Hiding in our home wasn't going to be of any use. After yesterday's events, my family couldn't even sleep properly. We had somehow managed to calm Dad down, but he was always on alert and didn't want to leave any of us alone.

In the morning, Mom did her best and convinced him to go to his job. After he was gone, we women huddled together, and after a very intense crying session, we gave strength to each other; none of us could lose our hopes, especially Dhara Di because she still blamed herself for everything.

Unexpectedly, my niece was the strongest - she didn't complain about what had happened and agreed to help us in keeping the conversation between Shailesh and us a secret from Dad.

As she was a kid, she ignored her injuries and started playing as if nothing had happened, but we adults were having a hard time coming over the same thing.

Dhara Di kept zoning out, so Mom suggested about taking her to the doctor before my sister's mental health deteriorated.

In the afternoon, I called up Akshay from my sister's phone and told him to inform our mentor about my absence. I requested for a one-day emergency leave, and I didn't need to make any excuses as Akshay knew it must have been related to Dhara Di.

Once Mom left with Srishti and Dhara Di, I fell down on the mattress. I stared at the ceiling and cursed at the top of my voice. I wanted everything to turn out to be just a nightmare, but even if I closed my eyes, I knew that nightmare wasn't going to vanish.

Still, I closed my eyes, and even if I was 99.99% angry at my luck, I was still 0.01% grateful for making it out alive. If I was fully unlucky, then I wouldn't have seen everyone again.

Okay, Bhoomi, now that you have taken the responsibility to keep your family safe, you gotta act quick.

As only half of the day remained, I read Shailesh's deal over and over again. Foremost, the case against that jerk needed to be settled. I didn't want to but that's what was promised. It wasn't going to be that easy and fast, and I was counting on using that point against Shailesh if he tried to threaten us again.

For now, I needed to make him completely trust me before I found a way to get rid of him. Also, I had to put up an act and not let my friends suspect anything or they wouldn't have held back from getting themselves involved.

I had gotten a leave, so I decided to take full rest and told Mom to get me some painkillers on her way back. My right scapula was hurting, but since I didn't feel any fatigue, I didn't go for a checkup.

The day felt longer than usual, and each second passed like an hour. When Mom returned with my sister, we started our plan of distracting ourselves and didn't mention anything related to Shailesh.

We behaved as if we were not at all affected, and when Dad came back from his work, we were able to fool him. After dinner, when everyone fell asleep, Mom and I went on the terrace.

"Bhoomi, I am really worried for you," Mom said. "Why did you take all the risk on your head?"

"I am also a part of this family, Maa. You think if you were the guarantor, none of us would have done anything?" I asked.

"But you are still a kid..."

"I am for you but not for the world."

Mom hugged me. "I am sorry, beta. If I had known Shailesh was going to turn out like this, I wouldn't have gotten Dhara married to him. Your sister is right; I got blinded by my greed, and now we are all facing the consequences of it."

"Maa, please stop blaming yourself," I scolded. "Dhara Di does the same and then Dad also starts cursing himself for making wrong decisions. We can't do anything now; all of it is in the past. We can only move forward."

"You have become so mature," Mom said.

I smiled. "I haven't actually, but I can pretend."

She caressed my hair as tears pooled up in her eyes. "How are we going to earn so much? Getting those seven lakhs wasn't easy, and without taking Viraje Madam's help, I wouldn't have been able to collect even one lakh. Now the amount is forty lakhs, and if Shailesh wants, he can increase the amount by threatening us again."

"We won't let him do that," I replied. "We will work hard, and take small steps. You are already working extra shifts, but your health will be at risk if you take on more work. We need to find such jobs that will help us make four to five times the wage we get now. And before you pull everything on your shoulders, I will remind you that I won't let you work like a machine. I am still young, so I will do most of the jobs, okay?"

Mom pouted, and I wiped her tears. She pulled me in a bone-crushing hug and apologized for giving me such a hard life.

"As long as I have you all, I am prepared for the hardships," I told her.

Mom nodded. "We will save our family."

"Yes, we will."

Mom and I stayed in silence for some more time before we went back downstairs. We both knew we wouldn't have been able to sleep, so we discussed all the ideas and the precautions we needed to take.

The sun rose, and it was time to start the day. Removing all negativity and disdain, we kept a smile on our faces and got ready to tackle the upcoming days.

We continued our usual routine: Dad left for his long duty, Mom got Srishti ready for school, Dhara Di took all the rest she needed, and I left home to go to my college and Sarthak's studio.

