I go home and I am thinking about our stunt today. I wonder I might not be the one who disappoints everyone, to let my team lose. I pray to god, for our team, for you. I reach the office to be the first one to practice on the stage area. This is it, the last of us to be together like this. I am so nervous about what’s going to happen, I perform the last practice with all of my group and I am able to maintain the balance.
We practice once more, and I look at you, trying to gather all my courage to befriend you, I look at you like I can’t have you, I don’t know why this feeling always is inside me, like you are mine, but not mine, we can never be together no matter how much I want you to be with me, I want to spend time with you, know you, you are something more that my heart desires, I look at you like a kid who wants that car so bad, but can’t.
I never thought about you having someone in your life, I am failing at the little attachment turned bold with you from looking at you from afar to these little awkward moments, to dancing with you, to have fallen for you, to looking at you being lost and lonely, to dreaming about you. My feelings are doing a somersault in my mind and heart. I want to tell you so bad but I can’t.
Our dance song plays and I look at you. You don’t look at me, all my focus is on you. We leave after our practice session, vacating for other groups to prepare. The competition begins in 4 hours. We go wrap up our meetings for the day, have lunch and we are busy getting set for our Grand finale.
We get ready, doing our makeup, put on our dresses, and I walk out of the office restroom towards the meeting room we decided to join in for the one last get-together. I enter and I look at every one. My eyes are open wide in amazement, all of us looking marvelous and I am stunned at how the guys look, so charming to sweep everyone off their feet. I am so excited and no more nervous. I look at Agrim, oh he takes my breath away. He is busy taking selfies and pictures with everyone. We click a lot of pictures, in various poses, and you take a selfie with me, We look great together, I am feeling high. I am smiling and blushing at the same time, I can’t help but laugh around, shedding all my nervousness away.
We take all the group pictures together, you pull me close and we click an incredible team photo. We hurriedly end our photo session and we move up the competition area. I see all the dance groups in their excellent attires, taking all the limelight away, blue-red, golden, pink, and gorgeous shades. Their props shining magnificently. The stage abuzz with a lot of crowd, cheering and bewildered at the 2-hour dance competition among 6 groups. Everyone is so intoxicated with the delight of dancing and viewers thrilled.
Prachi is anchoring and introduces the groups and our judges. The leaders of the groups are called upon to take out the chit from the glass bowl to decide the sequence and we get the number 3. We will be performing after the tech team group Go-getters.
Prachi calls upon the groups and the office crowd goes crazed, at the astonishing performances and we are on the side of the stage looking at them clapping. 2 performances are done and we are up next. I am unbelievably nervous. We wish each other all the best and I walk restlessly towards the stage. I think about YOU, your face and your smile, what if I ever had the joy of having you in my life, what if I can really tell you about my feelings, How happy would I be, how lucky I would be to have you by my side.
I stretch out my hand as the song plays and I feel a rush in my heart, I am smiling at the mere thought of loving you and being loved by you in return. I see Abhinav but I feel you. I am lost and I dance, with the cheer, all the energy and We perform flawlessly and the crowd is going peculiarly frenzied, I can hear shrills of laughter, hooting, and cheering, people are enjoying us and our catchy soundtrack, they love our props and our dance moves, they are grooving, we put the stage on fire, we nail our stunt without a single blunder and I hold myself like I would hold you in my arms and never let you go. I would love you from the core of my heart, I live the dance sequence as if it’s you who got to me, it’s you who I love and I dance to your love. We end our performance and we make our mark on the judges and more than them on the crowd going mad!
I am breathless after the performance, I am taking rushed breaths and my face is red, we look at each other, droplets visible and the energy evident, on our sparkling glowing faces. I look at you with all the love in my heart, you make eye contact and you smile at me. We leave the stage and we are eager for other performances. My heart is beating faster than ever, all the preparation nights, all the feet ache, all the body ache finally must have paid off. I am relieved of the immense guilt. I wish we can win. The satisfaction would be extreme, I am so happy, what if I have you with me having this memory of us forever with me. I am teary-eyed, of all the emotions I feel inside me.
Dazzlers perform, Dancing fleet performs, showing their extra cool dance moves. I look at everyone until the end. Prachi is holding the microphone “We will announce two winners from our dance competition in the next 10 minutes.”
There is a surprise flash mob by the HR group and Prachi takes away all the marking sheets from the judges. I pray for us to win. We all can’t wait and there is a group photo of all the dancers in the meanwhile and we wait for the longest 10 minutes of our life.
She taps the microphone and she is about to announce the two winners and my heart is beating in my ears. The crowd starts cheering different dance groups name and I listen to the crowd, Its Dazzlers they are cheering for, I look at Sugandha looking at me, and we exchange a lovely smile.
“So the winner is Pooja and Team the Dazzlers” oh the hot heartthrob, I look at Sugandha jumping in glee, I clap and congratulate her from the other side of the stage. The crowd is applauding and my heart sinks a little, I look at us, all are feeling a bit sad.
“The second winners are Siddhant and team Dance Crushers” Oh boy, I look at everyone jumping in ecstasy having a group hug, and the office crowd is yelling, I am happy beyond expectations. Oh boy, I finally exhale a sigh of relief and I see you dancing in celebration, everyone gathers in the stage area and we dance randomly, overjoyed to have won we are no more the office buddies, we dance like the street kids dancing in the rain, happy, excited and carefree, with the extra energy, it is heartwarming and I am on cloud 9 with all the others. We are soaring on the dance stage and loud bass-filled music. I am dancing in my own essence and you pull me in the crowd, and you hold my hand. I look into your eyes and you hold my arms. I dance with you amongst everyone and I feel surprised. I move along with you thinking, What would I not give in this world to be with you.
TO BE CONTINUED
