Mary turned to John and said in an equally agitated voice, "And you sir. I know that you are frustrated and I can't imagine what you are going through. But you have to calm down. We are all on the same side. We'll help you find who did this to her but you have to calm down."

To see the short cute girl angrily handle two grown men who towered over her, was an amusing sight to watch. Her efforts certainly paid off when the two men sat on opposite benches placed by the path in the park. They seemed to have calmed down a bit after letting the silence surround them. John noticed how in the past few days, being around trees helped him relax a lot.

Seeing that neither of them were ready to start the conversation, Mary decided to break the silence.

"We need to find where Ruby was last Saturday night. Do you know?" She asked Alex. He shook his head.

"Do you have any idea who could have drugged her?" Mary asked. Alex shook his head again.

"I was wondering if it could be her stalker," said Mary. There was a sudden expression of realization on Alex's face.

"She did seem rather scared and frustrated the last few days," he said. John started paying attention. Alex continued, "At first I thought it must have been performance jitters. But I felt that she was hiding something. She had stopped seeing me too. Sometimes when I'd call her to hang out, she'd flat out refuse."

"Performance?" Asked John.

"She had a performance scheduled for that night, at the restaurant she worked at. But three days before the event, she had cancelled it," said Alex.

"After that, no matter how many times I called her, she never picked up," Alex said looking down. He looked lost in thoughts.

"You knew about her performance. According to Mary, you helped her write a song. You were the only friend she had for the past few months. Are you still denying that the two of you were dating?" John asked yet again. He knew he should, but no matter how much he tried, he couldn't control his anger.

Alex smiled and asked John, "According to you, is that the only relation two people can have?"

Alex continued, "Ruby was something else. A type of person I had never come across in my life...

Leaning against the bundle of logs of wood that formed a pillar and supported the roof of the stall at the surf festival, Alex played his favourite song on his guitar. The people he had met just an hour back sat around him, listening to him play.

That's when he saw her. A girl in a white tank top and red palazzo, her hair in a bun, smiling as she took out her phone and began video recording him playing.

The next day she had arrived with her friends again, an old guitar in her hand this time. She sang Shallow by LadyGaga and it was one of the most soulful renditions he had ever heard. Then she had left before he could get her name. He wanted to see her the following day too, but she never showed up.

About two months later, on a very normal day, Alex was summoned by the student cultural head, Sam.

"Hey what's up?" Asked Alex as soon as he walked in.

"Alex, hey!" Said Sam, "We need your expertise in helping Ruby here," Sam pointed at the girl sitting in front of him, "She'd love to participate in University musical events, even if its for charity. I thought I could ask you for help."

Alex sighed. He said, "You know I work alone," he turned to the girl sitting and said, "No offense."

As soon as his eyes fell on Ruby, he regretted those words leaving his lips.

Her messy brown hair lying loose over her shoulders, twinkling brown eyes and easily identifiable smile that reached her eyes. It took him just a second to recognize her as the girl at the surf festival. Her voice had made such an impact on him.

"Come on man! Help her out," said Sam. Alex wondered what to say now. He couldn't immediately change his mind. But then Ruby stood up. Facing him, with a smile she said, "I promise I won't take much time of yours. I just need someone to discuss music with."

Alex merely watched her, standing still. He noticed her forehead crease as her eyebrows furrowed and she asked, "Weren't you at the Surf festival?"

And that's how Alex changed his daily routine that he had been following since his first day at college.

The stone benches near the woods were Alex's favorite place in the entire campus. It was away from the crowd and the noise, and it helped him concentrate on his music. Most days, he'd grab his guitar, his small notepad, the sound recorder app on his phone and just try to create something. From that day, he let Ruby accompany him.

Everyday, Ruby and Alex would meet and work on their respective music for at least an hour. He showed her how to pen down her thoughts into words and guided her on how to create a verse.

One day, she made him read a few of her scribblings. He read through it and said, "Tell me more about this. Walk me through your thoughts."

Ruby and Alex sat face to face on the same stone bench, their legs dangling on either side. Ruby took a sip from the coke Alex had bought for her before he came, and said, "Well, it's about an angel fish that wants to fly."

Alex waited. When Ruby didn't say anything further he said, "I understood that. And I understand your metaphor. But why cant she fly? What's stopping her? Is there a purpose for her flight? What will happen if she doesn't fly? You need to relate more to the angel fish so that you can write about her more intimately. If you have that personal touch, only then will you be able to part some soul into it. And only then will your audience feel it."

Listening carefully, Ruby slowly nodded. "But I'm okay if some of the audience don't feel it," she said.

"We can't make them feel at gun point of course. But it's good if they do. And they'll feel it only if you write for yourself. Let go of your worries wondering whether others will like your work or not. Write for yourself, to help you, to ask questions to yourself and to find solutions for yourself. That's how you create something beautiful. "

Ruby nodded again. And then she smiled saying, "Did you just address the fish as 'her'?"

"Remember what I told you about connecting with your subject?" asked Alex, very seriously.

"Sorry sir," Ruby stopped talking first, followed by a chuckle.

With Ruby's help, Alex got the opportunity to sing at her restaurant. Performing live in front of an audience who actually gather to listen to amateur artists and appreciate their talent, used to give Ruby such an exhilaration. She let Alex experience how she had felt. He was grateful.

One day, after her performance, and work, she had gone to the dressing room to change. When she met a waiting Alex outside the restaurant, she was holding a red rose and a small card.

A sudden surge of excitement ran through Alex. He asked, "Is this-"

"Did you give me this?" Ruby interjected and asked with a smile. Alex felt confused. It took him a second to understand that he was wrong.

"What? No..."

When she heard his reply, Ruby's face fell with disappointment.

"Oh," she muttered, lowering her eyes.

Alex composed himself, took the card from her and said, "It says it's from your secret admirer. Looks like you have a fan."

Wanting to not let her know how he felt about this, not sure himself how he felt about this, he tried to act nonchalant. Ruby gave him a wicked smile and said, "I have a lot of fans."

"You don't have to tell me," he said as he laughed it off, though he could still feel his heart beat fast in his chest.