The cheers for DayZ, Kile, and Tejas were off the charts, while my crew and Hriaan were the only ones boosting my confidence.

"All of you are so popular," I told Tejas.

He smiled. "If you reveal your identity as Boomer, then you will know how popular you are yourself. Should I tell the host to announce it?"

I shook my head vigorously. "No. I hate that name."

He pouted. "But I love it. It sounds so cute."

I gave him a fake glare. "Should you really be teasing me right now about my pathetic fake stage name? Tell me what you have planned. You will go against Kile, and I will go against DayZ, right?"

"We can swap too, though Kile is a bit agressive when he is on the floor. Both of you will match perfectly."

I narrowed my eyes, and he chuckled. I also laughed as he was telling the truth only.

"Just relax. Tap me during the match when you want to challenge them, cool?" he suggested.

"Okay," I replied.

"No stress."

"No stress," I repeated.

Once we were ready, the host told us to take our positions, and the audience's excitement rose even more.

As adviced by Tejas, I stayed back and observed how he handled both DayZ and Kile. While I was now familiar with DayZ, I had a bit hard time understanding Kile's tactics. He was mostly unpredictable.

"Oye, Bhoomi, are you scared or what? Are you going to make your boyfriend do all the work?" DayZ provoked me.

I glanced at Tejas, and he signalled me to not fall in the trap. I nodded and ignored the taunts, but the more I saw Kile breakdance, the more I felt a need to challenge him.

Sit back, Bhoomi, don't invite trouble for yourself. Even if you have experience battling, he is a legendary B-boy. Just because he is a decade older doesn't mean he won't kick your ass. Tejas is doing a good job maintaining both of your images, so don't ruin it.

Tejas did two rounds consecutively, so when DayZ was done with her turn, I tapped my boyfriend's shoulder. He didn't object, and I finished my round effectively, though my eyes were continuously moving towards Kile.

If I provoke him, will he pay attention to me? He has not looked at me even once since the battle started. I think he doesn't even consider me as his opponent. This hurts my pride.

"Hamster, move away," Tejas said and pulled me back just before Kile's right foot smacked me right in the face.

I never felt much fear after that dance battle with The Emperors when I had debuted as Boomer, but seeing Kile hold so much explosive power even in his simple moves made me insecure.

"Hamster, don't even think about it," Tejas warned me.

He lightly pulled me back, and I slumped my shoulders as he read my mind.

He went against Kile, and we were tied with DayZ and Kile through three rounds. Our opponents were really good, and I was fortunate to witness the duo perform right in front of my eyes, but I wanted to battle them seriously.

If it wasn't for my irritating medical condition, I would have been able to perform properly.

Kile again started the fourth round, and this time, my eyes were able to track each of his movements. I felt like a new area of my brain was activated which led to a surcharge inside me.

I am going against Kile this time. Why should Tejas have all the fun?

With strong determination, I moved on the floor before Tejas could, and I teased Kile by doing old school moves. He wasn't affected, so I upgraded the game. I challenged both him and DayZ, and didn't leave the spot when DayZ and Kile performed together.

I again battled solo, and once more. I was enjoying so much that I noticed Tejas only when I bumped into him after finishing the sixth round.

I tripped on his feet and looked at him in confusion when I saw him causally seated on the floor with legs crossed.

"Why are you on the floor?" I crouched and checked his forehead. "You are tired? You can rest. I will handle the rest of the game."

"Bhoomi, what is he supposed to do when you won't let him dance at all?" DayZ said, and everyone laughed.

"So, you didn't bring your girlfriend just for show, TJ," Kile commented. "Why are you keeping her in the shadows? Don't wanna share the spotlight?"

Tejas smirked at Kile's remark, but I asked him if he was actually okay. He got up and flicked my chin.

"Why didn't you tap me?" he asked.

"I didn't?" I questioned and scratched my head.

He took a deep breath and pinched my cheek. "You always do whatever you want. Now, stay back and let me have some fun too."

"You are enjoying since the start. Let me also join you. I promise I won't sabotage your performance."

"Sure. It is the sixth round, and we haven't yet performed together. Judges will start cutting points now."

"How should we proceed?" I asked.

"Just follow your heart," he said, and I shot him a huge smile.

Expectantly, our opponents taunted us, and Kile narrowed his eyes at me.

