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It was late at night. Sidharth was still working on the lyrics of their new songs and the tunes. Suddenly his phone buzzed.

He opened his phone and saw that Krish added Shehnaaz to their Rocking Rebels WhatsApp group.

Shehnaaz: Mujhe Papa se permission mil gayi hai. Kal kab aana hai practice pe?

Krish: Tuesday ko hum usually subah 8 baje se jamming start karte hai. Tum bhi tab aa jaana. Maine location bhi send kar diya hai.

Shehnaaz: Ok I'll come.

Veer: Ok guys, see you tomorrow.

After reading the messages, Sidharth was about to type something but then deleted the message and gave a thumbs up emoji.

"Itni baar maana karne ke bawajood bhi yeh log nahi maane. Pata nahi kal kya hoga." Thought Sidharth sighing and touched the phone on his forehead being worried.

Next Morning...

Sidharth, Krish and Veer went to the place where they used to jam together. Krish took his position in front of the drums as he was the drummer of the group while Veer stood in front of the keyboard as he was the keyboardist. They all played their instruments, checking them and after that they started waiting for Shehnaaz.

Veer and Krish were talking when they noticed Sidharth seeing the auditions in his phone and became confused.

"Tu abhi tak yeh auditions kyu dekh raha hai? Humein humari lead singer mil chuki hai." Said Krish to which Sidharth rolled his eyes.

"Aisa na tum dono ko lag raha hai." He said pausing the video. "Shehnaaz humare type ki singer nahi hai. Jab yeh galat fehmi ka gubbara futega na, tum hi dono replacement dhundte phiroge."

"Tu suru se itna negative kyu bol raha hai yaar? Ek baar usse gaane ka mauka toh de." Said Veer being annoyed.

Sidharth was about to say something when he saw Shehnaaz entering and stopped himself.

"Hello everyone! Good morning!" Said Shehnaaz with a smile and shook hands with Veer and Krish.

"Hello Sidharth..." Said Shehnaaz further forwarding her hand towards Sidharth.

"Hi" said Sidharth briefly and focused on his work while Shehnaaz took back her hand understanding that he was not happy with her joining their band.

Seeing Sidharth's cold behaviour, Veer and Krish came forward and made Shehnaaz understand about the songs they would perform at the concert. Then she put on the headphone and listen to the songs. After understanding the tunes, she removed her headphone and stood at her position.

"Ready ho tum?" Asked Sidharth to which Shehnaaz nodded in yes.

"You guys are ready?" Asked Sidharth to his friends who lifted their thumbs.

Sidharth took his guitar and said, "Ok, so let's start...."

They were playing the instruments while Shehnaaz was shaking her head with the beats. As soon as Shehnaaz's line came, she started singing.

While singing the first line, Shehnaaz looked at Sidharth to know how she was doing but his stern look made her nervous. As she sang the second line, Sidharth immediately stopped her.

"Stop stop!" Said Sidharth loudly and Shehnaaz looked at him getting little scared.

"Pitch hi nahi, bass bhi high karo apna. Humein song mein volume chahiye." Said Sidharth while Shehnaaz looked at him being clueless.

"Yaar Krish isko bass ka matlab samjha de." Said Sidharth in an irritated tone and Krish came forward.

He went to Shehnaaz and said, "Dekho tumhe tension lene ki zaroorat nahi hai, tum bohut accha kar rahi ho... Bas volume ko thoda sa badhao...."

Krish made Shehnaaz understand where she was going wrong.

"Yeh baat woh mujhe khud bhi toh baata sakta tha na? Mujhe kaise samajh mein aayega?" Asked Shehnaaz in a low voice to which Krish sighed.

"It's ok, tumhe jaise sahi lagta hai, waise gaao... I know you can do it."

Krish smiled to cheer her up to which she smiled as well and they again took their positions. They started jamming and this time Shehnaaz tried to sing little better but still Sidharth's cold reaction made her feel discouraged.

After two hours, they stopped their jamming.

"Abhi main sab kuch samajh chuki hoon. Main ghar jaa ke phir se practice kar lungi." Said Shehnaaz after finishing. "Waise aaj ke session mein kaisa gaaya maine?"

"Accha tha, accha tha." Said Krish immediately.

"Haan haan bohut badhiya." Said Veer making Shehnaaz happy.

Then she looked at Sidharth with hope who paused for a while and said, "Actually.... Accha nahi tha."

Shehnaaz's face fell hearing that while Veer and Krish looked at him with disbelief.

"To be very honest Shehnaaz, tumhe bohut practice ki zaroorat hai. Otherwise this won't work. Mujhe toh apne concert ki fikar ho rahi hai. Kahi itna bada mauka haath se na nikal jaaye." Said Sidharth being tensed which made Shehnaaz sad.

"I'm sorry." She spoke softly. "Main try karungi ki next session mein behtar kar saku.... Bye guys."

