Mrs. Sharma finally looked up. "Everything okay?"
Zainab straightened her skirt with shaking hands, cheeks still flushed from the close contact and Arahan's whispered filth.
She wanted to complain about him, that he was harassing her, but still she controlled her anger and said, "He's… he's not serious. He's just messing around."
Arahan raised both hands in mock surrender, that devilish smile never fading for even a second. "No ma'am, I'm good. She can't properly dance it. And now she's blaming me? I think she's also not good at couple dancing."
Zainab's eyes widened in outrage. "What are you saying?! I'm a good dancer, I'm the lead of our school dance group! How can you even say I'm bad? It's you are bad, you're perve—"
She was going to say it, but control herself, "Ma'am, I am not able to dance with him, and I have nothing to say."
Arahan also understands that he was crossing a limit, although he wants back Zainab, but not by hurting her.
So, he also became silent.
Mrs. Sharma looked at them and nodded, "I understand now. You two have a problem with each other, and clearly you can't dance together."
She looked around the room, then raised her voice toward the back door where a girl had just slipped in carrying a stack of decoration charts.
"Priya ma'am!"
Priya, tall, graceful, the same Priya, sister of Vinay turned, surprised. She was wearing the school's dance-team tracksuit today, hair tied in a high ponytail, looking every bit the confident senior who ran half the cultural events.
Mrs. Sharma waved her over. "Come here. You're taking over as Arahan's partner for the couple number. Zainab, you lead the girls' group routine with your team. Practice starts now."
"Okay ma'am," Zainab nodded, but she felt that she had done something wrong.
Zainab looked at Arahan, she was angry with him, but still seeing he was going to another girl. She felt more anger.
Arahan, meanwhile, turned slowly toward Priya.
She was already walking over, a small, curious smile on her face. Up close, she smelled faintly of vanilla body spray and fresh sweat from earlier rehearsals. Her tracksuit hugged her curves perfectly, slim waist, full hips, the kind of body that moved like liquid when she danced.
"Hi," she said softly, tilting her head. "I guess we're partners now."
Arahan's devilish smile returned. He offered his hand again, palm up.
"Looks like it. Don't worry… I'll be gentle. At first." He was talking about the dance, but from inside, he was thinking that he would be gentle, when he took away her virginity.
Priya's eyes flickered with amusement. She placed her hand in his without hesitation.
The music started again.
Arahan placed his hand on her waist, Priya felt a little tense, but still adapted as choreography.
From the corner, Zainab watched them, she started feeling a little jealous, even though she didn't know why.
Arahan caught her stare over Priya's shoulder. He winked at her. Then he started the dance.
The music swelled again. Arahan followed the choreography exactly as Priya demonstrated, right hand on her waist, left hand clasping hers at shoulder height, bodies aligned in perfect frame, steps measured and smooth.
Priya moved like water, fluid, confident, every hip roll and turn executed with the precision of someone who lived for this. Arahan matched her effortlessly, his sharp memory letting him mirror her steps after just one demo.
They flowed through the sequence: slow side steps, a gentle turn under his arm, a dip where he supported her back perfectly, bringing her up again so their faces ended inches apart.
She smiled genuinely and was also a little surprised.
"You're actually good," she said softly during the brief pause between verses. "Most boys fake it through the first run and then give up."
Arahan gave her a half-smile, calm and easy. "I pay attention. And you make it easy to follow."
Priya's cheeks warmed just a touch. She looked away for a second, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, then back to him. "Thanks. Let's go again, from the lift this time."
This time when he lifted her, she trusted him completely, legs parting around his waist for balance, hands on his shoulders, body arching back in a graceful curve.
He held her steady, high, letting the moment linger exactly as long as the music required.
When he lowered her, their bodies brushed in a slow, deliberate slide, and she felt every inch of him against her. She exhaled softly when her feet touched down.
"Perfect," she murmured. "You've got it."
Arahan nodded, keeping his voice low and warm. "Only because you're an amazing teacher. The way you move… it's hypnotic."
Priya laughed quietly, shy, pleased. "Flattery won't make me go easier on you."
"I'm counting on that," he replied, eyes locked on hers for a beat longer than necessary.
Her girls kept glancing between her and the center of the room, whispering. Zainab barked at them to focus, but her own eyes never left Arahan and Priya.
Practice rolled on for another forty minutes. Arahan compliments Priya's timing on a tricky spin, asking genuine questions about foot placement, laughing when she teased him about his "too-serious face" during the romantic hold.
By the time Mrs. Sharma called, the room was dimmer, the evening sun slanting through the windows.
Most of the ninth-graders had packed up and left. Zainab lingered, pretending to organize props, but really just glaring daggers.
Priya wiped a light sheen of sweat from her forehead with the back of her wrist. "You did great today. Really. If you keep showing up, we'll have this number locked in no time."
Arahan picked up his bag, slinging it over one shoulder. "I'll be here every day you need me." He paused, then added casually, "Hey… it's getting late. Are you heading home alone?"
Priya glanced at the clock—6:45 p.m. The school corridors would be mostly empty by now. "Yeah, Vinay already left for his coaching class. I usually walk. It's not far."
Arahan shrugged like it was no big deal. "I'm going that way anyway. Mind if I walk with you? Safer at this hour, and we can talk about that one transition you said needs work."
He has his own bike, and he never went home by walking, but due to making Priya his girlfriend he was also ready to do this.
She hesitated, just a second, then smiled. "Sure. That'd be nice."
They walked out together. Priya waved goodbye to a few lingering girls. Zainab watched them leave from the doorway, and for unknown reason, she felt angry.
It was not that she had not seen Arahan with other girls before. But those girls were his friends. And Priya is new, especially since she is a teacher.
Zainab felt that she needed to walk together with Arahan, but she wasn't even able to say it.
---
Outside, the school grounds were quiet except for the distant sound of crickets and the occasional scooter revving on the main road. Streetlights flickered on, one by one.
They walked side by side. Arahan kept the conversation light, like asking about dance steps, favorite songs for the farewell playlist, how she got into choreography in the first place.
Priya opened up easily, laughing when he joked about how he used to think "salsa" was just spicy sauce.
Halfway through the home, she glanced at him sideways, "You're different from what I expected."
Arahan raised an eyebrow. "What did you expect?"
"I don't know… cocky. Show-off. The way Zainab talks about you." She bit her lip, then added quickly, "She's not right. You've been… nice."
Arahan chuckled softly. "Zainab and I have history. But I'm not here to cause trouble. I just want to help make the farewell perfect. And maybe learn a thing or two from the best."
Priya's cheeks flushed again. "You're sweet when you want to be."
They reached the turn toward her colony. She slowed her home, and thanked him.
"That's my home. Thanks for dropping me. See you tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow, okay," Arahan confirmed.
She turned to go.
Arahan watched her walk away, ponytail swinging, hips moving with that same natural grace.