"Either you battle or let him do it," he told me. "Go on your date later."

Instead of getting intimidated, I stood confidently and pointed at him.

"We are on a date right now," I said. "But you are the obstacle, so I will remove you first."

Kile's eyes widened for a micro-second before he burst out laughing. DayZ looked at me with pursed lips, and Tejas pulled his cap lower.

"Hamster, is this how you provoke someone in the dance battle?" he asked, his cheeks red like cherries.

I grinned. "If it works, then no problem."

My crew approved, while Hriaan told his best friend to stop acting lovesick.

"Bro, focus on the battle," he scolded Tejas and looked at me. "And you, Shorty, don't distract him and stop embarrassing all of us."

The judges gave us a warning to start soon, or they would consider our opponents as the winner of the round without us even performing.

Tejas and I nodded at each other, and as soon as the music amplified, we danced as a duo. I followed my heart which was already syncing Tejas's moves with my mind.

Past rehearsals and team performances helped me to synchronise with my partner easily, and it was an amazing experience to breakdance alongside The Emperors' captain. I had always dreamed of it and never imagined that my dream would come true like this.

Tejas and I exchanged glances and did a random stunt — it was awesome. He caught me before I flew off in the audience, and once we finished our turn, we moved back as our opponents started after a few seconds of discussion.

I was wondering what else DayZ and Kile had in store for us when Tejas wrapped his right arm around my shoulders; I felt his warm breath fan my face.

"You are tired," I told him.

"That I am, and so are you, but congratulations," he whispered.

"Thank you," I replied. "I finally did a breakdancing routine with you. I want to do it again."

"I am humbled, Hamster, but that's not what I was talking about."

"Then what did you congratulate me for?" I asked in confusion.

"You caught Kile's attention. Not everyone is able to achieve that," Tejas told me.

"Wow, really?"

He chuckled. "Look at you smiling like a kid. But there's a problem. He hasn't just noticed you but marked you as the target too."

I blinked rapidly. "What? But isn't he only challenging you?"

"Thanks to you battling them without any warning, he will now focus on intimidating you. Can you handle it?"

I looked at Kile, and while performing, his eyes were now shooting lasers at me too. As for DayZ, she was chill.

"You and Kile are similar in this matter," Tejas told me. "Both of you are aggressive and like to test your opponents. The only difference is Kile knows how to control his power, and you..."

I sulked. "I don't, but now I know what's my problem. I won't exert myself over my limits. And just in case I do, you are here, no?"

His grip on my shoulder tightened as he looked down at me, his pupils dilating.

"You are really trying my patience, Hamster," he said as his gaze flitted to my lips.

I giggled. "We are in a battle, Captain."

He smiled, and when the judges again ended up giving mixed results, it was time to end the game for good. Our opponents were on the same page, so Tejas and I prepared ourselves. Till now, we were able to stand against the legends appreciatively, but we needed to change gears for the upcoming rounds.

Me and Tejas went first, and we did so many cool combos that I couldn't even remember what we even did. DayZ and Kile jumped right in action, and I grunted when the scores were equally levelled.

"This is same like what happened with my battle with DayZ. Why is neither of us winning?" I asked Tejas.

He took my left hand, folded three fingers and thumb and pointed my own index finger at me.

"I am the problem?!" I shrieked in horror.

"Not the problem, but the catalyst. I am trying to end the game, while you are adding fuel to the fire. I am loving it though. After such a long time, I am battling like this," he said, glancing at Hriaan, who shot Tejas murderous glares in return.

"Do you have a death wish, bro?" Hriaan threatened.

Tejas shot him a toothy grin, while I wondered about he had said. I pondered over it and realised what he meant.

I am trying to defeat Kile, and my whole focus is set on him only. Meanwhile, DayZ is filling up the gaps and working smoothly with her partner, and because of this, none of them is getting tired, while I am catching breath after each round. Tejas is also same like them. If I keep using up all of my energy on just Kile, Tejas will get exhausted soon.

"Tejas, I will act like a support this time. You lead," I told him.

"You want to do it? You won't ignore the signals again?" he asked me.

I assured him, and he patted my head. "You learn pretty fast, Hamster."

Getting his appreciation meant a lot. Even if he was my boyfriend now, he was still my dance idol, and his words regarding my dancing helped me to improve myself every time.