In the train, I kept glancing at other people and imagined what kind of stuff they must be facing in their lives. I got a distraction when a nasty fight broke out between some women, and after getting my ears filled with all kinds of curse words, I reached my college.

The moment I spotted Akshay and Arushi, I just wanted to dash and hug the hell out of them. My eyes stung with tears, and before I lost my control, I ran towards the washroom and cried a lot before I composed myself.

Bhoomi, you can't fail on the first day itself. No one else, but your best friends will easily suspect if you slip up even once. It is okay. It is just the beginning, so if you feel your emotions getting out of control, just let it all out before you meet others. Remember what is at stake.

I nodded to myself and washed my face. I stared at my reflection in the mirror, and I didn't know for how long I kept looking at myself because I was shaken out of my thoughts by Suhana.

"Are you okay?" she asked me.

I gave her a shot nod. "Yeah."

She darted her eyes on me, but I excused myself and left the washroom. I spotted Akshay in the distance, and since I knew he was waiting for his girlfriend, I met him and just exchanged a few words before I went to the library to join Arushi.

She was glaring at her laptop, and we had a half an hour before our lecture began, so I asked her if there was any update about my resubmitted assignments.

She slid her phone towards me and fisted her hands in frustration when her PC's screen hung up.

"I feel like I will soon turn into a murderer," Arushi grumbled.

I felt sorry for her. If I was in her place, I would have ended up smashing that old electronic junk long ago. She shut her PC down and powered it on after a few minutes.

She prayed for it to work and sighed in relief once the start menu appeared and her file was saved.

I checked our class's WhatsApp updates and took out my notebook to write down all the important stuff and shared notes.

"Good morning, girls," Kshitij greeted as he arrived.

"Good morning, KD," I returned the greeting.

"Hello, Kshitij," Arushi said, and since I arrived, I saw a smile on her face for the first time.

Before I forgot again, I quickly took out Kshitij's iPad from my bag, and he raised his eyebrows in shock when I unpacked his belonging from six layers of protection.

"Here you go," I gave his tablet. "Please check if it is okay. And if you find anything, then I assure you that I did everything to keep it safe."

KD chuckled. "Relax, Bhoomi. Even if it is broken, I am not going to torture you over it. It is just a device."

"Thanks a lot, KD," I said and looked at Arushi in accusation. "Unlike someone, you are not scolding me at all."

Arushi narrowed her eyes at me in return, and I pulled my lips in as the teasing words were at the tip of my tongue.

I wiggled my eyebrows at her, and she was busy murdering me through her eyes. Suddenly, KD placed a few gift-wrapped boxes in front of me.

"Since you have returned my iPad safely, please choose any one you want," he told me.

I looked at him in confusion. "Today's not my birthday."

"So what? Just pick one already, or... take all of them if you prefer."

"But what are all these?" I picked up one of the rectangular boxes and shook it. "It feels heavy."

KD told me to unwrap it, and I suspected if he was pulling a prank on me. I glanced at Arushi, and she was also looking over curiously.

I took the risk and unwrapped one of the boxes. While Kshitij cheered in joy, my and Arushi's eyes widened in surprise.

"You picked the exact one I had in mind!" KD clapped.

It is a brand new mobile! And not just an average one, but one of the latest models launched this year.

"What the....? What kind of prank is this, KD?" I complained.

He rolled his eyes in frustration. "Why do you have to spoil the fun every time? I am not joking at all."

To prove himself, he unwrapped other boxes and showed me all the phones he had selected for me.

"These are all the options you can choose from, but I agree with your first choice," KD said like a salesperson. "But if you want, you can take all these and try them out. When you are satisfied with one, keep it, and you can give the rest to your family members if you feel like it."

I kept staring at him, and he told me to close my mouth before a housefly went inside it.

"I don't need it," I told him and started repacking all the phones.

KD held my wrists. "I won't let you return it."

I struggled to get my hands out of his grasp, but he was strong. He was leaner in build than his best friends but didn't fall short on the strength part.

"Aru, help me," I told my best friend.

She glanced between me and KD and snapped up from her chair.

"Our lecture is going to start in five minutes," she said and picked up her laptop.

"Bye, Arushi~" KD waved.

"Bye," she said and left.

I looked at Kshitij in anger. "Are you an idiot? Arushi just left and you didn't stop her?"

Kshitij's smile faded as soon as my best friend was out of sight.

"There is no progress, Bhoomi," he whined.

"What do you mean?" I asked. "I thought there was a significant growth since both of you were stuck to each other like glue in Vibhan's bonfire party. Did you mess up so early?"

