Marked By Darkness

Chapter 18- That Friendship

After 2 Months...

An Afternoon...

I was lounging on the couch, my phone buzzing in my hand. It was a message from Sounak.

"So, how was your day?" he asked.

I groaned and let my head fall back dramatically. "Not so good. No one went to college today, and I had four classes. I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck."

Sounak replied quickly. "So you need some rest."

I half-smiled, knowing he was trying to cheer me up. "Yeah, but maybe I feel better now..."

He asked, "How".

I tapped my fingers on the phone, a mischievous grin tugging at my lips. "You’re my energy pill," I typed.

He shot back with a laugh. "Hah! Then great. Give me my fee, girl."

I raised an eyebrow, playing along. "Which fee?"

"I revived you with that message. Pay up," he wrote, and I could almost hear the teasing tone in his words.

I rolled my eyes as I typed my reply. "Ohh! So you need a fee? Fine, I’ll give it to you next time we meet."

He quickly asked when that would be.

I couldn’t help but laugh, typing back as I imagined our old, wrinkled selves still joking around. "When we’re 60 years old."

I giggled out loud at my own words, shaking my head. Sounak’s reply came, still teasing. "So funny. Okay, I’ll talk to you later."

"Yep," I typed back, still chuckling a bit.

---

Later... Calling Anshi...

The phone buzzed again, and I saw Anshi’s name flash across the screen. I answered with a grin.

"Yesh, gorgeous," she said, her voice full of energy.

I rolled my eyes but smiled. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing, girl," Anshi replied casually.

I tilted my head and stretched out on the couch. "How’s your college going?"

"Just okay, okay," Anshi said with a shrug I could practically hear through the phone.

"Tell me about your crush," I said, a teasing tone slipping into my voice.

Anshi groaned, clearly not wanting to get into it. "Ruhi, don’t ask."

"Why?" I pushed, enjoying the small teasing game we played.

"He has a new girlfriend," she replied, sounding down. "I’m feeling so sad. I’ve been crying for two days straight."

I couldn’t help but exaggerate for fun. "Oh ho ho! So bad news! BTW, Anshi, please don’t cry. After their breakup, you’ll definitely get another chance."

"What? Ruhi, you bi*ch," Anshi said, laughing despite herself.

I burst into laughter. "Sorry, I’m just kidding. Hah, hah!"

"Don’t laugh at all," Anshi warned, though I could hear the smile in her voice.

"Okay, okay. Sorry," I said, trying to stifle my laughter.

"But this idea isn’t too bad," Anshi added, and I could hear her tone soften.

I let out a dramatic gasp. "OMG!"

Anshi laughed. "So what about aunty? How’s she?"

"Yeah, Mom’s good," I said with a fond smile, thinking about her.

"And your dearest friend Esha?" Anshi asked, her voice playful again.

"Are you feeling jealous?" I teased, raising an eyebrow.

"Why should I feel jealous? I’m just asking," she replied nonchalantly.

"Uh-huh, just asking?" I said, laughing. "She’s all good. You know what, Anshi? Esha always asks me about you. She wants to meet you too."

"Really?" Anshi asked, her voice tinged with surprise.

"Yesh, babe," I replied, enjoying the excitement in her voice.

"BTW, I miss you so much, Ruhi," Anshi said, her voice softer now.

I smiled, feeling my heart warm. "Miss you too."

"Anyway, bye," Anshi said, sounding distracted. "I have my sem exam in 3 days. So I need to prepare."

"Yeah, obvious. Bye," I said, making a shooing motion with my hand, even though she couldn’t see me.

"Yeap," she replied, and the call ended.

---

At Night...

The phone suddenly buzzed, breaking the quiet of my room. I glanced at the screen. It was Sounak.

I picked up quickly. "Hii."

"Did I disturb?" he asked, sounding a little unsure.

I shook my head even though he couldn’t see me. "Nah."

He hesitated before asking, "Okay, so can we meet tomorrow afternoon?"

I thought for a second, then nodded to myself. "Yeah, we can. But where?"

"We’ll figure it out tomorrow," he replied, sounding a little uncertain too.

"Alright," I said, feeling my excitement rise slightly. "So, tomorrow at 5pm?"

"Yeah," Sounak confirmed, the hint of a smile in his voice.

"Okay, sounds good," I said, my own smile creeping onto my face.

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