Junak Baruah wants to win the prestigious short film competition in his university. But with hundreds of participants and a stellar jury on board, winning means making a film that's never been made before.
And that means breaking the rules and taki...
TRIGGER WARNING: homophobia, bullying and verbal assault
If anyone's uncomfortable at any point, leave a comment or DM me and I'll give you a gist of what's important to the plot.
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Junak made a schedule and kept himself busy. It was his coping mechanism, and right now, all he needed to do was cope. It will pass, he told himself. Everything is going to be fine.
In the mornings, he went to the hospital. His grandfather had woken up soon after Junak's breakdown, smiling a weak smile and assuring him in a weak voice that he was okay. It did little to calm Junak because the doctors told him his grandfather had a history of coronary artery disease, which worsened with age. His heart attack was unexpected and would've spelt trouble if he hadn't reached the hospital on time. They needed to keep him there for at least a week.
Despite Junak's insistent volunteering, Jatin was the one who stayed with Grandpa most of the time, including the nights. Aita needs you more, Jatin told him. And it was true.
The old woman tried to keep up a strong façade but Junak could see how heavily this was weighing on her, so he stayed by her side as much as possible.
In the mornings, he had breakfast with his grandmother, then went to the hospital carrying meals for Jatin and Grandpa. At noon, he would return to have lunch at home. In the evenings, Dikhou went to the hospital so Junak had added incentive to stay away.
Seeing Dikhou hurt. Not that he saw much of him. Dikhou stopped coming over and the only times Junak saw him were brief glimpses from across the fence or when Dikhou came to check on Grandma. He would politely acknowledge Junak, never maintaining eye contact for more than a second. The wide chasm between the two was raw, glaring and absolutely painful.
Junak did not know how to stop the hurt.
Niribili did not say I told you so. When Junak first staggered back to the house, she had merely pulled him into a hug, not saying anything. She did not ask him what happened with Dikhou, though it was obvious she knew.
Banhi, being Banhi, tried her best to cheer him up but she might as well have been entertaining a brick wall; Junak barely had the strength to get out of bed, let alone pretend to smile.
Prapti and Megha stayed in the house, Junak did not know why. He had no idea what would happen to his film. He did not care. It felt so silly and insignificant.
If his friends were irritated at his lack of interest, they did not show it.
Junak did not know how long it would last. Thinking about the future, or rather, thinking about anything, hurt too much, required a lot of energy, so he just focused on his actions, minute after minute after minute.
***
Things took a turn for the worse on the third day. Junak almost felt it coming, when he returned from the hospital and saw an SUV parked in front of his grandparents' house.