Because of my decision, Tejas and I worked in a new dynamic, and it brought the desired result. We won!

Kile and DayZ were happier on our win, and I thanked them for teaching me a lot of things through our dance battle.

"I hope you will keep the fire in you alive," Kile tole me. "I want to see B-Girls of our country dominating internationally."

"I will always give my best," I said and bowed to him.

He laughed, and DayZ adviced me to remember whatever I learned about myself and expressed how she expected to see me in more battles.

"Are you putting pressure on her?" Tejas interrupted us.

"Pressure is important to grow," DayZ said.

"Your girlfriend got a lot of guts, TJ. Just teach her how to properly provoke the opponents," Kile said and shot me a smirk.

I gave him a fake glare, and Tejas and DayZ laughed at our interaction. After that, me and my friends left the event as it had gotten very late. I also had to prepare for Sarthak's tour and my sister's marriage.

"Did you enjoy?" Tejas asked me as we went to the parking lot.

I had come with my crew, but since Tejas was here, I was going back home with him.

"A lot. I had two one-on-one dance battles, and a surprise duo one. I missed on the crew battle, but I will fulfill my wish next time," I said happily.

He smiled at me, and just before I was going to open his car's door, he stopped me. He came over, and I thought he was going to open the door for me, and I started stopping him, but he extended both of his hands and squeezed my cheeks.

The butterflies and rats in my stomach started dancing together when he leaned down, his lips enveloping mine.

"This is why I wanted to end the battle soon," he said and caressed my lower lip with his thumb.

"You could have just kissed me, you know," I told him.

He raised his eyebrows. "You wouldn't have gotten shy? You hide in my jacket even when we hug in public, so is this some trick you are pulling on me?"

"No, I am not. You know what?" I asked him.

"What?" he questioned, his gorgeous smile making my heartbeats rise.

I grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer.

"I will kiss you even if there are lakhs and thousands of people in front of us. You are mine after all," I stated and kissed him.

In a second, all of the heat crept upto my face, and when we moved apart, I buried my face in his chest. His laughter rumbled through us.

"We are alone, Hamster," he said and tilted my face upwards. "Cute like always."

He gave me a long kiss on my forehead, and I closed my eyes, feeling the beautiful moment that I wouldn't mind repeating again and again.

"Tejas, I love you a lot," I said.

"And I love you more," he said.

He pecked my lips and opened the car's door. I got in and through the drive, we discussed about our upcoming ordeals. Now that I was done playing around, I had serious responsibilities to take care of.

Soon, the date of my sister's marriage was on our heads, and my mother was shouting orders at me and my friends to leave for the marriage hall asap.

Dhara Di and Ritvik Bhaiyya got married, and it was one of the most beautiful days of my life. Seeing them like this was a dream come true. None of us bawled our eyes out because we were already crying happy tears. My sister was able to stand on her own feet for half an hour, and Ritvik Bhaiyya didn't leave her side even for a second.

After the marriage was over, we came back home, me and my parents missing Dhara Di and Srishti. We all had smiles on our faces when we slept, and after two days, I went to college to not ruin my attendance.

My lecture got over, but I didn't leave the class. Suhana and KD arrived to discuss about our choreographies for Sarthak's tour as all of us had a free period. Akshay and Arushi joined us soon, and I started missing Tejas as I was third-wheeling the two couples.

Yes, Arushi and KD had finally started dating, though they were keeping it low-key.

I scolded Suhana and KD to help me, but both told me to give them a break. I rolled my eyes and reviewed the ideas we were working on. Suddenly, Hriaan arrived in a jolly mood, and my eyes automatically searched for Tejas even if I already knew that he had taken a leave due to some work.

"Hey, bro, congratulations to us!" Hriaan told Akki, whose face lit up.

"Is it official?" Akki asked him.

Hriaan nodded. "The deal is done, bro. Now the whole world will witness what real showmanship is."

Akki high-fived with him, and when I asked them what they were so excited about, they exchanged glances and shook their heads at me.

"Just watch our official YouTube channel tonight for the breaking news, Shorty. You will be surprised," Hriaan told me.

Akshay didn't reveal anything, and the rest also refused to tell me anything.

What deal Hriaan was talking about? I need to watch The Emperors' YouTube channel? What breaking news is it?!