Shehnaaz took her bag and left from there sadly. Sidharth kept looking at her retreating figure and somewhere felt guilty for making her sad.

After she left, Veer went near Sidharth and said, "Bhai tu pagal wagal hogaya hai kya? Baat karne ki tameez nahi hai? Bechari band mein nayi hai, aaj pehla din tha uska, uss hisaab se sahi toh kar rahi thi. Aise rudely behave karne ki kya zaroorat thi? Dude take it easy."

"Bro it's just.... Woh humare type ki singer nahi hai. Rock singing and classical singing, they both are very different, you know that. Chahe kitna bhi try kar le hum usse nahi sikha paayenge. Kahi iss chakkar mein humara event kharab na ho jaaye." Said Sidharth trying to explain himself.

"Tu kehna kya chah raha hai mujhe samajh nahi aa raha. Saaf saaf baata, tujhe uss se problem hai yaa nahi hai? Yaa phir uski Mummy ke comments se problem hai?" Asked Krish directly.

"Are you crazy? Come on yaar, mujhe uss se koi problem nahi hai. Infact I like her...."

Sidharth suddenly stopped while his friends widened their eyes.

"Really? You like her?" They asked giving him teasing smiles.

"I mean, I like her voice." Said Sidharth correcting himself. "The way she sings, it's amazing. Par woh rock band ke liye nahi bani hai."

"Dekh main tujhe samajhta hoon. But usko thoda time dete hai. She will learn everything." Said Veer trying to make Sidharth understand.

"Jo karna hai karo yaar..."

Saying that, Sidharth again started watching the auditions while his friends nodded in disbelief.

At Night...

Shehnaaz was roaming here and there in her room, with her phone in her hand as she was listening to the track and tried to sang the lyrics with it. Each time she sang, she felt a satisfaction as she was doing it perfectly.

After practising few times, she kept her phone aside and huffed.

"Abhi main itna accha kar rahi hoon. Udhar ho kya gaya tha mujhe?
Ek toh woh Sidharth waise hi mujhse chidhta hai, upar se maine khud hi usse bolne ka mauka de diya. Life mein aaj tak kisi ne mujhe itna nahi sunaya. I should have done it better."

Shehnaaz sat on the bed and face-palmed being disappointed with herself.

After sometime she again thought, "Waise dekha jaaye toh galti puri tarah se meri nahi hai. Woh Brahmarakshas mujhe ghur hi aise raha tha jaise maine koi bohut bada gunah kar diya ho, yaa phir kisi ka khoon kar diya ho. Isliye toh itna nervous ho gayi main."

She made a pout remembering today's incident.

"Dekha jaaye toh, next session mein bhi mere saath aisa hi hoga, chahe abhi kitna bhi accha kar loon... Mujhe kuch aur sochna padega."

Shehnaaz started thinking when suddenly something came to her mind. She took her phone and messaged Veer and Krish. After receiving their replies, she smiled happily.

"Yeh mere liye bohut badi opportunity hai khud ko prove karne ka. Please dekhna Bhagwan Ji, agle session mein sab kuch sahi se ho jaaye." She prayed looking upwards, hoping that she would be able to give her best.

At The Next Session...

Sidharth reached their jamming spot where he found Veer, Krish and Shehnaaz already present and discussing something.

"Kya baat hai guys? Sab log itni zaldi aa gaye. Did I miss something?" Asked Sidharth taking off the guitar case from his shoulder.

"Dude hum yaaha bohut pehle se practice kar rahe hai. And Shehnaaz is killing it. Tu bas do minute idhar khade hoke sun." Said Krish and Sidharth's head turned to Shehnaaz who seemed very much excited to sing in front of him.

A smile came to Sidharth's face seeing her excitement and also he felt relieved as she was no more sad after that day's incident.

"Ok... Let's see..." Said Sidharth leaning against the wall, crossing his arms.

Shehnaaz took a deep breath, adjusted her mic, and nodded to Veer and Krish. They launched into the intro of the song, and Shehnaaz's powerful voice soared through the room.

Sidharth's eyes widened in surprise as he listened to Shehnaaz sing. Her voice was stronger, more confident, and she was hitting all the right notes. Hearing her, nobody could say that she was not a rockstar. Veer's keyboard riffs and Krish's drumbeats complemented her voice perfectly.

Sidharth's gaze flicked to Veer and Krish, who were both grinning at him. They had been practicing hard with Shehnaaz, and it showed. The three of them were in perfect sync, creating a sound that was both energetic and harmonious.

Sidharth's skepticism began to fade, replaced by a growing sense of excitement. He felt a surge of pride and admiration for Shehnaaz, who had clearly worked hard to improve her performance.

Without realizing it, Sidharth found himself tapping his foot along with the music. He felt a sudden urge to join in, to add his own guitar riffs to the mix.

