Nurture And Love (BOOK #3) ✔

Chapter 63

"Your name, miss?"

"Aarohi Agarwal, and I come from Omkareshwar." She murmured, trying to be as humble as possible. "I have done my masters in classical Kathak and a diploma in Bharatnatyam. I have already submitted the supporting documents along with my resume."

One of them laughed. "You can't be more funny. If classical dance has been your strength and stream of study, why have you donned such a western appearance?"

"I beg your pardon, Sir, but I thought to move out of my comfort zone and give this audition a chance in order to prove my self-worth." Aarohi explained calmly. "Please give me the opportunity to showcase my capability."

The two of the great men and a woman briefly discussed amongst themselves before shaking their heads. "You are permitted. We may like to see you performing some freestyle first."

Aarohi bent down to touch the transparent glass floor before folding her palms. As the loud music began to play around her, her eardrums almost became used to the tune gradually. She swiftly made her body movements, including her upper and lower limbs, and when it came to rolling on her knees, she was also quite adept to it.

In about three minutes, the music stopped abruptly and a very slow classical melody began to play. Aarohi jolted upright in her place before flexibly trying to adjust her body to the new tune, taking over the viable Kathak moves for as much as her learnings provided her.

Once she was accomplished, she ended her short performance with a vivid step of Bharatnatyam and fell on her knees with a bow. She was panting immensely, yet tried to conceal the uneasiness from her viewers. Surfacing a beautiful smile on her face, she briefed a cleaner end to her performance.

Having been mesmerized by her bountiful moves, the three judges clapped impressively before ticking her for the next round. Winning the first battle came to her like a drop of water in an empty vessel on a hot afternoon and she took a respectful exit from the place.

"I can't believe it, Shai, I made through the first round." Aarohi chattered over the phone. "They have assured me that I'll be called for the next round shortly."

"I told you that you'll make it. I always knew you're worthy of it." Shalini told her. "I can't wait to see you choreographing actresses in movies. Oh my Gawd!"

"Hey, shut up. It's only the first round and I don't want to expect anything. Expectations always hu-rt." Aarohi stopped short of her speech as her expectations had always been tossed around like game consoles since ages. "Talk to you later, bye."

Aarohi reached Gaurav's place and retired to the guest room. Screaming her heart out in front of the mirror, she wiped away her tears. "After losing myself to every expectation, my only hope is the skill I'm best at, my dance. I want to prove it to myself that I'm worth it— I'm worthy of being loved, if not as a girlfriend or a wife, but as a choreographer, as a teacher, as a dancer. . ."

While Aarohi cried loudly in the room, Tripti watched her quietly from outside and pressed her forehead against Gaurav's chest. Gaurav rubbed her shoulders before saying, "Hadn't you placed the audition pamphlet on her desk, she would have never found out her own worth. Today's audition has surely brought in a good amount of motivation and confidence in her saddened life. Let her cry to her heart's content."

"I only did what I was instructed to, by her brother Dhairya." Tripti told him. "I so wish that she gets united to the love of her life so that she doesn't have to keep crying over her fate again and again."

*****

"I do not under-stand how it is always you who is involved beh-ind each and every diffi-culty that comes our way, for good heavens sake!" Sanchi prompted over the phone call that Vihaan had shot to speak to her. "How can the wad of crimi-nals not stop swarming behind you like ants follo-wing their leader?"