing? I have been standing here for so long and yet you didn't notice me!"

"Why would I when you didn't even announce yourself? And why were you staring at me so weirdly?"

KD rolled his eyes. "I wasn't."

"Yes, you were!"

KD scrunched his nose. "Actually... I wanted to ask you something...."

I squinted my eyes. "What is it?"

Is it going to be about Arushi?

"Well..." Kshitij twiddled his thumbs, "Can I... May I... wait, should I ask it or not?"

I filled up my water bottle, and Kshitij was still not done arguing with himself. I told him that I was leaving, and he nodded, but as soon as I took two steps away from him, he grabbed my shoulder.

"Bhoomi, wait!" he said so loudly that everyone in the passage looked at us.

"Get over with what you want to ask," I scolded Kshitij.

After noticing everyone's curious stare on us, KD held my left wrist and told me to come with him. He began walking at a fast pace, making it difficult for me to keep up with his long strides.

I also wanted to know what was on his mind, so I followed him. On our way, we passed my former teammates and leader. I was busy wondering about what KD was going to ask when he stopped abruptly, making me crash into him.

"KD, are you an idiot?" I sneered and saw that he hadn't stopped himself.

Tejas had held him in place by his arm, his stare intense on his friend.

"Where are you going to in such a rush?" Tejas asked.

"Why do you care, Mr. Busybody?" KD retorted.

"Because your passenger seems to be getting her arm dislocated," Tejas replied in a really cold tone.

Like I had experienced earlier, his voice was really low and expressions plain, but somehow he looked a lot intimidating that way.

Tejas briefly glanced at Kshitij's hand holding my wrist, and KD instantly loosened his grip.

Is Tejas actually showing his concern right now? But why? Am I imagining things? I must be misunderstanding for sure.

"Do you have sixth sense, bro?" KD commented. "Don't tell me you heard our conversation also?"

Tejas's lips tilted upwards. "What if I say I did?"

My eyes widened in shock. How was it possible? Even if earlier, I and KD were not standing much far from Falguni and others, there were a lot of other people buzzing around. I couldn't even hear properly what they were saying, so I doubted how Tejas could have overheard mine and KD's talk.

"You are impossible, man," KD said. "I am busy, so I will take my leave. Let's meet later."

"Ya, I know how much busy you are," Tejas replied in a clipped tone.

KD gave his friend a nasty look and tugged me. I followed him, and behind me, I heard murmurs mixed with laughter. I looked at my arm being pulled by KD - I surely didn't feel that it would have gotten dislocated so easily. I wasn't that weak.

What should I think about Tejas's earlier behaviour? It is confusing me.

Then stop thinking, idiot. Don't get ahead of yourself. Remember, if there was anyone else in your place, Tejas would have reacted the same. Haven't you experienced it yourself?

I nodded to myself. Kshitij took me to the locker room and started rummaging his bag. I waited for him in silence, my mind still running back to earlier incident. I forced my idiot brain to stop thinking useless stuff.

KD took out some books from his locker and showed them to me.

"You think Arushi will like these?" he asked with full concentration.

I knew it!

"Why wouldn't she? These are books. She will never say no to them." I shrugged.

KD huffed. "Look closely, Bhoomi. I am not talking about the books."

I narrowed my eyes. I still couldn't figure out what he meant. After seeing me confused, he gave me one of the books. I checked its cover, and it was really pretty; the three dimensional effect made the jewellery on it appear realistic.

"Wow, these covers are really nice, KD." I touched the image of a necklace on that cover, and slowly, my eyes became the shape of saucers.

"What the....? Are these real?!" I exclaimed.

"Yup." KD nodded.

My brain shifted gears. "So, you are not just planning on gifting these books to my best friend but want to give these jewellery too?"

He nodded again with a grin as I caught up to his plan. After seeing his expression, I checked the necklace again, a huge doubt building up.

"KD...." I looked at him earnestly, "are these diamonds? Like real diamonds?"

I almost got blinded by his bright smile. He bobbled his head and showed me other books which had similar accesories on them perfectly disguised as book covers.

Shit! Arushi will totally flip if she sees these. It isn't like she doesn't like jewellery, but I think Kshitij is moving too fast. Is he doing this because of his past dating experience? Or is it his first time and that's why he is behaving so weirdly? I should ask him before he gets misunderstood.

"KD, have you dated before?" I asked.

"Only once..." he answered quickly. "But, it was just for a small time period. Why are you asking though?"

I took a deep breath. "Listen carefully. Arushi is my best friend, and even if you won't tell me, I know you like her. It seems a bit unbelievable since you met her just recently, but why should I judge? My friend is attractive and smart, so you being interested in her isn't some miracle.

"That being said, let me remind you one thing: Don't think about playing around with her. You may have experience in this dating field and might even have some people pursuing you, but Arushi has never dated before. She is a very shy person, and though she likes reading romance and stuff, she is still very protective and sensitive about her feelings. If you hurt her, I won't spare your ass."

KD stared at me with his mouth agape. He blinked rapidly and quirked his eyebrows.

"Arushi never had a boyfriend?!" he asked as if he heard something ridiculous.

I gave a strong nod. "That's why I am telling you to think before you act. Also, she doesn't get impressed by these expensive gifts and all. Please reconsider your plan."

"I can't believe this... Arushi.... has never dated before..... How could this be possible?"

I wanted to punch him. "Why can't it be possible?"

"Because, she is...." KD closed his eyes, "because she is so beautiful! I can't believe that she didn't find her Prince Charming yet."

My left eye twitched. "KD, you okay?"

He opened his eyes slowly, a very soft expression on his face. He inhaled deeply and looked at me like I had given him elixir.

"Thank you for letting me know, or I would have completely blown my chances. And don't worry, I am not a bad person. Even if I met Arushi just now, I feel a very strong connection with her. I was overwhelmed to meet someone with similar tastes like mine, and honestly, it felt like a dream when I first saw her," KD confessed without missing a beat.

After smiling to himself, he continued. "I won't rush anything. I promise I won't give you anything to complain, so will you please help me out? I want to know everything about Arushi."

If there was someone else in his place, I might have smacked that person across the face. But Kshitij had no fear or any kind of mirth in his words. He looked so confident that I began comparing the guys who had approached Arushi earlier.

Those guys only seemed interested in her looks, and after getting no response, they couldn't even talk respectfully. Compared to them, Kshitij was a whole lot better.

"I will help you as I can see your feelings are genuine," I said. "But remember my warning. Don't try to force Arushi for anything, okay?"

KD glowed like a tubelight. "Yes, ma'am."

He threw those jewellery studded books inside his locker, and we began leaving. On our way back to the practice room, he kept blabbering about Arushi, and I fed him some of our childhood incidents.

On reaching the practice room, I halted abruptly and stopped KD too. He was confused but did as told. He got busy searching about some stuff on his phone, while I observed my another shy best friend in amusement.

On the other side of the glass window, Akshay and Suhana were sitting side-by-side; Akshay had a dreamy smirk on his lips as Suhana wore his cap and mimicked hip-hop dancers.

I wanted to tease him but controlled myself. I knew that if I arrived in front of them, their happy moment would end, and both of them would start acting like idiots.

I glanced at Kshitij standing beside me, and he was searching about Arushi's hometown. I took support of the wall behind me and observed my friends.

I am happy that KD told me everything himself. I can atleast help him and protect my friend too. As for Akki, let's see for how long he will be able to hide from me.