KD left my hands and played with the phone boxes. "We just talked about books, and again about books, and guess what happened after that? It was again about books only!"

"Isn't that a good thing? I mean, you at least have a common interest. I had already told you to take things slow, so why are you so worried?"

"Bhoomi, I am taking things very slow, but there is nothing else we talk about other than new books, authors, reviews and readers. As soon as I try to flirt, Arushi shoots down my imagination like a sniper. I am losing hope now."

I looked at him flatly. "Are you being honest? If what you are saying is true, then how come Arushi seems so busy in her phone nowadays? Isn't she chatting with you only?"

Kshitij bit his lips. "That's not happening so often recently, and we only talked about her reviews and other boring stuff. I had suggested about watching a movie adaptation of one of her favourite books, but she rejected. After that, everything is unclear. I need your help, but you refuse to get yourself a phone. That's why, I am gifting you a mobile. I will be honest; it isn't just for you but for myself too."

I shook my head. "I understand, but I won't be accepting your gift. This is too much, KD. Don't worry, I promise I will get myself a phone really soon."

"But what's the problem with these? You don't like them? You don't consider me your friend, right? How can you hurt me like this every time, Bhoomi?"

I slapped him across the head as he started his emotional drama again. He tried to force those mobile phones inside my bag, but I managed to push him off. After fighting for like five minutes, he gave up but threatened that if I didn't buy a phone soon, I would have to take the ones he was giving.

I was really grateful for his concern, but thanks to him, I was late for my lecture, and he wasn't apologetic about it at all.

After attending two lectures, it was time for lunch, and I didn't forget my earlier mission even if my mind was filled with the worries related to my personal problems.

I took out my extra tiffin and placed it in front of Hriaan, who acted like he wasn't affected, but as soon as I left to sit on another table in the cafeteria, he couldn't resist any longer and started eating my lunchbox.

He gave it back after wiping it clean but didn't say anything else. I was happy with the little progress, but my best friend Arushi seemed to be in a bad mood. I didn't poke her about it as I thought her quiet mode must be related to her laptop.

After getting over most of the tasks at college, I left to go to Sarthak's studio. When I reached there, I found Tejas already having a discussion with Tanmay Sir, confirming why I didn't see him in the college in the morning.

A few minutes after I entered the practice room, KD and Jolina also arrived, followed by Suhana and Akshay.

We all waited for our mentor and Tejas to finish off their conversation, and when they got over with it, Tejas came to join us; I looked at him in confusion as he was frowning, while Tanmay Sir was grinning.

"Okay, my team, glad to see you all here," Tanmay Sir greeted. "Before we begin, let me ask Bhoomi if she is okay so we can start."

"I am okay, Sir, and also thank you for granting me a leave on urgent basis," I replied.

He nodded. "Happy to hear that. Now let's move on to the main topic. I have come up with a rough choreography by keeping in mind all of your past performances and suggestions from Sarthak. So, as you all may have already expected, we will be doing a romantic number, and instead of just one, there will be three couples in the whole act, and each one of them will act as the main duo."

Three couples? It wasn't anything new, but we had only six dancers in our team. How will the choreography look with three main couples? Will we do repetitions or different sections for each pair?

"I think some ideas are already floating in your minds, and I will encourage them too, but before we begin, let's get over the climax, shall we?" Tanmay Sir teased. "Who do you think will be your partner?"

All of us started looking at each other in anticipation. I really wanted to pair up with Akshay because I had hardly gotten a chance to be with him on the same team, but it would have been a bit hard since Akki would have surely wanted to take this chance to do a duet with Suhana.

As for KD, he would have outshined me, and I would have just ended up crushing his toes again if it was going to be waltz, and as for the last option, I knew Tejas would have never agreed to get paired with me - he had suffered enough already.

Who is it going to be? Whoever it is, I hope it is not Tejas. Sounds really ironic, doesn't it? I was dying to have such a chance with him, but now? I will prefer if I am transferred to another team than becoming Tejas's partner. Who knows he might throw me off due to his anger for Boomer?

Stop imagining stupid stuff, Bhoomi. If he wanted, he would have thrown you out in the space long ago. Just try to not let your inferiority complex act up, and be confident in yourself. No matter who your partner is, you have to give your best.

Relieving us of the suspense, Tanmay Sir declared the pairings.

"Suhana and Akshay, Jolina and Tejas, and last but not the least, Bhoomi and Kshitij."

Yes!

