Abhira sat by the window of her hotel room, the soft glow of the Dehradun skyline lighting her restless face. The bustling streets below felt like a distant murmur, unable to distract her from the storm inside her mind.
Her thoughts were a whirlwind, circling back to one name: Rudra Sharma.
Clutching her phone tightly, she debated whether to call Armaan. "He must have something by now," she muttered, dialing his number.
"Abhira," Armaan's calm voice came through.
"Armaan," she began, her voice sharp with urgency, "Did your friend say anything about the photo? Has he sent an update?"
There was a brief pause on the line. "Relax, Abhira," Armaan said gently. "He's still working on it. He promised me an update by evening. You need to stop stressing."
"Evening? Armaan, I feel like I'm so close to finding him!" she exclaimed, the frustration clear in her voice. "I just need confirmation!"
"And you'll get it," he reassured her. "But for now, focus on your evening plans. You're going to the concert, right?"
Abhira nodded as if he could see her. "Yes, I am. But Armaan... there's something about him. Something that feels... familiar."
" I trust your instincts Abhira but do not stress over this so much," he said with quiet confidence. "I'll call you the moment I have an update. Ease your mind and enjoy the concert for now"
As the call ended, Abhira sighed, setting her phone down.
Her heart was heavy with questions, but one thing was clear-she couldn't rest until she uncovered the truth.
That evening, Abhira arrived at the concert venue with Charu and Kiara. The energy in the air was infectious, the roar of fans chanting Abhir's name echoing across the space.
Kiara bounced on her toes, her excitement uncontainable. "Oh my God, this is going to be the BEST night ever!" she squealed, clutching her phone tightly, ready to capture every second.
Abhira, however, was quieter. Her eyes scanned the massive crowd as if searching for something-or someone. Charu, ever the practical one, sighed at the chaos around her.
"Let's find our seats before this madness gets worse," Charu said, taking charge and leading them toward their section.
As they reached their seats, Charu excused herself. "I'll be back in a minute. Need to find the restroom," she muttered, distractedly checking her phone for directions.
Charu pushed open the door without glancing up, only to freeze. The urinals on the tiled walls confirmed her mistake-she had walked into the men's restroom.
Before she could retreat, a deep, amused voice spoke from behind her. "Lost, sweetheart? Or did you miss me already?"
Charu turned sharply, her cheeks flushing a deep red. Standing there, leaning casually against the wall, was Rudra, his signature smirk firmly in place.
"I... I'm sorry. I didn't realize-" Charu stammered, thoroughly flustered.
Abhir stepped closer, his presence overwhelming in the small space. "Oh, come on. Admit it. Tum mujhse milne ke liye itni desperate thi ki men's washroom ka sign bhi ignore kar diya?"
Charu's embarrassment quickly morphed into irritation. "Excuse me? Main tumse milne aayi hoon? Tumhare dimag mein hawa zyada hai, Rockstar!"
Abhir chuckled, his intense gaze fixed on her. "Tumhari aankhein kuch aur bol rahi hain, Miss..." He trailed off teasingly. "Jo bhi ho. Lekin ek baat yaad rakhna-mujhe pyar karna asaan nahi hai."
Charu's heart raced, her breaths quickening as he leaned in slightly. For a moment, she felt trapped under his spell. But gathering her wits, she pushed him back.
"Get over yourself, Mr. Abbreviation," she snapped, her voice trembling slightly. "Tumhare jaisa attitude mujhe bilkul attract nahi karta."
Abhir smirked, stepping back. "Interesting. I like challenges."
Before she could retort, Charu spun on her heel and stormed out of the washroom, her heart pounding in her chest.
By the time Charu returned to her seat, the concert was in full swing. The lights dimmed, and the crowd erupted in deafening cheers as Rudra took the stage.
With his guitar slung casually across his shoulder and his trademark smirk in place, he began to sing. His voice was magnetic, each note wrapping around the audience like a spell.
Abhira sat frozen in her seat, her eyes glued to the man on stage. Every word he sang, every movement he made, resonated deeply within her. Her heart ached in a way she couldn't explain.
"Yeh kaise ho sakta hai?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Kiara, seated next to her, leaned in. "Bhabhi, kya hua? Rudra sounds even better live, doesn't he?"
Abhira nodded absently, unable to pull her gaze away from the stage.
Charu, too, found herself mesmerized. Though she would never admit it, there was something about the way Rudra performed that commanded attention-like he was singing to each person individually.
As the concert neared its end, Abhira's phone buzzed. She glanced down to see a message from Armaan.
Armaan: "Got the photo. Check it out."
Her hands trembled as she opened the attachment. The image on her screen made her breath catch.
It was the digitally aged photo of her brother-the boy from her childhood photo, now grown into a man.
A man who looked exactly like the one standing on the stage.
"Yeh... yeh kaise ho sakta hai?" she whispered, her voice breaking.
Kiara leaned over to see the screen, her eyes widening in disbelief. "Woh bhabhi aapne Rockstar Rudra ka itna pyara sketch kaise mila?"
Before Abhira could reply.
Charu's attention shifted to them and she peeked at Abhira's phone she knew the context as Abhira shared everything with her" Matlab bhabhi Rudra hi aapke bhai hai?"
Abhira nodded, tears streaming down her face. "Mujhe pehle kyun nahi samajh aaya? His last name, his face... sab kuch match karta hai. He's my brother."
Charu stared at her, shocked. "Are you sure, Bhabhi? Yeh coincidence bhi ho sakta hai."
But Abhira's heart knew the truth. She stood abruptly, her resolve firm. "I need to go to him. I need to tell him."
"Bhabhi, rukho!" Charu tried to stop her, but Abhira was already weaving through the crowd, determination etched on her face.
Bursting into Abhir's green room, Abhira called out, "Abhir!"
He turned responding to the name casually and was startled to see her.
His expression shifted to mild annoyance. "Tum phir se?"
Abhira stepped forward, ignoring his sarcasm. "I called Abhir and you responded,why?."
Abhir froze in shock, cursing himself he muttered "U..h! I heard Rudra forget it and was about to go but Abhira held his arm.
Abhira sighed, leaning against the door. "Wait I need to show you something"
Taking a deep breath, Abhira held out her phone, showing him the photo Armaan had sent. "Yeh dekhiye."
Abhir frowned, glancing at the screen. "My Low quality picture. Tum mujhe directly maang leti, clear HD wala de deta," he joked, but his voice faltered when she swiped to the next image-the childhood photo.
His smirk vanished, replaced by confusion and unease. Memories he had buried long ago began to stir.
"Aap Abhir Sharma hai?" Abhira asked, her voice trembling.
Abhir stared at her, the walls around his heart beginning to crack. But before he could respond, chaos erupted as someone shouted, "Fire!"
In the midst of the panic, Abhir's focus sharpened. Spotting Abhira frozen in fear, he ran to her, grabbing her hand. "Chalo! Yahaan se nikalna hoga!"
He pulled her to safety, his grip firm yet protective. Once outside, he turned to her, his voice sharp. "Tum pagal ho? Andar kya kar rahi thi jab sab bhaag rahe the?"
Abhira looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears. She reached out caressing her cheek, her voice breaking. "Bhai mere AB..."
Abhir froze, her words hitting him like a thunderclap. "Kya?"
Before he could process what she had said, Abhira collapsed, fainting into his arms.