“Akshara, that was amazing.”
Vansh hugged her backstage as she came down the stairs. Abhimanyu stayed on the stage talking to the audience screaming for his attention. It was her first concert as the only lead female singer for the tour.
“That was wonderful, Vansh. I had so much fun singing the mash up.” She laughed.
“Maybe devotional music wasn’t really your thing.” He laughed.
Akshara glared at him. “Not funny.”
When Akshara graduated from music college, her dream was to train with a contemporary music director outside of her family for new learnings,but she picked up the devotional music line for her father’s sake. She knew he wasn’t going to ask her to change her interests, but when she found out what her father had hoped for her to do, she switched in an instant.
When she shared her interest in devotional music, the joy she saw in his eyes made her so happy, she knew she made the right choice. Family was everything for her, and her father was at the center of it. She was a daddy’s girl, and one of the reasons for her to spend tireless hours in practice to sing a new form of music was not to let her father down.
He was well known and respected in the music industry and would not let anyone say anything about her poor performance, especially not Abhimanyu.
She was annoyed with him for using that leverage against her to get her to sing the modern mash-ups with him, but in that moment, she felt accomplished.
Newfound confidence engulfed her when she remembered the way the people in the front row cheered when she sang. The admiration in the eyes of the fans was such an energy boost, it was addicting. She wanted to do more, something that would bring more excitement to their eyes.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Abhimanyu close the show with his signature style of addressing the audience in their regional language.
“Abhi, what a night this was,” one of the band members cried out as
Abhimanyu came down the stairs to the backstage, hi-fiving his band members, background singers, and event coordinators.
She kept her eyes on him as he walked to Vansh to hug him just like every time, and she waited with deep anticipation to catch the look in his eyes, the very look that would tell her if she did what he had wanted her to do—perform to perfection.
When their eyes met, she saw the spark in his that caused her to let out a gasp. Before she could say or do anything, he stepped forward, pulling her into his arms. She went stiff for a split moment in response to the cold sweat on his bare skin, but her body contoured into him, taking in his masculinity as he lifted her feet off the floor, pulling her into him.
“You rocked, Akshara,” he yelled, making her laugh, and she heard the entire group backstage break into a round of applause.
When he set her feet back on the ground, her knees felt weak, and she reached for the damp fabric of his t-shirt on his back for support. As if he felt her need for support, he tightened his arm that was around her, pulling her to him.
“Guys, another wonderful show! This is our last one for the
southern states. Next, we move up north toward the central zone. Are you ready?”
The entire team cheered with excitement, but none of that registered in Akshara’s mind. The only things she was aware of was the way her heart was beating and how he held her. The waves of unrecognized sensations threatened to consume her as she stood still in his hold.
Later that night, Akshara grabbed her bag from her dressing room after changing out of her heavy outfit. Over the weeks, she had made a good transition into accepting the outfits chosen for her by the costume designer —dresses that made her stand out in front of the crowd—and she started to like the way she looked. The pictures of Abhimanyu and her on the stage always made her heart race.
She stepped out and walked toward the lobby where the team gathered to leave the event location. From the time they started the tour, the protocol was for half the team to travel at a time. As part of that plan, Vansh and a few of the band members always left on the first trip.
Akshara walked into the empty lobby and placed her bag on one of the chairs and sat next to it. She pulled out her phone and called her mother.
She was mid-conversation with her mother when Abhimanyu and few others showed up.
She smiled at Abhimanyu, who kept his eyes on her as he walked to her. A throbbing started in her heart, and she felt the crimson creep into her cheeks, causing her to start rambling on the phone.
When he was a couple of feet away, she abruptly hung up when she realized he was going to come sit close to her.
She looked up, smiling at him when he stopped in front of her.
“Hey.”
“Akshara, got a few minutes to chat?”
“Sure.” She shifted in her chair.
“Did I get you into trouble?” He smirked.
“Trouble?” She scrunched her nose.
“For singing a mash-up with me.” He kept his eyes locked with hers.
She shook her head. “I never get into trouble for anything.”
“Not even with your father? He probably isn’t thrilled you sang something that isn’t classical, but you were mind-blowing.”
“My father would never oppose anything I want to do. I never needed to do anything that he didn’t approve of.”
“A daddy’s girl, huh?” he teased.
She smiled at the thought of her father. “All the way. He is my best friend, and I talk to him every day.”
“How does he feel about you being on this tour?”
She shrugged. “What about it? He was supportive of my interest in being a part of this tour.”
He chuckled. “Did you mention the tour was with my band?”
She nodded. “Absolutely.”
“Good. I am glad I didn’t get you into trouble by asking you to go on tour.” He smiled.
“You didn’t ask me to go on the tour? Vansh did.”
He nodded. “I was ready to come ask you myself if you had said no when Vansh asked. Best choice I made by far.”
“You chose me despite what happened—”
He interjected. “It doesn’t matter what happened a long time ago. It didn’t happen between you and me. I wanted a versatile singer, someone who would be invested in our cause for Vansh’s mom, and I was right about my pick.”
She smiled with a newfound relief. “What if you knew I was the one who yelled at you in the dark?”
