Manav

Chapter 2 - Something Happened Few Months Ago

"That's my girl. Why to be sad when you can smile." I saw a teardrop slip from her left eye. I rubbed it off and said, "Okay now, smile as much as you can, because it's selfie time." And I raised my phone to take a selfie."

* * * * * * * *

"Manav?"

I felt like Dev took my name.

"Are you dreaming?" he said.

"Uh..no, I was thinking something, nothing else. Let's have a sip." I said. We took a sip, and I soon realized that my bottle was emptier than Dev's bottle. I felt like asking him that when did I drank so much, but then I assumed it was when I was thinking about Priyanka.

Beep! Beep! Dev's phone was vibrating. He took it out of his pocket and checked it.

"Oh god, I'm dead."

Obviously, I asked him what happened.

"Dude, my dad had told me to get our scooter repaired, and I forgot. So I got to go now; bye then, and do let me know if you are going to come to the party." And he left, busy man.

* * * * * * * *

"Ugh! My phone's camera should have been a bat's eye! Pathetic quality for taking pics at night time." I said. She had her phone in her hand. "Hey, let's use your phone." And I took it from her hand. She sort of resisted a bit, but then she let herself to give it to me.

I tried to unlock her phone, but she had changed her password.

"Umm...what's your password Piyu?"

She typed in and I could see her wallpaper clearly. When I observed her wallpaper, I saw a guy whose face was covered with a 'happy emoticon' and in the background; Priyanka was smiling while consciously looking at the camera. I thought about me and her taking that picture sometime, but no, it wasn't me. So I asked her,

"Who's this guy Piyu?"

"Uh...he's a friend of mine."

"From college?"

"Uh...no, not from college."

"Then? Who's he? And what's his name? And why have you covered his face?" I asked. I was curious, I mean, a lot curious, especially in these kinds of matters.

"He's a mutual friend. And we kind of got to know each other well, so we are good friends." She said. And I don't know why, I sort of didn't like that answer. You may say, I was being jealous, but, she was just my best friend, so why would I be jealous? But still, I didn't like that answer.

"Oh, okay. So are you both together? Like..." I said.

After few seconds of silence, she reacted,

"What?! Are you crazy? How can you think of that?!"

"Well, it's a simple analysis. I mean, you have a wallpaper of a guy, whose face is covered. Moreover, you are in the back of the picture, but you are looking at the camera and you are smiling. So that indicates that you were very happy while this picture was taken. And about that emoticon, that resembles, that you like him, because that would be one thing which says you like him and you find him cute. So in the end, there seems a high probability of you both being together."

I can say, she was stunned. But she knew me, so she knew that, that was a simple thing. Anyone would think of it like the way I thought of, only that I explained it to her in long sentences.

"We broke up today." She finally opened up. And again I don't know why for some reason, I didn't like that. I liked that they broke up, but I didn't like the fact that they were dating. And adding on to it, I didn't like the fact that she didn't even tell me that she was dating. Nothing at all!

"How could you not tell me? I mean all this time you were dating some guy and you didn't even let me know about it! Why?!"

"Manav! Don't say this! Please! I just thought that I shouldn't disclose this to anyone, so I didn't tell you." She was moaning. But I was angry with her.

"And not even me. I have become 'anyone' to you now. Okay, cool, I understand." I said.

"No Manav! Don't! Please! Already someone has left me; I can't afford to lose you! Please!"

"Sorry Piyu, but I'm not able to accept these things right now."

She became silent. And then she woke up in fumes.

"Why are you behaving like this? I mean, I know I didn't tell you, but at least I'm telling you now! Can't you listen to that?"

"Stop it Priyanka! I can't handle this right now. I feel as if I don't even exist in your life."

"How can you say that?"

"Just because I feel that way?"

"Get lost from here. I never want to meet you or talk to you again. Just go!" she said.

I gave her a look, and a teardrop slipped from my eye. And I ran, ran the hell out of me. Just kept on running till I didn't reach my house. But on my way, there was a school, so outside that school, on the footpath, that lonely footpath beside the highway, I bumped into someone. And later I found out that, the 'someone' was none other than Rishi.