He uncrossed his arms, pushed off from the wall, and walked over to his guitar case. He pulled out his guitar, slung the strap over his shoulder, and plugged it in.

Veer and Krish caught his eye, and they exchanged a triumphant grin. Shehnaaz, oblivious to the exchange, continued to sing her heart out.

Sidharth took a deep breath, counted himself in, and began to play. His guitar wove in and out of the other instruments, adding a new layer of depth and complexity to the music.

As the music swelled, Sidharth began to sing, his voice blending with Shehnaaz's in perfect harmony. He strummed the guitar, the chords ringing out as he sang with growing passion.

Shehnaaz's eyes met Sidharth's, and she smiled, her voice soaring as they sang together. The room was filled with the beauty of their combined voices, Veer and Krish watching in awe as the two singers lost themselves in the music.

The four of them played together, lost in the moment, creating something beautiful and special. Sidharth felt a sense of joy and camaraderie that he hadn't felt in a long time.

As they finished the song, the room erupted into applause – or rather, Sidharth, Veer, and Krish applauded, while Shehnaaz took a triumphant bow.

"Kaisa tha?" She asked looking at Sidharth, her heart was pounding in anticipation to know how she sang.

Sidharth grinned at her, feeling a sense of pride and admiration.

"That was fantastic. You really worked hard. NowI have to say....Welcome to the band, Shehnaaz." he said, his voice filled with sincerity.

Shehnaaz's face lit up with a radiant smile. "Thanks," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

The four of them stood there for a moment, basking in the glow of their newfound chemistry. They knew that they still had a lot of work to do, but they also knew that they had something special – something that could take them all the way to the top.

Later that day, as the jamming session came to a close, Sidharth found himself stealing glances at Shehnaaz. He couldn't help but felt a liking towards her for her talent and her dedication.

But as he watched her laughing and chatting with Krish and Veer, he felt a pang of regret. He realized that he had been too harsh with her earlier, too quick to judge her. And now, she seemed to be keeping her distance from him, preferring to talk to his friends instead.

Sidharth tried to make small talk with her, to break the ice, but he found himself stumbling over his words. He was not good at expressing himself, and around Shehnaaz, he felt tongue-tied.

As the days went by, this pattern continued. Sidharth would try to talk to Shehnaaz during their jamming sessions, but she would respond with brief, polite answers, before turning back to her lyrics or sometimes his other two friends.

Sidharth felt like he was losing his chance to connect with her, to apologize for his earlier behavior.

One day, as he packed up his guitar and his friends said goodbye to him and started leaving. Shehnaaz was about to leave as well when Sidharth stopped her.

"Shehnaaz, I have something to discuss with you." He said going towards her while Veer and Krish also stopped hearing that.

"Kya baat hai?" They asked together.

"Shehnaaz se kaam tha. Tum dono jaao na..." He said being annoyed.

Krish and Veer exchanged looks, with a smirk on their faces understanding the situation. Then they left from there and Sidharth turned to Shehnaaz.

"Actually maine ek naye song ke kuch lyrics likhe hai. Mujhe uspe tumhari opinion chahiye thi." Said Sidharth to which Shehnaaz made a confused face.

"Meri? Are you sure?" She asked to confirm.

Before he could say anything, she again said, "Nahi matlab... Ek toh main classical singer hoon, jo ki tumhe pasand nahi hai. Upar se mujhe paata hai tumhare friends ne kitni muskil se tumhe manaya hai mujhe apne band mein lene ke liye. Ab agar maine tumhe koi opinion diya jo ki tumhe pasand nahi aaya... Tum toh mujhe band se hi nikal doge?"

Sidharth immediately nodded in no and said, "Aisa kuch nahi hai... Main bas concerned tha ki tum humare band mein fit ho paaogi yaa nahi..."

"Jo bhi ho, it's the truth ki tum nahi chahte the main Rocking Rebels join karu. And it's fine. Zaroori nahi har kisi ko main pasand aau. Phir bhi tumne mujhe apne band mein rakha, uske liye tumhara sukriya. Main bas try karungi ki aage bhi tumhe kabhi disappoint na karu."

Sidharth couldn't understand how to explain himself as he didn't want her to think this way about him.

"Ok bye... Next session mein milte hai."

Saying that, Shehnaaz waved her hand and left from there.

"Yaar usne pura galat samajh liya. How can she think that I don't like her? Meri hi galti hai, main thik se sorry bhi nahi bol paaya. Iss se pehle kabhi kisi ladki ko sorry bhi toh nahi bola maine. Ab kya karu?"

Thinking that, Sidharth picked up his guitar with a sad pout. He really wanted to apologise but didn't find any way to do it.
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Will Sidharth be able break his walls and apologize to Shehnaaz?

Will they be able to connect after so many differences?

Stay tuned...

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