Kabir

I made a really large fire. I didn’t want to have to get up for wood before the story was over. We sat in front of it, draped in blankets. Aman told me of the night it all changed for them.

‘Our college festival is famous. It’s really big. Three days of events across fifteen different areas. Everything, from debates to art to fashion shows. But the biggest day is the last day, when all the bands take to the stage. The concert lasts the whole night. Last year it went on till 4 a.m. and the cops had to come and shut it down.

‘We’d been rehearsing a long time. And we were good. We were going to do a song that I had written, and it made me really nervous. I had written the song for her, and I would be telling a crowd of thousands about my love.

‘Before we went on stage, I was ambushed. My friends got together and grabbed me. Then they threw me into the air three times. They said it was for luck. I was breathless and laughing as I flew into the air and landed in their arms again and again. As I was flung above their heads, I could see the crowd. There were four thousand teenagers packed into the auditorium. I could hear them roaring. This was going to be incredible.’