‘And the best couple cosplay of this evening is—Harley and Joker!’ The host shouted excitedly.
The girl in the Harley Quinn costume looked at the host, shocked. As if she couldn’t believe she actually won. Her surprised expressions slowly turned into a big smile.
The guy standing beside her in the Joker's costume looked at her face with a loving gaze. While she looked around in excitement, he only looked at her.
The glittering chandelier hung above the dance floor, reflecting the light in a thousand dazzling patterns. People dressed as different characters were chatting and laughing as the DJ spun a mix of the year’s biggest hits. The beats of Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” and the Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling” kept everyone on their feet, dancing and singing along.
As the clock ticked closer to midnight, the anticipation in the room grew palpable. Everyone erupted in cheers and laughter as the final seconds of the year slipped away.
While everyone was busy dancing, the two winners of the evening were in a corner talking in their ears.
‘Thank you so much for agreeing to participate in the competition with me. Thanks to you, we won the first prize, thirty thousand taka!’ The girl said excitedly in his ears in her high-pitched voice.
‘What are you planning to do with the money?’ The guy asked. His voice was calm, like the ocean wave hitting the shore.
‘I will do a professional photoshoot.’ The girl paused and put her hands on her hips. ‘I am planning to participate in Bangladesh's Next Top Model competition.’ She added with confidence.
The guy smiled seeing her pose. He took his mouth near her ear and asked, ‘Will fifteen thousand be enough for that? If you want, you can take the whole amount.’
The girl instantly shook her head. ‘No, no! That’s your share. Don’t worry, I have saved some money too. It will be enough.’
With her mischievous red smile, she looked perfect as Harley Quinn. The classic black and red jester costume, paired with her mismatched black and red shoes. Everything was on point.
The guy looked equally perfect as the Joker. His green hair and purple suit were striking, but it was his intense gaze that made him truly embody the character. When their eyes met, she flashed him a wide, genuine smile, her eyes sparkling with excitement and a hint of mischief.
She brought her face near his and whispered, ‘I wonder if we will recognize each other without all this paint. Tell me your name. When I win the BNTM, I will thank you in my winning speech.’
The guy skipped a beat hearing her. He looked at her face full of mischievousness. His lips softly trembled as he pronounced his name, ‘Rakin—’
The girl spoke confidently in an imitating tone, ‘And a special thanks to my lovely friend Rakin for helping me with my first photoshoot. I owe you, mate!’
Rakin smiled and said, ‘I would love that.’ He paused and asked, ‘What’s your name?’
She offered him a hand, ‘Silvi Sinha, the next top model!’ Her voice reflected her young soul's energy, a teenage girl full of life.
Rakin was around her age, too. But he didn’t feel that kind of excitement about life. He looked at the small hand of Silvi that she was offering to him. For a fraction of a second, he saw the suicide note on his desk—neatly written, perfectly placed—before the sound of Silvi calling his name pulled him back.
‘Rakin?’ Silvi called gently.
Rakin looked at her. A smile curved in his lips. He gently held her hand for the handshake. ‘I need to know if she actually becomes the top model or not! I don’t want to miss her thanking me in her winning speech!’ He thought.
The new year had begun. Rakin wasn’t supposed to see this new day. But now here he was, smiling with this unknown girl with big dreams, who smiled at him like he mattered. She was still talking, still glowing. For the first time in months, he listened. And for the first time in years, he felt heard without speaking a word.
In the flickering lights and the background music of Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance, Rakin’s eyes lit up with a newfound reason to live. A girl who felt like the first sunshine after a long, dark night. He wanted to protect her smile.
They couldn’t have known this was the start of a bad romance—a rendezvous that was planned.