Unspoken Melodies

Episode 8: The Struggle Within

The crowd erupted into applause as Arjun finished his song, his voice carrying raw emotion that captivated everyone in the room. His name was beginning to spread beyond the college circuit, and local media had started to take notice. On the surface, everything seemed perfect. Yet, behind the music and applause, Arjun was drowning.

Late one evening, Arjun sat in his tiny room, surrounded by scattered notebooks and an empty plate from dinner he could barely afford. His phone buzzed—a text from the producer congratulating him on a successful performance. He ignored it, staring blankly at the wall instead.

From the other room, he could hear the muffled sound of his father yelling. The slurred words of a man who had long lost himself to alcohol rang through the thin walls.

“You think you’re some big star now, huh? While we’re stuck here, scraping by!”

Arjun clenched his fists, trying to block out the words. He knew his father wasn’t in his right mind, but that didn’t make the sting any less painful.

The next morning, Arjun left the house early, his guitar slung over his shoulder. He walked to the café where he worked part-time, his head hung low. He had to juggle school, his job, and his growing music career, but no one saw the toll it was taking on him.

As he scrubbed tables and served coffee, the whispers of customers recognizing him reached his ears.

“Isn’t that the guy who sang at the event last week?”

“Yeah, but what’s he doing here?”

Their murmurs only deepened his sense of shame. He smiled politely at them, swallowing his pride, but inside, he felt like a failure.

Diya, meanwhile, was sitting with her friends in the college library, flipping through a textbook she wasn’t really reading. Her mind kept wandering back to Arjun. She remembered the way his voice carried so much pain during his last performance and the way he had walked away from her after their confrontation.

“You okay, Diya?” her friend asked, noticing her distraction.

“Yeah, just tired,” she replied, forcing a smile.

But she wasn’t okay. Her heart felt heavy, and the wall she had built between herself and Arjun was starting to c***k.

Later that evening, Arjun returned home, exhausted from a full day of work and rehearsals. His mother sat at the kitchen table, her face etched with worry.

“Arjun,” she began hesitantly, “we’re behind on rent again.”

Arjun’s shoulders sagged. “I’ll figure it out, Maa,” he said, though he had no idea how.

That night, Arjun lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. His dreams felt like they were slipping further away, crushed under the weight of his family’s struggles.

Tears welled up in his eyes, and for the first time in months, he let himself cry. Silent sobs wracked his body as he clutched his guitar, the only thing that still gave him hope.

Meanwhile, Diya found herself outside Arjun’s home, her heart pounding. She hadn’t planned to come here, but something had drawn her—an unshakable need to see him.

She hesitated at the gate, hearing faint sounds of a guitar and a voice humming a melody. It was Arjun. The music was beautiful but filled with sorrow.

For a moment, she considered going in, but fear held her back. Fear of what her friends would say, of what her family would think. She turned and walked away, her heart aching with every step.

The next day, Arjun was back in the studio, recording a new track. The producer noticed the intensity in his voice and paused the session.

“You okay, kid?” he asked.

Arjun nodded. “Yeah, just… tired.”

The producer didn’t press further, but he could see the cracks forming in the young artist.

As days turned into weeks, the tension between Arjun and Diya grew. They avoided each other on campus, though their eyes often met across crowded spaces. Both longed to bridge the gap but were trapped by their own struggles and insecurities.

Diya’s friends noticed her distance and began questioning her.

“Why do you keep looking at him?” one of them teased. “You’re not seriously considering…”

“Of course not,” Diya lied, forcing a laugh.

But the lie tasted bitter, and she knew she couldn’t keep running from her feelings forever.

In the episode’s final moments, Arjun performs at a small concert, his voice carrying the weight of his struggles. Diya watches from the back of the crowd, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. For the first time, she sees the depth of his pain and the strength of his determination.

But as the applause fades, Arjun walks offstage, unaware that she was there.

Both of them are fighting battles within themselves, their paths running parallel but never quite intersecting. Yet, in their hearts, they both know they are bound by something neither can fully explain.