He laughed. “I like a woman with a sharp tongue.”
She rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”
“Joking aside, you did really great today. Rocked it.”
“Thank you.” Butterflies took off in her stomach in response to his words.
“Ready for the next concert?”
“Yes, very excited.”
“Let’s meet tomorrow to finalize the songs. I think you can pull off anything now.”
She smiled. “That’s no pressure at all, Abhimanyu.”
He laughed. “You can do it. I know you can.”
His words always pumped her up. “What will you say I can do next? Dance?”
“Sure. You can dance, too.” His tone was playful.
She let out a small laugh. “I am sure I can if you teach me.”
“Done. Let’s do it. I would love to dance with you.”
“Oh, no. Abhimanyu, I was kidding.” She waved her hands in the air.
One end of his mouth twisted up. “I wasn’t.”
“Don’t do that again.”
“What?” he shrugged.
“Talk me into doing something I don’t want to.”
“Me? When did I do that?” His brow furrowed.
“When you stomped into my room to tell me how I, my father’s daughter, should never say can’t,” she teased.
“I wasn’t kidding when I said that. You come from a family with rich learnings and a high talent in music. Anything is possible for anyone of that caliber.”
“Okay, stop. Where are you going with this?” She laughed, suddenly at ease with him and enjoying the banter.
“Akshara, I mean…” his words trailed off when they heard somewhat loud footsteps arriving, and Akshara immediately noticed the way his jaw clenched.
She looked away from him when he stood up and said, “Security, this is a restricted area for the band members only.”
“Mr Abhi, I beg your pardon. I know how busy you are with the tour, so I took the liberty to meet with you here while you wait for the plane to return.” The man walked in dressed in a suit and spoke as he walked toward Abhimanyu.
“I don’t have time for this now.” Abhimanyu was outright rude.
“Just two minutes,” the man pleaded.
“I already said I wasn’t interested,” Abhimanyu almost growled.
The executive in the suit wasn’t willing to give up. “Sir, when the offer was presented to you, it was not well-rounded. We recognize that, and we are here to make amends.”
“Good. I hope you are making changes to your product. Make it good.”
“Sir, our product is nutritious and tasty as well. It is a misconception that it is unhealthy.” The executive kept a straight face.
Abhimanyu took in a slow breath. “I do not want to endorse a drink that is going to fuel the increase in obesity and diabetes in young children.”
Akshara had no idea what the two men were talking about but followed the exchange just like the rest of the group.
“Sir, I assure you our new beverage is wonderful, and our deal is that we supply an unlimited amount of our juices to all your hotels. This is on top of the amount that was offered earlier. I think that is a fair deal.”
Abhimanyu looked away from the man as if in disgust. “I am NOT endorsing your drink until you make the product healthier.”
“It is the best, sir. Your fans will enjoy it even more if you back it.”
“Your two minutes are up,” he said and stepped away from the man to walk to the entrance to talk to the security team.
Akshara watched the executive talk in a hushed voice with the other people who accompanied him and saw the familiar logo on one of the folders they were holding.
One of the top family-owned companies that made semi-perishable food items was looking to get his backing. Abhimanyu was pushing back because of the quality of the product.
A smile formed on her lips when she realized how much he cared about his young fans, the teenagers who are crazy about him and his music. Those loyal followers would take his word and support any product or belief. He was watching out for them and not just taking the endorsement money.
Her eyes went in search of the tall figure who looked extremely angry, and yet, in her eyes, he looked heroic, the kind of person who cares and protects. He was still pissed when he came back to grab his bag that was on the chair next to her.
“Time to go,” he said, and she followed him to the waiting cars.
When she got to the car, he held the back door of the SUV open and said, “After you.”
Akshara got in the back seat without a word, knowing they were in a hurry, but she never travelled with Abhimanyu on their way back from the event location, according to the schedule.
“Thanks.”
As if he read her mind, he said as the SUV started to move.
“I asked for the switch in the protocol, so we can continue the conversation that was interrupted by those imbeciles.”
“Okay.” She looked out of the window and saw the crowds still clearing out even after almost an hour of wrapping up the concert.
“As I was saying, you can do anything you put your heart to, and—”
She turned to look at him. “Teach me how to dance, to entertain, and be a performer like you.”
His eyes sparkled at her as his grin broadened.
“Deal.”
She extended her hand, and he took her soft palm into his large one and smiled.
“Deal…We start tomorrow.”
She rolled her eyes. “What did I get myself into?”
“A lot of fun.”
“I’m sure.” She smiled and added, “By the way, what you did was nice… with the executives.”
“Talking rudely to those people?”
She smiled. “That, too, but most of all, the fact you just didn’t agree to endorse any product just for the money.”
He shook his head. “That’s the least I could do. What I am going to do is talk to the health minister and have all their recipes audited.”
“Wow, you are serious about this.”
“Yes. It’s the health of the future of this country. It’s not worth it.”
He shook his head.
Impressive!!
What she thought she had said in her mind was actually said out loud, and the way his lips widened into a smile, made her insides melt as butterflies took off in her stomach. She looked away from him, unable to handle the searing heat that was building up between them, thick and electrifying.
Love
Janus