I high-fived with KD. Like me, he was also content with our mentor's decision and openly expressed how he didn't want to dance with Suhana at all. In return, Suhana tried to claw him with her long nails, but Akshay managed to protect KD from his girlfriend.

Like me, Jolina was also super happy, but unlike all of us, Tejas gave no reaction; he kept staring at Tanmay Sir. Our mentor patted Tejas's shoulder and snickered.

"TJ, come on, I have to think of everyone, bro," Tanmay Sir said. "And this is a group performance, so please don't act like a lone wolf."

"I will do my best as your partner, TJ," Jolina assured.

Tejas sighed and gave her a small smile. "Sure. Let's do our best."

I was observing all of them, trying to figure out if Tejas had a fight with Tanmay Sir because when I had arrived, both of them were talking over each other.

Suddenly, Tejas snapped his head in my direction. I didn't look away.

His gaze was strong, so I tried to match it - if he wanted to intimidate me, I was also going to do the same.

Slowly, his lips curved up on one side, and he ran a hand through his hair.

"Why don't you announce the training details too?" he asked our mentor.

Tanmay Sir nodded and told us to give him his attention. He informed us that apart from the rehearsals, we were going to follow some mandatory exercise routines from the next day. For today, we had to do a small showcase for our mentor to judge our chemistry.

We followed the instructions, and after giving a short duo performance each, Tanmay Sir confirmed that Jolina and I needed a lot of practice.

He asked Suhana to join him and did a freestyle; we were awed. I closely observed their movements. I had kept a small notepad to write down the details, and as the dance lesson progressed, I had filled about five pages already.

"You can just record it," Tejas commented in a low voice.

I knew he was talking to me even if KD was sitting between us.

"I find this method better," I replied to him in a low voice to avoid disturbing our mentor.

"You have to bring all of this to reality," Tejas pointed at my notes from behind KD.

"I will." I turned my attention away from him.

"You looked very happy when the pairings were announced."

"Is there any problem with that?"

"Sure you can be happy whenever you want, but I know you were just trying to avoid me."

I snapped my head at him. "And you already know the reason behind it too, don't you?"

He nodded really slowly. "Guess you came over your identity crisis."

I clutched my pencil tightly. "You still going to stretch that matter? You know what? I am already tired of worrying about it, so let's just complete your wish and get over it for once and all."

My anger rose as I felt Tejas's stare challenging me. All of the events from the day before yesterday started flashing in front of my eyes, and I felt frustrated at how much powerless I actually was.

Tejas gave me a once-over. "You okay?"

Why is he looking at me like that now?

"I think it isn't Hriaan but you who has a personality disorder," I huffed.

Tejas narrowed his eyes, and I thought I was going to explode if he taunted me one more time, but he took a deep breath and didn't break the eye contact.

"Let's talk about it later," he said. "Don't increase your blood pressure."

"What?"

I kept staring at him, but he ignored me. KD nudged me and told me that I wasn't paying attention to what Tanmay Sir was telling me.

I apologized for getting distracted and slowed down my breathing. If KD hadn't pointed out that my eyes had turned red, I would have ended up crying in front of all. Even my heart rate was running laps, and I felt a headache building up.

I don't have any blood pressure issues, but my head is spinning.

To avoid blacking out of the blue, I stayed in one spot and didn't get up even when the dance lesson ended. KD, along with Akshay and Jolina discussed their doubts with Tanmay Sir and Suhana, while I rubbed my temples.

Tears, tears, go away, please come another day...

"Have this."

I heard Tejas's voice, and a light yellow coloured drink bottle planted itself in front of me.

"I don't need your help," I told him.

"It will help you feel better," he insisted. He opened the bottle's cap and brought it near my mouth. "It isn't bitter like other medicines."

I pushed the bottle away. "I don't want it."

He forcefully placed the bottle in my hands. "I am sorry for bringing up that topic. I didn't know you will get so much hyper. You feel like beating me up?"

"As if you will let me - I don't have a death wish," I mumbled to myself.

"What if I let you?" he asked.

What did he say?

I looked up at him so fast that I strained my neck muscles.

He shook his head and told me to take the medicine.

"You can beat me up if you want, but for that, get strong first." He smirked.

He reminded me to drink my medicine, or I might not be able to fight even a small kid.

I wasn't going to accept it in front of him, but he was actually right. My body felt weak, so I took a small sip, and when Tejas joined our teammates, I gulped down a good portion of the drink when he wasn't looking. I needed to replenish my energy.

Forget about having a duel with Tejas; in my current condition, even my niece would have toppled me down.